[ Archive for the 'Outreach' Category ]
Posted by JohnG (November 16, 2007 at 3:23 pm)
A Math Problem
A Byzantine Church is heading WEST at 0 mph, In the opposite direction an Orthodox Church is Evangelizing East at top speed. If the demographics of the Byzantine Church are such that a majority of its parishioners will die off in the next 10 to 15 years, what are the chances that it will reform its liturgy back in line with the Orthodox before death occurs?
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The Antiochian Orthodox Church is on a mission. They are on a mission to convert America to Orthodoxy. Here is a map, note that they have several missions, and several mission projects.
Now… Lets compare and contrast to my Church, the Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Church.. Uhhh…. welll… Ok… there is no comparison.. the Orthodox are taking the Great Commandment to heart… and My Church is holding Seminars on what a great thing it is to be a Byzantine Catholic.
Now… Who is going to get the “Well done, good and faithful servant.” My bet is on the Orthodox, while they may not have Union, they have zeal and it counts for something.
Mark 9: 38-41
“Teacher,” said John, “we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”
“Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.
Posted by Karl (January 18, 2007 at 1:03 am)
I thought it might be good for the readers of this blog to encourage each other in evangelization. I know that sometimes it feels like one is alone, especially when one is trying to evangelize in a Byzantine manner. So perhaps we should tell each other what we are doing.
Here are the rules: use the comments to tell the rest of us what you are doing to bring the light of Christ to the nations in a Byzantine way. Give enough detail so that if a reader is inspired, he or she may follow your example. Especially concentrate on good news, so that we will all be built up.
I’ll start.
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Posted by Karl (September 8, 2006 at 10:41 pm)
Jeffrey Tucker wrote an article called I Hate Converts (and I’m a Convert) which makes interesting and humorous points about the foibles of new converts. He writes about converts that they have a problem: They become know-it-alls who appoint themselves as the fixer-uppers of the whole faith. They pester people who have been Catholic all their lives about their apparent lack of piety. He then gives many examples of the silly things he says converts do, pestering priests, bishops, and popes about the perceived faults of the Church. They have seen the true light, and wish to enlighten everyone else.
Tucker is right that such things do happen. But I think his article tends to support the position that the zeal of the convert is some sort of aberration, something one ought to grow out of. He suggests that converts should take time and keep to themselves for a while: “I suggest that converts first live the real day-to-to-day lives of Catholics for a while–and it’s not always easy—before they dictate to the rest of us how to live.” As true as his advice is, I see in the use of the loaded word “dictate” a bit of resentment of convert zeal.
How should we relate to converts, we who seek to be Byzantine evangelists? I think we should take as our example the original convert, Paul of Tarsus.
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Posted by Carson (July 21, 2006 at 4:35 pm)
Taking ones pulse is not the only way to measure ones health but it is a way. It is possible to take the pulse of your church. You won’t know everything about your church by taking its pulse but it can be an indication of its relative health.
There are many ways to take the pulse of your congregation and they are all fairly simple. One could look at the number of study, interest, or prayer groups in your congregation. One could look at how faithfully the sacraments are offered in the Eastern tradition. Once could look at how many young adults, youth or children are actively involved. Conversely one could look at he average age of the worshiping congregation. One could see how many vocations come from your congregations or how many congregations it has helped establish. One of my favorite ways is to look at the number of baptisms both children and adults that occured in your congregation this past year.
Looking at baptisms: If your church had less than 5 baptisms you are probably a dying congregation with members exclusively past child bearing age. You are headed for death but you can be revived. In a recent poll on byzcath.org it was discovered that a majority of the respondants fit into this category. Look around at the average age of your congregation. Are you willing to change your habits drastically? Are you willing to receive some help in order for you to be revived?
If you have between 6 and 20 you may well be in plateauing. Now is the time for revival. The people may be open to it and want to begin growing again. If you do nothing you will probably begin to die. If you act you can find renewal and begin to grow.
If you are EO or EC and have more than 20 per year you are probably growing and healthy. It is important to take a look at your strengths and continue working on them and look at a weekness and try to make it a strength instead. You are probably in a good place to begin the work to establish a mission congregation some place and to give some gifts to churches that are planting Churches or who are growing. Don’t begin to rest on your laurels. Everytime you do well rejoice and set the bar higher.
Living organisms grow and develop. Stagnant organisms are dying. Same goes for Churches.
Carson Daniel Lauffer
Posted by Carson (July 6, 2006 at 10:30 am)
Someone was worried that he might be too much of a materialist because he collects too many icons and religious books. Let’s look at this another way. The saints of all time have taught us that we are given things for one reason. That is to give them away. It seems to me that their insights are very wise and constitute a major clue to effective evangelization.
If you find that you have more money than you need even for retirement start discerning with the guidance of the Holy Spirit who are those whom God puts in your path that might need it more than you. Give it with a prayer.
If someone is lonely or suffers from depression give them one of your icons with a prayer and words of encouragement. Invite to vespers, matins, or liturgy.
If you have too many books start giving them away. If you are good at sewing, or gardening, or crafting, or whatever, start giving the things away with a prayer or an invitation.
We don’t live in villages in which everyone knows everyone else and everyone goes to the same Church. These villages must be created with God’s help.
It may seem simple and it is easy to do. But these simple acts of kindness can have profound effect not only on the recipients but upon the givers as well.
Carson Daniel Lauffer
Posted by Carson (June 19, 2006 at 10:41 am)
What kind of leadership will we need to thrive?
Trouble is no stranger to any of us. Jesus said, “In the world you have trouble but have courage I have overcome the world already” (A loose translation of John 16:33) We are given shepherds to lead us through these troubles. They would not be needed if the world were trouble free.
So, what is a shepherd to do when his flock has been diminished by over 2/3 in less than two decades? Our Shepherds may have to be more straightforward with his charges. God gives us the leaders we deserve but they do need our prayers and encouragement even if the encouragement causes pain to us and perhaps to them as well as they seek to chart a course in troubled waters.
Again, what is a shepherd to do?
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Posted by Karl (May 29, 2006 at 3:43 pm)
Imagine that you lived in a town where there was a McDonald’s on one corner, a Burger King on another corner, a White Castle down the road, and a Culver’s next door to that. Do you think it would be a good idea, if you were an investor, to start up another hamburger stand? It would be very hard to succeed as just another place to get a fast-food burger. Such a move would be unwise. What you should do is start a submarine sandwich store, something that is different, unusual enough to attract customers.
How does this relate to Byzantine Churches? For most of the last century, we have been building burger stands in Burgertown. Due to persecution from Roman Catholics, self-doubt, and an understandable desire to fit in, Byzantine Catholics in the United States have attempted to be like Roman Catholics. Let me give you an example:
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Posted by Eric (May 3, 2006 at 10:17 am)
Christ is risen!
Yesterday I drove down to Champaign, IL to gather with a contingent of the Annunciation Church choir for a special Divine Liturgy at the St. John chapel of the Newman Center of the University of Illinois.
The experience was especially signficant for me, because I was a parishioner at St. John’s when, as a senior at U of I, I left the Church. Here I was, 18 years later, returning to this church to help celebrate the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom—my entire spiritual journey in miniature.
The liturgy was wonderful, attended by some sixty or seventy students and other denizens of Champaign.
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