How to evangelise creatively

JOHOR BAHRU: “The Church needs you, your enthusiasm, your creativity and the joy that is so characteristic of you.” These words of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, were used to begin the talks in the Diocese of Malacca Johore recently.

From September 6-10, 2017, the Malacca Johore School of Witness (MJSOW) accompanied a specially invited speaker on a diocese- wide formation tour. The invited speaker, Fr Terence Wee CSsR, who was a Melaka boy albeit having been based in Singapore in recent years for his religious and pastoral ministry, shared on the above topic. These talks were delivered in English and Mandarin in Johor Bahru, Batu Pahat and Melaka.

Having defined evangelisation as the sharing of the Good News, Fr Terence identified JOY as a crucial element in one’s witnessing of the Gospel. He explained that this joy is not an absence of challenges in life but, rather, one that could not be diminished by suffering.

He also identified LOVE as another element in evangelisation. Love, according to the speaker, is not a feeling but a choice. Part of the Christian challenge is to love others, despite how we may feel in our relationships with others.

The other important element in Christian witness is HOPE. Living in a context that capitalises negative news most of the time, Christians should be people who are able to see hope in seemingly bleak situations.

One other element not to missed in evangelisation is MERCY. This means acknowledging the godliness and beauty of people and inviting them to grow in this beauty, instead of condemning them. It means affirming the dignity of people whom we encounter.

Fr Terence thereafter moved on to share three crucial principles for creative evangelisation.

The first principle is SIMPLICITY. He explained that creative evangelisation does not mean attempting to use complex ways to evangelise, or using means that are beyond our reach. Rather, our focus should be on the most simple ways, through a simple offer of friendliness, the simple sharing of life experiences and, sometimes, by simply being present to someone who needs our company. In relation to this, simplicity also means being authentic and real in embracing our imperfections and limitations.

The second principle in creative evangelisation is CONNECTION with people. The core of the Christian faith, according to the speaker, is relationship. Relating with people means knowing ourselves well and presenting ourselves as we really are, without putting on a false front. Being sincerely interested in people — being present to them — is an important quality in our Christian witness.

The third principle in creative evangelisation is IMAGINATION. The participants were invited to imagine how the Good News could be shared differently. The speaker mentioned various platforms such as the creative arts, technology, and sports as effective means for this purpose. Creativity requires us to see new possibilities in our routineness and in how we share the Good News in our daily life.

Participants shared that they found the talks simple, practical and rather heartwarming. The sincerity and honesty of the speaker drew them into the message that was shared, hence they found themselves inspired to simplify, connect, and imagine!

The Malacca Johore School of Witness (MJSOW) aims to invite Christians into a deeper life of discipleship so that they emerge as effective witnesses of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To this end, it runs annual formation modules to inspire the lay faithful of the diocese to live a missionary way of life.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online