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There is a new focus group in the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast, and it’s all about Evangelism. Led by the Rev. Kammy Young, canon missioner for development, the DioCGC Evangelism Task Force is made up of lay and ordained leaders from across the Central Gulf Coast. They have joined together to serve as catalysts and encouragers in an effort to equip the diocese for this essential ministry. While Christians have held the responsibility of sharing their faith for centuries, the very word “evangelism” can be contentious even among long time believers. Thanks to our presiding bishop, the Most Rev. Michael Curry, the Episcopal Church is experiencing an exciting time of renewal and forward momentum. The Evangelism Task Force seeks to capitalize on this momentum through identifying opportunities for those in the diocese and beyond to learn about and participate in authentic and relationship-based evangelism experiences.
The shared purpose of the Evangelism Task Force is to organize the Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast to engage spiritual practices that seek, name, and celebrate Jesus’ loving presence in the stories of all people and then invite everyone to MORE with God. The task force hopes to do this by supporting congregations to move beyond existing structures and programs, offering formation opportunities for every congregation.
The congregations in all six convocations of the diocese will each designate an Evangelism Catalyst who will lead them in implementing some new resource activity or action from the Evangelism 101 Toolkit during the 2018-2019 program year.
Our first adventure is to host a new twist on the Sharing Faith Dinner project that churches throughout the diocese have hosted the past two years.
Sharing Story Dinners on January 6, 2019 are a chance to host friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors at home to share a meal and a story about love. Using excerpts from Presiding Bishop Curry's royal wedding sermon that was watched by millions, folks who may not attend church or claim a specific faith tradition will all get a chance to get together and talk about something we all have as a common experience one way or another - the power of love. We hope this will be a fun way for every congregation to celebrate Epiphany this year and look forward to hearing about your stories!
Each of our diocesan Evangelism Task Force members looks forward to working with the "evangelism catalyst" for your congregation to get ready for this celebration: Justine Kmiecik, Mary Alice Mathison, David Chatel, Lydia Johnson, Madeline Bliss, Gillianne Sharp, Clelia Garrity, and Kammy Young.
Feel free to call anytime at the Diocesan office 850-542-8114 for more information.