The Catholic Guy Business Plan 2.2

BUSINESS PLAN

The Catholic Guy Ministry

PRAYER of PROCLAMATION All powerful loving God, grant me The leadership to guide, The people to help me and The provision to proclaim; ⁃ God, my Father as the source of all, ⁃ Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and ⁃ the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life.

Amen.

VISION STATEMENT

- What we see us being

Proclaim the glory of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.

MISSION STATEMENT

- What we do

We exist to grow in Christ the already believing, while at the same time, reach those disconnected from Christ and His Church by bringing them into an ever-deepening relationship with God. ~ Reach the Lost, Grow the Found

1

CONTENTS _____ The Business Plan Vision & Mission Statements

1

Executive Summary

3

Archbishop Mark Coleridge

6

Services - Expanding & New

8

Viability Report

9

Analysis of Results

11

How the System Works

15

Conclusion

17

Appendices Evangelization Method

19

Leadership

21

Digital & Television

24

Mission Events

26

Ecclesial Movement

30

Live & Delayed Simulation

33

Leadership & Business Consortiums

36

Self Funded / Bi-Vocational Staff

38

Employed Staff

40

USA - Base of Operations

42

Why is TCGM Effective in Sharing Christ?

Will They Come to Faith?

How I Came to Faith God Used Bishops & Priests Spirituality of the Evangelizer Bishop Peter Ingham Engine Room Prayer Team Found You On Television Hearing Afresh While Older The Church is Not Heard Transcendent Language Loss Challenge of Sharing Faith Leading a Person to Faith Today They Come Very Slowly The Sound of Turning to God Elements of Event Proclamation Finding & Connecting to faith Communities Proclamation Across Denominations Proclamation to Catholics Proclamation Through Lent Proclamation Even in Grief Faces of Those We love

44 45 46 47 48 49 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 65 66

2

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY _____ This Business Plan has as its goal the proclaiming of Jesus Christ in such a manner that it impacts people’s lives so powerfully, that they grow in faith or come to faith in Christ, while at the same building the infrastructure of the business to support this work of proclamation so that it is nancially independent and can support other works of evangelization. It is based on years of trial, failure, learning and seeing countless people come to faith in Jesus Christ and reconnecting or joining a local Church while seeing funding come from the business of the Ministry itself.

This Business Plan seeks to give the ministry and the business the capacity to reach millions of people based on the results that have already been achieved.

This document has two parts: The Business Plan and an Addenda of supporting information.

The Catholic Guy is the name people gave to Bruce Downes, who then gathered a Ministry Team that shares and proclaims the Gospel in a modern and contemporary manner. It reaches people whether they are non-believers, not practicing their faith, or committed Christ-followers seeking to grow further in their faith. The Church gave Canonical approval to use the term ‘Catholic’ in the title of the Ministry.

Bruce was encouraged and supported by his then Archbishop, Archbishop Barry Hickey, while an employee of the Archdiocese of Perth in Australia, to explore fresh ways of proclaiming Christ. Little did he nor anyone else know what the future would bring and how far and how many people this proclamation ministry would reach. It has spread to countries around the world. In particular, this has led to television and an online presence in the United States. It is from the USA that the major growth has come internationally.

The Catholic Guy Ministry (TCGM), also known as Bruce Downes Ministries, uses a method called 'Proclamation Evangelization’ in response to the calling of the Popes’ to a ‘New Evangelization.’

Now that the existing operating model has been tested for sustainability and veri ed with professional external due diligence, the opportunity now exists to expand this model to achieve the objective of proclaiming the Gospel and bringing people to Christ and His Church.

This Business Plan seeks to attract an injection of funding of $2.2 million, which will enable the Ministry to proclaim Christ through digital media, television, live Mission Events of encounter, and an expanding Ecclesial Movement of proclamation by TCGM. See page 8.

In summary, our data-driven nancial models project that TCGM will generate a net surplus by year 5 of $6 million available for further expenditure on outreach. This will be as a result of utilizing $2.2 million Investment Capital to generate, based on our current returns, $10.5 million revenue. This will see 1.33 million people register to receive The Catholic Guy content. This income will continue to grow year by year with the net surplus to have grown to $14M in seven years.

The 1.33 million people who will register to receive The Catholic Guy content, will have come from the marketing that reached 158,000,000 people. 40.2% of TCGM income comes from those who have registered to receive the Ministry’s content directly. While the majority of the 59.8% of TCGM income comes from those who have been reached through this marketing but have chosen to access TCGM’s content at their convenience.

David Preudhomme, the CEO of Direct Path Consulting and Services (DPC&S) based in Phoenix, Arizona, who provides services to many Church Ministries and for-pro t businesses has completed an independent Viability Report on TCGM’s effectiveness in generating funding. See Viability Report pages 9-10.

This assessment is based on TCGM’s own nancial returns comparing it to other ministries in the USA. TCGM’s income model is small donations by many people. In 2023, the Ministry had 9,874 nancial transactions, either donations or product purchases. These donors are found through the marketing efforts shown in this Business Plan. See pages 11-14.

fi

fi

fi

fi

fi

fi

3

There are many parts as to how evangelization and fund generation are integrated. While these may appear as separate activities they are not. This system can only work and achieve its maximum potential if they are done in a unity of activity. See pages 15-16.

In time, many people will reconnect with their local Church and or a Ministry that sustains them in their spiritual walk while at the same time remaining part of TCGM. In time, some also become nancial supporters of the Ministry, contributing small and signi cant donations to sustain and grow the Ministry.

While our model is Catholic, it is similar to the model of Joyce Meyer’s Ministry. In 2023, their income was $112 million. To understand the Evangelization Method and the power of what is called The Catholic Guy ‘World.’ See Appendix 19-20.

It has been said that everything rises and falls on leadership. In a Church setting, the ‘calling’ of God is a unique aspect. It gives weight to the responsibility of what is being accomplished. Successful ministries in the Church operate to the highest standards of business. For TCGM, this has been key to nancial and spiritual effectiveness. See Appendix 21-22.

DEFINING SUCCESS FOR THE CATHOLIC GUY MINISTRY Put simply, the purpose of ‘Proclamation Evangelization’ is that someone comes to their own encounter and therefore belief in God. Without this personal encounter with Christ, a person can easily fall away from faith.

A person’s faith response cannot be forced and does not work according to a timeline. People come to faith in their time.

Positive answers to the following questions would de ne success for us: -

Did a person come to faith in Jesus Christ?

Did a person who has fallen away from the Church return to faith in Christ?

Did we awaken the person who attends Church regularly but is asleep in their faith and simply going through the motions of attendance?

Did a person join or return to a Parish Community?

Did a person go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation?

Did a person commence daily prayer?

Did a person become involved in a national Ministry group, a Diocesan local ministry or a local parish initiative?

Did a person do the RCIA program and become Catholic since connecting with us and receiving the sacraments?

Did a person experience life change because they have heard the Gospel, such as going back to their marriage, changing their jobs, dealing with addiction, not committing suicide, etc?

Did a person continue to participate in one of our various content offerings of the Ministry, such as Daily Devotionals, The Catholic Guy television program or our Heart Catholic Women’s Ministry?

Did a person move through The Catholic Guy Ministry and connect with other digital Ministries such as Bishop Robert Barron and Word on Fire Ministry, the Augustine Institute, Fr Mike Schmitz and his Bible or Catechism Programs, Scott Hahn and St Paul’s Institute, etc?

NOTE: The job of evangelists and proclaimers of the Gospel is to have some people move through and beyond the Ministry to discipleship elsewhere.

The key to ‘Proclamation Evangelization’ is getting the Message of Christ in front of people and doing this in a manner that covers its costs, generates money for growth and keeps reaching an ever-increasing number of people. All of the activities in this Business Plan have this as its goal.

The objective is to get the message beyond the closed walls of our Churches to those who do not attend or are increasingly becoming disinterested while at the same reaching the disconnected among those who attend Church regularly. A Digital Media and Television Strategy has the dual impact of reaching people with the Gospel so that they come closer to Christ and secondly, some becoming donors who sustain and grow the Ministry. See Appendix 23.

fi

fi

fi

fi

4

At the same time, and through the content produced by The Catholic Guy Ministry, we are building what the Catholic Church describes in its documents as Ecclesial Communities or Church Communities. When in numerous places, this is called a Movement by the Church. See Appendix 25-28.

These are local groups of people drawn together under the one calling or charism of TCGM. This one Church Community is known as Impacters. They are local to their suburb, town or city and have the same mission and spirituality of TCGM no matter their location. In other words, ‘one Church family, many locations.’ The central team of TCGM vets, identi es, and appoints leaders at the Centers, Sites, and Groups level to reach local communities. The central team provides training in leadership and operations and resourcing technical equipment. See Appendix 29-34.

