CFC HANDMAIDS OF THE LORD
ZIPSAT 18
CATCH AND SPREAD THE FIRE
GENERAL OBJECTIVE
To help HOLD members to live out their calling as disciples of God through evangelization
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
1. to ignite the fire and passion to evangelize in the hearts of HOLD members
2. to refresh members about evangelization and its importance in the life of a Christian
3. to teach members new and creative ways of doing evangelization
PROPOSED SCHEDULE
45 mins Arrival, registration and fellowship
15 mins Opening Worship
45 mins Talk Proper
30 mins Sharing of Best Practices in Evangelization
30 mins Activity: Group Discussion
30 mins Plenary Sharing
40 mins Personal Reflection and Action Planning
10 mins Wrap Up/Conclusion
10 mins Announcements/Closing Prayer/Closing Song
NOTE:
This Zipsat is intended for all HOLD members to ignite the fire of evangelization in every
one and should therefore be conducted at all levels, initially, at the cluster/chapter levels.
In areas where there are no chapters yet, the initial activity shall start at the unit level.
ZIPSAT 18
CATCH AND SPREAD THE FIRE
I. INTRODUCTION
When we joined the CFC Handmaids of the Lord, we joined an evangelistic movement with a
three-fold mission: (a) personal transformation, (b) evangelization to bring other women to a
renewed life in the Lord and (c) wholehearted service to bring glad tidings to the poor. These are
not mutually exclusive but are integrated and constitutive, i.e., each flow into the other and in
their entirety defines what a Handmaid of the Lord can and should embody. Thus, all three
elements are part and parcel of the HOLD covenant.
With regard to evangelization in particular, under the HOLD covenant, each member specifically
commits to:
Bring my family to CFC or its Family Ministries
Bring other women to the CFC HANDMAIDS OF THE LORD.
Make myself an instrument in bringing other women to an active life in the parish
community.
Sadly, not all members have lived up to this commitment as evidenced by the results of our
evangelization work, which fall way below the goal of 100% increase in membership. What has
been happening is that evangelization has been left largely to the CLP Team to undertake. If at
all, members who invite other women to join the CLPs have not taken it upon themselves to
ensure that they finish the CLP and end up becoming active HOLD members who can inspire
others to also become part of the community.
Some of reasons why evangelization in HOLD has not taken off as it should include the
following:
Lack of understanding/appreciation of what evangelization is all about
Lack of awareness/training on how to evangelize other people
both of the above despite the fact that all members are supposed to attend the HOLD
Evangelization Training
Timidity/lack of confidence in approaching people to be evangelized
Absence of passion in living out the call to evangelize
Plain laziness to go out and proclaim the Good News
Whatever the reason may be is no excuse for HOLD members not to make other people know
and experience Christ in their lives, which is the heart and soul of evangelization, because God
Himself commissioned us to do so:
“Go into the world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.”
Mark 16:15
Zipsat 18 – Catch and Spread the Fire 2 of 8
HOLD PFO (March 2012)
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.”
Mathew 28:19
“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
John 20.21
II. EVANGELIZATION TRAINING REVISITED
A. Talk 1 – The Great Commission
Talk 1 of Evangelization Training is about the Great Commission as found in Matthew 28:18-20.
Just before going back to the Father after His resurrection, Jesus told His disciples, "All power in
heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching
them to observe all that I have commanded you." This was His final instruction intended not
only for His disciples but for all Christians.
Evangelization is the primary mission of our community. According to Pope Paul VI in
Evangelii Nuntiandi, “evangelization is the carrying forth of the Good News to every sector of
the human race so that by its strength it may enter into the hearts of men and renew the human
race.” This statement underscores the CFC vision: Families in the Holy Spirit Renewing the
Face of the Earth. As such, it is an inescapable or unavoidable part of our lives as Handmaids of
the Lord. Evangelizing should be a way of life for us. This should be our everyday lifestyle.
