Soul Check     

Summary: Where the path of my feet is taking me, to heaven or to hell, is a soul check, as a Catholic, my conscience. This article is a review of the top three in person or Zoom Catholic outreach programs to bring in people.

My wife has been a bereavement minister since 2020. I go with her to almost all of her funeral Masses to support her.  And in supporting her I have found that at funeral Masses I learn more about life than at any other Mass. Many attendees have no clue to sit, stand or kneel. And less frequently the opposite is true. Everyone knows what to do. But every funeral Mass brings me great joy as God may be seen in the faith of the community.

A Catholic outreach to bring people into the church is clearly needed pre-bereavement. But what outreach? The top three Catholic outreach programs are Alpha, Theology on Tap, and Loquate (Speak!).

Adopted by some Catholic Parishes, the  Protestant born Alpha anecdotally rests on a structural belief of being saved. Profess by your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior and believe that He is risen from the dead and you will be saved.

Alpha in a cycle meets weekly 7-10 times, is open at the start to any person. After a good catered meal and a video raising questions, 30 or so Alpha members break into their respective continuous same small group led by those who are instructed to say nothing, except to create a safe sharing space, as the Holy Spirit evangelizes from within each person.

Are your feet on the path to heaven or hell? Each decides this on their own.

One assistant’s testimony about the effectiveness of Alpha having gone through three 7 week cycles, asks is it Catholic? The assistant thinks not, because it is not structurally developmental. The assistant agrees an outreach is needed and finds good in Alpha but is looking at nearby Parishes who may offer something more structurally developmental.

Theology on Tap, another outreach relies on a good witness story of an organizer or a Pastor’s reflection and Q and A in a local popular restaurant bar with appetizers often paid for by the Parish. Connections are good but can go sour if differences of belief are discussed.  Care and tact are key. Theology on Tap is about as structurally developmental as Alpha.

Loquate, a charity for peace, helps organizations build community

Its “Work Meets Faith” Smart® group process is officially recommended to all Pastors by hierarchy of the Catholic Church as an outreach. Loquate’s turnkey builds Spirit-centered community structurally developmental at its core. Smart® small group community occurs in unity for all.

Scientifically discovered innate needs of mankind is the instrumental means universally applied thru Smart® habits that satisfy innate needs. Smart® habits are built thru a syllabus of courses called Domain Theory and implemented in each Smart® group on a 9 meeting cycle per year. Courses are marked Universal, Christian, and Catholic. If your faith persuasion is not listed you may skip that course. Most courses are universal. All are structurally developmental.

There are 3 Degrees of mentored certification as a  Smart® Ambassador of Community: 1st – 81 hours, 2nd -54 hours, and 3rd – 27 hours. All together three 9 meeting cycles may result in all 3 certifications. Feedback verifies Spirit-centeredness.

The Certification is offered without a pay incentive like free meals or hors d’oeuvres but is paid directly to participants by the Parish. The budget to the Parish is similar to other outreaches with this exception. The Parish pays nothing until Certification occurs.

The same Smart® Ambassadors of Community outreach is offered to employees of the Parish as well as to Parishioners. Everything employees do is done as a volunteer at their own pace and time, not at work.

The developmental structure is freedom to live your deepest beliefs in harmony with all. This alone brings peace on earth. Through its Smart® Ambassadors of Community, the Parish becomes a best place to work and the community becomes a best place to live.

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Loquate (6436 N Oketo Ave, Chicago, IL 60631, United States jeff@loquate.tv 773-621-0863).

Our work: Loquate is a charitable center for peace on earth.

What we do: Loquate’s Domain Theory is lived out in Smart® groups that predict the power of sustainable living for all mankind through Natural Law.

Who we are: We are people like you who become Smart® Ambassadors of Spirit-centered Community.

Our goal: We uphold basic human rights. The power of the individual is supported and sovereign. May God bless the world with 1,000 years of peace. For this we pray!

Smart® Ambassadors of Community make great community builders because they bring peace on earth “in unity for all.” Spirit-centered community does this.

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