Evangelisation Team

Our Vision Statement
To spread the love of God through our words and actions and to become a parish of missionary disciples.

Parish leaflet:
2019.doc

 Contents
1) FORMATION
2) DIVINE RENOVATION
3) SHARING MY FAITH JOURNEY
​4) MINUTES OF RECENT MEETINGS
​
                                      

​For more information please contact
Peter Dimambro
mdimambro@hotmail.co.uk  01926 428399

Minutes of last meeting

                                                                                      1) FORMATION 

St Peter’s Parish Evangelisation Team, Leamington Spa came about after a training day on evangelisation in St Chad’s Birmingham in 2009. It was suggested that all parishes should have a Team.
 
Although evangelisation is basically bringing the Good News of Christ to others, it covers many areas such as sacramental preparation and support, social activities, parish missions and retreats, welcoming new parishioners, etc. The main methods of evangelisation include witness of life, preaching, liturgy of the Word, the mass media, personal contact and the Sacraments. All Catholics have a duty to evangelise and it is a task not just for the Clergy or the Team. 
 
The purpose of the Team is to promote evangelisation by:-
a) praying for the evangelisation work of the parish,
b) suggesting creative ways for the parish to reach out to the local community,
c) developing their understanding of Church teaching on evangelisation, and
d) ensuring that evangelisation enjoys a high profile within the parish so that all can be involved to some extent.
 
We are basically a small planning team and have identified many areas of evangelisation and undertake parish visiting, promote RCIA sessions for interested non-Catholics and encourage all parishioners to be more active in helping non-churchgoing Catholics back to our community. In line with our Archbishop’s suggestion for a priority focus on non-churchgoing Catholics, we also see this as the main area to concentrate on. We have been involved in a number of initiatives over the years - see our notes of meetings below. Together with the support of the Evangelisation Fieldworker from Maryvale, Birmingham and our Parish Priest, we continually discern the way the Holy Spirit wants us to proceed.

The Team has expanded to include the parishes of the Warwick deanery so we are now known as the Warwick Deanery Evangelisation Team. We meet every other month in St Peter’s parish centre. If you feel drawn to help us, or just want to come and see, please contact Peter Dimambro. 


                                                                      2) DIVINE RENOVATION

A two day conference called Divine Renovation 19 was held in West Bromwich in 2019. There were several hundred people there, including laity, Priests and Bishops from around the UK (including Archbishop Bernard Longley and Bishop David McGough). Three representatives from the Catholic Leamington Evangelisation team were among those who attended.
 
Divine Renovation is, with the grace of God,  designed to radically transform parishes from maintenance to mission. It grew out of the experience of St Benedict's Parish in Nova Scotia, Canada where Fr James Mallon had a vision for his parish to be filled with faith-filled Catholics, who would naturally go out and share the Good News with those around them. He shares his experience in the Book 'Divine Renovation - Bringing your parish from maintenance to mission.' An easy to read and informative book. 
 
Pope Francis in The Joy of the Gospel said that through their Baptism, all Catholics are called to be missionary disciples. He describes how the Church must “go forth,” boldly taking the first step to draw near to those who do not know or live the Gospel, by building bridges, supporting others, taking on the “smell of the sheep” and patiently seeking to accompany them on their journey. True missionary disciples have the desire and heart to serve the parish and the wider community and are so in love with God that they are  not frightened to speak about Him to others.
 
The conference drew on the experience of some of the parishes in the UK who have already started the process. Their testimonies were very encouraging, particularly the Parish Priests who had found new zeal and purpose in their ministry. They had started by gathering a small faith-filled team around them to pray and draw up a vision statement for the parish. This small team then worked with the Priest to drive the process forward.
 