The imperatives for evangelization include the following:
1. It is a command from God which we as Christians are duty-bound to obey as an
expression of our love for Him. If we love God, we want to see His will done on earth,
i.e., for all men to know, love and serve Him.
2. Spreading the gospel draws us into a deeper union with Christ. Before we can tell others
about Christ, we first have to know Him personally and intimately. This can only happen
as we draw closer to Him and learn to rely on Him and be led by His Spirit.
3. Evangelization is an expression of our love for others. If we love our neighbor as
ourselves, we would want them to experience the same renewed relationship with Christ
that we are experiencing. As we take concern for others, our hearts are transformed into
the heart of Christ.
4. It is a thankful response to God's action in our own lives. The many blessings that we
receive from Him, our spiritual growth and transformation, our personal experiences of
God’s love and mercy are reasons for us to share these with others so that they will also
enjoy the benefits of His faithfulness.
Zipsat 18 – Catch and Spread the Fire 3 of 8
HOLD PFO (March 2012)
5. The world desperately needs the Good News. There is so much wrong and evil, darkness
and gloom in the world today, and everything seems to be pointing to a dead-end.
Evangelization is the way for us to bring light and hope through Jesus.
6. An evangelistic lifestyle is essential to true self-fulfillment. It is what makes our lives as
Christians exciting, challenging and joyful.
7. Our attitude and action towards evangelization reflect our stand on and relationship with
God. Either we are for or against Him. By proclaiming His greatness to others, we allow
ourselves to become His instruments for the salvation of others. By defaulting on this
obligation, we choose to let others loose the opportunity to be one with God.
Evangelization therefore has eternal consequences for us and others.
B. Evangelization in HOLD
Talk 2 is about evangelization in HOLD. Here, we learned about the different forms of
evangelization:
1. Mass or proclamation evangelization, e.g., an evangelization rally. This is usually done
as a one shot deal to announce to a very large and anonymous crowd our forthcoming
CLPs.
2. Random evangelization, e.g., street evangelism, or going door to door. Under this form
of evangelization, members usually approach strangers, even without prior contact, to
invite them to join the CLP.
3. Christian entertainment. HOLD special events such as Valentine’s Party, Christmas Party
and Family Day, musical concerts/praise events such as YFC’s Liveloud are possible
openings/opportunities to evangelize other people.
4. Circumstantial or everyday or environmental evangelization. This has to do with the
circumstances that we are in, with our day-to-day environment. It is done through the
regular contacts of our life, with people with whom we have ongoing relationships, e.g.,
family, co-workers, neighbors, officemates, groupmates, etc.
5. Strategic or selective evangelization. This involves choosing specific types of people to
evangelize, e.g., leader types, and depends on carefully built relationships with these
people. Such form of evangelization is essential when starting in a new area so that
potential leaders will be available to further the work of HOLD.
6. Program evangelization. Here those being evangelized are put in a situation where the
gospel can be presented more systematically, e.g., neighborhood Bible study, cursillo,
LSS, CLP. This form of evangelization is very structured and involves a lot of planning
and logistics.
Zipsat 18 – Catch and Spread the Fire 4 of 8
HOLD PFO (March 2012)
7. Relational or pastoral evangelization. In this form of evangelization, we build and/or
strengthen our relationship with people whom we intend to invite to our CLPs. It also
entails a continuous reaching out to a person, even after the person has committed her life
to Christ, e.g., through our households in HOLD after the CLP. Evangelization in this
case is continuing work, rather than random or spotty.
8. Gateway evangelization – this is similar to Christian entertainment where non-members
are invited to HOLD special events. However, in this case, potential candidates for CLPs
are invited to attend HOLD special teachings (Solo Parenting, Widows Retreat, Diamond
Retreat, Wives of Overseas Workers Retreat), Marian Conferences, and the Migrant
Workers Values Formation program.
