Bristol Anglican Cursillo - Useful Contributions

In Cursillo, we place a great emphasis on winning the world for Christ through the support and encouragement derived from meeting in groups. However, being part of a group also fulfils some of our more fundamental human needs.

Firstly, groups help us to feel included, to be part of a whole, to know that others have the same ideas and objectives as ourselves. We belong, and gain satisfaction in knowing that others have this same feeling of belonging, of being bound by a common interest. At a particularly low part of my life I joined a badminton club even though I was pretty hopeless at the game. Initially I was welcomed and frequently invited to play, but once my fellow club members realised how hopeless I was, they began to exclude me. I felt a sense of isolation and rejection. It was not until I joined another group, more suited to my talents that I regained a sense of inclusion

Secondly, groups enable us to gain a sense of influence. We all need to believe that we have a voice in the world, and being in a group helps us to achieve this. Being asked to give a talk at one of Cursillo weekends means that I am trusted, I have, with God's help, some control, I have the opportunity to make a difference. Knowing that our opinion counts and that we are important to the group gives us feelings of significance and worthiness that we carry into our everyday lives.

Group membership also gives us affirmation. This is most demonstrated when we are experiencing problems in our lives. At times we need to be cared for and it is important that we know that such care is coming from others. Affirming each other helps the process of bonding together and enables a group identity to emerge where the qualities and talents of everyone are mutually recognised and re-enforced.

A fourth need that group membership provides is that of security. Our cave dwelling ancestors realised that staying together made them feel safe. Generally, we no longer band together in groups for our physical security, however we still have a need to feel emotionally secure. Being with friends in a secure group environment and sharing a common interest enables us to openly and honestly express our feelings, views and aspirations without fear of reprisal or rejection, often on issues outside the group’s primary interests.

Finally, being in a group offers us the opportunity to share parts of ourselves with others, often at a deeper level. During my counselling training I recognised that by sharing some of my deepest feelings and emotions with my fellow students, I became more self-aware. Sharings proved difficult at first, but as the group bonded I felt more at ease feeling a sense of relief in unburdening issues that were causing concern in my life. Sharing brought our group closer together turning students into friends long after our training was completed.

When we join a group we gain access to people who can help fulfil some of our most basic needs as individuals and this is particularly true in Cursillo. Equally, we have a responsibility to ensure that we help others in the group to fulfil their needs. Being in a group is more than just being a member it is about bringing oneself and others nearer to God and to wholeness

Sometimes when we are listening to someone talking about what's going on in their lives (whether at a Cursillo event or not)we can feel a sense of gloom and despondency and wonder how to introduce a sense of hope

Our approach in Cursillo is to encourage people to talk about piety (our walk with God) study and action. At our last small group re-union we asked 'How can you re-frame what you have said to talk about it as an experience of God as something you are learning or as something you are doing, or going to do' The effect og this approach was fascinating because it brought God back into the centre of the conversation, ot helped us to see that something posotive was happening and this restored a sense of hope. That's what I mean by piety, study and action just working. Try it yourself.

There is a sense in which Cursillo is unique in its focus on piety, study and action. However in doing so we are not being cranky but we are in touch with something spiritually deepm By way of an example, at the beginning of 2006, I attended a CMS sponsored mission conference in India. One of our indian speakers talked about the roots of indian spirituality under the heading of devotion (piety) study and action. The gist was that the church needs to recognise that these three streams exist with in it (that is, those who focus on worship in church, theologians and those who just want to get on with it)because people have a particular gifting. Also we need to recognise honour and nuture these three streams existing within each of us.

Book Review by Chris Poore

Christianity Rediscovered by Vincent Donovan:

SCM Classics. First published 1978 second impression 2004.

I decided to read “Christianity Rediscovered” after a quote was used during a discussion of the “Mission Shaped Church” report, at Greenbelt Festival.
“Do not try to call them back to where they were and do not try to call them to where you are, as beautiful as that place might seem to you. You must have the courage to go with them to a place that neither you nor they have ever been before”.
This spoke so powerfully to my own feelings about church, that I knew I must find out more.
Vincent Donovan is an American, Roman Catholic priest, sent as a missionary to the Masai people of Northern Tanzania, in the late 1960’s. When he got there he found the traditional set up of mission compound with a school a hospital and a church. The place full of busyness doing Christian things, except evangelism! His mission had been in Tanzania for 20 years and the Christian Church for over 100! Yet there was hardly a single adult Masai Christian. Something was wrong. So he looked at our principal example of a missionary, St. Paul. What did he do? St. Paul’s three missionary journeys took about ten years in all.
What follows is Donovan’s story of how he evangelised the Masai people by rereading and studying the New Testament and putting it into practice. As he learns and works, he finds that many of his assumptions and preconceptions, in fact much that he was taught is seriously challenged. He soon learned that evangelism is a conversation and that he would learn much wisdom and truth from the pagans he was teaching. He shares with us “fresh “ ideas about church community, about baptism and Eucharist. He noticed that in the communities/churches that he evangelised and baptised, there would naturally be someone who was their preacher, someone else would be the prophet, another the pray-er and another the evangelist and there would be a person, other than these, who would be the focal point of the whole community, who would enable them to make their contribution as a community and as individuals, that person would be their priest.
Vincent Donovan points out how “individualist” we have become in our Western societies, aided and abetted by the Church. Whereas Christianity is essentially a communal faith, lived and practised in community.
There is so much in this book that resonates with our vision for The Church, as “Fourth Day”, it is exciting and challenging and yet those “fresh” ideas are those of St. Paul and the Apostles as recorded in the New Testament!
I have read this book twice now and will read it again before long.

Recently I was asked if I would give a brief testimony of my Journey to faith and my new life as a Disciple in Christ. Those of you who were there will remember how important my introduction to Cursillo and the time spent as a Pilgrim on the weekend in Nympsfield has been in my journey.

As with most journeys I try to keep the sun in my face, the wind on my back and the road I take as straight as possible.

Well I did say try! I’m not sure when we last had a sunny day, the wind often appears to be head on and my road may be straight but its got some huge hills and deep valleys.

I have been asked to and accepted the opportunity to serve on the next Cursillo weekend.

Along with at least two other Cursillistas we are attending an Evangelist training course.

I am blessed to be able to work as a team leader with the Chippenham group of Churches on the Night shift project, where open the doors of the Station hill Baptist Church are opened each Friday night from 11.00pm to 3.00am. The team is made up of insomniac volunteers who love the smell of late night Kebabs. Its amazing to witness God doing stuff in the people he sends to us each Friday. (if you feel a calling to work with this great ministry contact me on 01666 837338)

This page contains articles and information relating to Cursillo