ACTS II EVANGELIZATION LEADERSHIP TRAINING GUIDES AVAILABLE HERE
Table of Contents
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Introduction
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i
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Session One:
Opening Session, Part 1
|
1
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Session One:
Opening Session, Part 2
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15
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Session Two:
Some Moments in Evangelization
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34
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Session Three, Part 1:
God's Plan
|
43
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Session Three, Part 2:
God's Plan
|
58
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Session Four, Part 1:
The Good News Proclamation, A Synthesis
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73
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Session Four, Part 2:
The Good News Proclamation, A Synthesis
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87
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Session Five, Part 1:
The Problem: Sin
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101
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Session Five, Part 2:
The Problem: Sin
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113
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Session Six, Part 1:
Jesus: Savior and Lord
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123
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Session Six, Part 2:
Jesus: Savior and Lord
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145
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Session Seven, Part 2:
Invitation and Commitment
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185
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Session Eight:
Personal Testimony
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202
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Session Nine:
Pastoral Follow-Up
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224
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Session Ten:
Establishing Relationship
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243
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Session Eleven:
Reaping the Harvest
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269
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Session Twelve:
Jesus Christ, the Evangelizer
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291
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Session Thirteen, Part 1:
Evangelization Lab
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311
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Session Thirteen, Part 2:
Evangelization Lab -- Role-Play Day
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324
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Session Fourteen:
Wrap-Up
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330
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Appendix I
Session One, Part 2
● Sample Responses to Study Guide Questions for Session One, Part 2
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341
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Session Three, Part 2
● Sample: God's Plan
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343
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Session Four, Part 1
● Sample Responses to Study Guide Questions for Session Four, Part 1
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353
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Session Four, Part 2
● Sample of the First Gospel Truth
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355
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Session Five, Part 1
● Sample Responses to Study Guide Questions for Session Five, Part 1
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357
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Session Five, Part 2
● Sample of the Second Gospel Truth
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359
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Session Six, Part 1
● Sample Responses to Study Guide Questions for Session Six, Part 1
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362
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Session Six, Part 2
● Samples of the Personal Encounters: a) The Answer of the Unconverted, b) The Answer of the Good News
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363
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● Sample of the Third Gospel Truth
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368
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Session Seven, Part 1
● Sample Responses to Study Guide Questions for Session Seven, Part 1
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372
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● Sample: Sequence of Various Parts that take place once a Person decides to pray the Prayer of Commitment
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373
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Session Seven, Part 2
● Sample of the Fourth Gospel Truth
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374
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● How to prepare a Person to pray the Prayer of Commitment to the Lord
Jesus Christ and be prayed with for a New Outpouring of the Holy
Spirit
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379
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● Sample: Prayer for a New Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
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381
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● Sample: What is said to the Newly Evangelized after praying the Prayer for a New Outpouring
of the Holy Spirit
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382
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Session Eight
● Sample Responses to Study Guide Questions for Session Eight
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384
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● Samples of Personal Testimonies of 100 Words or Less and the Anticipated Questions
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385
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Session Nine
● Four Basic Elements of Pastoral Follow-Up
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388
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● Sample: Importance of CBS Follow-Up
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391
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Session Ten
● Sample of the Entire Good News Proclamation
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392
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● Sample Response to Study Guide Question for Session Ten
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406
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● Sample: Sequence of the Various Parts that take place When Evangelizing Someone
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407
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Session Eleven
● Sample Response to Study Guide Question for Session Eleven
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409
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● Sample Responses to the "Challenges for Evangelizers"
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410
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Session Twelve
● Sample Response to Study Guide Question for Session Twelve
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417
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Sample Role-Plays
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420
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Appendix II
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Principles for Sharing
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441
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Group Leader's Monthly Evaluation Form (PSGS)
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443
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Small Group Monthly Evaluation Form (PSGS)
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445
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Bibliography
(SAMPLE)
LEADER'S
EVANGELIZATION TRAINING GUIDE
SESSION ONE
OPENING SESSION, PART 1
OBJECTIVES
To provide an understanding of the purpose of the training.
