Ministering to Young Adults

“Fewer than one out of ten young adults mention faith as their top priority” (UnChristian, 23).

A shocking statistic - yet one that should challenge Christian young adults and youth leaders to evangelize! As a resource for my own Christian discipleship and for leading others I found some interesting statistics as well as great ideas in the books UnChristian and Googling God:

• Ministers too often give a quick fix approach to God and introduce the “born again” mentality rather then consistent truth. (Googling God)

• Our generation often follows teachings of the Church without even understanding why we believe those things, thus not having true conviction. (Googling God)

• Web site resources for Ministering to young adults: www.bustedhalo.com; www.sacredspace.ie; and www.rejesus.com (Googling God)
  

• We must provide venues for all the Catholics we are dealing with: adoration/ sacraments, volunteer opportunities, videos, Q & A, Theology on Tap, etc. (Googling God)

• There needs to be young adult events where they can unite with the Church, bishops and Pope/ young adults need to know that the Church cares about them. (A young adult, Googling God)

• “Jesus didn’t put a sign on a palm tree and say, ‘All those willing to be disciples, please meet here at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday; refreshments will be served.’ He personally invited people!" Ministers must: “be in the world but not of the world” so as to understand where young adults are coming from, use technology but not as an only means rather to draw them into the richness of the Church, also invite personally. (Googling God)

• "84 percent of young people say they know at least one Christian personally, and only 15 percent see a lifestyle difference in that Christian." (UnChristian)
  

• Living with integrity starts with being transparent. Doing what you say you are going to is the number one quality young people admire. (UnChristian)

• “We have experienced the presence of a living God, but outsiders are wary of feeling brainwashed or manipulated." (UnChristian)

• Many people do not associate with Christianity as something new but as something old and commonplace, they have “been there, done that”. Many young people have been involved in a church and then left, so evangelizers must keep that in mind and not try to portray Christianity as something that they have never heard of before. (UnChristian)

• Nearly one third of Americans believe that there are some crimes and sins that God cannot forgive. (UnChristian)

• “It is more important than ever to think about and respond to political issues in light of a biblical worldview.” (UnChristian)

• Be creative – Jesus was, He attracted people who were unaccustomed to His style, ability, message, etc. (UnChristian)

• 2 Corinthians 7: 11-12 – Christians should respond well to correction. (UnChristian)

My point in these statistics and ideas is not to discourage Christians, but rather to challenge them - and myself - to be able to respond well to correction and be more faithful witnesses of Jesus Christ. These books really opened my eyes to new ways of approaching people with understanding and respect, but without watering down the truth. I think it is helpful for anyone working with or ministering to young people to be aware of these things.

There are so many stereotypes of Christianity that sometimes repel people from it. “Jesus said Christians would be known by their love” (UnChristian), let us make that our stereotype!

Pink Flamingoes and the Pearl of Great Price

When I came to you, brethren, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power. St. Paul - I Corinthians 2:1-5

When I was a young boy my family traveled down the east coast of the U.S., from Maryland to Florida, to go on vacation. Back in those days we didn't have the interstate highways we now have and there were places where you had to travel along two lane roads that ran through small towns. I can remember in some of those areas you would see homes where the owners had decorated the yards with all kinds of things. Mirror balls, pin wheels, antique (abandoned) cars, statues of all kinds of things, dwarfs, deer, people and pink flamingo's. Now some of those lawns were so filled with 'decorative items' that it was hard to figure out how to get from the road to the house! Some home owners had gone even farther in their extravagant decorating and had affixed all kinds of things to the front porch walls. Flags, hubcaps, beware of dog signs, and other creative wall mountings! Kind a like the yard, some homes had so much stuff on the wall that you couldn't even see where the front door was!


Sometimes we as Catholic Christians feel compelled to immediately share with friends who, perhaps do not know the Lord or are not church goers, about the treasures of the Church,- Mass, the sacraments, Mary and the saints, Apostolic succession, etc. We feel the need to get it all out in front of them immediately. Sort of like the yards with the pink flamingos. By attempting to get it all out there immediately we run the risk of not establishing first things first. We can easily put the horse before the cart. We certainly want people to know all about the treasures of the Church, but we want them to know first and foremost about the Pearl of Great Price, who is the person that our faith is all about. We want them to know the reason for all of the wonders of the Church, His Body! When we share with others about the joy of knowing Jesus Christ personally as our Lord, as the center of our lives and of all creation, it puts first things first. We want them to know the way into house of God, and Jesus is that way! We want them to know the meaning of life which is found in union with the Trinity through what our Lord has done for all by his life, death and resurrection! If in fact our friends come to know the love of God in Jesus our Lord, the forgiveness of sins and, power of the Spirit given in baptism, then they will hunger to learn more and, live in the truths of the Church!

Let's growing in learning to share about the Lord Jesus, and look for opportunities to tell others why He is the pearl of great price and the joy of our lives!

