evangelization ministry school
Jesus calls us to a radical lifestyle of trusting Him more than any other voice resounding in the world today. He is not calling us to make converts but to make disciples, those who are following Jesus out love love, in freedom, in totality. Evangelization is simply becoming witnesses of His never ending goodness, compassionate care, supernatural power and redeeming love and sharing this transforming experience through words and actions. Changes have to be made, schedules have to be rearranged, priorities have to be rethought if we are to become serious about bringing people through the thresholds of reasonable doubts, comfortable existential distances, and if we are to posses the mindsets and feet of being send out.
Stone to Flesh Evangelization Ministry School is focusing on understanding of the challenges and learning practices of living as witnesses of Jesus. The school requires involvement in outreaches and activations.
January 11, 2019 Session: Evangelization in a post-Christian culture. Alpha Training.
Stone to Flesh Team
December: everyday evangelism
People know Cathy Duffy as the homeschooling educator, researcher and reviewer guru yet not many know her life story of reverting to the childhood Catholic faith after 20 years of attending Calvary Chapel. Starting with her testimony Cathy will encourage us to cross the threshold of fear and embrace everyday evangelization.
In her recent book “Everyday Evangelism for Catholics: A Practical Guide to Spreading the Faith in a Contemporary World”, she is advocating for relational rather than apologetic approach to evangelization, underlying the need for seeking opportunities to build meaningful connections on a daily basis, recognizing underlying worldview assumptions of people we encounter, the art of listening and asking questions.
She is part of the Evangelization Leadership Team at the Saint Vincent de Paul parish in Huntington Beach, CA.
November 2019: Evangelizing the poor
Location: The Little White Church, 434 N Altadena Dr, Pasadena, CA 91107
Time: 10am - 4pm with lunch
Friar Benjamin will share about evangelizing the poor which is the main mission of the Fraternity Poor of Jesus Christ in Los Angeles.
This Franciscan Fraternity was founded in Brazil in 2001 by the priest Gilson Sobreiro in order to serve the Church and the poor in their many faces. Today they are in 12 countries, and have more than 100 mission houses, with additional small recovery farms for people who have problems with alcohol and drug addiction. They receive the treatment totally free, and after the treatment they are accompanied and aided, so that they have a new life free of the vice. They serve in the prison ministry, the ministry of pregnant women living on the streets, anti-drug prevention for young people, etc.
Who are the poor that the Lord calls us to serve?
How to evangelize the poor beyond offering them meals and necessary goods?
How does Jesus touch the poverty of the heart?
September 14: Evangelization of kindness
10am - 4pm with lunch
In the book, “The Ten Most Influential Churches of the Past Century” by Dr. Elmer Towns, he names the 100 most influential churches and leaders that have done something different that will challenge the Church. The Cincinnati Vineyard church, launched by Steve, was listed as the 15th most influential of this past century because of the ‘kindness evangelism’ practiced by the church members. Steve’s first book, “Conspiracy of Kindness”, has been translated into several languages with more in the works. His first book has sold over 300,000 copies. Currently, his books have sold over 500,000 copies.
Steve has been nicknamed, “The Godfather of Servant Evangelism”
Steve will lead a teaching session and practicum.
Sign up for one or all four sessions (SOTH students do not need to sign up).
Accompanying book: Christianity for Modern Pagans by Peter Kreeft
“Pascal is the first postmedieval apologist. He is ‘for today” because he speaks to modern pagans, not to medieval Christians. Most Christian apologetics today is still written from a medieval mindset in one sense: as if we still lived in a Christian culture, a Christian civilization, a society that reinforced the Gospel. No. The honeymoon is over. The Middle Ages are over.The news has not yet sunk in fully in many quarters.
It has sunk in to Pascal, He is three centuries ahead of his time. He addresses his apologetic to modern pagans, sophisticated skeptics, comfortable members of the new secular intelligentsia. He is the first to realize the new dechristianized, desacramentalized world and to address it. He belongs to us.”
