Slide 1: Good morning For those of you that don t know me, my name is. We are here this morning to Complete the circle. Our time together will be spent discussing, refreshing the disciplines talked about on a Via de Cristo weekend. Please join me in the Prayer for the gift of the Holy Spirit: Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the power of your love. Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth. Oh God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, instructs the heart of you faithful, grant that by that same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in his consolations, through Christ our Lord, Amen Slide 2: What are our Basic Needs? Beyond (click) water, (click) food, (click) clothing, and (click) shelter - we need (click) love. Margaret Wheatley in a book titled, Leadership and the New Science says: Relationships are all there is. Everything in the universe only exists because it is in relationship to everything else. Nothing exists in isolation. We have to stop pretending we are individuals that can go it alone. Slide 3: Gordon MacDonald in Renewing your Spiritual Passion writes: I would like to propose what these people needed and didn t find or didn t take time for were things like safe places, still times and special friends. The safe places would have allowed them to find out who God is. The still times would have given them a chance to hear what God says.
The special friends would have made possible the encouragement and correctives for them to obey what God asks. We believe this quote is an accurate reflection of what scripture has to say about relationships between God and His people and His people with each other. We were not made to do this thing called life all by ourselves. Slide 4: Any idea what God s greatest gift to us is? (click) GRACE Slide 5: One of the first things that we as Lutherans like to ask is: What do the Scriptures say? What s the example revealed as we read? Jesus had a small group Peter, James and John, think about the Transfiguration & Gethsemane Jesus small group was there. Jesus sends the disciples out two by two not one by one and St Paul writes to meet together to build each other up. 1 John 4: 7-8 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. Psalm 46:10 Be Still and Know that I am God. Matthew 4:18-20 Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. The He said to them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. Hebrews 10: 23-25 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching. Slide 6: To introduce Reunion Group let s simply say that it means a group meeting. It is a discipline of meeting weekly or twice a month, at a mutually convenient location, as its primary commitment to the Reunion Group members. The members use the Group Reunion Card Green Card to share how their piety and study are going, a special moment of God s awareness, tell how they are planning apostolic action, holding one another accountable and lifting each other up in prayer. Sounds easy enough and yet we find many people do not take advantage of this gift. They see it as - just another meeting. Hopefully we will be able to give you some new insights and let the Holy Spirit take it from there. Slide 7 Not to be confused with the Method of VdC: (click) Make a friend, (click) Be a friend, (click) Introduce your friend to Christ. The Reunion Group (click) is just one of three disciplines created to deepen and enliven our 4 th day. Reunion Groups are very important, helping us follow Jesus. They are a place where we allow ourselves to be accountable for what we do, what we say we are going to do and what we have done.
Slide 8: It is more than the Green Card or just another thing to do. It is a moment in time that we make room for God to sit with us, as we share the life God has given us, in the family God made for us. We invite God: Holy Spirit in and we can witness amazing times in this intersection we call: Group Reunion. Special people, safe places and still moments. Slide 9: Reunion groups are a place where we not only receive encouragement, but give it. They are a place where we can discover our gifts because someone is willing to listen to us.. Have you heard the Please listen before? Remember the three-legged stool? Consider the following: (click) At the very foundation, Eduardo Bonnin built the Cursillo around small groups to stimulate each of the members spirituality. (Piety) (click) They are an encouragement for everyone to be open to the word of God. (Study) (Click) They are the root, the infrastructure, to help promote the evangelization of the world. To see the world reconciled to Christ. (Apostolic Action) Grouping is also a tool used by God: Holy Spirit to help us live a life of grace in our environments to increase or hold fast to our idealism and spirit of charity. To keep going when life gets tough. Slide 10: How do you know when you are in a group that will fulfill all this? Well there are seven characteristics of a Reunion Group that I would like to share with you, so that you will know.
