Koinonia is simply a system of introducing and maintaining the interest of an individual in helping to Christianize his personal environment whether at home, at work , or in recreational pursuits.
Koinonia does this by developing an example of a Christian community during a weekend conference and then encourages the continuance and application of Christian precepts through small groups which continue to support the individual as he or she attempt to live Christian love in his world.
Koinonia is patterned largely after a similar method begun in Spain by Roman Catholics, and known as "Cursillo de Christianado" or "short course in Christianity". Koinonia was first developed in Findlay, Ohio, in 1972 by an ecumenical group of Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, Methodists, and Quakers. The first two weekends were held at a conference center near Defiance, Ohio. Since this beginning of Koinonia, the system has spread to many other locations.
The Koinonia system uses, as its fundamental concept, the sharing of Christian love between individuals, that is, Christ was concerned with the world about Him, and that as Christians, we should follow His example. Koinonia, therefore, differs from other experiential methods which are based primarily on personal salvation or charismatic experience. No position on these various methods is taken during the weekend. Rather it is the acceptance that Christ lives through others that is stressed. In spreading His love through our actions, the eventuality of "one man - one word - one God" will be realized.
Koinonia should not be viewed as a denomination or as an end unto itself. It is only a means to provide an awareness within the individual of his Christian responsibility in the creation of a better world based on empathy, love and action. In this way the system differs from some religious approaches or methods that emphasis the perpetuation of the group or entity l as being of primary importance because of the truth which it holds.
Instead, it is the going out that is of importance to Koinonia rather than the coming in. It is the actions of the individual within his everyday environment, rather than in the group, that are meaningful. At the weekend the individual is urged to take an active Christian role in his church, work and home..
It is difficult to categorize the weekend in specific terms. It has the elements of a retreat in that there is opportunity for prayer and meditation. It has some of the elements of a transactional experience in that it reaffirms the worth of the individual and provides for an examination of interpersonal relationships based on the teachings of Christ. There are even the festive elements of singing, joking, fellowship, and a party.
Essentially, the weekend is based on a series of talks and discussions. They are used to guide the individual in reaching his own conclusions about his personal responsibility. The talks are not structured to provide definitive roles or procedures, but are largely based on the personal experience of the speaker.
Why review Colorado Koinonia's background? At the first ten weekends almost everyone knew each other and, more importantly, everyone knew Koinonia and its background. Koinonia's history was transmitted orally, like the Bible until someone wrote it down. To do the weekend well the team has to have some idea about how Koinonia all came together and why. It helps the team make appropriate adjustments during the weekend, helps them understand their jobs better and helps them better comprehend the idea of deep commitment as a team.
Koinonia has been patterned after the Roman Catholic "Cursillo" which in Spanish means "short course". The Cursillo began in Spain and has the elements of the weekend from Thursday through Sunday, small group weekly reunions and periodic larger group reunions known as "Ultreyas".
In Cursillo the general rule has been that the man in the family would have to attend the weekend before his wife could attend. This course of action was determined to be necessary to assure that the intensification of faith and Christian action within the family unit would not be relegated to the wife, but would be shared by both husband and wife.
In Findlay, Ohio, a very active Cursillo existed. Mrs. Margaret Musser was urged to attend a Cursillo by her friends. However, she was unable to do so until her husband attended, but Everett Musser was Presbyterian, and the Cursillo weekend was oriented to Roman Catholics. After careful consideration of the matter, the leadership of the Cursillo invited Everett to attend a weekend and to join a weekly reunion group. After attending this weekend and participating in his reunions, Mr. Musser felt there was great potential for applying this cause of Christianity to his own Presbyterian church. He discussed the matter with his Pastor and the decision was made to formulate a program.
With the help of local Roman Catholics, who were active in the Cursillo movement, a weekend was planned. It was to be called Koinonia which means "small gathering" or "community" in Greek. The weekend, instead of beginning on Thursday night, would begin on Friday and the outlines of some talks were slightly revised towards a Protestant orientation.
A small team was organized with the speakers doubling as facilitators. Participants were invited from the First Presbyterian Church in Findlay and the first Koinonia was held at Tri-State Yokefellow House near Napoleon, Ohio, in May of 1972. The first support and serenade were entirely by Cursillistas from northwestern Ohio, who were willing to share their love unselfishly.
Koinonia was brought to Colorado in 1972 by Ron and Pat Morgan. The Morgans were transferred by Marathon Oil Co. from Findlay to Littleton, Colorado. With the help of Episcopal Cursillo, active in Colorado for several years., the first weekend was April 15-17, 1977 at Covenant Heights Baptist Bible Camp near Estes Park, Colorado. There were 19 participants, essentially from Grace Presbyterian Church of Littleton, Colorado and Colorado Koinonia was begun. One other weekend was held in 1977, three in 1978 and four each year beginning in 1979. The first weekend of 1978 (K-3) through the last of 1987 (K-41) were held at Ponderosa Southern Baptist Assembly Camp outside Larkspur, Colorado. The first weekend of 1988 (K-42) and subsequent weekends have been at Signing River Ranch near Evergreen, Colorado. February, 1990, Koinonia moved to Blackforest Camp and Conference Center near Monument, Colorado to hold K-50. February, 1993, Koinonia moved back to Ponderosa Southern Baptist Assembly Camp outside Larkspur, Colorado for K-62. Koinonia was at Templed Hills Camp until K-89. Koinonia was at Highlands Presbyterian from K-89 through K-100. K-101 through K-104 were back at Templed Hills Camp. K-105 was held at Salvation Army High Peak Camp near Estes Park in March of 2009.
Participants in Colorado Koinonia are now spread throughout Colorado, establishing Northern Colorado Koinonia, Western Colorado Koinonia, and Southern Colorado, as well as reaching into several other states, such as Montana, Arkansas, Texas, Oregon, Washington, and in New Mexico in 2001. Colorado Koinonians residing in nearby states and Colorado Koinonia have planted new seeds elsewhere. A Continuance Board was formed to help perpetuate Colorado Koinonia. This Board operates to plan and guide the growth of Koinonia.
Colorado Koinonia is unique in that Cursillo is not the background for all the decisions that were made to start and maintain Koinonia. Many decisions were made by trial and error to arrive at the current format, and Koinonia is still open for adjustments as circumstances require.
While not necessarily unique, there are several noteworthy aspects about Colorado Koinonia. As mentioned, the first weekend was basically staffed by Episcopalian Cursillistas. That beginning relationship has continued throughout the growth of both entities and the inter-relationships have been blessings to both the people and the organizations. In the past, young adults in high school have been participants as well as many mature Christians. Currently, the minimum age is 18. The number of denominations represented in Colorado Koinonia is growing. The newsletter, "The Rooster Tale" and the website, www.coloradokoinonia.org, updates all Colorado Koinonians on what is going on in the community.
