1. Purpose of the seminar?
- Offers a vision of sacramental charismatic discipleship that puts our Baptismal Vows into practice through the workings of the Holy Spirit. It is based in a vision of sacraments as "powers" and charisms as a welcome reality in the Christian life.
- Helpful for inactive Catholics (over 75% of those who identify themselves as Catholic do not go to church more than once every few months). Offers a basic understanding of the gift of faith that has been given through Baptism.
- Offers active Catholics a vision of CHARISMATIC discipleship rooted in the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist) and built around the creed. Pope John Paul II once prayed in Nazareth for "a great renewal of faith in all the children of the Church. A deep renewal of faith: not just as a general attitude, but as a conscious and courageous profession of the Creed."
2. What if we can't find enough good speaker?
- Rely on your team. Most important resource is an evangelizing team, willing to have team meetings, and concerned about ongoing need to nurture life in the Holy Spirit. This team offers evangelizing friendships, teaching and prayer.
- Less than half of the talks should be given by outside, guest speakers. Bringing in "experts" teaches people that only the exceptional person can surrender to the Spirit. Second, it also makes it very difficult for participants to bond with the team. Third, using expert speakers robs the local people of the experience of learning how to teach and how to take care of each other. Fourth, people need to hear the witnesses of recently converted people in order to gain confidence in their own ability to turn to God.
- The person with the strongest teaching gifts in your group can help others practice and edit their talks. Team members can also decide to get training before doing a seminar.
3. How can we adapt the seminar for young people?
- Young people should give most of the 3-5 minute witnesses after the talks. Use active ways to present the message of the Gospel like music, skits, mime, mock interviews, TV commercials, etc. Offer the opportunity to use a small notebook to answer sharing questions before they are shared in faith sharing groups. Use physical symbols, objects, popular songs and Internet links as part of the teaching.
- For an extensive collection of TV shows that can be viewed online and used as a way to present the Gospel to teens visit www.realfaithtv.com. Each show includes teen witnesses, faith sharing, and links to websites about each of the 72 topics such as: Putting God First, How Can I Find Peace in my Life?, Why Should I go to Church when It Is So Boring?, Teen Suicide, How Music Influences our Lives.
4. What about one day seminars?
- The desire to share the message of the Gospel and baptism in the Spirit has led many groups to offer one day seminars. The reasons we have heard include: People don't have as much time as they used to. Our team is small and it is all we can do. We want to evangelize while we have the people. We know that God moves in power during a workshop or retreat setting. These are all important considerations.
- But there are also some very important spiritual needs to consider before offering a one day seminar. The need for ongoing support while establishing new habits like prayer and Scripture reading. This can take up to two months. The need for a positive experience of small faith sharing groups as a way to grow and as a place to share what is happening in daily life. The need to think through what is being learned, and the freedom to experiment with new ideas in an atmosphere where discussion about mistakes is possible. The need for overlapping invitations into the Christian community or parish.
- If you feel you are honestly address these needs and must shorten the seminar, we suggest a one day event that includes talks about 1. God's Love 2. Salvation and 3. New Life, with ample time to share and pray in small groups. Then follow this event with two more sessions that each include two talks. Consider including a potluck supper to help build community.
- ONE DAY EVANGELISTIC EVENTS are much more effective as a way to reach out to others and can be followed up with a Life in the Spirit Seminar. A sample event is called "Jesus Lives Day!"
5. Which booklet do I use for participants?
- We recommend the Prayer Journal for Baptism in the Holy Spirit. The Journal offers a daily, seven week prayer guide designed to helps people call on the Holy Spirit in many different ways. It is written to promote sacramental charismatic faith.
- The Prayer Journal covers the same weekly themes as the Life in the Spirit Seminar. It also offers a basic approach to reading Scripture (p 6) and helpful tools for daily prayer (p 7, 18, 19, 38, and 56). It includes quotes from the Catechism and the saints. Each day ends with the first line of a prayer that can be completed by the participant. Look at both and decide what is best for the people you are serving.
