First time ever! Cursillo workshop on discipleship

“THANK YOU so much for your work to get Jessie there: I was blown away, very uncomfortable in the way I know means I need to change something, because of a new insight, a revelation”...

…said one of the 70 people who eagerly participated in the interactive, day-long workshop which was held on May 25 at St. Christopher’s Church in Burlington.

The Workshop was originally an idea from the NHAC Secretariat; Bishop Susan Bell agreed to co-sponsorship, with Diocesan representation in the planning and hosting of the event. Leading organizers were Tim Standish, Lay Director, NHAC and Ann Mulvale, NHAC Coordinator of Education. Key assistance was provided by Emily Hill, current liaison person with the NHAC for the Diocese and Christyn Perkons, now a member at St. Christopher’s and former liaison person to NHAC.

There were three goals for the day: one, to better understand the importance of discipleship; two, to learn about the concepts (contained in the book entitled “Ordinary Discipleship” by Jessie Cruickshank) and the discipleship process, and three, to gain insight on personal barriers to discipleship and how to address these.

The participants benefitted from presentations from three experts, who led panel discussions and facilitated the small group exercises.  And the participants left with homework questions to reflect on!  The presenters were: Dr. John Bowen, Emeritus Professor of Evangelism at Wycliffe College, University of Toronto, who has served on the steering committee of the Niagara School for Missional Leadership for the past four years; Rev. Canon Dr. Ian Mobsby, Community Missioner in the Diocese of Niagara, Canon Theologian for Mission and a faculty member of the Niagara School for Missional Leadership; and Jessie Cruikshank, a nationally-recognized expert in disciple-making and the neuroscience of transformation.  She became an ordained minister with the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, an Evangelical Pentecostal Christian denomination founded in the U.S. in 1923.

A participant commented, “The workshop was excellent.  All three speakers gave their rendition of discipleship, especially Rev. Jessie Cruickshank.  She spoke from the heart and being a neuroscientist, was able to explain how the brain works in conjunction with God’s word.”

From the closing panel discussion: “People want to see authenticity – revealing vulnerability is powerful.  When people see you walk through the struggle, they know that they are not alone (as a disciple).  The discipling process heals both of us – the disciple and the disciple-maker.”

Blair Richardson, a member of Niagara Huron Anglican Cursillo