In the late 1960’s, a movement known as the Charismatic Renewal began to sweep through Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox churches. The Charismatic Renewal helped millions of Christians have a more personal and vibrant experience of the Holy Spirit. They began to exercise the spiritual gifts and found new freedom to praise and worship Jesus Christ.
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One of the earliest charismatic prayer meetings took place in East Lansing, Michigan. Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox Christians, many of them students at Michigan State University, would gather every Wednesday evening to worship God and share the love He was putting in their hearts for one another. This love continued to grow and so did a compelling sense of purpose and mission.
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In June of 1974, 87 people made an agreement, a covenant commitment, with one another and with the Lord to live fully for God as members of the Work of Christ Community.
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Today, the community has grown in numbers and mission identity. As a community in the Sword of the Spirit, Christian members of all denominations seek to live completely for Jesus Christ, to bring others into a full life in Christ, and to be a faithful witness to the unity of the body of Christ.
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Since 1979 the Work of Christ has held a week-long residential camping program staffed by high schoolers, college students, adult singles, and moms and dads. Camp is something we do together and it builds relationships across ages and states of life--relationships that last a lifetime.
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The Sword of the Spirit is a growing network of more than 75 lay Christian communities around the world that have a common vision, way of life, and spiritual culture. There are about 12,500 adult members plus about 5,000 children in our communities. We sometimes describe ourselves as a “community of communities.” Each community within the Sword of the Spirit is self-governing, but receives help in living out its life as a community from the sharing of resources with other communities around the world.
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The Sword of the Spirit has a strong common culture that transcends our international differences. As a result, when members of different communities get together, even though they may be from different parts of the world, there is a very strong sense that we are part of the same international community of communities. One of the expressions of our common way of life is our celebration of the opening of the Lord’s Day – the opening of Sunday – on Saturday evening with prayers and a festive meal. The hallmarks of these times are joy and thanksgiving.
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The Sword of the Spirit is ecumenical. Some of our communities are ecumenical in their make-up, with members who belong to various churches – Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox. Other communities are all one denomination. But the call of all our communities is to foster the unity of all Christians. While recognizing our differences, we look to see how we can share in the riches of one another’s Christian traditions and work together for Christ.
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Begun in 1957 as the Grand Valley Camp Association of the Lutheran Laymen's League, Camp Concordia continues to fulfill its mission. Here, we continue to encounter Jesus in the midst of God's Creation; enriching the bodies and souls of the thousands of campers and staff who have come to this place set apart.
An abundance of beauty and well-maintained facilities allow arenas for campers to experience God's infinite love for them and gain respect for each other through activities such as archery, canoeing, swimming, cookouts, riflery, hikes, devotions, campfire singing, creative field games, game night, and countless cabin adventures.
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Summer overnight children's and youth camps are places to engage in new friendships.
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At Camp Concordia...it's all about the kids, faith and future!
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OUR MISSION:
Our purpose is to help young people find theirs. Our vision is a generation of youth equipped to stand: young men and women who are confident in their faith, leaders in church and society, and on mission for the good news of Jesus Christ. We work towards this by doing four things:
• We run programs to help youth grow as Christian disciples
• We partner with other Christian organizations as a way for us to connect young people to missionary environments
• We serve churches and Christian communities to improve their ability to work with their youth
• We provide resources to help young people follow the Lord, and to help others engage in youth ministry
OUR NAME:
Kairos is the ancient Greek word for the opportune moment, the special season, and the right time. It’s the time when God acts, and we respond.
Young people live in just this sort of time. It’s when they make the decisions that determine the person they will become and when they have the opportunity to give their whole lives for something truly significant.
Our organization was created to encounter young men and women during this kairos in their lives: to introduce them to Jesus Christ, to call them into mature discipleship, and to walk with them as they respond.
WHERE WE'RE FROM:
Kairos is the family of youth and college outreaches related through The Sword of the Spirit. The Sword of the Spirit is an international, ecumenical association of Christian communities. These communities are not churches but groups of church-going families and singles striving to live as disciples on mission. While we mainly work in this context, we also partner with other organizations that are equipping their youth to stand.