(click) Natural Friendships: Friends tend to confide and be honest with each other. Friends make long term commitments, not just short term ones. These do not have to be your best friends, they are just special people where you can be yourself. (click) Group Attendance: Anyone can be part of this group, no exclusions and no exclusivity. Ideally there should be three to five people. When there are only two and one cannot make it, there is no meeting. And if there are more than five, it can take too long for everyone to share their piety, study and action. Usually when a groups gets bigger than five, they move into smaller groups. (click) Regularity and promptness: Think about scheduling the meetings for the same time and place each week or twice a month so that if a member misses a meeting they don t have to wonder when and where the next one is. Promptness respects everyone s time. It says you care. Begin and end on time so people can make plans around this time. Don t regard the group as just another meeting for it might become a burden. Rather make it a priority. Seriousness: This does not mean lack of humor. Reunion Group is not the time for games, phone calls, bunco, bowling or football. But rather a time to help each other grow in Christ helping friends through decisions, sorrows, joys, hurdles, understanding piety study and action. Discretion and confidentiality. Keep it in the group. Trusting safe places are crucial. Sincerity be authentic, be vulnerable, be open. Share don t brag. Prayer Pray to open, to close and when necessary in between. Make sure your location enables you to have privacy to pray. Slide 11: What one word describes the purpose of a Reunion Groups? (click) Accountability
Slide 12: How do we develop accountability without being offensive? (click) Pray (click) Learn to listen (click) The Golden Rule Do unto others not The one that has the gold RULES! (click) Ask open ended questions (What do you think about ) versus close ended (Isn t that right?) Slide 13: How are we held accountable without being offended? (click) Pray (click) Learn to communicate clearly (click) The golden rule applies here as well (click) Allow yourself to be vulnerable be the example Slide 14: For Growth to occur in a Reunion Group, these things are critical: Relationship relationship relationship Bible Study Apostolic Action Committed to God AND one another. Slide 15: To better describe the purpose behind Reunion Groups, let s consider something said by the Cursillo co-founder: (click) We don t have reunion groups in order to get people to make a weekend. (click) Rather, we hold weekends to get people into reunion groups. (click) Eduardo Bonnin
Let s also realize our society is not conditioned to Christian community. No matter how well intentioned and devoted a person might be, it is difficult living out the Christian faith without the help, support and contact of other Christians. The work of the Via de Cristo is to help Christians become effective apostles and grow as saints. Via de Cristo believes that small friendship / accountability groups are building blocks for vital Christian community and for perseverance in the Christian life. A group reunion can do this. The group can support one person s efforts or team together to decide upon a project that involves the entire group. They can tackle something that no one individual might do on their own. Through the group, they all might learn to bloom right where they were planted. [Give examples: Women s shelters, Angel Food, Habitat, Bible Study with a sister church, Workcamp.] Don t be surprised if this gets bigger than just friendship with one another. It starts with friendship, goes to Koinonia, and could possibly go to outreach that is God working through us! If Via de Cristo weekends produce groups which are authentic Christian communities with persevere afterwards, then the movement will achieve its purpose to build up the church and bring Christ into the environment. Our emphasis, then, must be to offer the pilgrims a method of living in friendship that is shared in a Christian way so that, as a consequence of their being together, their apostolic life overflows into their life situations. Slide 16: But the backbone is not the weekend. The backbone is the Reunion Group. The weekend would be just a beautiful memory, a mountain top experience and would soon fade into the past if we did not continue the weekend process through Reunion Group, Ultreya, team and other weekend participation.
The intent of the weekend is to encourage pilgrims to maintain a Christian walk on a daily basis. We hope to help them find their niche in their own church and their own community. We want them to continue their encounter with Christ and to be leaders in carrying the banner of Christ. We feel the way to accomplish this is through small close-knit groups. God intended that we have fellowship and from the very beginning of the church, this has been an important part of Christianity. The goal of reunion group is encouraging one another to grow in faith and to lead a life balanced in piety, study and apostolic action. Remember, an isolated Christian is a paralyzed Christian Slide 17: What if the group I m in falls apart or I move? (click) Start a new group (click) Join another existing group (click) Stay in prayer (click) Contact the National Lutheran Secretariat Slide 18: This is the card we use across the nation. We believe it to be a model for all groups. Do you have to follow it exactly? Not necessarily there may be a special situation. However, for many, if they don t follow the card, they will find themselves in a social circle discussing activities and not finding value in grouping. Important facets of Group Reunion are: What are you doing to further the cause of Christ? How are you taking care of yourself and your walk with the Lord?
