sssSt. John the Evangelist Church: Faith Formation

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(The Faith Formation ideas below are ones you

may want to implement at your church.)

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Faith Formation is an opportunity to provide resources and events that help church members with each of the following:

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• Develop a closer relationship with Jesus Christ.
• Learn more about Catholicism and Christianity.
• Equip followers of Jesus Christ with being disciples and spreading God’s Word.
• Shape the way we see God’s world and how we interact with others.
• Grow in one’s faith and be shaped by God’s love.

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The Resources listed below are to help meet the faith formation goals from above.

(Note: Clicking on each web address will take you to each website.)

  •  The Bible in a Year Podcast (www.ascensionpress.com) with Fr. Mike Schmitz. Read the ENTIRE Bible in one year, feel more confident about your understanding of Scripture, experience the transformative power of God’s Word in your daily life, and start seeing the world through the lens of Scripture.

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  •  FORMED is a digital platform (www.formed.org) that offers a plethora of Catholic resources for parishioners to use in a “small group” or individually. FORMED provides the very best Catholic content from more than 60 organizations to help parishes, families and individuals explore their faith anywhere.

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  •      The Dynamic Catholic book program (www.dynamiccatholic.com/parish-book-program.html) offers at a featured book at a low cost that can be given out to families on Christmas Day, Ash Wednesday, or any other special occasion. Dynamic Catholic’s programs, bestselling Catholic books and CDs empower you to live with intentionality and help you discover your extraordinary purpose.

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  •      Revive Parishes (www.archphila.org/revive) is an organization that offers free online courses to assist parish ministry leaders with a way to enrich their own ministry and deepen the ministry skills of fellow staff and volunteers so that they can more effectively care for the people of the parish.

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Events That Can Be Scheduled Any Time in 2023 by Your Church Event Coordinator

• Small Groups – Teach parishioners what a small group is and the benefits of being in one (www.churchnativity.com/groups/tools). All small groups can focus on the same study in FORMED (The Search, Presence, Eucharist, The Case for Jesus, Symbolon – the Catholic Faith Explained) or some other digital platform.

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• Family Movie Night – Use FORMED.org or Pureflix.com to show a faith-based movie once a month for adults and a different faith-based movie once a month for children. This is a great opportunity to inspire hearts, change minds, and lift spirits!

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• Communion Breakfast – Offer a Communion Breakfast for men and a separate one for women. The group of men or women attend one of the weekend church services together at your church, eat a home-cooked breakfast in a venue on the church campus, and listen to a speaker talk about the Catholic/Christian faith and their faith story.

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• Speaker/Comedian – Invite one Catholic/Christian speaker/comedian for the fall and one for the spring to perform on your church’s campus. This would be a dinner event with the guest performing after dinner.

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• “Ask a Priest/Pastor Night” – Offer this event two evenings (one in the fall, one in the spring) where church members get together for fellowship, desserts and coffee, and an anonymous Q&A Session about Catholicism/Christianity and other faith-related topics.

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• Welcome (Formerly “Christ Renews His Parish”) – Offer this formal religious retreat (www.dynamiccatholic.com/welcome.html) on your church’s campus in the spring or fall. It is a great opportunity to inspire your parishioners, build community, and transform your church members.