Leaders and businesspeople whose lives have been affected by the Ministry from time to time approach TCGM and ask how they can be involved and contribute meaningfully. Many are passionate about their region or for their country as a whole. TCGM will establish Leadership and Business Consortiums to underwrite and underpin the logistics of the proclamation.

Experience has shown that gathering leaders and business people with language and images they understand and sharing Christ can be a remarkable method of evangelizing them. See pages 35-36.

For TCGM to grow in the manner mentioned in the Business Plan, increasing our staff is critical. Employing staff in marketing and advertising, donor care and production is imperative. The results in this Business Plan will not be achieved otherwise. See Appendix 37-40.

While TCGM operates in Australia, the companies used by the Ministry are based in the USA. Therefore, the Ministry will set up a home for Bruce and Rosemary to spend their time between the US and Australia, and at the same time, provide a recording space for regular recordings such as the Daily Devotionals. See Appendix 41-42.

To understand why this Catholic Ministry is effective in sharing Christ, additional information has been included concerning the theory behind the Ministries activities and methods, background information plus re ections from priests and lay people concerning TCGM. See Appendix 43-66.

THE IMPACT OF THE MINISTRY TCGM is about reaching our spouses, children, loved ones, friends and the world. Many of them are far from God and the Church. At the same time our objective is to aid the mature Christian person to grow in their relationship with God. Based on our current returns, it is expected that 1,330,000 people will sign up to receive our content through the digital acquisition model. Television, depending on the channels available at the time, will have a potential audience of millions of people over a year. It is these people who will nancially sustain and grow the Ministry.

On top of this through marketing to parishes across countries even more people will be reached and connected to Christ and His Church. As these people come into The Catholic Guy ‘World’ and grow in faith they will share the content and programs with others, reaching a much larger audience with the message of Jesus Christ. We have not included any of the nancial returns that will come from reaching these people.

In the end it is very simple. If we will not go to them, just as Jesus did when He went from place to place and commissioned His followers to do the same, who will?

I used to be Catholic. I made my Holy Communion and Confirmation when I was a child.

If I would have had gotten this kind of teaching, then, I would never have left the Catholic Church.

fi

fi

fi

fl

5

Archbishop Mark Coleridge Archbishop of Brisbane

Bruce Downes has a charism, by which I mean the gift given

by God through an individual and through the Church but given to the world. It's a gift given by God to build up the Church for the sake of mission - and this at a time when God is calling the Church to become more missionary. Bruce is a classic case of the new category which is sometimes called, ‘a Catholic evangelical.’ In the past, those two terms would have seemed mutually exclusive, but not anymore. We need to become more deeply Catholic and more boldly evangelical and that's the combination you find in the Catholic Guy Ministry.

Bruce has been gifted by God in a variety of ways, and the fruits of this Ministry have long been apparent. His prime gift is the gift of an evangelist who is deeply attuned to the mysteries of the Catholic faith but attuned no less to the currents of contemporary culture and in particular the culture of the media. He is able to nd the right words and images to explain ancient and at times complex truths in a way that makes them seem fresh and accessible. In that, he models what is true of the whole church as we face the challenges of the new evangelization.

Bruce’s approach has never been narrowly confessional, let alone crudely ideological. He draws upon the power of the Gospel to cut across confessional (denominational) barriers, speaking a language which is truly Catholic yet open to all.

Add to this his formidable powers of organisation and networking and you have the potent mix that has become the Catholic Guy. As far as I can see the hand of God is upon Bruce Downes, who shows what it means for all the baptized to live their vocation to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I commend him to you and to the grace of the Lord Jesus who has led him to this point and who will, I pray, continue to lead him into the future.

fi

6

7

SERVICES - EXPANDING & NEW _____

Digital and Television

Expand our media through secular and Christian television and through social media to reach beyond the con nes of Church buildings to those who no longer or do not attend See Appendix page 24 Church.

$950,000

Mission Events Conduct Mission Events that bring people to faith in Christ, grow people in faith and be an event where both existing and potential donors can see the Ministry in action.

See Appendix page 26

$70,000

Ecclesial Movement Build an international Ecclesial Movement of Catholic Church Communities known as ‘Impacters’ with both physical and online locations to support those who have been reached, reach more disconnected people and be a Catholic Church Community/ Association that both the evangelizers and ‘people reached’ can belong to, while at the same time being members of their parish. This will be an expansion of the current See Appendix page 30 Impacters body that the Ministry currently comes from.

$100,000

Live & Delayed Simulation - Worship & Teaching Extend our current Teaching and Worship Weekly prayer gathering so that people can join in from around the world from where we are broadcasting. This is the basis of Community.

See Appendix page 33

$50,000

Leadership & Business Consortiums Establish regional, national and international consortium of supporters and businesspeople to support marketing efforts, training and evangelistic outreaches in the United States and Australia. When the Ministry began in both countries it did not have people to be a part of this.

See Appendix page 36

$70,000

Self Funded / Bi-Vocational Staff To implement a Ministry Plan of this size will require both paid and self funded staff.

The Church has a long history of people serving Christ and His Church who share their experience, energy, gifting, experience and wisdom.

See Appendix page 38

$70,000

Pastoral and Donor Care For this Business Plan to be successful, care of those involved in the Ministry is critical from a spiritual perspective. Donor care affects the level of future support of donors.

See Appendix page 40

$100,000

Marketing Staff As marketing is the key to the future growth of the Ministry and its effectiveness in proclaiming Christ, we will employ a person based in the USA to oversee marketing, advertising and donor care as soon as possible.

See Appendix page 40

$210,000

USA - Base of Operations The Ministry will establish a base of operations in the USA.

See Appendix page 42

$265,000

Administration Increase the administrative services to the various Ministry activities.

Back

Investment Capital

$280,000 $2,165,000

fi

8

VIABILITY REPORT _____ David Preudhomme, the CEO of DPC&S provided a Viability Report to The Catholic Guy Ministry on the future of the Ministry.

About Direct Path Consulting and Services (DPC&S) Direct Path Consulting and Services (DPC&S) is a donor development company specializing in acquiring, communicating with, and retaining donors to support our clients' missions. With a proven 35-year track record, we provide full-service donor development and marketing services to non-pro t organizations.

Our team of 65 plus employees is based in the greater Phoenix, Arizona area.

We carefully review and measure the results of every campaign, appeal, and media effort.

DPC&S stands out in the donor development world due to our proprietary in-house data analysis capabilities, allowing us to understand what motivates today's donors and the key metrics leading to sustained organizational growth.

Our commitment is to leverage our understanding of the donor development landscape to provide organizations with a direct path to the best possible outcomes, all within the available budget and timeframe.

About the Author David Preudhomme is the Chief Executive Of cer of DPC&S, Inc., with 27 years of experience serving non-pro t organizations with a speci c focus on donor development.

He is also a licensed attorney and a Certi ed Financial Planner. David has had the honor of working with many organizations throughout the United States and around the world, ranging from startups to large-scale non-pro t organizations.

“DPC&S has been actively involved in compiling the numbers presented in this report for The Catholic Guy - Bruce Downes Ministries (TCG-BDM).

These gures are neither fanciful estimates nor baseless projections. They are generated through a careful review of both what TCG-BDM has actually achieved over the past four years through its digital donor acquisition efforts, and the metrics achieved by other ministries in cultivating a donor base through a variety of platforms.

While the numbers re ect what a successful campaign would look like, we believe the projections in this model are realistically achievable. The metrics included in this document—such as initial direct response, number of new donors, donor conversion rate, donor attrition rate, frequency of giving, average gift, lifetime value, and associated costs—are fairly and reasonably presented.

The data re ected in this document suggests that the challenge faced by the ministry is not an inability to develop and maintain strong donor relationships. Rather, the challenge is that the ministry does not have enough new donors coming in to see any real overall growth. With proper funding, the ministry would be able to launch and expand its Name Acquisition and Donor Acquisition activities. We would expect that these activities would become self-funding, serving as a launchpad for long-term ministry growth.

Based on results to date TCGBDM with appropriate funding will be an effective and self-sustaining growing Ministry in proclaiming the Gospel. Its potential market nationally and internationally is huge.

fi

fi

fi

fl

fi

fl

fi

fi

fi

9

Percentage of non-donors that move to donors. In a healthy donor acquisition program donor conversion would be expected to be between 40% and 50% - meaning that between 40% and 50% of newly acquired donors would give a second gift. If the number is below 40% that is a red ag (there is some disconnect between the donor and the ministry). For TCGBDM the donors met during the period of February 2020 through May 2022, the donor conversion rate for TCGBDM has been 55% indicating that 55% of one-time donors give not only once, but multiple times.

