Evangelization

Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose herald you have become.  Believe what

you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.

1)      Be proud (in the good sense) of being a Catholic. Live your life with holy boldness.

2)      Focus on what is truly important. Relationships are what’s important. Christian values are important.

3)      Set time apart daily for God. Don’t be afraid to tell others you do that.

4)      Smile a lot.  It makes you happy. It also makes others happy.  It’s a great witness to your Christian joy.  Smiling is a one word Christian philosophy on living.    

5)      Make Mass a habit; try to work daily Mass into your life as frequently as you can.

6)      Say “Thank you” as often as you can.  Expressing gratitude makes you more appreciative of what you have. Gratitude is a beautiful virtue.   It helps make you, and those you thank, happy!  

7)      Choose to be a disciple of Jesus Christ; not simply a volunteer: pray, fast, give alms.  Do works of service.  Gently share your faith and explain how it brings you happiness.  

8)      Try always to do things in love.  Let the love you choose be “agape love”… that is, love for the sake of the other.

9)      Keep Sunday’s holy.  Try not to spend money or engage in competitive organized sports on the Sabbath.  Try not to do things that require others to work on Sunday.  

10)  Forgive others, sincerely.  

11)  Be hospitable.  Invite, welcome, and engage others as a Catholic lifestyle. 

12)  Mention your faith in public.  Don’t be afraid to tell your story.  Your life is your experience of faith. Recognize where God has “broken in”. Tell others.  Feel free to speculate on a recent “God moment”. 

13)  Say “thank God”, “I believe”, or “Amen” in public.

14)  Go to confession regularly.  Once a month is a good “rule of thumb”.  Make this a family practice, too.

15)  Be bold enough to say, “That is against my faith”, or “my faith teaches….”

16)  Make it a regular habit to visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

17)  Invite somebody to church.  This is especially effective during Advent, Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost.

18)  Fast regularly.  Even small fasts teach spiritual discipline.  

19)  Wear a crucifix or scapular.  Say a brief prayer before you put it.

20)  Recognize that special moments in life – the birth of a child, baptism, a marriage, the reception of a sacrament, a death, a funeral – are all privileged moments for evangelization.  People share in these events, and are moved by them, even if they do not participate in “a faith walk” or “church” regularly.

21)  Make a brief “morning offering” to God when you awake.  

22)  Visit family and friends regularly.

23)  Recognize that modern technologies are changing the way we interact with each other.  Heart-to-heart and face-to-face conversations are still the best way to communicate.  This also holds true in communicating the faith.

24)  Pray for the souls in Purgatory, particularly deceased loved ones.  

25)  Participate in a Catholic or ecumenical Bible study or faith sharing group.

26)  If someone has a misguided belief as to what the Church teaches, clear it up for him/her.

27)  Tithe.  It helps you set good spiritual and material priorities and makes you more grateful to God. 

28)  Care for your aged relatives as best you can…and for other aged people.

29)  Subscribe to the Diocese of Salina Register.  It keeps you linked to the local church.

30)  Read other Catholic literature regularly.  Bring it up in conversation.

31)  Start, or be part of a hospitality committee in your parish.  Contact the Office of the New Evangelization for a “Hospitality Ideas Manual.”

32)  Dress appropriately, and with dignity.  As a Christian, you represent Christ, not the culture.

33)  Walk with people in their sufferings.

34)  Use a window/bumper sticker to promote the faith.

35)  Get an “In God we Trust” state of Kansas license plate.

36)  Stand against moral degeneration in our nation.

37)  Call evil by name.  “Be not afraid” is mentioned 153 times in the Bible in one expression or another. It is the most mentioned phrase in the Bible.

38)  Make time for others. Be accessible to them.

39)  Send cards to the sick and bereaved.

40)  Say less.  Think before you make a quip. Does it glorify God?

41)  Wear a good Catholic/ Christian T-shirt.

42)  Take someone to see a movie or rent a video or participate in cultural or artistic activities that have healthy spiritual overtones.

43)  Be friendly.

44)  Be truthful.

45)  Take time to play.  Invite others.

46)  Say grace before meals…making the Sign of the Cross wherever you are. 

47)  Display religious items in your home, office, or vehicle.

48)  Stop gossiping. 

49)  Run an event or sports program out of the church for the community.

50)  Help your parish do a periodic youth all-nighter.  

51)  Pray the Rosary…and sometimes on a park bench.  Pray it slowly, putting yourself there at the mystery and decade you are reciting.

52)  Visit someone who is lonely.

53)  Join the Knights, Daughters of Isabella, Catholic Daughters, Legion of Mary, Serrans, etc.

