Dear Friend of CHRISTLIFE,

As we begin this year we would like to thank God for the marvelous opportunities we have had to share with thousands of people about the love of God during 1998. We give thanks to the Lord for your personal partnership in the ministry of CHRISTLIFE. Without the prayers, financial support and service of many brothers and sisters in Jesus, there is no way that we would have been able to done all that we did this year. We want to share briefly about some of the things that occurred over the last 12 months.

These reflections testify to the hidden work of your prayers that make these actions possible.

In addition to missions that we have served in various locations, that we will share with you in a moment, there is also the ongoing work at our center where daily we share with people from around the world who contact our web site, or write, fax or call us. We continue to have over 15,000 files downloaded from our web site monthly, and many inquiries and e-mails of gratitude for the web site from over 50 countries!
We are currently receiving perhaps a dozen requests for information on Alpha for Catholics from around North America. Also requests for Catholic resources for small groups. We mail out at our expense an introductory Alpha packet for parishes and dioceses.
Join us in thanksgiving to the Lord for the privilege of serving Him and His Church!
January 1998
David Payne of the United Kingdom and myself met with Cardinal Stafford, President of the Council for the Laity, in Rome, Italy, to discuss the growing popularity and fruitfulness of the Alpha course in Catholic parishes around the world. He was very encouraging and shared significant observations with us to consider as to how we can best serve the church. We also met with Fr. Raniero Cantalemessa, OFM, CAP, the papal preacher, while in Rome. We had an outstanding conversation with him about characteristics of the saints that are to be lived by all believers.
After our meetings in Rome, I traveled to Lanckorona, Poland to present leaders retreat and meet with the moderators of En Christus. an Catholic Association.
February
Based on our meeting with Cardinal Stafford we in CHRISTLIFE felt convinced of the necessity of helping to gather and develop teaching resources that help Catholics to live for Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. This is a conviction that is shared with David Payne and the Catholic Alpha Office of the U.K. We felt that we should help to find Catholic teaching that is inspiring, practical and faithful to Catholic teaching. As a result we began planning for a video production with Marcellino D'Ambrosio. Lee Thomas took the responsibility for overseeing the production of this venture. Lee and Phil Rosensteel had already produced our video about mission work of young adults in eastern Europe!

Based on the discussion we had in Rome, Fr. Cantalamessa will lead a retreat on the topic of "Drinking from the Springs of the Church" this May 1999, in England. This retreat to will be produced as a video series that will become part of the resources that can be used in small faith communities within parishes and other Catholic situations. Please pray for this project!
March
During March, CHRISTLIFE had served the Franciscan University of Steubenville helping to present an Evangelization Conference. Melanie Barnes, Leo Rudegeair,
and Dave Nodar participated.
Jim McFadden and Dave Nodar taught and ministered at a Catholic Men's Conference at Estes Park, Colorado. Our good friend and co-worker Rob Lanciotti invited us and led the weekend.
April
We had our Board of Directors spring meeting.
We helped serve the Mid-Atlantic Alpha Conference, held in Bethesda, Maryland. 400 folks attended and once again it was a significant opportunity to see the Holy Spirit engaging Christian leaders, clergy and laity, Protestants and Catholics, in a concrete way of evangelizing.
During the Alpha Conference we publicly announced the first North American Alpha Conference for Catholics that we will sponsor April 19,20, 1999 in Columbia, Maryland, - with the personal invitation and support of Cardinal Keeleer, Archbishop of Baltimore.
May
We attended the Association of Catholic Coordinators of Schools of Evangelization, North American/Caribbean meeting in Washington, D.C.
June
Leo and Dave began meeting with Tom Di Ienno and Ken Barnes on framing up action plans for accomplishing all the opportunities that are being presented to CHRISTLIFE. For those of you from the U.S., if you are old enough, you may remember the Ed Sullivan TV show with a guys spinning a bunch of pie plates on sticks, and trying to keep them all going, - that is what we have felt like this last year!
We ministered at a Youth With a Mission leaders retreat near Salzburg, Austria, and had the opportunity to have Bohus Zavick of Podilinec, Slovakia accompany Dave Nodar.
July
We hosted the seminar, Touching Jesus through the Church. Marcellino D'Ambrosio Ph.D., taught the series which was excellent. From the seven talks we have produced 2 video series. PACT – Post Alpha Catholic Teaching, which is a 3 part series that supplements Catholic teaching to the ecumenical approach offered in Alpha. In addition the 7 talk series can be used by small groups after the Alpha course or simply as excellent inspired teaching on the Church and sacraments. The tapes will be ready for distribution in January!
August
Several of us went to Europe to serve at Schools of Evangelization, Conferences and marriage and engaged weekends in Poland and Slovakia. Some of those who went this year were: Fr.'s Jim Tortirricci & Pat McCormick, Joe and Maureen Habershaw, Don Turbitt, Neal and Janet Lozano, Melanie Barnes, Paula Ibello and Dave Nodar. Once again those of us from the states who served with our brothers and sisters from Europe, came home inspired and feeling that we gained far more than we gave.

October
Renewal Ministries sent Tom Edwards, Dave and a team of 16 US and UK brothers and sisters to Presov, Slovakia to lead: a school of evangelization for 250 lay leaders; a priests and religious sisters meeting on the Holy Spirit and evangelization; and a day rally on the Holy Spirit. 6000 people packed a sports arena built by the communists but used at this event to proclaim and demonstrate the Lordship of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit! Since the rally a young girl after being examined by her Doctor, is reported healed of epilepsy! And a young woman was healed of throat cancer! A number of people came forward to ask Jesus to be Lord of their lives!
CHRISTLIFE sponsored the 3rd Annual Drawing Near the Third Millennium Conference in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The theme was:'The Spirit of The Lord is Upon Me." The conference was excellent!

November
Board meetings and work session – We believe that these meetings were a very significant point of transition (again)! More on this in February.
Promise Keepers! Dave was invited to attend meeting of key leaders of Promise Keepers in Denver, Colorado. Dave was invited as a Catholic lay leader along with 10 other Catholics. Archbishop Chaput of Denver attended a session of the meeting. During this trip I also had the opportunity to share about CHRISTLIFE and Alpha for Catholics with staff members of the Archdiocese of Denver.

December – The beginning of the Church Year that Pope John Paul II has asked all Christians to focus, reflect and come to know the Father's Love. ' For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son . . .'
This is what motivates us, - God's love for us! That Jesus loves me and gave himself for me! See Galatians 2:20. That He has given us his very life, in the Holy Spirit to empower me to live as a child of God. This is what we desire all to come to encounter personally. This good news is what we want to share with our fellow Catholics and everyone. That they might know Him and make Him known to others.

Thanks for sharing the burning passion of our lives! May each of us live to know love and serve Him and make Him known as servants of His Church!

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