REQUIRED PREPARATIONS--TRAINING INSTRUCTOR
1. Plan for and implement personal prayer time.
2. Study instructional content on page 2.
3. Make copies for each trainee of: "Personal Spiritual Evaluation" sheet.
4. Training team prays together before session.
TRAINING INSTRUCTOR PATH
TOTAL TIME: l20 Minutes
| Trainer: |
If there are not at least 6 trainees to do Roman
Numeral 1, Point D. below: Prayer Service
Explained, it is omitted completely and the
following Opening Prayer is done.
|
OPENING PRAYER 10 MINS.
1. ASK group to turn to EH page 146 and stand.
2. SIGNAL for music and prayer leaders to begin.
3. REQUEST Blessing Prayer.
4. THANK group and ask them to be seated.
BEGIN OPENING SESSION, PART 1
STATE session objective:
This session provides an understanding of the purpose of the training.
INSTRUCTIONAL CONTENT 85 MINS.
1. LOOK OVER key points to cover:
I. Introductory remarks.
II. The purpose of the training.
III. The Personal Spiritual Evaluation Sheet.
IV. Trainees choose their Prayer Partners.
2. TEACH expanded outline of above key points:
I. Introductory remarks.
A.
Introductions of the Trainers and the Trainees (10 minutes).
1. We will take some time now to introduce the team and then all of
you can introduce yourselves.
2. Please say a little more about yourselves in addition to giving your
names.
B.
Expectations of the Trainees (5 minutes).
Please take 5 minutes now to write your responses to the following
questions.
1. Why did you come?
2. What do you expect to receive from this training?
C.
Sharing of Expectations (10 minutes).
1. I will call on each of you to share your expectations.
2. Who would like to begin?
| Trainer: |
If there are not at least 6 trainees to do what
follows, omit Point D. completely.
|
1. Purpose of Carrying in the Bible and the Candle.
a) The entire Church is under the norm of Scripture. To bring this
out clearly, when the prayer service begins, the bible is held
high above the head of the person carrying the bible into the
room.
b) The candle is symbolic of Jesus' presence as the Light of the
world. The person carrying in the candle holds it up high at
about face level and precedes the person carrying in the bible.
2. Opening Prayer Service.
a) The persons carrying the candle and the bible into the room do
so once the community begins to sing.
b) When the opening prayer service is completed, the candle and
the bible are placed on a table in a prominent place in the training
room.
c) Once the candle and the bible are placed on the table, the two
persons together bow slightly toward the table and return to
their places.
d) All of this is done very reverently.
3. Closing Prayer Service.
a) For the closing prayer service, when the community begins to
sing the designated song, the two persons who carried in the
candle and bible come up to the table where the candle and
bible are and bow slightly toward the table.
b) They take the candle and the bible and raise them up high, as
explained before, and proceed to the podium. While holding
the candle and the bible high, they complete the closing prayer
service and process to the back of the room while the closing
song is being sung.
| Trainer: |
Demonstrate how the candle and bible are to be brought in and where they are to be placed
when the Opening Prayer Service is completed.
|
4. ASK for volunteers to be prayer leaders for each prayer service.
| Trainer: |
Have a sign-up sheet for volunteers to sign up to be prayer leaders for the Prayer Service each week.
|
5. DO the opening prayer now.
OPENING PRAYER
1. ASK group to turn to EH page 146 and stand.
2. SIGNAL for music and prayer leaders to begin.
3. REQUEST Blessing Prayer.
4. THANK group and ask them to be seated.
I. Introductory remarks continued.
E. Introduction to the Evangelizer's Handbook (EH) (20 minutes).
Let's look now at the structure of your handbook, Be An Evangelizer?
Me? We will look briefly at each session and the appendices of this
handbook.
So, please, just follow along with me.
● The Evangelizer's Handbook (EH), comprises thirteen sessions and four appendices.
