Evangelisation Team

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

  Divine Renovation UK        Contact is: Hannah Vaughan

CONTENTS
1) FORMATION
2) DIVINE RENOVATION
3) SHARING MY FAITH JOURNEY 
4) SOMETHING GREATER                                  

​For more information please contact
Peter Dimambro  01926 428399

                                                                                    
​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) SOMETHING GREATER   
In August 2021 Catholic Leamington started an important initiative
called  ‘Something Greater’
 
The purpose and aims of Something Greater
              As we come out of lockdown and places, including our local churches, open up to more people, the purpose of Something Greater is to extend a welcoming hand of friendship to:- 
a) Catholics who are still anxious about coming to church in person,
b) Catholics who have lost a sense of connection to a local parish over the last year, and 
c) Christians or people of no faith who have discovered an interest in exploring their faith.
 
It is a project that is going help our parish reach out to family, friends, and our community. We know so many who have asked questions about faith over the last year, those who have not realised that our churches are open, and those who are anxious about coming back to church. 
 
Something Greater will help us extend a hand of friendship and welcome everyone to our community.  We are going to do this together and there are three ways you can help: Pray, Invite and then Welcome every person who comes to church in the coming months who might be nervous, returning, or new to the Catholic Church. 
 
There is a prayer bookmark now available in the three churches. Please take one home with you; prayer is vital for this initiative to blossom in the months and years ahead. 
 
A number of initiatives were discussed at the first Something Greater Team meeting on 21st July.  The last meeting was on 18th August [notes of meeting below].
 
Meanwhile a number of ‘Welcome ideas’ are in action and in the planning; these will be outlined in the main newsletter and Newsletter Extra. It will clearly take some time to really build up our parish of Catholic Leamington to become a truly vibrant and Spirit-filled community as we reach out to those at 1), 2) and 3) above. We are asking for all parishioners to help in some way by supporting the initiatives.
 
 
Something Greater - Prayer
Loving Father, as Covid restrictions ease, we pray for our ‘Something Greater’ initiative. 
As we reach out to others, give us the wisdom to know how to communicate in a way that will attract them to our parish community in worship and fellowship. May we be alert to ways of encouraging them in their faith journey.                                                                         
We make this prayer through Our Lord Jesus Christ Your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever.
 Amen.

                                           Catholic Leamington - Something Greater
Notes of meeting 7.30pm Monday 8th November 2021 by Zoom
Prayers to the Holy Spirit and the Something Greater initiative.
1 Welcome and apologies
St Peter’s and Our Lady’s churches, as part of Catholic Leamington, were represented by Peter Dimambro, Mary Grayling, Aidrie Felix, Michael Katsoulis, Margaret Lumu, Paul Northam [Archdiocese Evangelisation Field Worker] and Kate Tennyson.
There were apologies from Margaret Dimambro, Anna Godwin and Gill Ayers-Hunt.
2) Matters arising from last meeting
a) Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
Fr. Benedict was arranging this but is currently away from the parish on sick leave. b) Newsletter The entry had been revised.
3) Parish update form and follow-up
a) Summary of responses
101 parish update forms had been received to date. There were reminders to complete them in the newsletter and at Masses last weekend.
The responses to date:
i) Grow in Faith. 22 responses and Emails sent for Zoom meeting on 15th November to discuss further.
ii) Parish Gatherings. 45 responses. Noted for future events when a social group is set up again.
iii) Coming Back and Becoming Catholic.
2 received: 1 Joined RCIA (total on course 6).
The other missed out on RCIA but returned to Mass and the sacraments last weekend after being contacted by Margaret D.
iv) Forming or joining a parish group. 14 responses and Emails sent for today’s meeting (four attended).
One parishioner wishes to start a new art group and this is being organised.
v) Post Sacramental support or sacramental needs (eg children). 3 In action
vi) Church and Presbytery. 14 responses. Details passed to Fr. John
Concern was expressed over the piety shop at St Peter’s not being opened especially with Christmas stock arriving. Fr. John to be contacted.
vii) Joining or helping (youth group etc.). 23 responses. Separate emails being sent to match- up interested area where not shown.
Regarding ‘Coffees and Teas’ after weekend Masses, and ‘Children’s liturgy’ during Mass, these are to be started as soon as possible. Peter will contact Fr. John and take appropriate action with assistance from the Team and those who showed an interest on the parish update forms.
b) Advent Retreat
St Peter’s Parish Centre 27th November. Emails sent to those at i) above and it is being advertised in the newsletter. This was an initiative suggested at the last Team meeting.
c) Christmas service advertising
Leaflets are to be updated. They are for giving to, delivering or emailing to non-churchgoing Catholics. Posters for local hotels to be updated. Peter to pass drafts to Team to consider.
d) Parish visiting, eg. families of children baptised at St Peter’s and Our Lady’s
The baptism leaflet and letter to family have been revised. A team is to be set up for visiting to start. Peter to control action.                                                                                                                                                                       
e) Bidding Prayer
Aidrie to action
5) Parish leaflets and Welcome card
a) New Beginnings
Labels [printed by Margaret] had been fixed to the back page showing changes in contact details.
b) Once a Catholic?
Contact detail changes had been made to this leaflet. Both leaflets are on display stands at St Peter’s and arrangements will be made for them to be given to Our Lady’s.
c) Welcome card
These are for new build housing. It was agreed they could be used for new neighbours. This initiative will need more planning.
6) AOB
a) Newsletter Extra
The November entry has been sent in.
b) Synod
Fr. John had asked that Peter and the Team be involved and work with Paul Hayden who is leading action for the two parishes. Discussions had started.
Natalie Orefice is the leading person for the archdiocese and there is a page about the Synod on the archdiocese website.
c) Change of name of Team
It was thought that the name ‘Something Greater’ may have run its course and that a change
of name was needed, perhaps back to ‘Evangelisation Team?’ For consideration at the next meeting although ideas can be sent in meanwhile.
Next meeting 7.30pm on 10th or 17th January 2022 by Zoom Note: The Synod prayer is to be said at future meetings.