Evangelisation Team

Our Vision Statement
To spread the love of God through our words and actions and to become a parish of missionary disciples.
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​For more information please contact
Peter Dimambro
mdimambro@hotmail.co.uk  01926 428399

For General Parish leaflet see:-
2019.doc

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 Contents
1) FORMATION
2) DIVINE RENOVATION
3) SHARING MY FAITH JOURNEY
​4) MINUTES OF RECENT MEETINGS
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                                      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!"
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                    3) SHARING MY FAITH JOURNEY
 HAVE YOU DRAWN UP YOUR JOURNEY OF FAITH YET?

            testimony_faith_journey_oct_2018_________________.pdf PARISH TRANSFORMATION
                                               The Text is also below
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.

                                          
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.
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.
                               It is also something that we can, and really should, do.
                     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!
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                            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
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Minutes of virtual meeting 3pm Monday 2ndNovember 2020 by Zoom
 
Prayers to the Holy Spirit and for non-churchgoing Catholics
1 Welcome and apologies
Present: Peter Dimambro, Aidrie Felix, Paul Northam and Peter Shiels (by phone link)
Apologies: Fr. Christopher Greaney and Fr. Benedict Skipper.
 
2 Matters arising from minutes of last meeting
a) Beloved Disciples DVD
This is a DVD for Catholics who are over 60. A number of couples in Catholic Leamington have shown an interest and it is to be passed on for them to view.
 
3 Evangelisation fieldworker Paul Northam
Peter D said that he and Paul had a useful Zoom meeting on 9th October in order to get up to date with evangelisation issues on Paul’s return to work after the end of his furloughing[see notes of that meeting].
The Chosen
Paul said that this was a new series on the life of Christ and can be seen via YouTube. It is most inspiring, the link is:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=craeyJdrCsE
It was thought to be good resource, especially during a coronavirus shutdown. Peter will advertise it in the newsletter and in the website for Catholic Leamington.
 
Paul said that he had just returned to full time work but is likely to be back to part-time due to the national coronavirus lockdown probably to start on 5thNovember.
He will forward information to the Team on: Thinking for Advent – Resources for Evangelisation, Alpha on-line training, Year of the Word, Fr. Cecil Rogers of Northfield Parish on Divine Renovation and the Pastoral Conversion of the Parish by Pope Francis.
Peter had responded to Paul’s two questionnaires on experiences of lockdown: ‘Evangelisation Questions for Parishes’ and ‘Catholics in Lockdown’. It was accepted that currently evangelisation is to be internal, to parishioners who had lost contact with the church/community due to the coronavirus restrictions. Peter will send out the questionnaires for other Team members to complete. Paul said that they needed to be anonymous.
 
4 Divine Renovation and re-engaging parishes
a) General update
Several emails have been received from Divine renovation with some wanting further consideration. A meeting with Fr. John is awaited to discuss various ways to encourage evangelisation in the current restrictions.
 
b) Notice for delivering
A new leaflet ‘Keeping in Touch with you’ has been designed and approved by Fr. John. It is being delivered to non-churchgoing Catholics in St. Peter’s parish area in an effort to re-engage them in the parish. Unfortunately, with the attempt by the Government to close churches from 5thNovember for four weeks, the effect is likely to be limited. Invitations for the RCIA series are being inserted.
 
c) Linking parishioners
The Salisbury parish website did not give any information on the matter, but this can be a discussion point with Fr. John. Aidrie said that a lady in Southam parish is organising signing up for telephone links. Aidrie will pass her email to Peter to follow-up with Fr. John. Paul said that other parishes in the archdiocese were doing this.
 
5 Reports from parishes/churches
a) Catholic Leamington
All six weekend Masses had been reinstated for the three churches with attendance being about 25% of what it was before the pandemic. There are a number of weekday Masses. Only St Joseph’s parish hall is used for overflow.
Parish visiting is allowed with social distancing with talking permitted only outside the home. The Heritage open day at St Peter’s in September was discussed and noted to be an enjoyable event with a fascinating history talk. Newly ordained Fr. Benedict is settling in.
 
b) Our Lady and St Wulstan, Southam
Aidrie said that attendance is down to about a third at the weekend Masses. There is exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on Wednesdays.
 
c) St Francis, Kenilworth
Peter S said that attendance is down to about a third at the weekend Masses and, as they have a retired priest, there are now three Sunday morning Masses and one on Saturday evening. They are working well with plenty of stewards. The SVP deliver parish bulletins and collect for the food bank. There are links with The Coventry Refugee Service and Carriers of Hope.
 
Regarding using parishioners who are over aged 70, Paul said that the advice is that so long as they know the dangers and take the necessary precautions, they can be involved in parish activities.
 
6 AOB
a) RCIA
Margaret Dimambro and Gareth Astell are the RCIA Team for Catholic Leamington. There are two interested so far for the next sessions due to start virtually by Zoom on Wednesday evenings from 11th November. Fr. Benedict is hoping to attend.
 
b) The Sower Magazine
Peter had a telephone interview on 22nd October with Ron Quenby from the Sower about the effects of the shutdown and the recovery in Catholic Leamington. He sent a draft article for Peter to see who then made some changes to it. Fr. John had a number of other reflections and both were sent back to Ron. Paul said that Solihull parish had also sent in an article.
 
c) Lent event 2021
Various DVD’s, on-line courses and other possibilities were briefly discussed. The Team was left to think of ideas, share them by email and arrive with some proposals for the next meeting. 


d) Parish councils
Paul asked about the presence and activities of parish councils. Information on St Francis, Our Lady and St Wulstan and Catholic Leamington were given. Paul emphasized that parish leadership in general was a big issue at present. 
 
Next meeting (probably virtual) 7pm Monday 11thJanuary 2021.
 
Closing prayers
Our Lady of Fatima – Pray for us
Saint Cardinal John Newman – Pray for us
Blessed Dominic Barberi – Pray for us