Homeless Forum
Share Your Faith

Introduction

You don't have to be an evangelist to be able to share what you believe with other people. Every Christian can do this in a way that is clear, simple and attractive; that is natural and comfortable for you; and is enjoyable for the people you talk with.

You might be surprised by how much your faith is strengthened when you are able to be honest about what you believe, when you can communicate it confidently and attractively, and when you are not worried about the questions people might ask you.

The seminar will be led by Paul Hazelden, General Manager of Crisis Centre Ministries. Paul has been training people in different methods of evangelism since 1982, and has worked with a number of churches and evangelistic organisations. Much of the seminar material was developed while he was working for Open Air Campaigners.

While the seminar is primarily aimed at Christians who wish to share their faith more effectively, it is also suitable for and open to those who are not Christians (or are not sure whether they are), but who work with Christians or who wish to understand more clearly what Christians believe, and when and how it is appropriate for Christians to talk about their faith - and when and how it is not appropriate! For these people, we aim to reassure them about the techniques and methods Christians use to communicate their faith, and we also want to hear from them about their experience of being on the 'receiving end'. This helps to keep the session both honest and grounded.

What is Covered

We have found four main reasons why Christians do not share their faith.

• They don't understand what to do. Evangelism is not about forcing your beliefs onto unwilling people!
• They don't know what to say. If you can't summarise the gospel message in one minute, you probably can't explain it clearly enough.
• They are afraid they will not be able to answer the questions that arise. What do you say about pain, other religions, evolution and the Crusades?
• They don't know how or where to start talking about their faith in a natural way. If you feel uncomfortable when talking about what you believe, you are not likely to enjoy the experience, and neither are the people you are talking with.

This interactive seminar will address these basic problems. It will give you the opportunity to explore ways of talking about your faith that work for you, and to find answers to those questions you have always worried about. It will also provide you with a simple three-stage strategy which is natural, easy, and can be taken at your own pace.

It will enable you to talk with other people about what you believe, and to be confident that you are both telling them about a God of love and demonstrating God's love in the way you treat them.

If you are not a Christian, it will reassure you that the Christians you know should not be attempting to pressurise or manipulate you into anything - and if you feel that they are doing this, you can do something constructive about it.

When and Where

At present, there are two seminars planned for 2009.

• One Saturday. 18 April 2009, 9:45 am - 5:00 pm. Location: Trinity Tabernacle, Hassell Drive, Easton, Bristol, BS2 0AN (Multimap). Please bring a packed lunch. Note that it is the third Saturday of the month: our regular training is usually on the second Saturday, but in April this year the second Saturday falls in Easter.
• Three consecutive Wednesday evenings. 8, 15 & 22 April 2009, 7:30 - 9:30 pm. Location: Crisis Centre Ministries, 12 City Road, St Pauls, Bristol, BS2 8TP (Multimap).

If you are able to go to either seminar, we suggest you go on the Saturday. However, the three evening sessions give you time to try out what you learn, and share the results the next week.

Costs

The seminar is part of the Helping Vulnerable People programme, so anyone who has enrolled for the whole series has already paid.

For everyone else, we ask for a donation to cover our costs of £6 in advance or £7 on the day. This includes tea, coffee and biscuits and a comprehensive set of notes.

Booking

Please book in advance, or at least let us know you intend to come, so we can ensure there are enough sets of notes for everyone. You can phone the CCM Office on (0117) 942 3088, send an email to the CCM Administrator, or download a booking form and post it to us.

Publicity

This flyer is a PDF file, containing four A4 pages. It is available from the CCM Office as an A5 booklet, and you are very welcome to print it in that format to save paper.

• Share Your Faith - Introduction and booking form: PDF.