54)  Take a white river rafting trip with Catholic youth/families.

55)  Go fishing with Christian friends.

56)  Invite people to your home for meals.  Breaking bread together is important.  

57)  Have a BBQ, with family and friends, include some Christian conversation.

58)  Buy religious items as presents for birthday, Christmas, anniversary, etc.

59)  Read some Scripture daily; memorize & use some verses you particularly like.

60)  Read Catholic books and magazines, listen to Catholic tapes. Discuss them with friends both Catholic and non-Catholic. Keep the discussion gentle, respectful, and passionate.

61)  Volunteer at a soup kitchen, city jail, or prison.

62)  Do a retreat.  See ideas for various retreats below.  

63)  Be a scout leader.  Make sure the right values are being suggested.

64)  Place religious statuary in your yard. 

65)  Man a booth promoting Catholicism, life, or Christian values at a fair.

66)  Use K of C “Keep Christ in Christmas” window magnets or stickers.

67)  Use Divine Mercy stickers or signs on your car or outside your home.

68)  Assist the Diocese Office of the New Evangelization or the parish with Catholic radio spots.  Usually, a not-for-profit gets a discount and we can make certain the message is conveyed the way the Church would like it conveyed.   

69)  The same with #68 but can be done with newspapers, magazines, cable, or TV spots.

70)  Respectfully challenge an atheist.  Ask what the purpose of his/her life is?  Ask him/her how he can know his/her values have any merit outside himself?  Explain how knowing, loving, and serving God in this life and being happy with Him forever in eternity is your purpose in life.    

71)  Laugh a lot.  Share good, wholesome, jokes…and religious jokes.

72)  Seek spiritual direction.  Give spiritual direction as a friend….always promote what the Church promotes. We all need an objective shoulder to lean on.

73)  Support and promote pro-life agencies and organizations.

74)  Support charities with wholesome values.  Don’t support charities that do 95% good things and 5% bad. Explain why…that there are organizations that you agree with 100% and you prefer to support them.

75)  Encourage young men and women not to live together.   Be confident in stating that true love really does wait.

76)  Encourage young couples to learn “theology of the body” and discourage them from using artificial means of birth control and engaging in pre-martial sex. The arguments are compelling from a physical health perspective, a Christian spirituality standpoint, and in encouraging true love.

77)  Go to adult education talks in your parish.  Invite co-workers, family, and friends to go with you.  For ideas, speak to your pastor.  The Office of the New Evangelization also has a “Speakers List” and a “PowerPoint Talks List”.   

78)  Help the parish sponsor a Catholic billboard.  Or work together with friends to support one through the diocese.  

79)  Have a Friday (or Saturday) Night at the Movies in your parish.  Bring potluck snacks. Choose a movie with Christian themes or imagery, discuss the imagery afterwards.    The Chronicles of Narnia series are a good place to start.  They are also good for young families.  The Lord of the Rings trilogy is great for young adults and older.

80)  Have witness nights at your parish. Share several conversion stories. Combine it with a potluck.

81)  Read a book -- over a period of days/weeks -- to a senior or a child.

82)  Be a Eucharistic Minister to the homebound.

83)  Adopt a grandparent as a family.  Invite them to your home for holidays, or visit them during the holidays.  (Often seniors are more comfortable in their own homes).

84)  Take your kids, or grandkids, to the playground. Converse with others while you are there.

85)  Participate in the Annual Life Chain event; help at a pregnancy counseling center; or support Rachel’s Vineyard post-abortion healing retreat.

86)  Reduce your intake of television, movies, and the internet. 

87)  Spend some time in silent reflection. Start with five minutes a day.  Try to visualize darkness, calmness, nothingness, peace.  Block out other thoughts.  God will “break-in” when He wants.  You will recognize him.  

88)  Spend some time with nature.  Thank God for his creation and His incredible creativity.

89)  When an inappropriate thought crosses your mind, turn it around into something for which you can praise God’; then, do so.

90)  Tell God you love Him regularly and spontaneously.  

91)  Tell others you love them, too.  As St. Francis taught, “use words when necessary”.

92)  Apologize when you make a mistake or hurt someone.

93)  Stop by the neighbors occasionally. Bring a dessert.

94)  Make Halloween a religious event again.  Mock the evil spirits of our age.  They have no power over the Christian who is in Christ.  Celebrate this event.

95)  Read about the saints.  Tell their stories.

96)  Talk to your guardian angel regularly.  Ask him to send a cohort of angels and saints to be with you and others you want to help or protect.