“This is the principal proclamation of the Church, which remains unchanged down the ages. The Christian faith, therefore, is not an ideology but a personal encounter with the Crucified and Risen Christ. From this experience, both individual and communitarian, flows a new way of thinking and acting: an existence marked by love is born, as the saints testify.”
Pope Benedict XVI, Parish of God the Merciful Father, Rome, March 26, 2006

Evangelization from a Muslim Convert

Daniel Ali is a muslim convert to the Catholic faith and very passonate about evangelization. We were able to interview him and hear his story plus practical ways to evangelize muslims from his perspective. One thing he said that really struck me was that one of the things that drew him to Christianity was when a Christian asked if he could pray with him. He said that his intiation reaction of being asked to be prayed with was not of anger or resentment but he "welcomed it!" I hope that Christians will see the power of prayer and not be afraid to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit because it changes lives!

You may remember Daniel Ali from our last podcast along with the March for Life news. He had so many amazing insights that we just came out with a second podcast with his view on scripture and practical ways to evangelize! You can listen to this new podcast here, or click play below:

You can also check out ChristLife's Sharing Christ and other Resources for Evangelization.

Meeting with the Archbishop

Well, he's a nice guy. Very personable. Archbishop O'Brien that is. He is the newest Archbishop of Baltimore - replacing the retired William Cardinal Keeler.

Our staff - Dave, Leo, myself (minus our intern and volunteers) and a Board member - Fr. Erik Arnold met with the Archbishop yesterday to give him a feel for ChristLife's ministry. He was very supportive and agreed to continue supporting us as an apostolate of the Archdiocese.

So we are very encouraged by the meeting and glad to be in communion and in service to our local bishop. In this way we are connected not only to his leadership in Baltimore - but to all the bishops around the world in the Catholic Church - especially with the bishop of Rome. Pretty cool to have that connection.... Well, I'm sure there more to report on from the meeting and from the actions that follow, but, for now this will do.

And in case you haven't, listen in to the Archbishop - I interviewed him for our podcast a few months back and recorded his address to young adults at a bar in Baltimore.

Building Evangelizing Eucharistic Communities

Recently I presented, The Building Evangelizing Eucharistic Communities (BEEC) seminar for the Diocese of Corpus Christi, Texas. I was very encouraged by the participants comments during the seminar and later in reading the evaluations of those who participated. A number of people expressed that during the seminar they were able to encounter the Lord Jesus’ heart for the lost, and how much he wants us to have that same compassion and willingness to reach out to them.

During the seminar their are four talks, times of small group discussions, prayer times and, concluding response by the whole group. BEEC gives the people who attend the vision of the Lord’s heart for those who are apart from him and, his missionary mandate to us his Church's to seek and save the lost (just like Him)! The seminar also presents the need for us to personally be evangelized to the Lordship of Christ, and to actualize the grace of the sacraments of initiation in order to live fully in the Holy Spirit . We then teach and discuss some of the elements to help each of us and our parishes get more practically engaged in the mission of our Redeemer!

I have been personally encouraged every time we have presented this seminar with the way it helps communicate the mission of the Church and the clear response and commitment of the participants to personally and together enter into the mission! It is not simply about information but about the impartation of the Holy Spirit who is the essential agent of evangelization.

Some evaluation comments from the seminar in Corpus Christi:
The presenter, Dave Nodar, presented this course in a concise and clear manner. He is entertaining and informative at the same time, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this seminar. It was well organized and presented as such; Awesome job! This seminar was exactly what I needed! God Bless you Dave for your witness, your sharing, your challenging us; Make the Seminar available to more people!

If you think your parish or diocese would like to sponsor the seminar, please contact me for information, or go to: http://christlife.org/aboutus/BEEC.html

Missionary Parishes

This is a great article from ZENIT that came out last Wednesday.

Vatican Aide: Evangelization Not a Choice, But a Mandate

By Gisèle Plantec

ROME, JAN. 30, 2008.- If a parish does not evangelize, it is nothing more than a building, said a Vatican official, who offered four practical steps for transforming a parish into a missionary center.

Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith, secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, affirmed this today at a conference under way in Rome on "The Parish and the New Evangelization."

The congress is organized by the Emmanuel Community and the Pontifical Institute Redemptor Hominis. It ends Friday.

"Why should a parish be missionary," Archbishop Ranjith asked.

He explained that God's call of love mandates a missionary character for Christians: "Jesus loved his brothers and sisters to the extent that he was dedicated totally to their salvation -- this is the basis of evangelization."

The archbishop, who led the Diocese of Ratnapura, Sri Lanka, before being named to the Roman Curia, called evangelization a "sign of the maturity of our faith."

"The Church exists only if it evangelizes, and the same is true for the parish. If a parish does not evangelize, it is only a building," he said. “Evangelization is not a matter of free choice. It is an obligation of our faith, the perfect expression of our charity."