Donors that move from being a one-time donor to a multi-time donor. The ministry has been able to convert 2% of all names met into donors. This is an above average return. Of those converted non-donors, an astounding 69% give at least a second gift. For most Ministries only 40% to 50% give a second gift. These metrics con rm that once a donor becomes involved with the ministry they stick around. This stickiness in turn drives the strong lifetime value of newly acquired donors for the ministry.

Recurring Donors. There is one other impressive metric for TCGBDM that re ects the level at which donors connect with the ministry and that is the percentage of donors that are recurring donors (they give automatically through a debit or credit card on a recurring basis). Even for successful ministries, the percentage of the overall donor le that give automatically will be modest between 5% and 10%. For TCG approximately 40% of the active donor le are automatically charged recurring donors. Simply put that is an astonishing gure again indicating the level of connection donors feel with the ministry.

Donor Attrition. For all organizations donor attrition is a fact of life. The relevant issue is not whether or not there is attrition, but what is the rate of attrition. An attrition rate of 20% for existing donors is generally the norm in the ministry space (such that 20% of existing donors drop off year over year). For TCG, the donor attrition rate for 2021 was 8% and in 2022 was 14%. This is a very good indication that donors receive sustained value from being involved with the ministry and that once involved, they do not quickly move on.

Final Assessment The data above con rms that the challenge faced by the ministry is not an inability to develop and maintain strong donor relationships. Rather, the challenge is that the ministry simply does not have enough new donors coming in to see any real overall growth.

With proper funding, the ministry would be able to launch and expand its Name Acquisition and Donor Acquisition activities. Those activities would be expected to become self-funding such that the initial investment would serve as a launchpad for long term ministry growth.

When considering what to do next, it is important (and reassuring) to note that TCGBDM has a working donor development model. The ministry has been able to successfully recruit leads, convert the leads into viewers, the viewers into donors and donors into full- edged ministry partners.

This donor cultivation process is not theoretical; it is a tried-and-true model. The investments made in donor acquisition in 2020 and 2021 have long since paid back. The investment made in 2022 has taken longer to payback due to changes in Facebook and Apple’s approach. There is no doubt that it will break-even and generate further income. Other Ministries campaigns are breaking even about month 24 and the TCGBDM 2022 campaign will be in a similar range.

With that understanding, the discussion moves away from a general question of how to grow to a much more focused discussion about the optimal platforms to be used for the acquisition of quali ed leads.

These results have come as a result of walking people to Christ, rst by gaining their trust. For us what is key is getting their name.”

David Preudhomme CEO - DPC&S - Direct Path Consulting and Services

Back

fl

fl

fl

fi

fi

fi

fi

fi

fi

fi

10

ANALYSIS OF RESULTS _____ Written by David Preudhomme, CEO DPC&S

Digital and Television

Background. In the midst of the Covid pandemic TCG launched a Daily Devotional producing original video content from Bruce, and on occasion other members of the ministry team, delivered through an integrated online video player.

The ministry invested in cultivating an audience for this video content primarily through the use of digital ads. The overwhelming majority of the advertising efforts, and greatest success, were found within Facebook. This platform proved to be very successful in nding targeted leads of people who were interested in receiving the ministry content.

The audience cultivation efforts were primarily centered around Lent in 2020, 2021 and 2022, with a smaller investment made around Advent in both 2020 and 2021.

Through this model, the ministry identi ed a lead (someone who expressed interest in ministry content), turned a percentage of those leads into viewers, and then some percentage of viewers into nancial supporters of the ministry.

As re ected by the chart below, the growth in ministry income is correlated with, and a direct result of, this investment in audience cultivation.

The ministry has done an incredible job in building out a platform and developing content that provides a strong connection with the viewer and the ministry. This assessment is con rmed by various underlying donor development networks.

Donor Conversion. One of the key factors in determining whether a donor acquisition effort can be self-sustaining is understanding the percentage of non-donors that move to donors, and donors that move from being a one-time donor to a multi-time donor. This metric is critical as donor acquisition is always an investment (it costs more to acquire a donor than they will give on day 1); as such, it is the subsequent giving of newly acquired donor that determines how quickly the investment can be recouped.

In a healthy donor acquisition program donor conversion would be expected to be between 40% and 50% - meaning that between 40% and 50% of newly acquired donors would give a second gift. If the number is below 40% that is a red ag (there is some disconnect between the donor and the ministry); rarely will donor conversion stay above 50%.

fi

fi

fi

fl

fi

fl

11

Digital and Television

Written by David Preudhomme, CEO DPC&S

For donors met during the period of February 2020 through May 2022, the donor conversion rate for TCGBDM has been 55% indicating that 55% of one-time donors give not only once, but multiple times resulting in a lifetime average value of a new donor of $326.

As commented above most of BDM’s new names have been non-donors (at the time they met the ministry they did not give a gift). Despite the targeting limitations described above, the ministry has been able to convert 2% of all names met into donors and of those converted non-donors, an astounding 67% give at least a second gift.

These metrics con rm that once a donor becomes involved with the ministry they stick around.

This stickiness in turn drives the strong lifetime value of newly acquired donors for the ministry.

Donor Attrition. For all organizations donor attrition is a fact of life; donors move on for a variety of reasons including change in nances, relationships and even death. The relevant issue is not whether or not there is attrition, but what is the rate of attrition. An attrition rate of 20% for existing donors is generally the norm in the ministry space (such that 20% of existing donors drop off year over year). For TCGBDM, the donor attrition rate for the past several years has ranged from the upper single digits to low teens – which is a very good indication that donors receive sustained value from being involved with the ministry and that once involved, they do not quickly move on.

fi

fi

12

Written by David Preudhomme, CEO DPC&S

Digital and Television

Recurring Donors. There is one other impressive metric for BDM that re ects the level at which donors connect with the ministry and that is the percentage of donors that are recurring donors (they give automatically through a debit or credit card on a recurring basis). Even for successful ministries, the percentage of the overall donor le that give automatically will be modest. For BDM approximately 40% of the active donor le are automatically charged recurring donors. Simply put that is an astonishing gure again indicating the level of connection donors feel with the ministry.

Donor Development Model The data above con rms that the challenge faced by the ministry is not an inability to develop and maintain strong donor relationships. Rather, the challenge is that the ministry simply does not have enough new donors coming in to see any real overall growth.

The inability to oat the required investment in donor acquisition has meant that the ministry has not even been able to replace naturally lapsing donors with an in ux of new donors and this has resulted in nancial pressure.

With proper funding, the ministry would be able to launch and expand its donor acquisition. Those activities would be expected to become self-funding such that the initial investment would serve as a launchpad for long term ministry growth.

When considering what to do next, it is important (and reassuring) to note that BDM has a working donor development model. The ministry has been able to successfully recruit leads, convert the leads into viewers, the viewers into donors and donors into full- edged ministry partners.

This donor cultivation process is not theoretical; it is a tried-and-true model. The investments made in donor acquisition in 2020 and 2021 have long since paid back. Though the investment made in 2022 has taken longer to payback than originally desired, there is no doubt that it will break-even (at present it is over 55% of the way to break even with an average additional return averaging between 2 and 4 percent each month resulting in an approximately 3-year total break-even period).

With that understanding, the discussion moves away from a general question of how to grow to a much more focused discussion about the optimal platforms to be used for the acquisition of quali ed leads.

Acquisition Platforms - Digital Marketing. As noted above, the overwhelming majority of existing viewers and were originally met through digital marketing efforts. In these efforts a carefully crafted ad was presented to a targeted audience who were asked to provide an email address to receive the daily video.

These digital marketing efforts have proven to be very successful for the ministry. The challenge has been that due to the targeting restrictions the cost of nding a quali ed lead has risen resulting in a longer payback period; and the ministry has not been able to independently fund the longer payback period.

Though the most recent payback period has been slower than desired, there is good reason to believe these results can be improved. Though Facebook has limited in-platform interest-based targeting, we have identi ed off-platform audiences that can be loaded into Facebook which may help to identify an interest-based lead similar to the types of leads previously identi ed.

An additional change that should help with this process is to supplement the existing Liturgical calendar campaigns with shorter evergreen campaigns that can run year around.

These campaigns could be geared around a speci c topic or goal (e.g. “Learn to Pray” or “Go Again”) and would be promoted as self-contained, limited duration courses (at the conclusion of these courses viewers would likely automatically be placed into the ongoing daily video series).