-The first section aims at helping each trainee acquire the knowledge,
tools and skills required to be an effective evangelizer.
1. The main section of the handbook is structured in the following
way:
● Session One: A Penetrating Synthesis of Evangelization.
🞄 The purpose of this session is to give a penetrating glance
into the Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Paul VI on "Evangelii
Nuntiandi", Evangelization in the Modern World.
● Session Two: Some Moments In Evangelization.
🞄 Introduces you to some moments in evangelization by giving
brief explanations of each moment.
● Session Three: God's Plan.
🞄 Helps you to come to an understanding of God's plan as it
unfolded over the centuries, to give His Holy Spirit to each
and every person who believes in His Son, Jesus Christ.
🞄 To realize, as we see God's plan unfolding, how much God
loves us and wants us to have life and have it abundantly.
● Session Four: The Good News Proclamation, A Synthesis.
🞄 An overview of the Four Basic Truths of the Gospel.
● Session Five: The Problem: Sin.
🞄 Brings you to the realization that all men and women have
sinned and are separated from God and, as a result, cannot
know God's love nor share in God's life with others (Truth
Two).
● Session Six: Jesus: Savior and Lord.
🞄 Leads you to recognize that Jesus Christ is the Answer to
all the problems men and women face in life.
-He is the only One who can give you the power to live this
life abundantly.
-Through Him you can know God's love and share in God's
life with others. (Truth Three)
🞄 Leads you to internalize this by learning how to apply this
amazing truth to the different situations of life.
●
Session Seven: Invitation and Commitment.
🞄 Teaches a person how to bring a person to Jesus Christ.
🞄 Brings you to the conscious realization that God's plan of
salvation for all men and women requires a response
(Truth Four).
●
Session Eight: Personal Testimony.
🞄 Instructs you in:
-What it means to witness.
-Guidelines for effective personal testimony.
🞄 Gives some biblical examples of personal testimony.
🞄 Instructs you in how to write your own personal testimony in
clear and concise terms.
●
Session Nine: Pastoral Follow-Up.
🞄 Highlights the essentials for effective pastoral follow-up
and emphasizes its importance.
●
Session Ten: Establishing Relationships.
🞄 Teaches how to establish relationships.
🞄 Nurtures a growing realization that to relate lovingly with
others is a vital moment in evangelization.
🞄 Helps you acquire the ability to identify with the person
with whom you are relating.
●
Session Eleven: Reaping the Harvest.
🞄 Fosters a deeper understanding of the role of the evangelizer
as one who is to reap the harvest.
🞄 Impresses upon you that the season for reaping is always
now!
🞄 Looks at how to overcome some of the various challenges
that can confront evangelizers.
●
Session Twelve: Jesus Christ, the Evangelizer.
🞄 Shows how to evangelize by looking at Jesus, the Evangelizer.
🞄 Brings you to a knowledge and understanding of Jesus'
strategy for evangelization.
●
Session Thirteen: Wrap-Up.
🞄 Reviews the evangelizer's responsibilities and where they
terminate.
🞄 Considers the relationship between total evangelization
and Church growth.
2.
Appendix One: Prayer Services to Accompany Each Session
of
Be an Evangelizer? Me?
● These suggested prayer services are meant to accompany
each session of EH, Be an Evangelizer? Me?
3.
Appendix Two: Outline of Pope Paul VI's Apostolic Exhortation,
Evangelization in the Modern World.
-Because this Apostolic Exhortation is so important, an outline of
the entire document is provided in this appendix.
Evangelization in the Modern World (Evangelii Nuntiandi) is
structured in the following way:
●
The Introduction.
🞄 Previews the philosophy on which this document is founded.
●
Chapter One: From Christ the Evangelizer to the Evangelizing
Church.
🞄 Begins building fundamental concepts for evangelization by
examining the actions of Christ and their implications for His
Church.
●
Chapter Two: What is Evangelization?
🞄 Develops understanding of what evangelization is by analyzing
key components of evangelization.
●
Chapter Three: The Content of Evangelization.
