It’s ready to go!  Now completed, the Sharing Christ DVD series is being distributed!

Three years ago, ChristLife started writing a course to help Catholics learn how to share their faith in Christ with others. As the course developed through study, prayer, and hours of writing, we began field-testing the course here in Maryland. Based on the evaluations received, we worked to improve it until we believed we were ready to commit it to video.

As a ministry with limited funding, we faced considerable expenses for the production of the Sharing Christ course. 

Enter the Lord in His miraculous provision! A member of our Board of Directors connected us with a wonderful Christian man, Neil, and his associates who just so happen to possess the gifts, skills, and resources to produce Sharing Christ with excellence. Neil believes in the importance of ChristLife’s mission to the Catholic Church, though he himself is an evangelical Baptist. He generously donated everything needed to produce Sharing Christ at his own cost.

In addition, other generous contributors provided the funding for initial marketing and the printing of the materials. Dianne Burbank offered to design all of our graphics and also formatted the Director’s Handbook, Facilitator’s and Participant’s guides.

Sharing Christ is not about a course, nor a product… it is about a way of life!

Many strangers who wear a smile to hide a broken heart, who live behind the façade of “living a good life,” who dwell in darkness and despair without a ray of hope cross our paths daily.

“Every one who confesses me before men, I also will confess before my Father who is in heaven.” Mt. 10:32

And we, who have seen the Lord Jesus and know Him personally, walk past in silence as we strive to live as good Christians. Though the desire of our heart is to follow Christ by example, we are timid and fearful about speaking of the only One who can satisfy our needs and heal our woundedness.

Sharing our faith in Christ with words is equally important to living as Christian witnesses. Love linked with the testimony of life has the power to comfort a broken heart and soothe a bruised spirit, especially when we encounter the love of Christ through friendship.

In 1981, lost and feeling alone I stumbled into a small group that was forming through a program offered by my parish. So great was my fear that the only thing I can remember about that first night is driving to a stranger’s house, knocking on the door, and telling them my name.

From appearances, no one would notice the thick walls of my prison or the darkness that shrouded my soul. I was one who was dead dwelling among the living. However, Christ did not silently pass by me. 

Rather, Christ revealed Himself through a woman named Kay.  She spoke about Him at every opportunity in such a way that suggested that God had a viable interest in the intimate details of each person’s life, more importantly mine.

Kay did two things that paved the way for me to personally encounter the love of God through Jesus Christ. First, she loved me unconditionally. It did not matter where I was or had been, what I did or had done. Kay demonstrated her love for me in a myriad of ways that were genuine and sincere.

Secondly, she taught me that Jesus Christ is Lord of the moment as well as the Lord of lords.  Kay challenged me to trust in God because I am the child whom He calls by name. 

Try as I did, I could not remain behind the barricade of shame, guilt and self-loathing. Kay’s faith in Christ and her love began to disarm me. My self-imposed façade of invulnerability began to crumble.  God was preparing me for his loving intervention and healing.

Kay’s testimony to Christ is and has been life-changing.  Her love transcended my fears and insecurities and prepared the way for me to hear the Good News. I can only imagine where I would be now if God had not brought Kay into my life and if she had not spoken so freely of the truth of salvation in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Evangelization – the word itself strikes a chord of terror so deep in our hearts that fear keeps us, His beloved disciples, from proclaiming aloud the name above all names, Jesus Christ!

Sharing Christ is a privilege given to each one of us as God’s children. It is truly amazing that the Most High God of all that is seen and unseen has entrusted the mission of spreading His Good News to such ill-equipped followers.

“Anyone who has discovered Christ must lead others to him. A great joy cannot be kept to oneself. It has to be passed on.” Pope Benedict XVI August 21, 2005

Sharing Christ is for me and you, ordinary Catholic Christians who live and walk among broken hearts, bruised spirits, and tender souls. Let’s be partners as we carry out the Father’s mission to make Christ known. Plan to gather a group in your parish or a small group in someone’s home. Commit time to practice the new skills for telling people about the transforming presence of God in your life. Pray for the people who travel upon your path, who need to hear that Jesus Christ is Savior and Lord. Through Him, every one is invited to share in a personal relationship with the living God. God used Kay as an instrument to bring me to faith in Him. The Lord wants to use you as an instrument to proclaim Good News. With whom will you Share Christ?

Dianne Martin
Program Director