It is quite possible that such programs result in a source of lower cost leads. Further this yearround approach would help to diversify the risk associated with the success or failure of any individual campaign.

fi

fi

fl

fl

fi

fl

fi

fi

fi

fi

fi

fi

fl

fi

fi

13

Written by David Preudhomme, CEO DPC&S

Digital and Television

Acquisition Platforms - Media. In addition to the use of digital marketing, there are a variety of different options that could be considered by the media with respect to the use of narrowcast and broadcast media.

CTV. A developing platform that could be a very good t for TCGBDM when considering a lead acquisition campaign is Connected TV (CTV). CTV differs from traditional broadcast media in that where broadcast media pushes the same content to the tuned-in audience, CTV allows the delivery of speci c or dynamic content tailored to a targeted audience.

Through the use of CTV content, delivered primarily through Over the Top (OTT) platforms, the ministry could deliver a brief ad spot to a carefully identi ed audience. This audience can be selected on a number of demographic and psychographic characteristics.

Though TCGBDM could try CTV for immediate direct response (such as ordering a book or other resource) this platform seems best suited as an alternate lead generation platform for online content. The ad would encourage people to go to a sign-up page in order to receive daily video content. As is true for digital, the ad and campaign could be driven by the Liturgical calendar, by a speci c campaign (e.g. Learn to Pray) or as a dose of daily Biblical teaching and encouragement (the normally daily video).

OTO: The ministry could develop a One-Time-Only (“OTO”) or Infomercial style program as part of its donor acquisition efforts. In such a model the ministry would turn its strongest content into a single 28:30 length program. This stand-alone xed program would then be aired on a variety of different broadcast networks at different time-slots where each airing is evaluated, and repeated or not based on actual performance.

A successful OTO model that could be used for TCGBDM is to have a single OTO program broken up into 3 stand-alone segments. The segments could be on the same topic or have a slightly different message (one segment could be on Learn to Pray, the second segment on Go Again, and so on.)

For BDM, this platform would likely be used as a hybrid direct response / lead acquisition effort with the ultimate goal of securing low-cost leads. In that blended approach the program would have a direct response element such as a premium on the given topic (e.g. “Personal Prayer”) and it would have a direct recruitment for the Daily Video.

The direct response to the premium would offset the immediate airtime cost – and the true effectiveness of the program becomes the cost and quality of lead acquired through the program.

Broadcast Television. TCGBDM has already proven the ability to deliver compelling and professionally produced ministry content so the barrier to entry is not be as high for TCGBDM as it is for others because it is viewed as marketing and a name acquisition tool whereby Daily Devotionals are promoted for the viewer to become involved.

The Daily Devotionals show a strong return and have great stickiness holding people over a long period of time.

I was surfing the TV actually looking for a movie to watch & came across your program. It was so refreshing & so uplifting, so much wisdom in it & yet just real! I am a mother of 3 and raised Christian but for the last few years have been out of church & though I still pray as you were saying largely selfish prayers & though I have attended a few churches near where I live I haven't felt overly welcome or like the people often felt fake. I found both what you had to say and the heart in which you delivered it so refreshing & real!

Back

fi

fi

fi

fi

fi

14

HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS Written by Bruce Downes There are numerous elements all at play all at the same to time to bring a person to faith or reawaken faith within a person. While a spiritual action it can be seen and counted by the lives that are touched. To be able to do this on a large scale and reach the truly lost and disconnected it must be able to meet its own costs which it can. The following is a brief overview. It appears simple but it has taken over 30 years to learn mostly through trial, failure and then the hand of the Holy Spirit upon a person life.

Normally when a local Church advertises its activities, it is to those who already attend Sunday Church through announcements or its weekly news materials. Those who do not attend Church on the whole will never hear or have any way of hearing what is being offered at the Church.

The Church Bubble

What is offered may be incredibly good for people and done with the greatest of good intentions but if people have no way of hearing about it they will not be reached.

Most Churches are in their own bubble and the extent of their advertising is only to those in the ‘Church bubble.’ Think about your spouse and children. If they do not attend Church each week, will they hear the Gospel proclaimed or what is being offered? I repeat, think no further than those you love.

Marketing The rst step of ‘Proclamation Evangelization’ is to nd and then get the attention of a person so that they would ‘turn aside’ from what they are doing and look and listen to what is being offered. This is both a science and an art. It is deliberate and not accidental. It is ultimately a spiritual action.

Basic marketing and advertising is what is required. However, this has to be done in an intelligent manner through testing and various types of delivery. When I was inexperienced in Ministry, I thought printing a nice brochure or poster, putting an ad in the Church news bulletin or sending out an email was all that was needed. It was not. It was a complete waste of money. The only people who responded were the already faith- lled attending Church person. It did not reach the disconnected.

For example, in 2020 after rst testing the advertisements we spent $112,240 on Facebook looking for people. 33,109 people signed up to receive our Daily Devotional. It cost $3.39 to nd each person. Today, 41 months later, many have come to faith in Christ or renewed their faith. The effect of this is seen in their marriages renewed, healing of their lives, new careers begun, addictions overcome and even numerous people not committing suicide.

Since then, that group has contributed $531,755.80 and they continue to do so with many saying they want me to reach others just like I changed their lives when I introduced them to Christ.

fi

fi

fi

fi

fi

15

HOW CONVERSION WORKS Jesus invited us to come and see. To the Apostles, He said, “Come and follow me and I will make you…” Conversion happens over time most of the time. It does not mean that someone can be struck by the Holy Spirit and immediately believe. My experience shows that conversion happens over time.

Our goal is to get people into what we call THE CATHOLIC GUY MINISTRY ‘WORLD’ This is all the various types of content that we offer from daily to weekly and at irregular intervals.

It is delivered in different ways and on different topics from life application messages to help people in their everyday life, connecting faith to life, to deeply spiritual matters concerning prayer and re ection. It is listening to Scripture and the teaching of the Church from the Catechism to the documents of the Church. it is experiential and it is ‘very’ story-based. It is simple without being simplistic. People can consume whatever they choose at the frequency they want.

A mistake that we made when we rst started on television is that we thought the major purpose for being on television was to proclaim the Gospel. It is not. Television is rst and foremost marketing and advertising. It is a vehicle to get people into our world. The same is true with social media campaigns and other forms of marketing and advertising. What we have seen and learned: PRIVATE:

There are countless stories of people watching for a long time before they tell their family that they have come back to faith.

THEIR TIME

People come to faith or return to faith in their time. It cannot be rushed.

It as individual as there are people.

LOVE GET OUT OF THE WAY

These people must be loved, cared for with them as the focus.

It is not about the proclaimer of the Gospel it is about Christ. We must step aside and lead them to and leave them with Jesus.

FUNDING If you love the people you reach by leading them to Christ, they will give generously so that others also will know the faith they now have.

Back

fi

fi

fl

16

IN CONCLUSION _____

We have spent much prayer and time discerning God’s voice in this.

I have a great sense of obligation for what God has given me through what I have experienced and learned. Scripture says, Luke 12:48b (NJB), “That to whom much is given, much will be required.”

I also have a deep sense of obligation due to the sacri ce of our team. People do not know them. They are not staff, but as one Archbishop described them, they are modern-day missionaries. They have given much so that people would come to Christ and be a part of the Church.

With assistance, we will set up a home in the USA, establish an of ce and reach people across the nation and around the world, connecting them to parishes, faith communities and online ministries.

We will also expand our proclamation to reach more people online and on television.

There is one answer to the ills of our world and that is encountering and growing in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Bruce Downes The Catholic Guy

fi

fi

17

APPENDICES

18

EVANGELIZATION _____ METHOD

UNDERSTANDING EVANGELIZATION A crucial clari cation is to understand what is meant by the general concept of ‘Evangelization’ and what we understand ‘Proclamation Evangelization’ to be.

Evangelization has different meanings and or expressions in the Church. The ‘evangel’ means the Gospel. We are constantly having the Gospel proclaimed to us, whether through teaching, sermons, small groups, relationships, social functions, courses, etc. It is both environmental and academic in its nature. Many faith communities and ministries engage in this type of evangelization, with some Diocese even calling almost any activity that they do evangelization.

‘Proclamation Evangelization,’ which is what The Catholic Guy Ministry does, is declaring the Gospel in such a manner that it seeks a ‘conversion response’ in the person who hears it. It is a deliberate and purposeful proclamation. It takes time. It is not instantaneous but incorporates elements of a more traditional understanding of evangelization over time.