🞄 Teaches the critical attributes of evangelization by having
you learn, study, and internalize the basic message.
●
Chapter Four: The Methods of Evangelization.
🞄 Concerned with the development of knowledge and skills by
learning and assimilating effective methods of evangelizing.
●
Chapter Five: The Beneficiaries of Evangelization.
🞄 Clearly states who it is that is to be evangelized.
●
Chapter Six: The Workers for Evangelization.
🞄 Defines the roles and responsibilities for each member
of the Church in regard to evangelization.
●
Chapter Seven: The Spirit of Evangelization.
🞄 Clearly states the role of the Holy Spirit in the mission of
evangelization.
●
Additional Information.
🞄 Content Questions are at the end of each chapter's outline
of this document.
🞄 Reflective Questions are also at the end of each chapter's
outline of this document.
4.
Appendix Three: Prayer Services to Accompany Each Session
of Apostolic Exhortation,
Evangelization in the Modern World by
Paul VI.
🞄 These suggested prayer services are meant to accompany
each chapter of Paul VI's Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelization
in the Modern World (Evangelii Nuntiandi).
5.
Appendix Four: Cults
This appendix gives typical characteristics of cultic groups, the
positive and negative aspects of cults, and some examples of
cults today, etc.
F.
The Structure of the Training Sessions (5 mins.).
The ACTS II Evangelization Training has been designed so that
the training can take place weekly for nine months.
1. The sessions are structured in the following way:
a)
Opening Prayer.
-The opening prayer sets the mood and reflects the
purpose or the training session. This is done by
focusing on the Lord and His Word.
-This time allows the Holy Spirit to prepare each of you by
opening your minds and hearts to Him.
-The suggested Opening Prayer Services are found in your
handbook in Appendix One.
b)
Instructional Session.
-Training is given so that you can acquire the knowledge,
skills and tools necessary for evangelization.
c)
Community Breaks.
-Community breaks provide the opportunity for community
building.
d)
Study Guide.
-The Study Guide is found at the end of each session in
your Be An Evangelizer? Me? Handbook.
-Each Study Guide is to be completed before the next training
session.
e)
Closing Prayer.
-The Closing Prayer Services are found in Appendix One.
This time of prayer again focuses your attention on the Lord
who alone is worthy of all praise and thanksgiving.
2. And finally, a word about Mary, Star of Evangelization and the
ACTS II Process.
a)
ACTS II: Conversion, Proclamation, Community is dedicated
to the Immaculate Heart of Mary under whose patronage
Pope Paul VI placed the entire effort of evangelization in the
Church.
b) Pope Paul VI says, and I quote --
-"On the morning of Pentecost she watched over with her
prayer the beginning of evangelization prompted by the
Holy Spirit:
-may she be the Star of evangelization ever renewed
which the Church, docile to her Lord's command,
must promote and accomplish, especially in these
times which are difficult but full of hope!
-"In the name of Christ we bless you, your communities,
your families, all those who are dear to you, in the words
which Paul addressed to the Philippians:
-'I give thanks to my God every time I think of you --
which is constantly, in every pray I utter -- rejoicing, as I
plead on your behalf, at the way you have all continually
helped to promote the gospel ...'" (Phil. 1:3-5; E.N. 82).
COMMUNITY BREAK 15 MINS.
STATE the following:
-Please take time to circulate and get to know one another better. In addition
to giving us a break within the session, the community break is also to be
used to bring about community.
II. The purpose of the training. (10 minutes).
A. We want to look now at the purpose of the training. Please take
good notes since much of what I will be saying is not in your
handbook.
-Jesus tells us,
-"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come
upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in
all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
B. Jesus' followers are called to go forth and be His witnesses under
the power of the Holy Spirit. Signs and wonders are to accompany
them, as He had promised.
-This call of the Lord to every Christian to be His disciple and witness
was reiterated by Vatican II.