Are you looking within your environments to find the leaders and introducing them to Christ? And possibly attending a VdC weekend? Back to the purpose of a Reunion Group: to help us maintain a Christian walk on a daily basis in a world that has turned it s back on Christ. Slide 19: Let s talk for a few moments about Ultreya. What is it? (click)a Reunion of Reunion Groups What is it for? (click) Encouragement of all of the 4 th Day (click) Fellowship Who can attend: (click) Anyone! How do I describe it? (click) It s a larger gathering of those from all over not just VdC and not just those from the local area (click) It is an important tool for the perseverance of the ministry Slide 20: Now for some Table Discussion: (click) Have you ever felt isolated? (click) How did you resolve it? Slide 21: Break Slide 22: There is a saying about Via de Cristo: (click) The less someone knows about the weekend, (click) the more one wants to change it;
(click) the more one knows about the weekend, (click) the less one wants to change it. As we begin to understand both the dynamics and progression of the weekend, we will attest to the truth of this statement. Slide 23: Let s talk a little about our History: Spanish Civil war ended in 1939 The first Cursillo was held in August 1944 All Rollos as we know them were presented 14 Pilgrims Slide 24: There are many other Cursillo movements, sometimes referred to as 4 th Day movements: Catholic Cursillo, Episcopal Cursillo, Presbyterian Cursillo and Presbyterian Pilgrimage, Walk to Emmaus, Tres Dias and Kairos. Each of these contain the Essentials that were present in the very first Cursillo in the late 1940 s. In 1972, Lutheran pastors were invited to attend a Catholic Cursillo weekend. They brought it to their members and Via de Cristo was formed in 1986 because the Catholic Cursillo required all people attending a Cursillo weekend be of the same faith. The name Via de Cristo was chosen because the leadership wanted the weekends to be open and available to all Christians. Slide 25: A Via de Cristo Three Days is a pragmatic three-day course to: (click) Review Christian fundamentals, (click) Discuss ways to actively live them, and
(click) Learn some practical tools to keep them vital. All of what we do is intentional. Slide 26: I remember (click) 10% of what I read (click) 20% of what I hear (click) 30% of what I see (click) 50% of what I see and hear (click) 70% of what I discuss with others (click) 80% of what I experience by doing (click) 95% of what I teach to others Slide 27: In Order to talk about the progression and dynamics of the weekend we need to first talk about what is essential to the weekend. This is the tough part because what you know to be true for your weekend would seem to be (click) essential and so I ask you to listen closely. There are really only a handful of essentials and the rest we will call adiaphoria or adiaphorous. Slide 28: Webster s New World Dictionary defines essential as: (click) of, or constituting the intrinsic fundamental nature of something: basic, inherent, (click) necessary to make a thing what it is; indispensable, requisite.
Slide 29: Webster defines Adiaphorous as: (click) morally neutral or indifferent; neither wrong nor right. (click) In medicine, neither harmful nor helpful. Slide 30: VdC defines adiaphoria as neither good nor bad, neither right nor wrong (click) HOWEVER, (click) If it distracts or takes away anything from the weekend, it has now become detrimental. Slide 31: Essentials with their definitions: Palanca Deep, intentional, selfless, sacrificial prayer. Seventy-two Hours Three full days of Christian Community away from all distractions of daily life. Holy Communion Daily Jesus is truly present in word and sacrament; both are made available to participants. Five Meditations Five guided image meditations that are offered to assist the participants in examining their relationship with Christ. 14/15 Talks Actually separated parts of one talk necessary to cover the basics of the Via de Cristo Method. Note Taking or Write-Downs Specific ideas and power phrases that capture the essential points of each talk. Discussions Small group encounters where Christ can come alive in the community and the fundamentals of Christianity can be reviewed. Posters Hand drawn expressions of the essential meaning of each talk. Decuria Sharing A summarizing of the day s talks; a wonderful opportunity for participants to talk before a large group.
