Evangelisation News Update from Sr Michael, Diocesan Evangelisation Team Co-ordinator

1. What is the Spirit Saying to the Church in Sunderland?
The Sunderland Deanery Formation Programme for Evangelisation was brought to a joyful end on Pentecost Sunday at the Holy Rosary parish.
The theme running throughout like a mantra was 'What is the Spirit saying to the church in Sunderland?' And to help our discernment we had prayer and praise, impassioned inputs, reflection, power point and an illustration of the variety of gifts (which people proclaimed) while holding coloured ribbons at the same time emphasizing our unity in Christ by attaching the ribbons to a focal point during our prayer.

The Evangelisation Team is now assessing the last year’s events in Sunderland (a pilot scheme) before embarking on the next deanery – South Tyneside.

2. A National Evangelisation Event
Two of the Diocesan Evangelisation Team attended a meeting in Birmingham for some forward planning for a National Catholic Evangelisation Event scheduled for 2010. Early days.

3. Sunderland Air Show
A great evangelising opportunity! Over 1 million visitors attended the Air Show last year and Churches Together in Sunderland are preparing for Christian Witness, Prayer Ministry and Outreach at the Air Show this year – in July. The Evangelisation Team has been invited to participate. Lots of networking taking place currently. Watch this space!

Media

Podcast on Evangelisation and Communications

Pentecost Music

Preview of podcast to be broadcast on 8th June - RCIA Group Sunderland discussion about becoming a Catholic

Evangelisation in daily life

The first in a series of experience centred stories connected with evangelisation written by people from our diocese:

"My friend, Martin, is very careful about his grooming, regularly visiting his hair stylist and emerging with highlights and the latest style.So when he walked into our meeting with his head shaved, I was deeply moved, because I knew what it meant.

His daughter, Andrea, had just started an aggressive course of chemotherapy. She had been advised that it would be better to shave her hair off than to have it falling out in handfuls. So, that weekend, they had taken out the shears and cut their hair.

Of course, at one level, Martin accomplished nothing by shaving his head. That was not the point. It was simply that his fatherly love could not bear not to. He had to unite himself to her as fully as possible on her painful journey.

Solidarity is one of the key principles of the Church’s social teaching. We proclaim the gospel by being one with those who suffer, by taking upon ourselves their painful condition, just as Jesus took our human nature. ‘By the mystery of this water and wine, may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity. "

 Quote
"Those who come into genuine contact with Christ, cannot keep him for themselves, they must proclaim him."

John Paul ll

Reflection on Scripture
A series written by a different member of the Diocesan Team each month.

What links King Aelred, Shakespeare, Sir Walter Scott, The Four Lovers (1956) and the Four Seasons (1962,) Deuteronomy 32:10, Proverbs 7:2, Lamentations 2:18, Psalm 17;8 and Zech. 2:8?

A common English phrase “You are the Apple of my Eye”

As the apple of His eye, sheltering me under the shadow of his wings, God also calls me to keep Him as the apple of my eye.

Eyesight is something we cherish. Old English described the pupil of the eye as the apple. I as God’s beloved am kept in sight and mind and am also called to keep God, the beloved in sight and mind always.

There are so many people in my experience who need to hear this message.

Disappointments in life, lost relationships, separation by age, death and misunderstanding, crucifixion by others, and also by ourselves can be damaging to mind, emotions and spirit.; but God the creator of all, the sustainer of all is incapable of lies- God is truth, never absent, angry, or capable of rejection- where God is -I am; beneath the shadow of His wings, called to be more, to grow, never abandoned- this is Good News.

Ten top evangelisation tips from CASE

Evangelise month by month
June

Try to let those we come in contact with this month see and experience the light of Christ shining out through us. May they come into contact with Jesus through us.