Ok so everyone talks here about how we need to evangelize.

Everyone though seems to be a "free agent."

I for one would like to help evangelize, but have trouble with it because I don't know the tried and true tactics.

So let's join forces and form an Evangelization Organization. Anyone interested can email me privately at anastasius@byzantines.net or post thoughts here. If there is interest, I will set up a website.

anastasios

Anastasios,

That "Evangelization Organization" is supposed to be the Church which I assume you are a part of.

Joe
Cantor/Deacon-Student

Joe...Joe...Joe....

C'mon, you know what I meant! :-)

I mean something more organized. I evangelize in the "hey I'm a believer in Jesus and his Church" kinda way every day!

anastasios

Anastasios,

I am of course very interested!

Anthony

Anastasios,

//I mean something more organized.//

Just pulling your chain.

Organized? Are you mistaking us for organized religion? What means or support does your eparchy and/or parish give for such evangelization? Are you able to start there? This is not a trick question ... though it could be.

Joe

I have the support of my pastor already in evangelizing. But what I am more interested in is "networking."

We will start there: develope basic programs; nothing fancy, nothing high-budget
--just a supportive way to help each other out in our evnagelistic efforts.

For instance, I might want to help evangelize at my local parish. But I am young and inexperienced (actually this refers to me!), so i do a websearch and BOOM, it's "www.byzantineevanglization.org"! or something like that--full of articles and resources submitted and organized by the group.

No need for big budgets here--just grassroots efforts which in my opinion work better.

If we are successfull, then maybe in 4 or 5 years we could ask for some funding. But until then, we can just ourselves contribute or ask others to contribute small amounts, without there being a central committe or anything like that. I guess as a beginning measure, I just want there to be a heart, a center so to speak, where we can group and share ideas, talents, methods, etc.

anastasios

Joe,

Is that sort o' like I think it was Will Rogers who said "I don't belong to an organized political party, I'm a Democrat" ??



Unfortunately, living in the same Eparchy as you do, I understand your question. Thank God some other jurisdictions are not so short-sighted.

In Christ,

Sharon


Sharon Mech, SFO
Cantor & sinner
sharon@cmhc.com

Here is our website. All interested, please send an email to the new email address, byzantine_evangelization@hotmail.com

The address is: http://www.geocities.com/byzantine_evangelization/

Let's get started!

anastasios

Joe --

"Are you mistaking us for organized religion?"

Must be a latinization. Orthodox don't believe in organized religion!

As my Orthodox pastor once said, "If it's disorganized, then you know it must be Orthodox!"

Brendan

Dear Brendan,

Is this the origin for the term "Holy Mess?"

Happy St Brendan's Day again!

Alex

Here's our group's new discussion forum at yahoo groups (you must subscribe to that, which is easy to do).

anastasios
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/byzantine_evangelization

It's too bad that you wish to splinter our church even more by setting up yet another website and chat page.

Pete has a point, though I think anastasios' motivations are very sincere. People who need evangelization are not "surfing the 'net" clicking on sites on "churchy" matters, particularly a small church like ours which they are less likely to have any reference point to.

I think evangelization needs direct human contact and it needs to be connected to a nearby parish church.

If we bring a friend who doesn't go to church with us to church and they like the sermon or are moved by prayer or meet some friendly, christian people, that can work.

Anastaious, you have said you might consider the priesthood. have you thought about being a missionary? I think you you would make a good one, layman or priest. My sister's priest told her an interesting fact. Do you know the ratio of priests to laypersons is better here in the USA than anywhere else in the world? (among Byzantine Catholics, that is). Our Church needs to send missionaries back and help these people who have such deep faith but no priests.

Olga

Wow!

Pete K how can you say that:

"It's too bad that you wish to splinter
our church even more by setting up yet
another website and chat page"

First of all there is no Evanglization on this site. Rather, it just explains the fact that Byzantines are Catholic. I find this site very useful for Roman Catholics who want to learn more about the Byzantine Church. However, if I was an Agnostic, Jew, Muslim, Falling Away Christian, or something else I would not find much on Jesus Christ and why Christians believe He is the Son of God/God. I am all for anastasios ideas!!!!! We need to look at why the Protestant churches are so successful and are the Fastest growing Church in USA. They are VERY successful in reaching the "Under Churched", which of course is our target. However, I agree with Olga Nimchek comments about an evanglize web site not being very successful on it's own. But, if you were to have bumperstickers that just say www.byzEvang.com and people not knowing what that site is clicks on it and finds LOTs of info on Jesus that would work. Then at the end of the site you have a listing of Churchs nearby that they can goto. That would work. Then whenever you talk to someone just say "well you can read more about it at this site....."

It should not stop there! I have recently found that having a stolen image of a Byzantine Cross on my computers Background from www.Byzantines.net has attracted several people at work (mostly protestants) to ask "What is That". I reply that is the Cross of Jesus and they say what religion are you and I say (Happily Now ) Byzantine and they say, "What?" Oh, well you can read about it at www.byzcath.org. They have replied, "Ok I will do that, I got to get back to work now". See how the chain of love starts?

We need to model after The Missionary Journeys of Sts. Cyril and Methodius http://campus.northpark.edu/history/WebChron/Christianity/StCyril.html

St Cyril and St. Methodius Pray For Us!
My Humble Opinion
Ray S.

Pete,

My friend, please explain how websites are the sole property of one group, and that setting up "other" websites equals creating factions?

The purpose of Byzcath.org is for discussions of "byzantine faith and worship" and "east and west" and "prayer requests." There is no forum dedicated JUST to evangelization. If the Administrator wishes to host a page dedicated to Byzantine Evangelization on byzcath.org, I will gladly remove my new page.

Would you be equally mad if I started a new monastery and dared to create a website for it?

The website is for our new Byzantine Evangelization group. Since it is not connected with the activities of the byzcath.org administrator, I assumed it would be the correct thing to do to create a separate website.

I prayerfully ask you to reconsider your harsh post to me. My motive is to make our church grow, my friend, not split it.

anastasios