"If your life were multiplied by 7 billion, what would the world look like? Evangelization is helping people discover the love of God and to live their best possible lives."

- Matthew Kelly

The fourth sign of Dynamic Catholics is Evangelization. This is the sign that even the Dynamic Catholics struggle with. Matthew Kelly reminds us that:

• Jesus’s answer to how the best way to live was, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind . . . and love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 26:37-39)
• God wants to win you with his love and wisdom; God wants to build you up spiritually so that you have the knowledge and habits to live in his love and walk in his ways; and God wants to send you out into the world to share his love with others. Win. Build. Send.
• Friendship is the most natural and effective way to share the faith with others.
• Evangelization is to the Church what breathing is to a person.
• Try to do one thing each week to share the faith with someone who crosses your path.

Evangelization, spreading the "Good News" through our thoughts, words, and actions, is a big part of being a Catholic Christian. At St. Mary's School, students are provided with several opportunities to share the message of the Gospel with others.
 

Witness Talks:

• 7th & 8th Graders: Students in 7th and 8th grade will independently present a Witness Talk to their religion class. Witness Talks will include:
  • Gospel summary
  • Statement of message or main point
  • Movie or song clip or activity, skit/experience that relates to main point or activity (*must have two of these)
  • Life story that relates to the message of the Gospel
  • Restatement of main point
  • Original prayer written by students

7/8th Grade Witness Talk Planning Sheet
7/8th Grade Witness Talk Rubric
 

 Gospel Videos: 

• 7th & 8th Graders: Students in 7th & 8th grade will work together in small groups to create Gospel videos that take the meaning or theme of each Gospel story and put it into a contemporary context. Starting with the message of the Gospel, students will use their personal experience stories from their witness talks to map, storyboard, and script to bring the message of the Gospel into the lives of their classmates, parents, and members of the faith community.

2015 7/8th Gospel Videos

Gospel Podcasts:

• 7th & 8th Graders: Students in 7th & 8th grade will read their Gospel summary, life story, main point, and original prayer into the computer to create a Gospel Podcast. They will also need to add appropriate transitions as well as reflection questions and a challenge to action to apply the Gospel message to the listeners' lives.

Podcast Requirements
Podcast Rubric
 

Signs of God's Presence:

7th grade students will create a "Christ-centered" traffic sign that promotes the kingdom of God using the shape and design of an everyday traffic sign. These traffic signs will be displayed at St. Mary's School and on the parish display boards. (Students are not allowed to repeat the design and wording of a poster that has already been created.) For more information on how to create this sign, please consult the corresponding files below. Sign messages should relate to one of the Scripture passages from their witness talk week.
 

8th grade students will create an scripture based video game cover. Students should take an idea or two from their witness talk scripture passages and turn the ideas into a video game box cover. For more information on how to complete this assignment and to understand how it will be evaluated, please read the corresponding files below.

 

Media Reviews:

Throughout the year, students will have the opportunity to choose a form of popular media to review in light of what they know about the teachings of Jesus and the Church. Students should use complete sentences as well as correct grammar and spelling when organizing their thoughts since their finished products will be posted online and commented on by their classmates. My hope is that this website becomes a place for parents, students, and faith community members alike to learn from each other and share where they see God in our popular culture.
Media Review Directions & Example s
Media Review Rubric

7th grade students: may choose from a TV program, a song, a video game, a magazine, a novel, a website, or a movie. Students are only allowed to choose media which have not yet been chosen by another student! 

2.Once students have selected their media to review, they should read, listen to, view, or play it, then use the appropriate question sheet to reflect on the media they have chosen. 

3.On a specified date, students should bring their completed question sheet to religion class where they will be given class time to post their review to the designated website selected to host these media reviews.

TV Show Review
Magazine Review
Music Review
Movie Review
Novel Review
Website Review
Video Game Review

8th graders will be required to add a level of complexity to their written web reviews. 8th graders will be asked to select two pieces of the same media to compare (two movies, two songs, etc.). The point of their project is to compare and contrast two popular examples of a particular media and highlight where one might or might not find God in each of them. Here is the procedure 8th grade students should follow: 
1.Students should choose two examples of a TV program, a song, a video game, a magazine, a novel, a website, or a movie. Students are only allowed to choose media which have not yet been chosen by another student! 

2.Once students have selected their media to review, they should read, listen to, view, or play it, then use the appropriate question sheet to reflect on the media they have chosen. Students will need a separate sheet for each piece of media they are reviewing.

3.Students will need to use a Venn Diagram or Compare/Contrast organizer to outline their thoughts on how the media are similar and/or different. 

4.On a specified date, students should bring their completed question sheets and graphic organizer to religion class where they will be given class time to post their review to the designated website selected to host these media reviews.

Venn Diagram
Compare/Contrast Chart
 

Witness Talk Resources

YouTube Movie Discussion Starters
WorshipHouse Mini-Movies
Sermon Spice Videos
Skit Guys Videos
 

Link - description

__Wingclips__ Use this website to find theme related movie clips!

__Movie Ministry__ Find more movie clips by theme.

__Air 1 Lyric Search__ Search Air 1 (Christian music) by theme, word, or scripture passage.

__ZOOM Games__ Looking for a game for your witness talk- try one of these?

__Source for Youth Ministry Game Page__ Check this page out to link a game to your Witness Talk.

__Family Fun Magazine Games__ It's family and it's fun. One of these games may work for your Witness Talk.

__Arthur Index__ Check out this site for Arthur episodes that link to your theme- then search YouTube for the particular episode that deals with your theme.

__Developmental Designs Activity Page__ Website full of theme-based classroom activities for your witness talk.