September 2, 2013
Pastorgraphs: “Disciplined Order of Christ”
Next
weekend, September 13-15, I will have the honor of being the guest speaker for The Disciplined
Order of Christ (DOC) retreat at the Prince of Peace
Benedictine Abbey in Oceanside, CA.
The
invitation to speak came from my friends and colleagues, the Rev. John Lurvey,
Ph.D., and his wife, the Rev. Gwen Jones-Lurvey, co-pastors of Wesley United
Methodist Church in San Diego. John and Gwen are actively involved with DOC,
where John serves as Vice-President and Gwen serves on the Board of
Directors.
They asked me to present “Three
Steps to Integrity: The ABC Model”, the subject of my latest book. This is
both humbling and exciting.
The founder
of the Disciplined Order of Christ (DOC) was Albert E. Day, a Methodist,
born in 1884 in Ohio. He graduated from Taylor
University in Indiana, and in 1916 obtained a Master of Arts degree from
the University of Cincinnati.
His first
Methodist pastorate was in Belle Fontaine, Ohio. In 1919 he was appointed to
the Methodist Episcopal Church of Canton, Ohio. During his six years in Canton
the church grew by 1,500 members. In 1925 he was appointed to Christ Methodist
Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and in 1932 to Mount Vernon Place
Methodist Episcopal Church in Baltimore, Maryland.
While in
Baltimore, Rev. Day delivered the 1934 Lyman Beecher lectures at Yale
University. In
1937 Day became pastor of the First Methodist Church in Pasadena, California.
In 1940 he gave a series of lectures at Southern Methodist University in
Dallas, Texas.
In 1945
Albert Day accepted an opportunity at the National Board of Evangelism of the
Methodist Church. He came to Nashville, Tennessee to develop a new program of
spiritual growth and personal evangelism, “to make religion real”. Albert Day
called his new program, “New Life Movement”. Delegates, including ministers and
laymen of Methodism, met at Albion College in Albion, Michigan from July
31-August 9, 1945. Approximately 100 persons participated in this retreat.
After many days of presentations, discussions and prayer the Disciplined Order
of Christ (DOC) was born.
In his
seminal book, Discipline
and Discovery, Day provided practical, daily suggestions for developing
the scriptural disciplines of:
·
obedience
·
simplicity
·
humility
·
frugality
·
generosity
·
truthfulness
·
purity
·
charity
Aware that
all persons fall short of their ideals, the Disciplined Order of Christ further
recommends the following disciplines which its members seek to practice.
1.
The
Discipline of Private Prayer
– daily engaging in Biblical and spiritual reading, meditation and prayer.
2.
The
Discipline of Personal Commitment
– a life that emphasizes the above scriptural disciplines as positive
means of minimizing selfish desires and promoting better awareness of God and
other persons.
3.
The
Discipline of Small Group Fellowship
– meeting regularly for prayer and sharing.
4.
The
Discipline of Active Church Participation – personal involvement in the life and ministry
of a local congregation.
5.
The
Discipline of Witness and Service
– creative effort to share the good news of the Christian faith and to
minister to the needs of others.
6.
The
Discipline of Stewardship
– response to God’s gracious gifts by responsible use of these gifts in
support of worthy ministries and by loyal support of the DOC including annual
renewal of the membership commitment.
7.
The
Discipline of Ecumenical Fellowship
– recognition that all persons are created by God and are therefore worthy
of Christ’s love.
From the
DOC website: “Rather than a select association of those who claim that they
have arrived at spiritual maturity, the Disciplined Order of Christ joins
people together in a pilgrimage of those who are earnestly on the way.
They recognize that all persons are created by God and are therefore worthy of
Christ’s love. Diverse educational, cultural and religious backgrounds join
persons together in DOC. They discover their common ground in the spirit of
Christ. Some are ordained ministers, but most are lay members of their
churches.”
Thank you,
John and Gwen, for this opportunity. I will come to share insights on how
integrity intersects with spirituality, but also to join you in a much needed
personal spiritual retreat. I look forward to meeting with you and the members
of DOC in the monastic setting of Prince of Peace Abbey.
Devotedly, Bill
Jenkins
From the
Quote Garden:
“Behold the law under which you wish
to be a soldier. What I say is aimed at you, whoever you are, turning your back
on self-will, and taking up the mightiest and shining weapons of obedience to
become a soldier for the True King, Christ the Lord.”
~ St. Benedict (480-543 A.D.) ~
For more information
on DOC, visit http://dochr.org
Christ United Methodist Ministry
Center
“Christ
in the Heart of San Diego”
3295
Meade Avenue - San Diego, CA 92116 - (619) 284-9205
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