A Little History

Deco-TEC is an ecumenical renewal movement created by the DeColores community and based on the Cursillo method to appeal to the young person on the verge of the transition from adolescence to young adulthood.  It is a weekend that supports and thrives on "peer ministry".

The "TEC" in Deco-TEC stands for "Teens Encountering Christ". The TEC Movement began in the Catholic Diocese of Lansing, Michigan, in 1965. Since then, it has spread throughout the United States and Overseas. It has also been adapted to the Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian traditions. The Northern Michigan Deco-TEC is nondenominational.

"Deco" in Deco-TEC recalls its origin. A small group of people from the DeColores community in Muskegon, Michigan saw the value in such a movement and requested approval from the National DeColores Secretariat to research the possibility of an ecumenical movement using TEC methods. This approval was granted and under the auspices of the National DeColores, the work began. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, which has over 10,000 teens and 5,000 adults involved in TEC, was very instrumental in sharing the concepts and material of TEC with us, and we are very grateful for their cooperation and encouragement.

Due to the rapid growth of Deco-TEC and the fact that our purpose of ministering to teens is separate from the purpose of DeColores, in 1990 Deco-TEC became independent of DeColores. However, that community continues to encourage and support us with their prayers, presence and the use of their equipment as our own community builds.