“Light the Fire” (LTF) event and guide will help groups plan an evening dedicated to invite people back to church
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Adam Janke
Phone: 657-777-2963, ext. 106
Email: adam@stpaulse.com
Warren, MI – January 14: The St. Paul Street Evangelization (SPSE) executive team announced today that a new event training guide is available for parishes and groups to explore and use. “Light the Fire” or LTF is an event where volunteer evangelists invite people to come into a Catholic church for an encounter with Jesus. The premise is simple. 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 newly released training guide provides a detailed reference to help parishes and groups conduct a successful event.
“The purpose is to engage people as they are and where they are at and to offer them an opportunity to encounter Christ within the church. The hope is that they might respond to God’s grace and have a powerful, transformative encounter with Jesus Christ,” said Steve Dawson, President and Founder of St. Paul Street Evangelization.
Evangelists on the street open the conversation by inviting people to come into a church, light a candle and offer a prayer. Most people are willing to light a candle, even if they would reject an invitation to pray or go to adoration. The message to light a candle is something tangible and straightforward and can be the difference between someone saying “yes” or “no” to Jesus. Before they leave, visitors will have an opportunity to do more, and in the process, be touched by the love and mercy of Jesus. As volunteers respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, “Light the Fire” becomes a way to help people move out of a merely institutional understanding of Christianity by facilitating an intentional response to a personal invitation.
In a time marked by unbelief and the rejection of God, our “Light the Fire” evangelization event has brought about great fruit. At the last event, we hosted in Detroit, Michigan, over 300 people came into Old St. Mary’s to pray and receive ministry. “Even if a quarter of that number had come in just to pray, it would have been well worth it,” said Dawson.
The “Light the Fire” guide is available online at stpaulse.com/lightthefire. Parishes or groups interested in hosting an SPSE “Light the Fire” event can contact Adam Janke at adam@stpaulse.com or by calling 657-777-2963 x 106.
About St. Paul Street Evangelization: St. Paul Street Evangelization (SPSE) is a grassroots, non-profit organization, dedicated to responding to the mandate of Jesus to preach the Gospel to all nations by taking the Catholic Faith to the streets. Founded in May 2012, St. Paul Street Evangelization provides the tools and resources for Catholics to engage the culture in a simple, non-confrontational method of evangelization, which involves making themselves available to the public to answer questions about the faith and to pray with those who request it. SPSE has grown to include teams throughout the United States and even internationally, such as in the Philippines and Australia.