SPSE’s Tempe, AZ, team evangelizes year-round. Even on a relatively slow day, they usually end up having significant conversations about the Faith. It is time well spent.
On one such afternoon, a man named Matthew talked with the team. He told them he was raised in a non-Catholic Christian denomination, but had also studied other religions as well as other Christian traditions. The one to which he felt the most attracted was the Catholic Church! However, though he respected the Church and felt drawn to her, he still had a few issues to resolve before he could make a commitment. The evangelists addressed a few of them right then with Matthew. And, by the time he left, Matthew had accepted a Rosary, a local parish bulletin, as well as literature about the one, true Faith!
Then a group of three young people stopped by, hoping to receive free Rosaries. The evangelists were able to engage them in conversation, too. They learned that the young people not only knew the pastor of the team’s parish through his social work, but also thought of him as a great guy (although they didn’t know enough about Christianity to know that he was a Catholic priest). Because they already had this connection, they told the team they wanted to try going to their Church. They accepted Rosaries, literature, and a local parish bulletin.
In both cases, others had begun the work. But, because Tempe team members willingly took their Catholic Faith to the streets, they could “connect the dots” for each of these people and nudge them into a closer walk with Jesus Christ. Each of these people were ready to be invited onward, toward full communion in the Church that Jesus Himself had founded. This is the exciting work that SPSE teams around the world are doing!
The Tempe evangelists answered questions for Matthew gently and respectably. SPSE training teaches members how to do the same. Members also learn effective ways to share the basics of the Christian Faith, as the Tempe team did for the young people. Plus, being part of an SPSE team makes more fun! Have you joined SPSE yet? If not, please pray about becoming a member today!