For the Christian, what is the purpose of going to church? Is it to be an "insider," worshipping with like-minded people? Or is it to be an "evangelizer," reaching out to the lost, forsaken and unchurched --- inside and outside the parish?

More and more parishes in the archdiocese are making evangelization a priority, supported by the 2003 archdiocesan Synod's "New Evangelization" initiative, calling on all baptized Catholics to participate in the mission of Christ, the Spirit and the church by proclaiming the Reign of God in word and deed.

Evangelizing parish
Divine Saviour Church in Cypress Park, north of downtown Los Angeles, formally proclaimed itself as an evangelizing and missionary parish Oct. 5 at a special commissioning Mass with San Fernando Region Auxiliary Bishop Gerald Wilkerson. The parish's evangelization plan was detailed in Spanish and English in the bulletin by parish administrator, Franciscan Father Rene Juarez, targeting three areas of renewal: spiritual, pastoral and environmental.

Spiritually, the plan calls parishioners to a re-arrangement in their Christian life wherein "the spirit of prayer and devotion does not fade out … so we always will be open to the needs of the church [enriching] our community with our gifts." Viewing ministries, the parish's pastoral work, as "the base of the actual structure of the parish," the faithful at Divine Saviour are urged "to be active and responsible in the function and operation of the parish."

And, recognizing that human beings have an environmental obligation to be stewards of God's creation, the parish acknowledges "it is necessary to be aware of our responsibility in taking care of our cities, streets [and] in a very special way, our church of Divine Saviour and all that which is part of creation."

"The parishioners have taken evangelization to heart, and they've worked really hard," said Bishop Wilkerson. He applauded the church's multi-plan approach and its focus on strengthening the 2,000-plus families who attend Divine Saviour.

"Mainly, what we want to show is that we are trying to get a parish where the family is the most important value --- where everyone, from the little kids to adults, participates," said Fernando Baeza, head of Divine Saviour's liturgy committee.

Lupe Cortez, a 35-year parishioner and lector, said the capacity-crowd commissioning ceremony in the 800-seat church was "very emotional and touching. It got us into really knowing what we are aiming for, what our ministry is, what our purpose for being here is --- what Catholic really means. It's like a rebirth of our faith."

She said the evangelization outreach of home visitors will benefit the community, where a lot of people are new to the neighborhood. "They're going to know they're needed and loved by God," said Cortez.

Maria Cruz Garcia, a 20-year parishioner who has done home visitations for 15 years, agreed that the new evangelization focus will help bolster community within and without the church. "If you learn [about your faith]," she said, "you will help other people find God."

Intentional discipleship
Focusing on evangelization and discipleship is the key to transforming people's lives, according to Bobby Vidal, director of evangelization and lay formation at Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Church in Santa Clarita.

Two years ago, Vidal, then working as Blessed Kateri's religious education director, attended a workshop called, "Making Disciples," held at the Catherine of Siena Institute in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Based on the premise that awakening faith and "intentional discipleship" is a crucial step before catechesis, the workshop taught participants skills for building a culture of discipleship, including carrying on an "evangelical conversation."

"The primary thing to foster in conversation [with the pre-evangelized] is a foundation of trust," said Vidal. In a world where people are all over the spiritual map as far as belief and practice --- some "believe" but don't "practice"; some "practice" but don't "believe"; some "practice and believe" but aren't intentional disciples --- it's important to convey the understanding that "wherever you are, you are," explained Vidal.

"We tend to want to catechize people before they have encountered Christ as a real person," he emphasized. Intentional discipleship, wherein a person is inspired and mentored by members of a faith community to make a deliberate decision to follow Jesus Christ as Lord, "is the golden thread that flows through all ministry," said Vidal.

Results from employing a "discipleship" approach at Blessed Kateri have included more catechumens entering the church, a greater awareness among parishioners of God's presence in church activities, and a more welcoming atmosphere overall, said Vidal.

"It's mission rather than maintenance driven," explains Vidal, who adds that taking a discipleship approach "will definitely make a tremendous change in how we catechize --- not so focused primarily on content, but on introducing the person of Christ rather than the idea of Christ."

Members of the Catherine of Siena Institute presented their intentional discipleship vision at a three-day Mission at Blessed Kateri earlier this week as well as at a Nov. 6 focus group hosted by the San Fernando Region's evangelization committee.

The Philip Course
One year ago, members of the Netcasters, the parish evangelization committee at St. Finbar Church in Burbank, hosted their first Philip Course.

Seventy-two people embarked on a two-day faith journey that October Friday evening, led by members of Koinonia John the Baptist, an international community of consecrated and lay members dedicated to evangelizing people of all levels of faith by helping them experience God's love, salvation in Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Based upon the Acts story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26-39), the goal for the course is to have participants live or relive the same life-altering experience of that Biblical character, who gained a whole new understanding of faith in Jesus. Sessions included praise music and prayer, Scripture and practical dynamic experiences and fellowship.

According to parishioner Mary Parcells, it was such a positive and moving "spark of the New Evangelization" experience that the course was repeated in February in English and in August in Spanish. It has now become a regular feature of St. Finbar's evangelization outreach and adult spiritual growth and faith formation programs.

"The Philip Course hasn't just been a successful outreach to the parishioners of St. Finbar; people have come to join the church, too," Parcells notes. At least two Protestant Philip Course graduates have subsequently joined the Catholic Church.

The St. Finbar community has also experienced other Koinonia courses, including the "Personal Testimony" workshop, where parishioners learned to stand up and share their personal stores of faith. Another well-received course was the "Power in Prayer" workshop, which shows people how to have a fresh encounter with Jesus each day.

Planned for the future are such courses as "House of Prayer," "Discover Your Ministry," and "Community," where participants learn the power of Christian friendship. The next Philip Course at St. Finbar will be in English on Jan. 15-16, 2009.

Mary Parcells contributed to this story.