Koinonia of Washington provides professing Christians with an opportunity to experience a weekend of Christian Community

Mission

The mission of Koinonia of Washington is to provide an example of Christian Community, to all Christian denominations, in the form of a weekend experience. This experience will provide participants with the knowledge of how a Christian Community can function in order for them to bring this knowledge and understanding back to their home church community.

Purpose

WHAT IS A KOINONIA ALL ABOUT?

   Through a weekend experience:

• It offers a potential for growth, with emphasis on Christian growth
  
  
• It offers an opportunity for discovering more of the meaning of life through Christian community and unconditional love
  
  
• It is a way of renewal for the Church, focusing responsibility and mission beyond Koinonia
  
  
• It is a launching pad to encourage action in the church and in the world
  
  
• It is an experience of continuing Christian community
  
  
• A Koinonia weekend is three days long, but lasts a lifetime

The weekend begins on a Friday evening and ends on the following Sunday afternoon. Those participating listen to eight talks on Ideals, Laity, Grace, Piety, Study, Action, Community and Security (All, except the Grace talk, are given by laypeople). After each talk, time is given to allow participants to discuss the talk within the framework of a small group. The talks provide thought for discussion and guidelines for life beyond the weekend.

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APPROACHING KOINONIA:

• Be curious! - Be open to what is happening on the weekends
  
  
• Be honest with yourself as to where you are in your pilgrimage
  
  
• Know that a specific response is not expected of you
  
  
• Allow others to respond in their way and yourself to respond in your way
  

The Koinonia weekend is not a retreat. There is no fasting, no long periods of silence, and very little solitude. The weekend is many things, but most of all it is an experience to be lived. The weekend is one filled with joy, much informal conversation, much singing, and a lot of fun and laughter. Within the forty-four hours of a weekend, complete strangers at the beginning, become a true Christian community, experiencing the divine mystery of Christ's endless love. The experience of a Koinonia weekend is described differently by each person.

WHO WILL BE AT KOINONIA?

People like yourself, laity and clergy, who are curious, searching, discovering and growing.

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A KOINONIA WEEKEND IS THREE DAYS LONG,
BUT IT LASTS A LIFETIME

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History

Koinonia is patterned after the Roman Catholic Cursillo that began in Majorca, Spain in the 1940's. Koinonia came to Washington in April 1986, thanks to the hard work and enthusiasm of a great many dedicated Koinonians in Montana, and few Washingtonians who had experienced Koinonia in Montana. The Koinonia weekend is somewhat modified from the Cursillo weekend, but the same basic theme exists: "A Short Course in Christianity". The Koinonia movement began in the Presbyterian Church in Findlay Ohio, in May 1972, so that men and women, married and single, could all participate on the same weekend.

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