Discovering Christ Structure
The Course
The course consists of seven sessions and a retreat day. Each session includes four components: a dinner (if the course is offered in the evening), a prayer time, a teaching, and a small group discussion. Each component is vital to the evangelizing process of Discovering Christ.
Dinner
In order to help cooperate with the grace of God at work, it is essential to provide a welcoming, safe relational environment. To achieve this, we have a dinner at the beginning of each session.
The dinner is a time to grow together socially; it is not intended as a time for discussion of the course topics, but rather a time that helps foster relationships, to grow in friendship. This relational dynamic of the course is critical for the participants.
Prayer
We want to help people to become comfortable praying together. We do this as a large group prior to the teaching and then later on, as the course develops, in the context of the small groups.
Teaching
The teaching is essentially proclamation, that is, basic teaching on the good news of what God has done in and through Jesus Christ. There are seven sessions and a day retreat (with two teachings). The retreat day is held after the fifth session. There are a total of nine teachings:
1. What Is the Meaning of Life?
2. Why Does Jesus Matter?
3. What Does Jesus Want Us To Know?
4. Why Do I Need a Savior?
5. Why Is the Resurrection Important for Us?
6. Who Is the Holy Spirit? (Retreat)
7. The Holy Spirit and You! (Retreat)
8. New Life in the Spirit: Being a Catholic Disciple
9. Believing and Belonging: Why We Need the Church
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Small groups are intended to be safe places to freely discuss what the participants heard in the teaching. It is essential for the participants to have the freedom to share what they think and feel about what they heard. The discussion is not a time for further teaching, but a time to facilitate communication.
The Retreat
The retreat takes place after the fifth session. It is an essential component of Discovering Christ and will not work without it. It’s purpose is to “create space” in people’s lives to respond to the proclamation of the Gospel in previous sessions and to turn to the Lord Jesus and ask Him to be the center of their lives and to be renewed or baptized in the Holy Spirit.
The day usually takes place on a Saturday and in a different location than the evening sessions. The day allows opportunity for personal reflection, two teachings on the Holy Spirit, the sacrament of Reconciliation, meals together, free time to fellowship and have fun, and a prayer service at the end allowing participant’s to commit to Jesus as Lord.