In HOLD, we do all these different types of evangelization. But the most basic method for every
HOLD member to carry out Christ's Great Commission is to undertake everyday or
environmental evangelization. It does not necessitate going to far places as a missionary, or a
thorough familiarity with the Bible or Christian doctrine, but just a pure desire to share with
others what God is doing in our lives. It involves simple witnessing, often a silent witness, of
our growing relationship with God, of better relationship with our family members, of greater
peace and order in our family.
But leading an exemplary Christian life is not enough. We need to seize every opportunity to tell
others about God and HOLD. And so we also learned in this talk how to evangelize people:
1. First we need to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to give us the boldness and open
opportunities for us to talk to people about the Good News.
2. We also pray that God will lead us to those whom He would want to draw close to Him
through us and to prepare them to receive His message. We prepare a list of people
whom we plan to evangelize and pray for each one of them.
3. Then we need to build up a relationship. To do this, we need to begin where the person
is at. We need to present ourselves based on what is going to make the best connection
with the person. Usually, our common interests would be a good starting point.
4. We earn her respect rather than just be liked. We speak simply and directly, state our
position as Christians clearly, but without being 'holier than thou' or preachy, and relate
confidently even when intimidated.
5. We need to be aggressive by taking the initiative in the relationship. We have to make
time in our schedule to get together often. As well, we need to be creative in drawing her
to a positive response to our relationship-building effort.
6. If possible, we should bring her into a relationship with other sisters, especially with a
potential peer group so that she can already have a sense of sisterhood in HOLD.
Zipsat 18 – Catch and Spread the Fire 5 of 8
HOLD PFO (March 2012)
7. We do not relate functionally as our intention is to develop a genuine friendship.
8. After the relationship is in place, and at an appropriate time, we present the gospel to her,
stressing the high ideals, dedication, commitment, and personal strength inherent to
Christianity.
9. Then we invite her to our CLP. We give her a short explanation of the CLP and share
with her our personal experiences in the CLP and thereafter that have made a difference
in our lives. Once convinced to join the CLP, we ask her to fill up the information sheet.
10. We do not underestimate the power of prayer. From the time we start building a
relationship up to when we invite her to our CLP, and even during the CLP, we have to
pray that the Spirit of God will be working with us to make everything happen according
to His will and purpose.
III.ON FIRE EVANGELIZATION
More important than knowing all of these is having the passion to evangelize, i.e., we need to be
on fire. According to Mary Jo Leddy, a Catholic theologian and missionary, “We need to be on
fire again, for our hope is no longer an easy hope. We live in a culture of despair within which
Pentecost can no longer be taken for granted. Hence we must take upon ourselves the burden of
the times and refuse to make the Holy Spirit a piece of private property but a spirit that matters.”
On Fire Evangelization refers to both the condition of our heart and the work of our hands: our
passion and our priorities. Our hearts are overflowing with God’s love and bursting with joy that
we simply cannot hold within us. There is this burning desire in us to go and proclaim the
goodness and greatness of the Lord. It is being ablaze with the fire of the Spirit to witness, to
inspire, to encourage, and to be a role model so that others will also come to Christ and surrender
their lives to Him as their Lord and Savior.
Sharing of best practices in evangelization
Profile of sharers:
A HOLD leader or member who has effectively used the following forms of
evangelization:
* relational
* random or street
* circumstantial
A HOLD leader or member who has evangelized the most number of people
A HOLD leader who multiplies the number of CLP participants/graduates through
multiple CLPs or other innovative/creative ways of evangelization
Zipsat 18 – Catch and Spread the Fire 6 of 8
HOLD PFO (March 2012)
Certainly, numbers are important because of our quantitative goal for evangelization. We need to
have benchmarks to determine the progress of our efforts towards achieving our vision. But we
are not slaves to the number of CLP invitees/participants. Whether it is but one, or a few or
many who find their way into our CLPs and eventually become HOLD members, the more
important thing is the heart for the mission – the fire to bring people to a personal encounter with
Jesus Christ that could be a life-changing experience for them. God surely desires all men to
come to know Him and be with Him in heaven. And this will happen as we share His story with
more and more people and as often as we can.
