| So, You’ve Been Asked to Present A Lay Witness Talk in Church… It’s because your Ministry Leader or a fellow parishioner recognizes something in you that is a tremendous gift - your willingness to try and live out the commitment you have to Jesus Christ and the Catholic Faith! It’s also because you are someone whose life has been a witness to what Christian Stewardship and discipleship are all about! You express a gratitude to God for the great gifts you have received, and you are willing to share your gifts with others! You have made a decision to be a giver! In a word, you are someone who tries to live the faith on a daily basis in concrete ways! What is a Lay Witness Talk, Anyway? It’s a story of commitment...a story of conversion shared with other people that help them relate to the message of Jesus. It’s an ordinary story. It’s very much like what the early Christians did to help evangelize others. It’s a story BY real people living regular lives FOR real people living regular lives. The Lay Witness Talks take place during the weekend of our Time and Talent Festival, November 4th and 5th. Your talk would be at one of our weekend Masses at that time. Well...What Would You Have To Do? First and foremost, think and pray about how God may be calling you to this task. Then, read and reflect upon the questions below and put those answers into sentences and paragraph
Simply call Tim Bergevin X326 at the parish office by Friday, October 13th to schedule a time for workshopping and practice. And Then...We’ll Take It From There to Make You a Great Stewardship Witness ! Four Steps to a Witness Talk 1. I first heard about stewardship when… This recalls the background and situation of a person which leads them up to the next step of conversion. 2. My reaction was… By describing a negative reaction, the listeners can relate to their own weak spots, and focus on the place where a breakthrough is needed. 3. What changed my mind was… By describing the story details surrounding his or her own breakthrough, the listener can get as close as possible to feeling and being moved by the power of transformation in the speaker’s life story. 4. It has benefited my life by… Be describing the positive results, though mysteriously arrived at, the listener gets a glimpse of life on the other side of the breakthrough. This brings hope, as well as the thrill of a change. Special thanks to Fr. Bill Hanson for the above outline explanation. A Witness Talk is NOT _ A plea for people to give more money. _ A plea for people to get more involved. A Witness Talk IS _ A story of real life faith by real life people! _ An opportunity to evangelize! |