97)  Get a group of people to go out together singing Christmas carols.

98)  Do Christmas “posada” processions.

99)  Those times when you fail God, others, or yourself, pick yourself up and move    The only way you can ultimately fail with God is to stop trying.

Another 99 Simple and Effective Ways to Evangelize as Catholics 

1)      Call your distant loved ones regularly.

2)      Write letters to the editor promoting or defending your faith and the moral values the Church teaches.  

3)      Tell a friend you appreciate him or her.

4)      Add, or join, a prayer chain in your faith community.

5)      Start or assist with a parish newsletter.  Let it set on your coffee table for visitors to read.

6)      Work hard. Take pride in doing your work well. 

7)      Browse a Catholic bookstore.

8)      Start a parish food pantry or collect food for families you know who are in need.

9)      Teach your children to evangelize by taking them to a nursing home, assisting neighbors, etc.

10)  Occasionally take your children with you to the adoration chapel, Stations of the Cross, Divine Mercy services.  

11)  Examine your conscience each evening before falling asleep.

12)  Give God the glory when you succeed at something.  It really does belong to Him.

13)  Western culture has, in recent years, begun describing certain human persons by a reductionist reference to his or her sexual orientation. Resist this trend.  A person is more than his or her sexual orientation.

14)  Understand and proclaim that our sexuality is a gift given to us from God and is reserved for a man and woman who are joined in the covenant of marriage: "It is only within this covenant that the two inseparable ends of marriage can be achieved: the deepening of love between spouses and the procreation and education of children. Any genital act outside the covenant of marriage cannot fulfill this twofold purpose intended by the Creator and thus is morally wrong."

15)  Stand for chastity. Whether married or single, chaste living means to avoid sexual activity that is contrary to morality or religious teachings.

16)  Pray the rosary in the car while on a drive or trip.  Let the children lead.

Some Fun Ways to Evangelize 

Note: Unfortunately, due to liability concerns, most parishes will not undertake some of the suggestions mentioned below.  But that does not mean families within parishes cannot get together and collectively make them happen.  When the family stops taking these risks  we are really in trouble as a culture. 

• Father-son white water rafting trips incorporating faith elements. This will help fathers and sons bond, will help the kids bond among themselves, and enable fathers to get to know one another.

• Exercise.  Offer up prayers or a rosary as you do.

• Father-daughter white water rafting trips incorporating faith elements. (Explanation of purpose – same as above).

• Inter-parish sporting challenges where team competitions such as basketball, softball, volleyball, etc., help parishioners from different parishes get to know each other. These can be all-male, all-female, or co-ed type of events of all ages.  Such events will promote wholesome fun, competition and camaraderie.  They can also be pot-lock. Non-Catholic friends – both adult and children – can be invited.  Referees can be from within the parishes.

• Take a nature hike, or go to a bird or wildlife refuge.  Pray at times along the way.

• Take a canoeing trip with some other Catholics.  Invite some non-Catholics.

• Organize a competitive softball game.  

• Music events where people get together for two or three hours around a guitar or combination of instruments and songs.  Individual parish musicians can sing, it can be sing-a-long, or some combination of both.  This can also be pot luck.  Non-Catholic friends can be invited.  

Consider a Retreat

• Do a Cursillo. You’ll very likely have a stronger desire to share your faith.

• Do a “Marriage Encounter” as a couple.  Most who do so are re-charged in their marriage.

• Want a retreat for Men?  Think about Marked Men for Christ.

• Want a retreat for Women?  Think about Women Walking with Christ.

• Having Marriage Difficulties?  Try Retrouvaille.

• Try a silent retreat.

• Do an Ignatian retreat; learn the “spiritual exercises”.  

Source: salinadiocese.org 

1. Witness of life.

Show signs of a faith that is alive, of a conviction that is real, of a love for God that is attractive.

Ensure that your behavior and choices bespeak a life lived in accord with the Gospel values and the newness of life of the God you profess to believe in.

2. Include God in your vocabulary.

Aware that it is not against the law to speak about God and His marvelous works in our daily lives, bring Him up in a casual way in your everyday conversations, acknowledging Him as the giver of all good gifts, as the One who answers prayers, as the One who directs the course of our lives when we submit to His all-loving plan. Meaning it from the heart and avoiding “fabricated speech”, say things such “Thank God”, “God willing”, “I pray that...”, letting those around you know that you believe in a God of love, mercy and care, a God they too can and should draw near to in times of trouble – indeed, at any time.