On Fire Evangelization is for all the Handmaids of the Lord. Each member is a missionary who
is on a mission trip every day in search of the poor, the blind, the needy and the lost to bring
them hope and new life through faith in Jesus Christ. All leaders, in particular, should be at the
forefront of evangelization – they need to be fishers themselves so as to inspire and teach their
members to also become fishers. Inasmuch as they are at the helm of the Christian Life
Program, the CLP service team should likewise be assiduous in inviting people to experience a
renewed life powered by the Holy Spirit. But as the harvest is great, it is incumbent upon the rest
to do their share in proclaiming the greatness of the Lord through evangelization. The more
laborers there are in God’s vineyard, the richer the harvest will be.
The HOLD Mission Statement says that “The Handmaid of the Lord is a creation of God
distinctly called to the mission of personal transformation, evangelization to bring her family
and others, especially women, to a renewed life in the Lord, and wholehearted service to bring
glad tidings to the poor.” In the broad context of evangelization, this is to be understood that
HOLD members do not evangelize only for the CLPs of their respective units or chapters, or
only for HOLD. Men, women and children of whatever status or race are all to be invited to any
of the CLPs, entry programs or gateway evangelization events of Couples for Christ and its
Family Ministries. Everyone should follow the example of St. Paul who said, “Woe to me if I do
not preach the gospel. Although I am free in regard to all, I have made myself a slave to all so
as to win over as many as possible.” (1 Cor. 9:16, 19)
IV. ACTIVITY - GROUP DISCUSSION
1. Group participants by household/unit/chapter/cluster as the case may be.
2. Each group will discuss the following:
How to encourage each and every member (including leaders) to take on
evangelization as a personal mission and obligation and ensure that this translates to a
commitment to bring in at least one new HOLD member each year
New and creative ways of evangelization that the household/unit/chapter/cluster will
undertake to ensure that the evangelization plans for the year will be accomplished
3. Each group will also come up with its motto or slogan that will serve to rally the
members to support its work of evangelization.
Zipsat 18 – Catch and Spread the Fire 7 of 8
HOLD PFO (March 2012)
4. If possible, each group will report the results of its discussion in plenary. If the number
of participants/groups is quite big, the session moderator may choose to have only a few
groups present their reports.
5. After the presentation, the reporting group shall shout out its motto or slogan.
V. PERSONAL REFLECTION/ACTION PLANNING
1. Each member of the group will reflect on the following:
Do I believe that I need the fire of the Holy Spirit to share Christ with others?
What do I resolve and pledge to do to spread this fire to others?
How do I make evangelizing a way of life, my everyday lifestyle? What specific steps
will I take?
2. After the reflection, each member of the group (including the leader/household head) will
be asked to prepare a list of people whom she will evangelize and invite to the various
entry programs of the CFC community (CLPs; YFC/KFC Camps; gateway events).
3. The group leader/household head will then lead her group members in offering their lists
in prayer to God and committing to evangelize them.
4. Thereafter, she will monitor the progress of her members in evangelizing the people in
her list during their household meetings or through personal one-on-one follow ups.
VI. CONCLUSION
We are all called to be evangelizers. We do not have to be intellectual giants or Bible experts or
outgoing persons to do evangelization. Neither do we have to wait until we think we are already
“perfect.” All we need to have is a burning desire to make other people taste the goodness of the
Lord that we are experiencing. Our faith, our love for God and for our neighbor, and the power
of the Holy Spirit altogether will give us the boldness and the confidence to proclaim His
greatness to all the world. Through our work of evangelization, we not only become transformed
ourselves as we take on the heart of Jesus, but we also contribute towards the realization of
having more and more families in the Holy Spirit renewing the face of the earth. Thus can we
say that truly, we are God’s Handmaids and disciples, committed to doing His will and the
mission that He has entrusted to us.
Zipsat 18 – Catch and Spread the Fire 8 of 8
HOLD PFO (March 2012)
