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What is VIA de CRISTO? VIA de CRISTO is a Spanish phrase meaning "Way of Christ." VIA de CRISTO is a highly structured three day weekend designed to strengthen and renew the faith of Christian people and bring them to a new awareness of living in God's grace. It is a combined effort of lay people and clergy toward renewal of the church. History of VIA de CRISTO The movement originated as "Cursillo" in the late 1940's in the Spanish Catholic church and moved to the United States in the late 1950's. It began in the Lutheran church when lay people and clergy attended a Catholic Cursillo in 1971, both in Iowa and Florida. The first Lutheran sponsored weekends were held in 1972 in Iowa and Florida and have now been held in over 25 states and some foreign countries. VIA de CRISTO is the Lutheran expression of this method which is currently being used in many denominations including: Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian and Reformed churches. Purpose of VIA de CRISTO VIA de CRISTO is based on the fundamentals of Christianity, concentrating on the person and teachings of Jesus Christ. The focus is not on VIA de CRISTO itself, but on the local church. The objective of the movement is to inspire, challenge and equip local church members for Christian action in their homes, churches and communities. Heart of Florida Via de Cristo, A Short History The first weekends of Heart of Florida Lutheran Cursillo were held in December of 1985. During the two years prior to that time, the Holy Spirit led to Orlando a number of couples who had made their Cursillo weekends in other communities. As this group met together, they knew they wanted to share the Cursillo experience with others. A Secretariat was formed with Chuck Hoover as Lay Director and Rev. Dick Hardel, from St. John Lutheran Church in Winter Park, as Spiritual Director. In the fall of 1985, the first teams were formed jointly by Sonshine North Via de Cristo in Jacksonville and Heart of Florida Lutheran Cursillo in Orlando and the first weekends became a reality. In 1991, the Secretariat voted to become affiliated with the National Lutheran Secretariat.
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