True conversion to Christ, which is someone coming to belief or re-awakening of belief is a miraculous move of the Holy Spirit.

DISCIPLESHIP EVANGELIZATION We might say that the next step in a person’s faith is ‘Discipleship Evangelization.’ This is taking the new or renewed believer and showing them how to incorporate faith into daily life. A person is not fully mature in faith just because they come to belief and have taken a step of personal faith.

People grow and mature spiritually over time. A key ingredient of this spiritual maturity is to learn to pray, whether sacramentally or personally, over time.

Without this, many people fall away again from faith. This is critical. The best place for discipleship is connecting with other growing Christian people with mature faith leading the way. This could be in a parish or local Ministry or online through a Ministry that disciples and forms people.

fi

19

THE PURPOSE OF PROCLAMATION EVANGELIZATION The purpose of ‘Proclamation Evangelization’ is that someone comes to their own encounter and therefore belief in God. Without this personal encounter with Christ, a person can easily fall away from faith.

A person’s faith response cannot be forced and does not work according to a timeline. People come to faith in their time.

The key ingredients to conversion and belief are: -

A clear outline of what faith is and who it is we believe in.

Allowing people to emotionally respond to Christ, so that their response comes from their heart.

It is the proclaimer witnessing to their faith and encounter with God so that the person being reached can explore faith for themselves.

Teaching and giving people experiences of prayer.

Conversion is: - A speci c decision point in time.

- not forcing or coercing a person to believe but letting them go at their pace while showing complete respect and love for them.

I thank the Lord for you! You kept me from suicide and put my feet back on the narrow path. Every day you give us a small doable bite, or invitation to grow. These bites turn out to be foundational and so strengthening. Keep up the good work.

Back

fi

20

LEADERSHIP _____ THE CATHOLIC GUY MINISTRY

THE LEADERSHIP TEAM As this Business Plan is predicated on Leadership and Management the following is a brief summary.

1. Senior Pastoral Leader - SPL a) He/She has oversight of The Catholic Guy Ministry to implement its calling to proclaim the glory of God to the ends of the earth through its various Ministry activities. b) He/She shall give such time to prayer and meditation upon the Word and Catholic Church teaching and so will be able to proclaim Christ and give direction at any meeting of the Ministry and organization. c) It shall be the duty of the Senior Pastoral Leader or his/her appointee to administer the ordinances of the Ministry and organization. d) He/She should be able to pray for the sick and those in need. e) He/She should be able to proclaim Christ and pray in public meetings, services and events in such a way that souls may be converted as a direct result of their ministry and proclamation. f)

He/She should deport themselves with proper dignity and sobriety in all godliness be tting the position of Senior Pastoral Leader of The Catholic Guy Ministry.

fi

21

Pastoral Leadership Team - PST a) The Pastoral Leadership Team exists to ensure that the will of God is consistently discerned and understood. Done in conjunction with the Senior Pastoral Leader this is the rst and major function of the Pastoral Leadership Team. This discernment of the Ministry and its activities with advice from the Management Team and Board is submitted to the Senior Pastoral Leader for rati cation and then implementation by the Management Team. b) The Pastoral Leadership Team continually spiritually re ect upon the Ministry, it’s atmosphere and its activities are in keeping with the current direction that is discerned in prayer. c) When required the Pastoral Leadership Team shall discern and by consensus and appoint a new Pastoral Senior Pastoral. The terms and responsibilities of the Senior Pastoral Leaders position shall be contained in an individual employment contract and a job pro le taken from the By-Laws of the Ministry. d) The Pastoral Leadership Team members shall be nominated by the Senior Pastoral Leader in consultation and endorsement of the other Pastoral Leadership Team members. e) Pastoral Leadership Team members shall clearly demonstrate a calling and spiritual gifting in accordance with Ephesians 4, 1Corinthians 12 and Titus 1. f)

Pastoral Leadership Team members shall be expected to cast vision, seek God with regular prayer and fasting.

g) The Pastoral Leadership Team shall submit agenda items to the Management Team. h) The Pastoral Leadership Team may be disciplined or dismissed from The Pastoral Leadership Team on the grounds of moral failure, inconsistent attitudes or actions of contention and division, or due to loss of reputation.

Management Team - MT a) The Management Team shall be comprised of the Senior Pastoral Leader and those responsible for the implementation of the Vision and Mission. b) The Management Team Leader shall be the Senior Pastoral Leader or a person delegated by the Senior Pastoral Leader. c) The Management Team Leader in consultation with the Senior Pastoral Leader will appoint the Management Team who have an obvious spiritual gifting and spiritual nature and are of good standing within the organization, the community and the Church. d) All members appointed to the Management Team Leader must be rati ed by a vote in favor of the appointment by the Pastoral Leadership Team. e) The Management Team shall appoint and delegate responsibility to whatever additional Teams it may deem necessary from time to time with each Team being provided clear written terms of reference and duration of appointment.

Divisions – D Marketing Donor Care Ecclesial Movement & Communities Leadership & Personal Discipleship Formation Growth, Operations & Capital Recruitment, Placement & Support Services

Back

fi

fi

fi

fl

fi

22

Reaching beyond those attending Church

23

DIGITAL_____ & TELEVISION Whenever you go to a restaurant or are on a plane, what do you constantly see? People alone or in groups are looking at the small devices in their hands, which are their phones. We might stop and think it is just young people who are like this, but it is not. Today, it is people of any age.

Phones are the source where people receive the majority of their information about what is happening in the world and how we communicate with each other. It is the FUTURE and as time goes by, we are only going to increasingly integrate this form of receiving information and communicating into our lives.

If we are to reach the people with the message of the Gospel we must nd them through the media using the latest technology before we present the Gospel.

A MAJOR MISTAKE When we began, we made the mistake of not realizing that the content presented digitally and through television is FIRSTLY marketing before it is proclamation.

In both our Social Media advertising and Television programs our goal is to have people register to receive our content so that they come into The Catholic Guy ‘World.’ It is here that we see conversion and life change.

Social Media Once our advertisements have been tested for the latest results, we will spend $50,000 per month on marketing. Combined with television we will recover our expenditure in month 29.

Television Television gives what social media does not. It gives credibility and helps expand the pro le of the Ministry. Again we will test for the latest responses and once we have the correct channels and times we will spend an additional $50,000 per month buying airtime.

As mentioned, these people will come into our ‘world.’

In summary, our data-driven nancial models project that TCGM will generate a net surplus by year 5 of $6 million available for further expenditure on outreach. This will be as a result of utilizing $2.2 million Seed Capital to generate, based on our current returns, $10.5 million revenue. This will see 1.33 million people register to receive The Catholic Guy content. This income will continue to grow year by year with the net surplus to have grown to $14M in seven years.

This does not include all non-registered viewers.

At the age of sixty odd, I WISH there was someone who had explained all of this to us the way you are Bruce. Perhaps as younger people we would have had a much deeper walk with God and not just gone through the motions year after year. Thank you for following what God has sent you to do.

Back

fi

fi

fi

24

Encountering the Presence of God

25

MISSION EVENTS

_____

“Reaching those we love who are disconnected from the Church”

“I cant even begin to put into words the event, but it has already altered my approach to each and every day.”

- Tina “fabulous event! I came with an open mind and leave with a renewed spirit.”

- Yvonne I was surprised at how much I got out of it.

My wife said to me after the first session, ‘You really got a lot out of that didn’t you?’

- John My experience of the Catholic Guy Event was uplifting, inspiring and enriching. I have since changed career into an area I prior did not think I was capable of.

- Michelle If you want to have a fire lit in your faith, in a totally non-threatening way, come and listen and laugh and pray with the Catholic Guy. - Chris

There is a power when the Gospel is proclaimed ‘live.’

It has always been so because the Holy Spirit works within the life of a person should they be open even slightly. Sounds very evangelical but this has been the experience of this ministry time and again from small events to the large.

The modern person is familiar with attending events, but a Church event aimed at proclaiming the Gospel has to be done in a special way if it is to be effective.

We engage methods that are associated with the business world and apply them to the proclamation of the Gospel.

If people are exposed to the ministry through the media and see the high quality there is a better chance they might attend an event. This means that the ‘brand’ of the ministry must be perceived as providing high quality from an information point of view with the additional factors of humor and community.

The events must be presented in a personal manner for the unchurched person with frequent references to their own lives so they nd meaning and relevance.

Events give the opportunity to expose people to the Church and its teachings. These events are based on respect and trust for the person who attends.

Thousands of people can testify to life changing power of God through the events of The Catholic Guy Ministry.

fi

26

MISSION EVENTS

_____

“Reaching those we love who are disconnected from the Church”

Mission Events are ‘In Person’ or ‘Live Streamed’ experiences for people who follow the Ministry.