Silent Retreat A period without talking; offered the first night to prick the consciences of the participants. Celebration of Repentance An examination of our life in light of the gospel; offered the first night to stimulate serious self-reflection. Crosses A cross, common to the Cursillo movement, with a telling inscription, Christ is counting on you! Closing or Clausura The welcome of new participants into the community as a whole; designed to assure them that there are many brothers and sisters who understand. Slide 32: We make a clear distinction between those things essential to the weekend and those things that are not essential to the purpose of the weekend. Non-essentials would include the following: * (click) Music * Dying Moments * Mananitas * Personal palanca letters * Cha skits/theatre * (click) Agape Dinner * Stations of the Cross *Flowers * Table trinkets * Foot washing It is the responsibility of the Secretariat to define which, if any, nonessentials are included in its weekends. Because non-essentials can take up time required for essentials, it is recommended that the list of approved non-essentials be kept to a minimum. A rector should not vary from the approved list without the Secretariat s pre-approval. Slide 33: What do we mean by dynamics? By dynamics we are referring to those particular things, words, or events that have a significant influence on, or motivate participants. To quote Luther Piel, DYNAMICS is defined as a force that produces motion, a force that moves something. The key word is MOVES.
On a weekend, everything we do is geared to move the pilgrims, not physically and not emotionally, but spiritually. Our desire is for the pilgrims to move to a deeper spiritual relationship with God, the creator, redeemer, and sustainer of the universe. We want these things to be a positive influence things that motivate the pilgrims to participate, to open themselves up, to break down walls, to accept God s love in their lives and then to want to share God s love and grace with others. The progression of the weekend allows all parts of the weekend to fit together into a progression: the talks, worship, music, palanca notes, food, and visibility of the support teams. The weekend is allowed to move at its own progression from handshakes to hugs, conversation to prayers. It begins on a subdued, non-threatening note and builds gradually, thus allowing the Holy Spirit to work as He will within the hearts of the participants. Slide 34: Positive dynamics move the participants to participate, to open up, to tear down walls, to accept God s love and grace in their lives. In order for this to happen, team members will really share with the participants. They will, by word and example, share their own personal hope, their love of Jesus, and their joy and willingness to live a spiritual discipline. The team members will slowly provide living examples of the Christian life in the three areas of Piety, Study, and Action. As team members allow the participants to truly know them, they will speak of their own doubts, fear, and faith. Seeing and sharing with real people will encourage participants to do the same. The team should make every effort to truly know the participants by using their names (correctly), asking about their homes, work, personal feelings, thoughts and dreams. Music, used correctly, can and should be a positive dynamic. Singing has to start in a very low-key manner. Music should match the rest of the dynamics of the weekend. It s not just thrown in because someone
wants it for his/her rollo. Music used as it is intended can be a very powerful and positive dynamic. The Worship and Communion services are also a powerful dynamic. Special thought and preparation should be given to these services. Many Secretariats use interactive sermons during worship that may be a new experience for some of the pilgrims. It is not unusual for participants to express their feelings of finding worship on the weekend more meaningful than at home in their churches. Slide 35: Let s look at the chart you have on Positive Dynamics a little closer Things We Grow in Spiritually) 1. Hearing our name; being part of our family, part of a church family, understanding we re part of God s family. 2. See others love us, loving ourselves, truly loving God, and sharing God s love with others. 3. Rote singing; relating songs to special experiences, thinking and meditating on the words, worshipping and praising God in song. 4. Reticent to talk; discussion in small groups, standing in front of a small non-threatening group, witnessing to groups and to others. 5. Hand shake, touch, enthusiastically reaching out, abrazzo. 6. Pray privately, pray together with a group, pray by one s self in a small group...lead in prayer. 7. Attend worship service, worship attentively, participate in worship, worship in spirit and truth. 8. Burdened with sin, understand God s grace and mercy, truly desire forgiveness, completely forgiven and free. 9. Friendly, see joy in others, understand source of joy, have and share the joy of the Lord. 10. Hear about God s grace; better understand grace, desire to live in grace...live in God s grace. 11. Define ideals, understand ideals, desire the best ideal, make living in God s grace the ideal of life.
