FAITH EMPOWERMENT

Theme Proposal for Inter Campus Gathering 2011

“Faith Empowerment”

Introduction
I joined 2 ICGs before and the themes that were chosen were consistent with the times and I manage to decipher a flow in the ideas from the both, from Our faith our freedom to Our religion the in thing. We have first learnt of choice and freewill to worship any faith and God (Christianity for us) and to defend that choice we have made. Then we have been enlightened to know that following religion and putting it as part of our lives as ok and a priority, nothing to be ashamed and feared off. Now having known of the freedom of choice and our choice of Jesus is the In thing what now? We now need the drive to put the faith into action and thus need the drive to do so in the right way according to what Jesus as though us. We also need to be strong on our fundamental basic foundation of our faith of Christianity being strong, ‘patriotic’, loyal and proud of it. Having strong basics will ensure our faith will stand strong.

Prologue
We are Christians. We are Catholics. We have faith in Jesus Christ. How do we put it into action? What does Jesus wants us to do? What are the teachings of Christ and of his mission of us in this world? Catholics nowadays do not know how to be Catholics. The mindset and mentality that catechism has thought us drifts away after confirmation and faith becomes something personal so much so it becomes a selfish tool. God is only to oneself and in the end we began to follow the God we made but not the God who made us. God is only there to answer our prayers and to do so we must continue to worship Him??? Is God a Master and are we his slaves? How do we bring back the sheep back to right camp? How do we become correct Catholics, but first we need to know what does it mean to become a catholic. Being a catholic and the essence of its fundamental believe is the triad of God Self and Community. Now the focus of community is eroding as people become more selfish and individualistic succumbing to the earthly wimps of materialism and so on. No though many claim to have Jesus in them but are they really following what Jesus wants us to do following His will? Jesus came down to serve and not to be served. He died for us, he lived for us. He came for all of us as he lived at his time with the community. So we too need to follow his reason for his coming, to serve. Many Catholics questions sometimes why is the church busy fighting for justice and peace, playing with politics, ‘busy bodying’ into every issue and they also question if all this part of the bible and the teachings of Jesus. Furthermore they say that the church is old fashion and outdated and is becoming redundant. Is it so? The church does not bow down to the pressures of society following its wimps and fancies but upholds Christ ways. Catholics say yes to uphold morality, justice and peace, equality, basically maintaining a civilization and we need to prove it to them and to ourselves too.

Objectives
To instill the concept of God Self and Community as being a Catholic
To empower students to put their faith into action
To call students to follow Jesus purpose of his coming
To prove Jesus ‘approval’ of our actions as being part of a community.
To make aware of the challenges the church has faced in the past 2009 years
To instill respect and trust to the church Jesus built on Peter.

Vision
Students empowered by Christ putting His works into action through us.

Mission
To reach out to the poor and needy
To be the voice for the oppressed and marginalized
To uphold justice and peace
To follow morals and values in daily lives
To remove the sense of individualism, egoism and materialism as a way of life
To be aware and proud of our Catholic heritage and history and to learn form it
To be able to reclaim our identity as a Catholic

Sessions and workshop
What does it mean to be a Catholic (The introductory)
- Triad of God – Father, son, holy spirit, bible
Self – personality, attitude, mentality, way of life
Community – Church – its teachings and its laws
Neighbours, friends, family, country, planet
(suggested speaker – Mr Martin Jallel)

Challenges the church faced for the past 2000 years (Community – church)
- the early church
- Christianizing of culture
- the various councils
- the bible
- the 1st schism
- the popes
- the holy war
- reformation
- Vatican 1
- Vatican 11
- The modern church
(suggested speaker – Mr Bruno Pereira)

How to understand and interpret the bible (God – scripture)
- the concept of sola sciptura
- literal meanings
- historical backgrounds
(Suggested speaker – Mr Bruno Pereira)

What Jesus talks about justice and peace (God – community)
- Where is the bible God ones us to be part in upholding justice and peace
- Be sound in politics and current affairs
- Voting, democracy
- How do we play a role
(suggested speaker – Fr O.C Lim)

What Jesus talks about the poor and marginalized (God – community)
- Where is the bible God wants us to uphold the poor and marginalized
- How do we reach out to them
(suggested speaker – Fr Anthony Naden)

How Jesus would want us live our life (God – self)
- what is a Christian life
- ho do we live it in this difficult world today
- putting use of talents to benefit others
- respect of self – mental and physical
(suggested speaker – Fr Christopher Wee)

Jesus being part of the community (God – community)
- let us not be materialistic
- let us not be selfish
- let us contribute to the community by vocation and not just profession
(suggested speaker - Fr Danny)

Tolerance, Respect, no discrimination, equality in this diverse community (Self – community)
- learn to respect other religion and culture
- learn to understand other religions and culture
- culture and religion – follow or not to follow
- Jesus and his culture and religion
(Fr Christopher WIlwaraj)

Spreading Christ way (God – self – community)
- how do become trend setters for others to follow a good way of life
- media
- usage of tools existent around us to be the light and salt of society

Conclusion

It is hope that with this theme the catholic students would recognize their identity as Catholics having in mind its fundamental soul of God, Self and Community and thus putting it into action being part of their way of life.


Proposed by, 11th October 2009

GREGORY

ps : this is just a draft.....posting it very much early just to immortalize my idea. u know hak cipta terpelihara...... :-P