Lutheran Cursillo of Southern California
You may have heard about Cursillo and possibly felt a bit uneasy. Nobody was willing to give you much information and there seemed to be some secrecy involved. Let us try to “demystify” this for you.
Cursillo is a Spanish word for “short course” and the Lutheran Cursillo is a short course in Christianity or Christian Living. The retreat starts at Thursday evening and runs through Sunday late afternoon. The retreats are held three times a year, generally in February/March, July and September/October.
You will be listening to 15 talks and 5 chapel meditations. Of the 15 talks, 10 will be given by lay members of the team and 5 by clergy. The weekend is led by lay people, but there are always pastors on the team. The team consists of people who have attended a previous Cursillo weekend. There are generally about 60 people on a team caring for up to 36 “pilgrims”. A pilgrim is a person who is attending his or her first Cursillo weekend.
During the weekend you will be part of a table group, discussing the 15 talks, praying with one another, singing and having great fellowship. Communion is offered every day. There is always plenty of food, 3 meals per day, prepared by the cook team. You’ll be accommodated in dorm style quarters in your own twin bed. Each participant will experience something different over the weekend, but we can assure you that you will feel and understand God’s grace in a new way.
Lutheran Cursillo of Southern California is a family of over 3,000 people from Lutheran congregations as far South as Hemet and Mission Viejo and as far North as Bakersfield and as far East as San Bernardino. You will be meeting people from churches in those communities and many in between.
At Trinity we have about 40 people who have attended a Cursillo weekend. Some examples of people in church leadership who have attended include Pastor Ed, Tom Bouey, Matt Henkleman, Dave & Janet Johannsen, Lynne Johannsen, Jan Waddel, Betty Longwell, Judy McGee, Kendra Sanchez, Carol & Arthur Crittenden, John & Carol Mercer, just to name a few.
If you have any questions, please feel free to talk to anyone who has attended a Cursillo weekend. A number of members at Trinity have been very active in the community and are willing to give you their personal experience. Here are a few names: Matt Henkelman, Judy McGee, The Johannsens
All "pilgrims" attending a weekend must be sponsored by someone who has previously attended Cursillo. If you are interested in attending, download and fill out the Pilgrim Application, find a sponsor (see if you recognize anyone from our member list above) and bring it to the church office.
We look forward to serving you on your weekend in God's timing.