12. Priorities mixed up, understand what is important, apply the great commandment, priorities in correct order. 13. Define church; understand that we are the church. Understand the church s mission, help the church change the world for Christ. Slide 36: 14. Understand piety; utilize practices of piety. Grow in relationship to God. Turn our whole life over to God. 15. Understand the need for study; learn how and what to study; read the Bible; develop a study program. 16. Understand need for apostolic action; learn procedures; desire to share Christ; practice apostolic action in daily life. 17. Understand Christian leadership; learn the qualities of a leader. Desire to grow as a Christian leader; develop and implement a program to grow. 18. Understand the Via de Cristo concept of environment. Desire to be God s person in your own environment. Learn what to do; change your environment. 19. Understand Christian community; desire to become a part. Learn what to do. Be active in the Christian community. 20. Persevere. Persevere! Persevere...PERSEVERE! Slide 37: Negative Dynamics do just the opposite of positive ones. Some of the things that can push a participant into a shell and defeat the objectives of the weekend include: Intimidation: Anything that puts people on the defensive; Confusion: Disorganization, wasting time, arguments; Secrecy: Whispering, evasive answers, not being honest; Bragging: In talks, conversations, or discussions;
Irritations: childish actions, physical discomfort, and lewd behavior even in jest. (If you have any doubts about whether or not a joke is appropriate, don t use it!); Charismatics: Speaking in tongues. Fatigue: Lack of sleep or rest time. Theological Error: Misquoting the Bible, misinterpreting the role of VdC within the church, e.g., I was baptized as a baby, but I finally became a Christian on my Via de Cristo Weekend. Uninteresting Talks: long lectures, sermons, off the subject, being too clever, too complicated; Overly regimented: brain washing, lack of free thought, feeling manipulated, boot camp; Fear of change: the three most used words in the Lutheran language. Fear of being Put Down : Worrying about saying something dumb. Slide 38: Progression: (click) Rollos: One talk in 14/15 pieces (click) We move each day from the head to the heart. Every morning beginning again with the intellect and ending each day with the heart. Slide 39: Circles This is how our circle of comfort expands over the course of the weekend Slide 40: The Flow Chart: Let s look at the weekend flow chart that is part of your Hand-out.
Slide 41: Thursday: You were left in silence to reflect to ask yourself: What am I doing here? Even as a team member - To ask: What does God want of me? Friday - the First Day On Friday, the intention is to continue bringing the participant face-toface with themselves. We try to answer the question, Who Am I? We present a set of values and ideals for life, much higher and more spiritual than the participant may have held before now. The meditation Friday morning is designed to help people recognize and make personal responses to God. In The Three Glances of Christ the participants are given examples from the gospels of three people on whom Christ directed his gaze. Each of them responded differently. Each listener also responds differently when asked through the meditation, How will I respond? The content of the five talks on the first day present clearly the ideal of living a life of grace. We do not challenge the attitude of the participants directly, but we present the much more worthwhile ideology, a value much more sublime that by its intrinsic power will displace the perhaps not so Christian standards, which they have upheld until now. We keep building community slowly. We intentionally keep the weekend subdued on Friday until after the Piety talk. We know if we build too fast, we can lose some of the participants. It is best for each of the participants to come along at their own pace. A person who is slower in reacting to the weekend may be disturbed by the emotion others are showing and may even begin to feel isolated and outside the community. The strong love, joy and peace they begin to see around them may cause them to turn into themselves and resist becoming part of the group. We try very hard to maintain a pace everyone can follow and accept. Whenever possible, the weekend is geared to the slowest participant.