When he arrived at St Benedict's parish Fr Mallon found that many people were not fully evangelised and had never had the opportunity to personally accept the Good News of the Gospel and so they did not have a personal relationship with Jesus. This meant that they did not have a missionary outlook that wanted to share the Good News with others. The best tool that the Canadians found to help people both inside and outside the church to full conversion is the Alpha Course, which when run properly gives people a personal encounter with Jesus through the Holy Spirit and this transforms their  lives. Many people, including Deacon David and June Palmer can testify to this 
 
God is the vine and we are the branches and He asks us to be fruitful by taking his love to others. Parishes can be so busy serving their parishioners that they have no time for evangelising. The culture of a parish should be outward looking, going out to the wider community to draw people in. Events and ministries should be designed  to attract those outside the Church, who would be welcomed and supported. As it was said at the conference, “Remember, Jesus told us to go out into the deep to catch fish, not to sit around on the quayside waiting for the fish to  jump into our boat!"
                              
​
                                                 3) SHARING MY FAITH JOURNEY
 
HAVE YOU DRAWN UP YOUR JOURNEY OF FAITH YET?

            testimony_faith_journey_oct_2018_________________.pdf PARISH TRANSFORMATION
                                         
Sharing your faith journey (also called a testimony)  is a simple sharing of a part of your journey of faith, to give witness to Christ. 
Things to consider:-
What has God done in your life, in the past?
How is God present in your life today?
Why are you a Catholic?
What does your faith mean to you personally?
Answering one of these, or similar questions, will give you an outline to share your faith journey.                                                   It is powerful because it demonstrates to others that God is real and that he cares about our lives.
Sharing our journey of faith is something that we can all do. ​
For guidance on how to get started please see below.

So, to begin.......
Before you start take time to still yourself and ask the Holy Spirit to gently lead you down memory lane to see where God has helped you over the years.
Using the following outline, reflect upon your own faith story and pick out significant stages in your life from childhood to present. Write it down for you to keep and update as needed.
Select one significant event and reflect on the change God brought about in your life.
Consider the following possibilities:
From
Fear, Hatred, Weakness, Despair, Sickness, Anxiety, Aimlessness, Loneliness
To
Courage, Love, Strength, Hope, Health, Peace, Purpose, Community
Arrange into three parts:-
Beginning – Set the scene and share briefly what was your life was like before this event.
Middle – How did God intervene?
End – What has your life been like since?
Remember to focus on God rather than yourself
If you are not able to recall a significant event, consider some of those gradual steps where God has helped your faith journey.

Top Ten Tips for sharing your faith journey – Speaking about faith, in your own words.
1) Become increasingly aware of ‘moments of encounter’ with God
We know that God is with us, but how often do we pause in the day to actively become aware of God’s closeness? Some people have dramatic stories of personal conversion, but, for most of us, God is present in the ordinariness of our daily lives, such as an answered prayer, or experiencing a moment of peace in the midst of anxiety. God speaks to us through a timely word of wisdom, or encouragement, from a loved one, or through the sacraments of the Church. It may help to keep a prayer journal and at the end of each day to write a few lines about how you encountered God throughout that day.

2) Be open to the Holy Spirit
We can pray each morning for an opportunity to share our faith with someone in the day ahead. Pray also, that in that moment you will be given the right words to speak. Through prayer, when we are talking with someone, we may feel a prompting from the Holy Spirit to share a particular part of our story at a particular time. It is amazing what the Holy Spirit can bring to mind, that can be of great help to someone.

3) Consider who you are speaking to and use simple words
Are they a Christian, or a Catholic, or not? If not, then try to avoid very religious words and phrases that they may not understand, such as: The parish, the sacraments, and conversion. If you do need to use religious words, try to explain what you mean by them. Talk personally and avoid telling others what to do. We do not all have the same faith experience and people are at different stages in their journey. So, respect this and try to avoid ‘preaching’ to others about what they must do, as this can make people feel defensive. Stick to talking about your own story and leave them with something to think about. Avoid arguments. Sharing faith is about winning hearts, not winning arguments.

4) Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable
It is hard to relate to someone whose life appears to be perfect and without struggles. As Pope Francis put it so beautifully; “The thing the church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful.....I see the church as a field hospital after battle." 
Let’s be honest, we all have our struggles. When appropriate, sharing how God has helped you, or is helping you, through a difficulty (perhaps facing an illness, or a financial or relationship crisis) can bring great consolation and hope to people in their own struggles. Often in times of difficulty people are most open and aware of their need of God.

5) Take responsibility for your level of sharing
Don’t share something deeply personal if you are uncomfortable about doing so and avoid sharing something about someone else without their permission. There is a time for sharing from the depths of our souls, but usually in close relationships, or if you have been asked to speak to a specific group of people about a specific topic. Once again, keep it simple and ordinary.
6) Be aware of the response of the other person
Notice if they seem engaged and keen to know more, or if they seem distracted, or perhaps need to get to an appointment somewhere else. If that’s the case, they may not be ready to receive your testimony so, out of respect for them, bring your sharing to a close.

7) Be yourself and speak naturally
We are different and God uses us to reach out to different people in different ways. There is nothing more off-putting than insincerity, so just be yourself and share from your heart.

8) Listen
Yes, this is about sharing your faith but the word 'sharing' is important. If you want to have genuine communication with another person, let them speak too. Let them ask questions, or even disagree with you. People have a real need to be heard and listening is an act of charity.

9) Be a witness to the Joy of the Gospel
There may be things about the Church, or our parish priest, or another member of the parish that we find difficult. But avoid moaning or complaining about your faith. A joyful person is much more attractive than a moaner! And we can always find something to be joyful and thankful about. As Pope Francis says: “An evangeliser must never look like they have just come back from a funeral”. Let your love for Jesus show in your face, in your words and in your genuine care for the person with whom you are speaking.

10) Keep Praying
Remember to keep the person in your prayers. We may never know the impact of sharing our faith and telling our story, but, when we do, it has the power to change hearts!
​
                            Some final points to note when sharing with others
Please do: Trust God, be natural and yourself, speak of relationships, share positive benefits, use language that will relate to others, beware of jargon and be interesting, but
Please do not: Preach or lecture, generalize all is perfect, give travelogues, get too bogged down with detail speak negatively, labour past sins or exaggerate...........
Try to keep to only three minutes!! 


                                                              4) MINUTES OF LAST MEETING
​
Warwick Deanery Evangelisation Team Minutes of meeting
3pm Tuesday 12th January 2021 by Zoom
Prayers to the Holy Spirit and for Non-churchgoing Catholics

1 Welcome and apologies
Present Peter Dimambro, Aidrie Felix, Paul Northam and Fr. Benedict Skipper. Apologies Fr. Christopher Greaney and Peter Shiels.

2 Matters arising from minutes of last meeting
a) Beloved Disciples DVD
This is for Catholics who are over 60. It is now being passed around couples in Catholic Leamington that have shown an interest. Peter is keeping records. As Peter did not have any response from the entry in the Catholic Leamington Newsletter Extra December issue, he is contacting couples. Further advertising is to be considered.
b) The Chosen – You Tube
Paul at the last meeting had said that this was a new series on the life of Christ and can be seen via YouTube. It is most inspiring, the link for the first episode is: www.youtube.com/watch?v=craeyJdrCsE
[Paul sent the links for the other seven episodes – for free viewing].
c) The Sower Magazine
The advent edition at page 3 had a short article from Fr. John about the parish picnic in Leamington last summer as one way of staying in touch during the pandemic.

