Koinonia
The Koinonia weekend is patterned after the Cursillo movement of the the Catholic and Episcopal faiths. In 1940 the Catholic Church recognized the need to have men become more involved in their churches. The Cursillo started in Spain and was a great success. It came to the US in 1949. The Episcopal Church quickly adapted the format and started their own weekend eventually spreading to all 50 states.
The Weekends came to be known by many names depending on the faith community running them. The Koinonia Weekend began in Findlay Ohio in 1972. Our own Westside Koinonia was started in 1987 by members of the Lake County Koinonia. The first weekend WK-1 was held in the spring of 1990. We have since become the proud parents of Inspiration Koinonia, now in its 8th year in Lodi Ohio. More than 2500 people of attended weekends at Westside Koinonia in the last 28 years and 1000 people at Inspiration Koinonia.
Koinonia is a lay persons movement however, ordained clergy have roles during the weekends and on the administrative team. Four weekends (two men and two women) are held each year at Olmsted Community Church in Olmsted Falls, Ohio. We welcome any believer in Christ the King to attend the weekend.
Westside Koinonia is a multi-denominational Christian community that through prayer, fellowship, and sharing of common experiences helps individuals feel God’s purpose for their life. In feeling God’s grace, individuals can focus on becoming more committed Christians seeking to bring Christ into their families, their churches, their work and their communities.
“Koinonia” is a Greek word found in numerous places in the bible, meaning “gathering or fellowship.”
The Koinonia weekend begins on a Friday at 8:00pm and ends on Sunday at 5:00pm. The weekend is full of wonderful food, fun, surprises and music. If you are interested in attending a Koinonia weekend, download and fill out the Candidate Application and give it to Jodi Tantari, Susan Wike, Debe Southard or Fr Joe.