Slide 42: The purpose of the rollos. While we want the pilgrim to think of the Via de Cristo weekend as a course in Christianity, complete with note taking, we want them to have a tangible means to review the weekend. However, we are most interested in developing community at the table and notes provide a reference point. So what s going on behind the scenes? Community is forming when the participants are discussing at the tables. The job of the table leaders is a delicate one. There may be significantly different theological histories at the table so we cannot try to get everyone to agree on particulars. In Christian community there is both a respect for the individual and a yielding by the individual for community interaction. A false community will form first; everyone being nice I can handle this if they can! The next stage will likely be a chaotic storming as table members get bold enough to express their differences. Perhaps the differences will be so strong there may be a feeling of emptiness or even hopelessness. We do not panic and we do not give up; because, the table has now arrived at the gate of community. Only a little more and the peace will begin to flow. This series of steps may repeat several times through the weekend. Each time, the new community will be deeper. A team member is a positive dynamic in this process if they willingly empty themselves. In the beginning, they will honestly and briefly share some of their thoughts. Then, most importantly, they will listen attentively to every other person, encouraging all to do the same. They will find value in what others are saying. They will, at times, openly disagree, but always with respect for the person no matter what the person said. They will solicit input whenever someone is not participating. The table leader s goal is to convey to each table member a respect owed every child of God. Only the Holy Spirit can cause lasting change in people. By the beginning of the second day, the participants may be asking themselves, Can I really attain the ideal of a conscious and growing life in Christ? How? How can I become a truly dynamic Christian? The talks
on the second day are geared to answer these questions by presenting a Christ-centered, sacramental piety that helps people be more aware of their being part of the body of Christ, the people of God. Prayer is introduced as a personal conversation with our brother, Jesus Christ. We start this day with the meditation, The Figure of Christ. The emphasis is on the humanity of Christ; on the Christ who is living now; on the personality of Christ that attracts so many. We are invited into a personal, intimate friendship with him. Add Saturday follow the flow chart What is happening outside the rollo room? Slide 43: Sunday - the Third Day By the beginning of the third day, most of the participants are beginning to feel renewed, committed, and filled with enthusiasm. On the first day, we studied about ourselves and our ideal. On the second day we entered into an intimate friendship with Christ. On Suncay, our thoughts are projected out into the world. We are told how we can bring Christ to the world in which we live. The third day is a call to apostolic action. The day begins with the meditation, Christ s Message to the Participant. We hear that Christ has called us: I have chosen you and have appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit (John 15:16). This day s talks present the Via de Cristo method, and the Via de Cristo understanding of environment. Each talk presents its part of the method. Participants are being given instructions on How to maintain a Christian perspective for the rest of their life. The instructions, therefore, are intended to be as careful and as clear as possible. They are the same sort of instructions that might be given to someone about how to drive a car. The instructions cannot substitute for actually driving and getting the feel of it, but they do need to be provided, and they must be practical. I cannot stress to you enough that the rollistas on this day need to be experienced and practicing the method.
Slide 44: Table Discussion During this review: What new thing or things did you discover? What was reinforced? Slide 45: Break Slide 46: Continuing the Journey Life in the 4 th Day It is the Journey NOT the experience Slide 47: From the beginning, in 1944, the focus of the Pre-Cursillo the 3-Day Cursillo and the Post- Cursillo are thought, programmed and directed so that the concrete, real and normal man or woman, who lives his or her normal life can have an encounter with himself/herself. Only then is his or her encounter with Christ profound and his or her encounter with his or her neighbor gratifying and effective. To evangelize is not only to speak about the Gospel, but also to have alive in each us in the right here and now. The Kingdom of God is inside each one of us. When we make this reality conscious, it is then, and only then that it becomes communicative and contagious. Cursillo awakens a hunger for God and gives us the tools ( a method) for perseverance; for progressive growth. At the same time, we are leaven in our environments. Nothing is imposed or mandated. One does not have to tell a Christian to Christianize just as we don t need to tell water that it needs to moisten ( wet ) or the light to illuminate, because they were made for that purpose, it is our nature. From the beginning, Bonnin has said, if a person has a true conversion, he/she will naturally Christianize his/her own environments. What is important