The Catholic Guy Ministry has presented nearly 1,000 Mission Event Sessions.

Mission Events give people a live experience of who The Catholic Guy Ministry is.

It can completely changes people’s perception of the Ministry. They see the interconnection of all of the pieces of proclamation – conversion, prayer, and the role of media. Just as we saw at the recent Mission Event in Chicago, these events take what people see on screen and make it real in front of them. They become stronger followers of Christ.

For many people, the Mission Events are life changing experiences.

What is a Mission Event?

- They are moments of evangelization for new people.

- They are an opportunity for those who follow the Ministry to cement their faith experience through our media content.

- They give supporters of the Ministry an event they can bring people to.

Increases Financial Support: - Allows nancial supporters an opportunity to experience the Ministry.

- Enables people considering donating the chance to explore the Ministry.

- Becomes the seedbed for local Ministry Consortiums of nancially capable people who then offer their assistance nancially and materially.

- Causes people to come forward and offer their help in a variety of ways, including nancially.

Locations: Mission Events will be presented in hub or major cities such as Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, and Los Angeles.

Registrations and funds generated from these events will cover the cost of these events.

Back

fi

fi

fi

fi

27

_____

WESTERN AUSTRALIA Dear Bruce, thank you so much for the opportunity to watch this wonderful Mission Event in Chicago, from afar in Western Australia, as a livestream. It has taken me a week & a half to watch the sessions at different intervals, but so worth it. I felt as though I was present with everyone, & your messages were fantastic. I don’t think I had a dry eye in any of the sessions. These messages are too good to miss out on. God did show up as you promised. It must have been tremendous to actually be in attendance. God Bless you.

FLORIDA, USA It was truly a prayer answered to have this Mission Event go live stream from here in Florida. I wish everyone in the world could listen as it is truly what God wanted it to be.. unlocking hearts to be able to receive all God has for each individual a life truly worth living. Tears fell often.

NEW YORK, USA My daughter & I have just completed the Mission! The part about Forgiveness was an especially helpful experience’ Ever since I have developed low vision (AMD) I have used ‘The Catholic Guy to enrich my Catholic faith! Being able to experience the mission at home with my daughter Andrea was better together! I have encouraged many people to check out the Daily Devotions because I found the information I learned about how the Holy Spirit guides us to nd how we can live better lives through understanding God’s teachings! Thank yo to Bruce & all his staff for all your work!

ALBERTA, CANADA I was an attendee at the Chicago Mission event. What I have not shared with you is that I came to ask God for 2 miracles. The rst was for my 58 year old friend Louise, who had been diagnosed with lung cancer via pet scan. I just received a call from Louise who sent me her biopsy report and she has a fungal infection which is treatable with no sign of cancer. Bruce this is a miracle.

OHIO, USA I can’t tell you how much I loved the weekend and how much I got out of it! I feel like Rosemary in her talk. I am waiting for God to show me where He wants me to go or what He wants me to do. I sense that He is near and is waiting for the right moment. I just need to be patient. Bruce, I enjoy listening to you and the Daily Devotionals! I look forward to them everyday! I thank God for you and Rosemary and all the hard work you do and the sacri ces you make! You are making a HUGE difference in the world!! May God continue to bless you and Rosemary and your amazing ministry!!!

fi

28

fi

fi

TESTIMONIES - Mission Events

A Movement of Proclamation & Community 107 29

ECCLESIAL MOVEMENT _____ The Ministry constantly receives messages from people, around the world, wishing they were close to The Catholic Guy Center where local people gather in Community to participate in the Prayer Services where the recordings are done. The name of this Community is [Impacters].

[Impacters] are the people who have been reached through the proclamation of The Catholic Guy Ministry or people who experience the call of God to proclaim the Gospel in the spirit and with the heart of the The Catholic Guy Ministry. The Catholic Guy television program and online message is recorded every week at the Worship and Prayer Service of [Impacters].

The Ministry is building an international Community that people can belong to and attend in person or online around the world.

[Impacters] is not a replacement for parish or the Church but rather a service ministry to the Church to aid our life in the Church.

The Catholic Church calls this type of group an Ecclesial Community and if there are many communities, an Ecclesial Movement. Over the course of her rich history, the Church has evangelized through the work and ministry of both individuals and communities. As people desired to witness the love, unity, joy and truth of the Christian Gospel, those with similar visions and apostolate (ministry), missions gathered together in groups for support.

Saint Pope John Paul II called the new movements “expressions of the new springtime brought forth by the Spirit with the Second Vatican Council.” It was because of this that Pope Benedict XVI said of the character of these movements that “organic is more important than what is organized,” and that “it is no longer possible to think of the life of the Church of our time without including these gifts (Ecclesial Communities) of God within it.”

Such Church groups and movements “announce the power of God’s love, which in overcoming divisions and barriers of every kind, renews the face of the earth to build the civilization of love” (Saint Pope John Paul II, homily of the Mass for Pentecost, Sunday May 31st 2000).

These Ecclesial Movements exist to give members an outlet to actively practice their faith in the Church, and each group witnesses to Christ in a different way in the world, according to its speci c “charism” or gift given for service to the wider Church. These charisms are the sacred force that has motivated so many people over the generations. Today also, they are often the means by which Jesus continues to invite people discipleship.

Although God calls everyone to holiness, each person’s path to sanctity takes a different course, one that ts his or her temperament and talents. Those in Lay Ecclesial Movements live their baptismal call to discipleship through a speci c “charism” or gift proper (according) to the movement or community to which they belong. They practice distinctive ways of life and prayer.

Ecclesial Movements answer the call of Christ in a variety of ways, educational methods and apostolic methods and goals, and are united by the spirituality, apostolic mission, and particular outreach of their group or movement. The members are also vocationally varied, so that members with families, consecrated members, religious, priests and large numbers of young people all serve according to unique charisms.

fi

fi

fi

30

[Impacters] the home of The Catholic Guy Ministry is ONE Church family in MULTIPLE LOCATIONS around the world that SHARES the SAME VISION & MISSION. There are often leaders in many places that can gather and care for people, but they lack direction and the resources to sustain and build community.

Technology gives the Ministry the opportunity to share its calling, heart and method with others in distant locations.

Leaders are appointed by the Senior Pastoral Leader and Management Team in various locations who have either come forward themselves or have been asked by the Ministry to establish an [Impacters] venue. Leadership training in the Vision, Mission (spirituality) and Method is provided.

Locations can vary greatly from being a small group in a person’s home to larger gatherings in parishes and in local buildings.

Production and Administration staff will ensure that each location is provided on a weekly basis: -

31

Worship and Prayer music.

Local Gatherings.

Video Message.

LOCATIONS

_____

The Catholic Guy [Impacters} are regional locations where people can come together to pray and listen to the main weekly Message (talk) given by Bruce or one of the Team. Depending on leaders and those involved, people can run the weekly program supplied by the central of ce of The Catholic Ministry in a home, hall or in a Church where music, video content and the talk can be viewed together.

At these gatherings people are; • • • • •

Reached Encounter Jesus Christ Come into a life long personal relationship with Christ Experience Christian Community and are Reconnected to the sacramental life of the Church found in parishes.

[Impacters] can come in a variety of sizes based on local conditions: [IMPACTERS] Center • • •

An Impacters Center is a fully operational Church Community with all ministries that achieve the Purpose and Mission operating.

Central to their way of life is gathering for a time of worship and teaching.

Impact Groups are small groups within an Impact Center of people who gather to discuss the Message/Teaching during the week.

[IMPACTERS] Site •

An Impacters Site is a Church Community with limited ministries due to size that achieves the Purpose and Mission of The Catholic Guy Ministry.

• Central to their way of life is gathering for a time of worship and teaching. The Impact Group time may or may not be conducted as the same time immediately after the Message.

• Impact Groups are small groups within an Impacters Site of people who gather to discuss the Message/Teaching during the week.

[IMPACTERS] Group •

An Impacters Group is a small group of people in a parish or a group that meet in another venue and who listen to and discuss the weekly Message and re ection questions.

• They are group that forms themselves and the leadership is not appointed by The Catholic Guy Ministry but is supported by the Ministry.

• Back

fi

fl

32

LIVE & DELAYED SIMULATION Worship & Teaching _____

What is Live & Delayed Simulation?

Impacters Live Simulation is a type of video broadcast that keeps every online attendee in sync.

