OUR BEGINNINGS
A TIME OF CHANGE
On the feast of Pentecost in June 1974, 82 adults from different Christian traditions gathered in East Lansing to make a covenant commitment to one another. United by a shared conviction that God called them to this commitment, they pledged to live a common way of life, marking the official founding of the Work of Christ Community. Most of these first members were in their early 20s, single, in college, and with their whole lives ahead of them. But they were driven by a desire for deeper faith and a shared life. Their story began a decade earlier, shaped by a shifting culture and two key spiritual movements.
The late 1960s and early 1970s brought a flood of Baby Boomers to college campuses all over the nation. This surge occurred alongside massive cultural shifts like the sexual revolution, the Civil Rights movement, and the Vietnam War. Church attendance, strong in the 1950s, began to wane. It was a decade of reordering, change, and opportunity.
THE CURSILLO MOVEMENT & CHARISMATIC RENEWAL
During this same time, the Cursillo Movement offered spiritual retreats focused on personal contact with God, spiritual formation, small group support, lay-led mission, and living as a Christian in daily life—ideas that would later mark the Work of Christ.
In 1966, Steve Clark and Ralph Martin, Cursillo leaders from South Bend, arrived in East Lansing to work with Michigan State University students. They offered Cursillo retreats, “Antioch Weekends,” and started small groups, laying groundwork for a community.
Then, in 1967, the Catholic Charismatic Renewal began at the Duquesne Weekend. Students were “Baptized in the Spirit,” experiencing a deeper release of the Holy Spirit, a personal connection with God, and His guidance, teaching, and empowerment. This renewal spread through Cursillo networks, reaching East Lansing.
MSU PRAYER GROUP
After the Duquesne Weekend, charismatic prayer meetings began around the campus of Michigan State University. They grew from 40 people at a home on Beal Street in 1967 to over 90 at St. John’s Student Center by 1971. Monthly “Days of Renewal” drew larger crowds from across Michigan, often with reports of healings, deliverance from evil spirits, and powerful experiences of the Holy Spirit. By 1970, the East Lansing Prayer Group became the East Lansing Prayer Community, adopting a clearer structure with its new name.
In 1972, 45 members agreed to live as a committed group. After a year of discernment and seeking a name, they became the Work of Christ Community. On Pentecost 1974, they made their covenant official, growing to 140 members by 1975. The following years brought steady growth and new ventures—a bookstore, a food co-op, a choir, even an attempt at a community farm.
TRIALS & GROWTH
The early members sought to create a new form of Christian fellowship—one lay-led, uniting singles, families, and youth in shared commitment to Christ and one another, while remaining fully engaged in their local parishes and congregations. Not every one of their endeavor succeeded, and some efforts fell short. Full of zeal but young in age, early leaders and members made mistakes and sinned. An initial emphasis on authority sometimes overshadowed personal initiative, and certain teachings, rooted more in enthusiasm than seasoned wisdom, proved overly prescriptive.
Despite these challenges, a distinct way of life—a vibrant, ecumenical community—emerged. The Work of Christ’s persistence and growth over more than 50 years stand as a testament to God’s grace and faithfulness, guiding and correcting the community through its journey.