What is the program? This is 3 session workshop exists to help people clearly hear the Gospel message proclaimed so that they might give their full trust and allegiance to Christ the King either for the first time or renew that commitment. This evangelization workshop also exists to equip parishioners to share the Gospel with others while walking in the power of the Holy Spirit so that all might come to know the saving power and work of Jesus Christ in the world.
Who is the intended audience? Everyone in the community, both in the parish and outside of the parish!
Evangelization is the grace and vocation of the Church, said Pope Paul VI. He also emphasized that the Church exists in order to evangelize!
What is evangelization? Evangelizing people means bringing the Good News of Jesus into every human
situation and seeking to convert individuals and society by the divine power of the Gospel itself. In other words, it is bringing people to Christ by talking about what God did for all humanity in Jesus. Every parish must intentionally engage in evangelizing people. Now, evangelization in a broader sense means everything we do – worship, service, education, the celebration of sacraments, accompanying people in grief and sorrow, charity, stewardship, catechesis, youth ministry, etc. Evangelization in the strict sense simply is talking about Jesus in a direct and intentional way. In the words of Pope Paul VI, "There is no true evangelization if the name, the teaching, the life, the promises, the Kingdom and the mystery of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God are not proclaimed.
What is the goal of evangelization? The goal of evangelizing activity is conversion. The conversion must be genuine and must also be accompanied by signs of new life as a result of being touched by the preaching about Jesus. Conversion is always in the first place rejection of sin and growing closer to Christ. These are not possible without the aid of the Holy Spirit. But how could the Spirit lead us, if we do not cooperate with the Spirit?
Can you describe your conversion in terms of before and after a certain period/incident in your life? When the apostles went out to preach, those who converted left their pagan world and embraced life in Christ.Our world has increasingly become a pagan world again! The new word for that is secularism. As a result, we no longer have a culture that supports what we believe. Consequently, we have forgotten how to explain to our children what we believe in.
Do you want to know the heart of the Gospel? Do you want to encounter the Apostles today in their preaching? Do you want to know how sin can permanently separate us from God? As one author puts it, “It is indispensable that every Christian be confronted, in the greatest seriousness, with the possibility of being lost!”
We will be starting a parish-wide evangelization workshop titled, “Evangelize 3:16” at Holy Family Campus. Participants for each month is limited to 16, meaning each cohort (every month) will have 16 participants. Each session will last an hour (11:30-12:30 pm on Sundays). Please call the parish office and put your name down for any cohort mentioning the name of the month in 2022. Someone from the evangelization team will contact you.
Looking forward to seeing you!
Fr. Sengole Gnanaraj