3. Become a person of welcome.

Practice becoming increasingly welcoming toward others, making every effort to avoid critical or judgmental thoughts, attitudes and words, a sure deterrent for anyone considering Christ and His Church.  Encourage such an attitude of welcome and acceptance in your community.

4. Develop relationships of care and trust.

Ask the Lord to instill within your heart His own sentiments and care for the people in your life with whom He would like you to share about His salvation and plan for their lives.  Begin to develop or deepen a relationship of friendship and trust with the person or persons whom God and life’s circumstances place on your heart and in your life, and as the level of trust and care for one another develops be ready to share with them what Christ and His Church have come to mean in your life and to Christians across the globe down through the centuries.

5. Establish a common interest.

As an instrument in God’s hands, work patiently to establish mutual interests with others, beginning first where their interests lie, so as to prepare the ground for profitable discussion together on spiritual matters.  Listen long enough to begin to know the individual and where he or she is coming from, in this manner also gaining their trust and their willingness to listen to your interests and thoughts.

6. Arouse their interest.

Praying that the Holy Spirit touch both the heart of your listener as well as your lips to speak His word, be alert for opportunities to share a spiritual experience and arouse some curiosity for the Faith. You may begin by asking a leading question regarding their own journey of faith, or by stimulating discussion on spiritual matters by using news headlines as openers.

7. Share your faith story.

Take some time to prayerfully put into writing what Christ has done for you and what He means to you, and how participation in the life of His Church has changed your life, highlighting significant moments of conversion and/or renewal of your faith and relationship with God. When the time is right, share this testimony or story of faith with the family member, friend, neighbor, co-worker or other person you have befriended - and take every opportunity to practice sharing key moments of this journey of faith with a stranger whom God might place in your path for the sake of a respectful and caring witness.

8. Present the “Christ-event” or kerygma without fear or hesitation, and with great love and humility.

Discern your listener’s openness to hearing the Good News of God’s plan of salvation for us, and respectfully present the core of the Gospel message or “kerygma” in a clear, concise and convincing manner, one that touches the heart and mind of your listener and disposes the person to want to know Jesus Christ personally. (“Kerygma” in Greek refers to the first proclamation of Jesus Christ as only Savior of the world to a people who have never heard, or who have not heard it in a way that has truly convicted them and led them to make a commitment to Christ and to life within His Body, the Church.)

9. Extend an invitation.

Invite your listener to accept God’s salvation and new life offered in Christ, the only Savior of the world, by making an explicit commitment to Him, in a prayer you might lead them in - confessing their sins, and asking Christ to become the Lord of their life. Upon this initial commitment (or if the person or circumstances do not presently allow for this prayer), invite your listener to attend an appropriate Church event or service, such as a daily, Sunday or special Mass, a presentation aimed at adult formation in the faith, an RCIA class, or another suitable means of furthering the work of conversion that has begun.Facilitate incorporation into the Body of Christ.

10.  Facilitate incorporation into the Body of Christ.

Inquire as to the person’s readiness to receive the Church’s Sacraments of Initiation and arrange accordingly, whenever appropriate and welcomed by the person being evangelized. Continue to serve as a “spiritual mentor” or “sponsor” to ensure that the initial proclamation of the Gospel and initial commitment take root in this person’s life.

11. Do not condemn.

Except for those whose hearts were hardened and closed to the message of salvation He came to bring all mankind, Jesus did not condemn those who, despite being open to hearing His message, had nonetheless honest and heartfelt objections or simply had questions. Nor did He condemn those who were far from God and His plan of salvation - the “irreligious” or “sinners”; rather He welcomed them with love and mercy, and drew them to His Kingdom by means of a compassionate proclamation of salvation and holiness of life – and prayer!  Imitate our Lord’s own compassion and merciful love, and associate with those whose lives may not be all that God desires of them and with those who may have questions and even objections about the faith; and pray that the Holy Spirit continues to work in their hearts as He has done in yours, while you humbly acknowledge that we ourselves have not merited the Faith we profess but have received it purely as a gift from our merciful Lord.

12. Know when to stop.

Oftentimes, as soon as we perceive even the slightest sign of interest from someone who needs further evangelization, many of us want to rush right in and rattle off the whole Gospel message without taking into account the person’s response, objections, questions - or even their readiness. Be careful to give the person only as much of the Message as he or she is ready to hear at this particular time, while you continue to pray for other opportunities to share the Good News with them. Do not be afraid that another opportunity for sharing will not present itself, but rather acknowledge that some sow, some water and God does the reaping in His own time: your poise and patience may very well be the thing God uses to bring this person to want more.  Why evangelization should be at the heart of our life and ministry:

Source: portlanddiocese.org