Book an Event
SPEI Events
The St. Paul Evangelization Institute provides speakers for Catholic events along with our own workshops. Below are some of our speaker profiles and talks. We ask for the reimbursement of our travel expenses and a stipend given to our apostolate in return for our work. Use the contact form below, or email Adam Janke at adam@stpaulev.com for more information or to book a speaker.
Workshops and Retreats
Click on a workshop for more information.
Basic Evangelization Training
“Now is the time to commit all of the Church’s energy to a New Evangelization.” St. John Paul II
Basic Evangelization Training is among the most hands on, practical, and dynamic evangelization workshops available for Catholics today. It is also our most popular workshop. Participants will gain the courage they need to be an enthusiastic and joyful evangelists as they overcome any fear they have to share our faith through a series of presentations, small group work, role playing, and prayer ministry. [more info]
Entertaining Angels Hospitality Training
“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Hebrews 13:2
Parish, school, and diocesan support staff have a unique capacity to evangelize. Often times the first 3 minutes a visitor spends with the person of first contact in the parish decides whether they will stay at the parish or leave. Through our unique one day hospitality training your first contact staff, such as administrative assistants, business managers, custodians, ushers, principals, Christian charity coordinators, and event planners will be evangelized and prepared to receive others in the name of Jesus Christ. Additionally, the Catholic Hospitality Training Institute provides ongoing training and materials that can be shared with the entire staff. The one day training is followed up with monthly program that includes videos, reflections, and a chance for each group to work on their action plan. [more info]
Healing in Evangelization Training
Beginning with Jesus and the Apostles, and healing has had a special role in evangelization. In fact, one of the main reasons that Christianity spread so quickly was because of the signs and wonders performed in the Church during the first several centuries of its existence.
It’s not hard to believe that God would use saints to perform miracles. Even saints of the last century, like St. Padre Pio, were known to perform signs and wonders. Yet, do we believe that God wants to use ordinary people like you and me to do so?
Our Healing in Evangelization Training Workshop will discuss the basis in Scripture and Tradition for asking God for miracles of healing, and model healing prayer using a four- step process. The goal of the workshop is to help each Christian evangelist discern what role healing prayer might take in their work of evangelization. [more info]
Street Ministry Training
With over 300 street teams, street ministry is at the heart of our work as an apostolate. Years of experience and thousands of interactions with real people on the street have taught us a lot about how to be fruitful when doing person to person ministry in random circumstances. This full day workshop includes a 1/2 day of instruction in street ministry and a 1/2 day of practice out on the street. It is perfect for parish evangelization teams, St. Paul Street Evangelization teams, college teams, and more. If your group is ready to have an active street ministry, we are here to help. [more info]
Virtual Street Evangelization Workshop
The Virtual Street Evangelization Workshop is a hands-on evangelization training seminar designed specifically for street evangelization. When so many efforts to promote the New Evangelization are focused primarily on catechesis about evangelization, this workshop teaches Catholics, no matter their previous education or experience, how to share their faith effectively and enthusiastically with the people they encounter out on the street. [more info]
Youth Encounter Workshops
Teens make great evangelists! Our youth encounter workshops are similar to the Basic Evangelization Training workshops, but geared towards teens and taught by staff with youth ministry experience. These workshops usually last 1 day, with training in the morning, lunch, and then a live lab outing in the afternoon where the team finds a place for teens to go and publicly share their faith. Teens are looking for a challenge – we just need to provide it to them. The workshops are heavily subsidized by our benefactors. We ask for 50% of the cost and travel expenses, though even that can be negotiable. [more info]
Upper Room Retreat
The Upper Room is a parish based retreat for youth or adults that offers an opportunity for participants to encounter Jesus Christ, drop their nets, and follow Him as a disciple. This could be set up to follow several weeks of street evangelization where you invite the community to come and experience more of Jesus.
The theme of the retreat, “The Upper Room,” takes the call to discipleship seriously while recognizing that it is an encounter with Jesus in the power of the Spirit that can set hearts on fire. Retreat speaker provides powerful testimonies, insights into Scripture, and humor to witness God’s goodness. Optional activities are chosen based on the audience and can include group discussions, ice-breakers, free time activates, silent reflection, Eucharistic adoration, Mass, Reconciliation, and dynamic prayer experiences. The retreat focuses on inviting participants to experience a deeper love of Christ and the Church by replicating elements found in the conversion stories narrated in scripture (cf. Acts 2:14-41, Acts 10:34-48) ) and throughout the History of Church. [more info]
Light the Fire
Light the Fire (LTF) is an event where volunteer evangelists invite people to come into a Catholic church for an encounter with Jesus. The church is open to the public, and guests find beautiful instrumental music playing while the Blessed Sacrament is exposed in a monstrance on the altar. Other volunteers stand ready to welcome them, pray with them, and share the Gospel. The key invitation is for people to come into the church to light a candle. [more info]
Talks
Click on a talk for more information.
10 Great Ways to be an Evangelist
Evangelization in a Modern Culture
Conversational Evangelization
One Good Reason - Evangelization Method
The Story of St. Paul Street Evangelization
What is a Disciple?
Available Workshops
Click on a link below to learn more about each workshop.
Parish Mission
- Day 1 – Called to Holiness – The mission begins with a look at our unique calling to live a life that is holy and pleasing to the Lord. We will focus on our gifts of brokenness, perspective and surrender considering how each one provides an opportunity to allow Christ to work through us and draw us closer. We will also take a look at the roots of hospitality in Church Tradition and Sacred Scripture to help us understand how our hospitality can be a beautiful and powerful fruit of our holiness. We will look at saints such as Solanus Casey and Andre Bessette.
- Day 2 – Called To Share – During night two of our mission we will focus on understanding and spreading the Gospel message. We will focus on the gifts of evangelism, Gospel sharing and prayer. Authentic hospitality is a reflection of Christ’s love shining through us. In order to understand and share that love we must be strongly connected to Christ through prayer. We will focus on personal, formal and spontaneous prayer, what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, and take some time to practice praying with and for others. (Night two usually includes Adoration and a chance to drop our nets and follow Jesus as a disciple in the life of the Church.)
- Day 3 – Called To Build His Kingdom On Earth – The final night of the mission is where we put all the pieces into practice. Participants will develop and practice skills for sharing the Gospel with those they meet. Using the gifts of connecting, comforting and mercy we will have an opportunity to practice interacting with each other and learn how “not to be a jerk for Jesus”.
Speakers
Steve Dawson
President & Founder
Location: Warren, MI
Adam Janke
Chief Operating Officer
Location: Warren, MI
Beth Schuele
Associate Director of Teams
Sheri Wohlfert
Hospitality Coordinator
Dr. Deb McManimon
Local Director of Teams, St. Paul, MN
Brian Lee
Director of Teams
Randy Grasso
Senior Regional Missionary
Bob Wilson
Director of SPSE
Location: Warren, MI
Mary Ann Weisinger
Archdiocese of Miami
Location: Miami, FL
Event Inquiry
If you are interested in hosting a talk or event at your diocese, parish, school, or organization, please use the form below to contact us. Someone will respond to you within 2 business days, but often sooner.