Keeping up with ChristLife online

So, if you've been following this blog, chances are you're pretty web-savvy. But did you know that there are other ways to keep updated on what's going on at ChristLife?

We also happen to have:

1.Twitter



2. Podcasts




3. Facebook


4. eUpdates and quarterly newsletters (sign up here!)

Are we missing anything? Any suggestions? Let us know.

video on the Father's love

For a year or two we've used this video called Lump by a non-profit Christian group called NOOMA. Their mission is to create short films that communicate the Christian message in new ways. Their production quality is excellent. Overall they have 22 short videos in the series. Some of their videos are superb, others have a little bent to them and are "ehhh." Lump is amazing though.

Below is the preview to Lump. It doesn't do justice to the full DVD, even though the whole thing is only about 11 minutes long. If you do ministry or want a new tool for evangelization, I highly recommend buying the DVD.

Here's the description of Lump:

A lot of us have done things in our lives that we’re ashamed of. Some are small things, and some of us have really big and devastating things. Some of us even have things that people close to us don’t know about. Personal junk that we keep to ourselves so we don’t have to deal with it. Because we don’t know how to deal with it, do we? We’re afraid that if we try it’s just going to make everything worse. But no matter how big our junk is, no matter how much what we’ve done has impacted the way other people feel about us or how we feel about ourselves, it hasn’t changed how God feels about us. God loves us, he always has and always will, and there’s nothing we can do to change that.

Catholicism Project

So, there's a pretty neat project underway by Fr. Robert Barron, a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, called the Catholicism Project. According to his Web site, Word on Fire, "this epic series will be one of the most innovative productions ever to promote the Catholic faith to the world. Our plan is to go from Jerusalem to Rome to Mexico City and beyond - and use art, architecture, literature, music and all the riches of the Catholic tradition to tell an inspiring story and draw people into the faith." Here's the trailer:

Catholicism Trailer from Nancy Ross on Vimeo

Looks like a pretty awesome production! The main presenter, Fr. Bob, as he likes to be referred to, is a great guy. I've featured him on several podcasts in the past, and we've used some of his video material in our evangelization work. Let's ask the Father in Heaven to pour out his grace and abundant blessing on Fr. Bob's work and his efforts to bring the light of faith to this world! Amen!

Catholics in the Media

It is encouraging to see how the Church can use the media to evangelize, and how many people it can reach. Tom Peterson is the founder of Catholics Come Home and uses television and the Internet to reach alienated Catholics and draw them back home to the Church. Zenit News Agency came out with an article about Tom Peterson's efforts and the amazing results they are producing:

TV Ads Bringing Catholics Home
6,000 Respond to Phoenix Campaign

By David Hartline

PHOENIX, Arizona, JULY 8, 2008 (Zenit.org).- For many who have left the Catholic Church, there is often a great desire to come home. However, fear and guilt often lead many to put off the gnawing decision to return to the Church. Not knowing where to turn, many who were once faithful feel lost and ashamed.

Tom Peterson, founder of Catholicscomehome.org, has found television and the Internet to be just the place to reach out to those wishing to come back to the Church.

Earlier this year Peterson tested his methods and ideas using an advertising campaign geared toward the 3.5 million who live in the Diocese of Phoenix.

More than 6,000 people inquired and came back to the Church via the Catholicscomehome.org Web site, and many more came back to Catholicism by reporting directly to a parish near their home. One priest reported that 16 people came to him for confession after they saw the television ad.

"One of the biggest surprises for us was the amount of inquiries from those who are not Catholic," said Peterson. "About one quarter of those expressing an interest in the Catholic Church are from those who have seen our commercials or visited our Web site and want to better understand the Catholic Church, or have actually made the decision to become Catholic."
Reasons

When sorting out what caused many to leave the Church, Peterson said "about 90% of those who left the Church can't give a good reason."

He also explained that many can't express why they want to come back. Many simply say they felt something was missing.

"They often want to come home but don't know how. They feel uncomfortable about coming back and don't know what to do -- when to sit and when to stand, and what to pray. We try to ease those fears and remind them of God's desire to see them come home," the director said.

Once they come back to Church, he added, they feel renewed. "They experience the Eucharist again and the power of confession. They feel their hunger for the truth has been met and a feeling of joy overcomes them."

When asked why he thought his brief television commercials had such an impact, Peterson said: "Our commercials are a basic reminder of who we are, the Church Jesus founded, the Church that Jesus entrusted to Peter and every pope who followed him.

"We are the Church that gave the world the Bible. When we quickly explain these facts and use the Bible to do it, people really respond. They admit that either they never really knew this or simply forget."

Testimonies

Peterson said he is often greeted with surprise as to how well Catholicscomehome.org has done. Several testimonies sent to his site show the impact it has had on viewers.

After seeing the commercials on Phoenix television, a visitor named Michael wrote, "It is highly effective and so very much needed at this time."

Another from an Angela said, "I've been away from the Church for over 35 years and over the past 20 years I have become agnostic. [...] For me to actually look this site up from a TV ad says a lot."

For some the commercials brought a great sense of joy. David wrote, "I wanted to commend you on the commercial. Wow. That was really well done. I'm so proud to be Catholic!"

Even non-Catholics wrote into the Catholicscomehome.org Web site to praise their efforts. Jean said, "I am not Catholic, but I think your commercials are extremely well done, tasteful and persuading."

Still another e-mailer, Deborah, was so impressed that she wrote, "I am interested in the Catholic Church. What do I have to do to convert?"

Beginning

The project has even caught the attention of the Holy See. Recently, Peterson said, he discussed the initiative with Cardinal John Foley, prefect of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, and Archbishop Claudio Celli, prefect of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

While the results have surpassed his expectations, Peterson explains that this is only just the beginning. The group has plans to launch similar campaigns this winter in St. Louis, Lincoln, Colorado Springs, Sacramento, Atlanta and Fargo.

"We are ramping up to 2010," he added, "when we hope to start a national advertising campaign starting with the 2010 Super Bowl."

Peterson takes no credit for his success. He simply says: "The world needs Jesus. We need to remind others how much they are loved by Jesus and needed by our Church family."

The New Evangelization

You may have heard of it. Its called the new evangelization. Is it a new message? No, it is the same message, same Gospel the Church has always proclaimed. But what Pope John Paul II meant by "new" is new in "ardor, methods, and expression."

A wonderful example of this is the Gospel being proclaimed in blogs like this and other multimedia - like a music, drama, video, etc. The following video by a group called LifeHouse is a wonderful example of evangelization at the most basic level. It is the struggle of a sinner trying to find their way back to God. A perfect video following this Sunday's liturgical readings on the Prodigal son. Watch the whole thing - its very powerful!