C. This training provides an environment and a process that will lead
to:
1. inner healing,
2. reconciliation,
3. personal conversion,
4. empowerment, and
5. support to live out the Christian mission to witness and disciple
others for the Lord Jesus Christ under the power of the Holy
Spirit.
D. By means of this process, you will be enabled and empowered for
community and for ministry in your parishes.
1.
For community.
To put forth your gifts for the building up of the Body of Christ,
the Church.
2.
For ministry.
To be so filled with Jesus that you have a burning desire:
a) to share Him with those who already believe;
b) to reach out and share Him with the inactive Catholic and the
unchurched, and to bring them into the community of love,
the Church, where --
-they can be nourished by a caring, bearing, sharing
community and its sacramental life.
E.
Specific Goals of the Training.
1. The training exists to promote evangelization among our Catholic
people as the fundamental and essential mission of the Church
(Decree on the
Church's Missionary Activity, n. 35;
Evangelii
Nuntiandi, n.14).
2. The training will equip you to become enthusiastic evangelizers
by providing you with --
a) a practical "know-how" approach to evangelization with an
emphasis on one-to-one relationships,
b) looking toward the formation of evangelizing communities
within the parish.
3. This training will lead to an evangelizing outreach to bring active
Catholics, inactive Catholics and the unchurched --
a) into a deeper relationship with Jesus as Savior and Lord; or,
b) into a renewed relationship with Jesus as Savior and Lord
and into ministry for Him; or,
c) into a personal relationship with Jesus for the first time and
into the community of the Church.
III. Personal Spiritual Evaluation. (10 minutes).
A. The
Personal Spiritual Evaluation that we are going to look at now
highlights some of the questions that will come to you as you go
through this training in evangelization.
B. You are to reflect upon each question and then answer it honestly.
-There is no right or wrong answer.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Personal Spiritual Evaluation.
1. Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus?
Yes _____ No _____ Don't know _____
2. How often do you read the Bible?
Each day _____ Frequently _____ Sometimes _____
3. Is Jesus Christ at the center of your life as Lord and Master?
Yes _____ No _____ Don't know ______
4. Do you think it is possible to know Jesus as Savior but not as
Lord?
Yes _____ No _____ Don't know _____
5. Can going to Church, knowledge, or good behavior save a
person?
Yes _____ No _____ Don't know _____
6. Have you had an experience of God in your life that changed
you?
Yes _____ No _____ Don't know _____
7. Is God concerned with the details of your life?
Yes _____ No _____ Don't know _____
8. Can you be sure that you are going to go to heaven?
Yes _____ No _____ Don't know _____
C. You are to hand in your sheet after you have thoughtfully completed
your answers. Be sure to put your name on it
1. It will be kept in confidence for you and will be returned to you
at the end of the training so that you can make a comparative
reflection.
2. You have five minutes to do this now.
IV. Trainees choose their Prayer Partners (10 minutes).
A. Please take a few minutes now to pray about whom the Lord would
have you take as a prayer partner.
B. Please get together with your prayer partner to pray together.
-You can each take your turn praying for one another after having
asked what the person would like to be prayed for.
-You can pray in one of the following ways:
1. One prays silently for the other and when finished simply says
out loud "Amen". Then the other person can begin.
2. Each prays spontaneously for one another.
3. Each prays a formal prayer for the other, for example, the Our
Father, the Hail Mary, or the Glory be to the Father.
C. You have four minutes now to pray with one another in one of the
ways that I just explained. You have two minutes per person.
D. Pray for your prayer partner throughout the week.
3. GO OVER Study Guide.
Let's look at the Study Guide for Session One.
I. At the end of Session One in your handbook is the study guide question
for Part 1 of Session One which is what we have just completed.
II. It states: How will this training equip you?
CLOSING PRAYER 10 MINS.
1. CALL prayer leaders forward.
2. ASK group to turn to EH page 147 and to stand.
3. SIGNAL for music and prayer leaders to begin.
4. DISMISS group once prayer time is finished.
ACTS II EVANGELIZATION LEADERSHIP TRAINING GUIDES AVAILABLE HERE