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WHAT’S UP? DOCC!
In 2004, St. Stephen’s added an exciting dimension to our adult education program. A course entitled Disciples of Christ in Community (DOCC), developed in 1975 by The Reverend
John S. Jenkins for Trinity Church, New Orleans, has been successful in hundreds of parishes. The DOCC program is very effective for long-time Episcopalians as well as newcomers to the faith and to the church.
Through DOCC, participants are given the opportunity to:
- Experience BEING the church — not just belonging to a church;
- Experience the church as a small, caring fellowship;
- Learn about prayer, and how to pray;
- Get the basics of the Christian faith, and come to understand the biblical world and the world we live in;
- Explore and comprehend the life and ministry of Jesus; and
- Discover just what it actually means to BE a Christian.
With trained facilitators, we have offered the DOCC experience to our parish for three years with great enthusiasm, participation, and success. A sample weekly format has looked like this:
THURSDAYS for 26 weeks
September through April
6:15 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.
DOCC Presentation (by Margaret)
Parish Hall
7:15 p.m. – 8:15p.m. (DOCC Small groups meet)
- Each group is composed of no more than 10 participants.
- The groups are guided in their work by two trained lay facilitators.
- The groups and their facilitators remain a single unit for the duration of the program, and no one is added to a group after the first week of DOCC.
- Spouses/partners and best friends are split up and do not share the same group experience.
- The groups are confidential (not secret, but confidential); what is said in the group stays in the group.
- The groups are NOT therapy groups.
As you can see from the description above, DOCC involves a serious time commitment on the part of the participants and an even greater time commitment on the part of the
facilitators. Family members of DOCC participants and facilitators are encouraged to do everything they can to support the person involved.
Having been actively involved in the DOCC program for over 30 years in many churches, and having spent a time at the University of the South at Sewanee as Director of DOCC, I assure you
that this experience, year by year, strengthens our parish in many ways. The facilitators and I look forward to resuming these courses in 2008.
Peace,
Margaret
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