Impacters Live is a simulated live event where attendees join the event before it begins or as it is in progress, just like attendees at a physical event. So, if your event starts at 2 p.m., and an attendee logs on at 2:05 p.m., they'll join the event ve minutes in. They can do this from any location and from any device in multiple time slots.

Bene ts of simulated live stream vs on demand / live stream Live or Delayed Simulation create a cohesive community even though people are separated by computer screens and can be anywhere in the world. No matter where they're watching from, they can watch, chat about and react to the same content at the same time.

How does it work?

We record our event, upload the nal recording to a video hosting site (e.g. YouTube) and input the video into a live streaming platform (LSP).

The attendee visit’ the live page on our website and would be greeted with either a countdown to the next event, or a video stream of the event wherever it was up to.

Hosting Viewers have the option to watch the content with Hosts who have been trained to lead and pray with them. TCGM has trained Hosts in the USA, UK, Canada, Singapore and Australia.

Dear Bruce, First of all thank you for allowing me the privilege of sharing in this Mission/Event. One of the first prayers I prayed when God introduced me to your ministry was that I would be able to attend one of your missions and though not in person it was just as effective online. As I watched the 5 day event God has once again met me where I am and relit the ashes of faith as I dreamed as a young man of 20 that God would use me to heal and restore. Now as a widowed father of two teenagers I once again am believing God that He will use me in the way I dreamt long ago. Thank you again for your faithfulness in Gods work and may He bless you and yours. Amen and Amen.

fi

fi

fi

33

Back 34

Faith Builders

35

LEADERSHIP & BUSINESS CONSORTIUMS Faith Builders _____

Leaders and Businesspeople express their interest in supporting The Catholic Guy Ministry in a variety of ways with their wisdom, experience, connection and resources. For many it is an opportunity to get close to The Catholic Guy Ministry and as they do are often deepened in their personal faith or brought to faith in Christ themselves.

We call these people Faith Builders because that is what they are doing, ‘building faith in people.’

Some people have a heart to bring Christ to the world, others to the nation and others to their local region. We have the ability to target our marketing to their part of the USA and conduct Mission Events in their region.

The Catholic Guy Ministry has been built and developed from it’s very inception by Leaders and Businesspeople.

As The Catholic Guy Ministry grows it will seek to establish regional, national and international consortium of supporters and businesspeople to support marketing efforts, training and evangelistic outreaches in the United States and Australia. When the Ministry began in both countries it did not have people to be a apart of this. It does now.

Faith events aimed at Leaders and Businesspeople are designed to reach and grow people in faith.

The Catholic Guy Consortium will provide Capital for the following: -

Events: Fund events completely or fund the events in advance before income from registrations is received.

-

New Name Acquisition: Fund digital marketing campaigns (international, national, or regional to acquire new people.

-

Operational Costs: Cover ongoing expenses, including salaries, of ce space, technology infrastructure, and content production.

Back

fi

36

Equal Vision Equal Commitment

37

We all familiar with the concept of volunteering. In the Church it is not unheard of to hear it said that someone has a ‘Servant Heart,’ meaning they lay down their life in order that others would be blessed.

If The Catholic Guy Ministry is to achieve its vision around the world, it needs more staff who are committed to the ful lment of the Vision. Ministries as they are growing sometimes do not have the nancial resources to pay for the staff that they need. It is here that people discern the calling to give their lives in the service of Christ.

The Scriptures is replete with the call to servanthood. While it is just and fair to compensate people for their labor when that is their need, the Scripture also teaches us about laying down our lives for others and giving without the expectation of return and of putting others rst before ourselves.

The distinction between volunteering and servanthood for no discernment. What is God asking of you?

nancial compensation is

Bruce Downes, for much of his Ministry career, has not drawn a wage. Rosemary and he discerned with others the calling of God to proclaim Christ. Without it being widely known, he worked as if he was paid telling few people he was not. Rosemary worked and provided the income to meet the needs of the family as Bruce prayed, trialled and developed what today is referred to as ‘Proclamation Evangelization.’ This was a discerned calling and was not in any way volunteering. Other members of The Catholic Guy Staff have done the same as the Ministry has grown.

As Bruce says, ‘We respect the calling upon a person's life and not the capacity of the Ministry to pay a wage.’

Most people who work as a Self-Funded employee of the Ministry, do so because they have the means to meet their responsibilities to their loved ones and themselves. Others work in a BiVocational manner meaning in other employment as well.

This counter-cultural living to the world’s values has brought the Ministry to experience the presence of God very powerfully.

Paid and Self self-funded ministry workers work side by side with no reference being made to income. You would never know if you met our team who was paid and who was not.

All staff are: - Committed to the Vision and Mission of The Catholic Guy Ministry and its ful llment.

- Committed to daily Personal Prayer and the reading of Scripture.

- Committed to and supportive of the visionary leadership given by the Senior Pastoral Leader and the Leadership Teams in prayer, word and action.

- Committed to and supportive of the structures, strategies and methods of operation of The Catholic Guy Ministry.

- Committed to building positive relationships within the life of The Catholic Guy Ministry family.

- Committed to attending Sunday Services, Members meetings and Leadership gatherings.

- Committed to personal and spiritual development through the discipline of prayer, knowledge of the Word and the practice of the Sacramental life of the Church. Giving in keeping with the teaching, living a life of openness and tenderness and growing in the teaching of The Catholic Guy Ministry.

- Committed to keeping con dentially and following the biblical pattern of Mathew 18 in dealing with areas of con ict.

- Committed to working for The Catholic Guy Ministry in attitude, heart, energy and mutually agreed hours as if a fully funded employee.

- Committed to a life of witness that will not bring the Church Community into disrepute.

Back

fi

fi

fi

fi

fl

38

fi

fi

SELF FUNDED /_____ BI-VOCATIONAL STAFF

Deliberately Sharing Christ 39

EMPLOYED _____STAFF DONOR CARE STAFF The nancial supporters of the Ministry make it possible for us to proclaim Christ as widely as do.

They give spiritually, sacri cially and generously to enable the Ministry to be effective in this endeavor.

In most cases, their lives have been changed and affected by the Ministry. Their central desire is that we continue to reach new people and at the same time minister to them.

Most seek nothing else but they do want to be treated with thankfulness and respect by The Catholic Guy Ministry responding to their questions questions, prayer requests and listening to them.

This is a signi cant task. It cannot be overstated how important this is.

MARKETING & ADVERTISING STAFF In the USA, there are over 17,500 Catholic parishes in the USA alone. On top of this are parishes in countries around the world where the content of The Catholic Guy Ministry is distributed and seen.

On top of this, there are countless more groups and organizations in the Church.

Imagine if we had someone or a team to tell them about the Proclamation content that we already make and that we can deliver to them for free around the world.

As we operate by series on various topics, for example, the Lent series, the Holy Spirit series, the Walking Daily with God series, the Overcoming Your Giant series etc., These can be promoted and new people can sign up to participate at the start of each new series.

Many parishes and groups will happily advertise our upcoming series in their weekly Church materials but only if we tell them.

This will bring in considerable new people and the cost is minimal as it can be done mainly through email. We have found this to be the case in the past, but it needs to be done consistently.

We hear stories of people who came to The Catholic Guy Ministry from hearing about it from their Parish Priest.

We will employ a person whose focus will be tell people of our content and the fruit of the Ministry.

Back

fi

fi

fi

40

41

USA - BASE_____ OF OPERATIONS

The in uence of the United States of America in the world is unparalleled in terms of its in uence and its capacity for good.

The Catholic Guy Ministry started in Australia and then was invited to the USA. The Ministry now has registered participants in every state of the country and since starting in the USA has spread from the USA to 183 countries around the world.

Bruce Downes spends his time between Australia and the USA. TCGM will establish an ef cient multi-purpose base of operations in the USA providing for staff, leadership training, marketing and a recording space for regular recordings such as the Daily Devotionals.

With this Business Plan, the Ministry will grow and expand in the USA and from there across the globe.

Bruce will be more available to US staff, the US companies that work with the Ministry in marketing and distribution as well as activities such as the Mission Events, the Leadership and Business Consortiums and Impacters Ecclesial Movement.

This is a major move by the Ministry and will have a signi cant impact as the Ministry grows its operations.

Thank you Bruce for your wonderful message today. I pray for my children all the time, but as you say, I know God will turn their minds in His own time. May the good Lord care and watch over you, who is able to reach out to so many. Know that you are blessed and is Gods’ instrument to reach us all. I pray for all who are praying for their children. May God bless them all. Amen.

Back

fl

fi

fi

fl

42

WHY IS THIS CATHOLIC MINISTRY EFFECTIVE IN SHARING CHRIST? The following pages reference some of the history, theory and learnings of the Ministry.