Eucharist-centered

Archbishop Ranjith highlighted the importance of the Eucharist for a parish focused on the mission.

He offered the example of an Irish parish that organized "Eucharistic adoration in all the parishes. As a result, there are more vocations now. The Eucharist attracts -- the Lord attracts people."

"The Eucharist is at the center of evangelization," the archbishop affirmed. "The Eucharist must generate faith. In some parishes it is celebrated in such a manner that it does not generate faith."

The 60-year-old prelate also focused on the role of parish priests. He said that priests should understand their role by saying, "'I am useless by myself but useful in his hands.'"

Archibishop Ranjith also contended that parishes should not focus on their community alone, but "make a determined effort to reach the lost ones."

Hints

He offered some "practical steps" for giving parishes a missionary character.

"The parish community must move away from a maintenance model to a missionary model -- if the only thing we do is repair the buildings, this will kill us spiritually," the archbishop said.

Secondly, he continued, parishes need "to move away from a spirit of pessimism to a spirit of optimism." And he noted the danger of becoming the Gospel's example of a "lazy servant."

The third practical step dealt with the role of laypeople. Archbishop Ranjith encouraged priests who still think the “mission is the sole responsibility of clerics," and that "priests should decide everything by themselves" to "share with the laity."

“Each layperson is a potential missionary," he affirmed.

The fourth step was related to the third. The archbishop encouraged involving as many people as possible: "associations, groups, men, women, youth and even children -- and be courageous to go into uncharted areas, look for new methods and means."

Why not me?

Archbishop Ranjith answered questions from the conference participants after his address.

A priest from the Netherlands, who presented his country as “the most secularized country in the world," asked for encouragement "because we are so marginalized -- we try to find any kind of means, like the media, to show our presence."

Archbishop Ranjith answered, "It is good to use all the means available and to think that sometimes 'dreams can become reality'" but "the most important thing is to feel strong and trust in God … and to pray."

He gave the example of his diocese in Sri Lanka, which has a large non-Christian population. Catholic laypeople go and visit the Muslim or Hindu families, he explained, and "they have tea together and discuss about religion."

"The sad thing would be to give up," the archbishop affirmed. "Be strong, be courageous, you will succeed."

A priest from Belgium asked if closing parishes reflected a lack of faith. Archbishop Ranjith offered the example of a spiritual partnership between a Sri Lankan diocese and a German one. When a German priest died, Sri Lanka offered: "I will send you the best priest I have."

The German diocese considered the proposal but eventually decided to close the parish. This "'we are managing on our own’ means closing churches," Archbishop Ranjith lamented.

Following his address, the archbishop told ZENIT that parish priests' zeal and spirit of love are key. He offered the example of St. John Vianney, patron of priests, as an example. He also suggested Blessed Teresa of Calcutta and St. Francisco Xavier as models. If St. Francis could go to the other side of the world and proclaim Christ without even knowing the language, "if it was possible for him," he said, "why can't it be possible for me?"

Checkout Sharing Christ for a practical resource on how to share your faith with others and Church teaching on the new evangelization.

March 4 Life and Muslim Convert

Greetings from the backroom of ChristLife! I hope all that browse our blog and our Web site are encouraged in their faith in Jesus Christ and their commitment to share this wonderful gift to others!

Last week I had the great opportunity of going with some friends to the March for Life in Washington DC. A tremendous event that has drawn up to 200,000 people in previous years. Though headlines of secular news outlets say things like "thousands of anti-abortion protesters gathered in DC" or even worse "protesters on both sides of the abortion debate gathered in DC to mark the anniversary of Roe v. Wade" - considering there are usually about 10 pro-choice supporters to 100,000 pro-life supporters.

When we reached the Supreme Court I actually walked by two pro-choicers surrounded by a bunch of pro-lifers - engaging in "dialogue." Anyway, right as I walked past I noticed a team of network news walking over to interview the pro-choicers - to get "balanced coverage." That's unfortunate. But some perspective for myself kicks in - things could be much worse of course - we could be openly persecuted or killed for our beliefs if we were in other countries.

And beyond bad press coverage there were some really awesome things that happened during the March. The following 3 minute video from David Bereit of 40 days for Life gives a great "grassroots" view of the March and covers a really neat "sign" of hope for America - tremendous!!

And you may be wondering why the subject of this blog post includes the part about "Muslim Convert" - well that's because our most recent podcast includes a live clip of me and some friends from the Supreme Court at the March for Life - as well as a really exciting interview I had with Daniel Ali, a Muslim Convert to Jesus Christ and to the Catholic Church.

This was such a privilege! Daniel is a passionate layman and evangelist and author. He recently wrote a book about his conversion called Out of Islam: Free at Last. Here's the podcast with all this stuff in it. Click play below or listen in here.