is not to interrupt their natural process with offers (i.e. you need to evangelize; you need to incorporate to this or that group, institution, association, etc... etc...) It is clear that the Cursillo Movement evangelizes, not by a system but rather as a consequence of its primary focus, which is the enculturation of the Christian ideal (or life). Cursillo preoccupy to make the Kingdom of God a reality on earth, providing the means and a method for perseverance for Christians to help them comprehend their true identity as loving children of God, and thus motivate themselves to enter into an ever-growing and real loving relationship with the Father (Piety). As our Piety and Study progress, so will our Apostolic Action, to the extreme that we really begin to live our growing comprehension of what it means to be Christian, in authentic union (communion) with our brothers and sisters as, His loving children. Slide 48: Where we begin with the sponsorship process is really to go back to the environment rollo. Do you remember that rollo? It is the first one on Sunday and to be quite honest, this rollo tells how Via de Cristo works, in all it s simplicity. The Sunday rollos are the meat we chew on long after the weekend has passed. Understanding the message of our 4 th day and what we are being called into is critical. The careful selection - or - should I say the intentional selection of participants (pilgrims) comes right out of the environment rollo. Did you know that this is actually the first rollo that was written and the others were written to support it? Eduardo Bonnin asks the same question Christ asked: Who is your brother? Eduardo saw that too many people were what he refers to as far aways and he was trying to work with (originally) young men to bring those who were far away from God into the family of God. Slide 49: In selecting participants for a Via de Cristo, we are reminded that a Via de Cristo is a three-day walk with Christ that spurs us on to a lifetime
of piety, study and apostolic action. It is a teaching tool, a method to evangelize the world - the Christian renewal of society. That is why, (click) healthy sponsorship is (click) intentional. Via de Cristo is gift of the Holy Spirit (click) an instrument (click) of the church (click) for leaders (click) within the church, (click) to use for: (click) Slide 50: strengthening (click) their own lives so they can be (click) effective witnesses (click) for our Lord Jesus Christ. Slide 51: Therefore, Vis de Cristo is best served for those who already believe in: (click) God as our Father, fount and source of all that exists (click) Jesus Christ our Savior who walks with us daily, and (click) The Holy Spirit as the power, the fire and passion that burns within us To assume it will help a non-believer or someone who is in a desperate situation, is a misuse of the gift that s been given us. To want our loved one to get what we got may not be in their best interest, or ours. The very key to our strategy is the search for, and the selection of, leaders in chosen environments, so we might introduce them to Jesus Christ and help them discover their personal calling. If that environment is already within the body of Christ then by all means, share with them all that Via de Cristo has to offer. If that environment is not already within the body of Christ, then please remember to be a friend first by loving them enough to pray about the situation, then introduce them to Christ and let the Spirit do the urging as you observe their efforts within the church. This is not being judgmental; it is using the spirit of discernment. Assumptions are dangerous, discernment is wise.
This has been a hard lesson for many Via de Cristo movements to learn. Because the weekeind is so inspiring, it seems only natural to focus our attention on the weekend and what it can do for individual lives. We want everyone to feel this grace that we have felt. This does appear to work well in the beginning like a match on the first striking, but many people who love the weekend do not get involved in the 4 th day. And this is where the power of the weekend becomes real. The 4 th day was its intention. Slide 52: We wouldn t think of feeding a baby steak off the grill because we find it so delicious and satisfying. Does that mean when John Doe or Sally Smith come to mind that we automatically toss their name out because they don t go to church? Not hardly. Does that mean that because John and Sally don t go to church or haven t gone in some time that the Spirit did not put their names on our hearts? No! What does it mean? That it is quite possible the Holy Spirit did put them on your hearts, but now it is for you to stay in prayer with the Holy Spirit to see what the plan really is. Discernment. Ask for it. It just may mean that you have to do a few extra steps first. The Power of the Weekend (click) Becomes real in the 4 th Day. Don t just jump in and invite them because it would be easier for your to explain all that you re thinking and feeling after a weekend. Do not push, force, or short circuit out of impatience, because it has all too often been detrimental or non-eventful for all involved. Slide 53: Are there others you might pray about inviting? Of course there are! Let s name a few:
(click) The Pastor of your church, if he or she has not been on a weekend but - DO NOT POUNCE! The Pastor of another church, don t be afraid, be gentle letting the Spirit guide you. (click) A relative who believes in God and has an active church life A friend who shares their faith and is looking for depth. (click) A co-worker who shares their faith and may be looking to deepen their faith. (click) A check out clerk you ve had continuing conversations with and they too may be looking to deepen their faith. (click) A Coffee Shop owner that you know and is looking to deepen their faith. You get the idea people you know have a faith and may be looking to deepen and continue deepening it. Slide 54: Haphazard and/or random selection of participants is neither (click) desirable (click) nor (click) wise. There are some who feel that planning, systems, and structures oppose the free flow of the Spirit. In the Via de Cristo we find it more often true that to fail to plan is to deny the Spirit s lordship in critical areas. We place a heavy emphasis on prayerfilled planning. No event during a weekend is left simply to chance. Instead, we humbly ask the Spirit for wisdom, as we carefully and lovingly plan. Likewise, in pre-weekend, participant selection is conscious and deliberate. There is no doubt that carefully laid plans increase the long term effectiveness of the Via de Cristo Method. If we do not know much about the person we want to ask, it is not best to ask them right now. But that does not stop us or deter us from asking questions. Take the time to find out more! (insert an example for your life on pilgrim selection that was extended.) Learn about the environment. Having decided upon specific leaders, we can begin to approach them Go make a friend and while you are at it, when you look for people, look for more than one if at all possible it creates a
built-in reunion group! The weekend only lasts 72 hours. The rest of their lives, is well, the rest of their lives. Via de Cristo has distinction Discern first if the calling is from the Holy Spirit. Discern second where you are in the process of observing where the intended person is in their faith walk. Make a friend, Be a friend and start asking grace-filled questions introduce your friend to Christ if they do not know Him invite them as you feel led. This is how we begin. Gaining a reunion brother or sister may be how it ends. Sometimes after making a friend, we find in the being a friend stage that this person is already a Christian but allow time for discernment prior to inviting them to a weekend. Sometimes they are already a friend and we know enough about them to invite them to a weekend but again allow time for discernment prior to an invitation. In most situations, we need patience. In all situations we need to be in prayer. Slide 55: Let s boil it down. Responsible sponsorship will: (click) Build up, unify and revitalize the body of Christ in home congregations (click) Encourage the efforts of evangelization (click) Help many to re-prioritize their lives and become a more vital part of congregations (click) Teach laity to work WITH clergy to be more effective (click) Strengthen Christian brothers and sisters through small accountability groups (click) You are an active part of a congregation - create change agents - new leaders stepping up ready for action
Irresponsible sponsorship manifest in other ways: (click) Divides congregations, environments and families - creates an air of secrecy and divisiveness (click) Create groupies: VdC people who no longer see the need for their home congregation (click) It sees people leave the weekend early because they did not know what to expect (click) It sees people leave the weekend early because they don t need this (click) It falls on deaf ears (click) It gives people weapons to use against their home congregations with a list of shoulds (click) Inviting someone when you do not follow the method Slide 56: So sponsorship actually takes place (click) before, (click) during and (click) after (click) a weekend.
Slide 57: So where do we go from here? (click)practice, (click) Practice, (click) Practice Where do you go from here? (click) To be intentional. Look for people who are crying out for the grace of God our Father through the gospel of Jesus Christ to make friends in all the environments that you are a part of and possibly becoming part of an environment for the same reason. Make a difference in environments by influencing it for Christ. This, to me, is the hardest part and why I need a reunion group to keep me focused, on track and uplifted. Approach people who already believe and begin the invitation process. St. Phillips two men and their Pastor. The relationship has been in place and the Holy Spirit has put it upon my heart to begin the invitation process. Continue to support those who want the same, through prayer and encouragement. Slide 58: Where do you go from here? (change the inflection ) Take a moment to discuss at your table what environment(s) the Holy Spirit has placed in front of you. Discuss how you can be intentional within those environments. And finally make a plan a simple commitment to say out loud one intentional direction you will take in the next week, month, year. Slide 59: God loves you and so do I.