3 Evangelisation fieldworker Paul Northam
1) Personal Prayer for Evangelisation
Peter said that all the information from Paul in his email of 25th November 2020 had been included in the Catholic Leamington Newsletter extra for December although had not heard of any feedback.
2) ‘Evangelisation Meet-up’
Peter and Aidrie had attended by Zoom arranged by Paul and Natalie Orefice on Thursday 10th December and found it useful to see what seven other parishes in the archdiocese were doing with opportunities of sharing good practice. Paul said this was a new venture. The next Zoom is on 26th January and would welcome any subjects the Team would like to cover.
3) The Bible in a year
Paul said this was a new resource and there had been an article in the Times.
See: https://bibleinayear.fireside.fm/
4) Holy Week voices from the Holy Land
This is by the Friends of the Holy Land and the material is coming out soon.
5) Online ALPHA come and see
Next event 10th February see: https://alpha.org.uk/online-training/#comeandsee
6) Hallow: Catholic Meditation & Prayer App
These are Apps on Google Play See Hallow app for mobile phone -
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.hallow.android&hl=en_GB&gl=US
7) Direction in prayer
Due to the pandemic there was noted to be an increase in requests for help with prayer and we are to be alert to provide appropriate support.

4 Divine Renovation and re-engaging parishes
a) General update
Several emails have been received since the last meeting, eg.
Webinar (2nd November 2020) – Parish Conversations UK /Raising your digital game
Points that came out:- On-line can be a missionary field. The Halifax Nova Scotia parish has an introductory video for those just starting live-streaming. They have hospitality chat, words on screen to sing at home helping to enter into Mass more. Can move into an interactive/teaching Mass for new people with chat feature for questions after Mass.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    There is a ‘Kick Start’ process to start Divine Renovation in parishes to aid setting up leadership teams. Paul said that he had a Blog with videos and questions as a follow-up regarding parish renewal and would forward the Blog link to the Team.
b) Notice for delivering
A new leaflet for Catholic Leamington ‘Keeping in touch with you’ had been designed with the help of the Team and Fr. John. Peter had delivered it, or emailed it as an attachment, to a number of known non-churchgoers. Due to the increasing severity of the pandemic, further deliveries are suspended. Fr. John also wanted the leaflet to be available at the Catholic schools but there was no news on this initiative.
c) Linking parishioners
Southam parish had set up an arrangement for parishioners to be in touch by phone. Peter will contact the person involved to pass on details to Fr. John to consider for Catholic Leamington. Care is needed to ensure we have peoples’ approval for GDPR requirements. The greater use of email communication is an important area to be looked into.

5 Reports from parishes/churches
a) St Peter’s
It was good news that the government had allowed churches to be open for prayer and services during the current coronavirus tier 4 restrictions with further lockdown. Mass attendance is now even lower, due to increased concerns over transmission of the virus. The third coronavirus lockdown is yet again making evangelising more difficult.
For the weekly RCIA sessions being held by Zoom (led by Margaret Dimambro and Gareth Astell), two are attending regularly. Fr. Benedict gives input and said the sessions were working well using Zoom.
Peter had delivered the Advent ‘Walk with me’ booklets and the Catholic Leamington Christmas leaflet to a number of known non-churchgoers.
b) Our Lady’s
Peter Shiels in his written report said that one family in his parish had been following the Rosary Group at Our Lady. Peter said that this group was not shown on the Catholic Leamington website under prayer groups and would find out details about the group. During the pandemic he thought there should be greater promotion of current parish groups shown clearly on the website.
c) St Francis, Kenilworth
Peter Shiels report was read out. It covered Christmas Masses, effects of coronavirus and various groups meeting by Zoom. Parish Councils will be increasingly important in the coming months and years.
d) Our Lady’s and St Wulstan, Southam
Aidrie said that weekday Masses had been suspended due to lack of cleaners and they now only had 5.30pm Mass on Saturdays and 10am on Sundays.

6 AOB
a) Lent event 2021
A number of possibilities were discussed and one was to have ‘Holy Week voices from the Holy Land’. This will need consideration when available.
b) Catholic Leamington Parish Council
Fr. Benedict said he had no news about the PC. Throughout the Warwick Deanery, Mass attendance was much reduced as quite a few parishioners were shielding or vulnerable and not able to get to church [the deanery meeting took place earlier that day].

Next meeting 3pm Tuesday 1st March by Zoom.

​Closing prayers
Our Lady of Fatima – Pray for us
Saint Cardinal John Newman – Pray for us Blessed Dominic Barberi – Pray for us