Additionally, it contains testimonies from people who have been affected by the Ministry which is the way the Ministry assesses its effectiveness in proclaiming Christ.

43

will they come to faith?

Like all parents, Rosemary and I want our family to be safe and happy, to be productive members of society, to grow as people in the use of their gifts and talents and to be able to take up life’s opportunities.

BUT MORE THAN THIS We want our family to have faith in God and a relationship with God that is the constant throughout their lives in the inevitable highs and lows that will come.

We cannot give them anything better than faith.

In countries like the United States of America, just 22% of all Catholics attend Church, with the percentage being just 10% or below in Australia and this is dropping.

We must share Christ with every person no matter what Church they come from, whether they attend Church or have no faith at all.

What will it be like for our grandchildren in the future?

We want them to have faith but who will share faith with them unless we go, unless I go?

Back 44

HOW I CAME TO FAITH I came that you might have life and have it to the full.

John 10:10 This Ministry came about because of a journey and calling that I experienced after a Discalced Carmelite priest named Fr Des Williamson shared the love of Christ with me in a manner I understood when I was a teenager. He led me to commit my life to Jesus Christ. He showed me step by step how to respond to God and exempli ed to me a life dedicated to Christ. He loved the Church and the Scriptures and he passed that love onto me.

My siblings and my fellow class members from the Catholic schools I attended, on the whole, were ceasing participation in Church as the years went by. The values of society seemed to speak to them more than Christ and the richness of the Church that I had been introduced to.

The World Within a couple of years, all I could hear in my conscience was an urging to share this faith with others and nd ways to do so that the modern person would hear and respond to it.

‘Proclaim My glory to the ends of the earth,’ were the words that kept coming to me as a young man when I prayed. I simply could not get past this phrase, but how could I do that?

For a number of years, I worked for the Archdiocese of Perth in Australia, a far-off place to most places in the world.

It was over years that Godly Bishops and Priests within the Church encouraged me in this calling to proclaim Christ, to study, and nd new and different ways of proclaiming Christ that would penetrate into the world while being completely faithful to the teaching of the Church and its tradition.

This all led to years of trial and experimenting.

I could write volumes on what our team and I have tried and failed at. These times of growth led to nding ways of reaching people through words, images and events that I could not have imagined years ago.

People need to be loved enough that we would persist for them so they would come more deeply into relationship with God.

45

fi

fi

fi

fi

13

I am very grateful for the good work that Bruce Downes and The Catholic Guy Ministry have done in parishes in the Archdiocese of Sydney to deepen faith and a spirit of prayer among Catholics.

Emeritus Cardinal George Pell Archbishop of Sydney

From my youngest days, it has been multiple Catholic priests and then, in time, Bishops who have urged me to follow Christ and encouraged and welcomed the Ministry into their Parishes and Dioceses.

Fr Des Williamson, a Discalced Carmelite priest, shared faith with me as a young teenager. At rst, he shared faith with me in a manner that I understood and he urged me to give my life to Christ and to His service. None of this would have occurred if it was not for Fr Des who taught me to pray, passed on his love of Scripture to me, and often spoke to me about being open to being used by God for His purpose. He is a humble man who is my ‘St Paul.’ I owe him everything as my life has been completely affected by him sharing faith with me as a young boy.

Fr Joseph Parkinson, a young priest in his mid-thirties, was the Chaplain of Catholic Youth Ministry in Perth, who met me when I was a young married man and urged me to seek after what God was asking of me. He has been a mentor and educator and is responsible for an enormous amount of this Ministry that exists all over the world today.

Bishop Bob Healy, the Auxiliary Bishop of Perth, Western Australia, strongly wanted for me to be employed by the Archdiocese and it was Archbishop Bill Foley who welcomed me and put me in Ministry.

Archbishop Barry Hickey encouraged me and put up with trials, failures and successes in trying to reach people.

He approved and blessed the television program after it originated through prayer at the Vatican. I still remember the day in his of ce when he said to me prophetically, “People are leaving the Church. You must keep going and nd a way.” I often think of his words. It was also Archbishop Hickey who asked me to go to parishes and give Parish Missions. I remember saying to him in return, “No one will come to hear me.” He was right and I was very wrong. Tens of thousands of people in parishes across the country came.

I rst met Archbishop Mark Coleridge when he was the Archbishop of Canberra, the nation’s capital in Australia.

He has been a guide and mentor to me over the past twenty years. Many of the important decisions such as the naming of the Ministry, commencing in the USA and much more have occurred after consultation with him. The Archbishop's effect upon my life has subsequently affected countless numbers of people that have been reached around the world.

God uses people to speak to us at different times in our lives and He did this through Archbishop Timothy Costelloe. It was at a time when we had been working hard exploring how to adapt to new ways of proclamation and how it needs to be done to be effective in our modern world. Various approaches we had tried had not worked. The Vatican II documents, the Decree on Mission Activity of the Church: Ad Gentes, says of the Missionary person “He must be persevering in dif culties, patient and strong of heart in bearing with solitude, fatigue, and fruitless labor.” The Archbishop spoke to me powerfully about how God works and I remember leaving a meeting feeling as if God had been talking to me. It was from this meeting that the international expansion of the Ministry began. I owe him much even though I suspect he does not know just how much he did to shape the future.

Cardinal George Pell, during his time as Archbishop of Sydney, was a great encouragement to me, welcoming my team and I to Sydney. Without him, the Ministry may not have spread as far as it has.

Bishop Peter Ingham came into my life and with his pastoral heart and encouraged and believed in me and our Ministry Team very strongly. Bishop Richard Reed in Boston, USA invited us to put our program on the Catholic Television Network where many people have encountered it. He has been very encouraging.

fi

fi

fi

Countless priests are friends, advisors and participants in this Ministry of proclamation and have contributed to its development and effectiveness.

fi

fi

GOD USED BISHOPS & PRIESTS

46

SPIRITUALITY OF THE evangelizer Proclamation is more than just information or telling another person of the love of God; it is doing it in such a manner that it leads a person to yield the governance of their life to Jesus Christ.

It is where faith becomes personal, real, powerful and practical in the day-to-day of a person’s life.

It happens at the spiritual, cognitive and emotional level within a person.

It is what is called conversion.

This proclamation is not a style that is loud or soft, academic or emotional, but rather a conviction in the proclaimer that what they have experienced and come to know as true, can be a reality in another person’s life that will bring them complete and total ful lment in life as they encounter Jesus Christ.

“Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.”

First Encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI, God is love

The proclaimer knows that God is the convertor of hearts and not themselves. Still, nonetheless, this conviction that the proclaimer brings expressed in words and a life devoted to Christ causes a person to question and ultimately come to faith themselves through their own personal surrender inspired by the work of the Holy Spirit.

The key to a proclaimer’s effectiveness in evangelization is diligent prayer, the Sacraments, sacri cial service and the recognition that they must always decrease so that Christ can take root and take over a person's life.

Here, the Sacraments, which are powerful moments of encounter with God, transform and nourish our lives through the receiving of grace.

This grace causes us to be what we could never be by ourselves. It is here that we share in the life of God.

fi

fi

47

Emeritus Bishop Peter Ingham Bishop of Wollongong South West Sydney

Bruce and Rosemary Downes have literally capitalised on the power of the media to go out and make disciples of all nations with the life saving message of Jesus Christ and sewing seed of faith, of hope and of love in the hearts of people.

Where The Catholic Guy Ministry has come to in the last 10 years is amazing. It is providentially a work of the Holy Spirit. How else do you explain a work that has been committed to spreading the word of God, that has been prayed over and put into God’s hands, has been blessed by the support of numerous dioceses, committed lay people and church organisations, a work that has been tested and tried by sacri ce, hard work, and despite the hardship, the disappointments and the changing circumstances when there seemed to be a lack of great tangible results.

And yet the dream to proclaim Jesus Christ to the world in our modern times using the available powerful, means of communications is bearing fruit in the way that seeds that are sown by prayer and nancial generosity and hard work of so many are now beginning to sprout and to blossom and for this we bless God. So I congratulate you Bruce and Rosemary for your perseverance and your trust in God’s providence.

fi

fi

48

Prayer is what is the driving force behind THE CATHOLIC GUY APOSTOLATE. The Engine Room Prayer T.E.A.M. is not a new idea or even a new name, but it is the secret behind the great renewals through history in the Church.

The ‘Engine Room’ of this Ministry is prayer.

People from all over the world have committed to pray for this Ministry.

Our world is so desperate for renewal and what will bring it about is a crying out to God that we have witnessed time and again through the Sacred Scriptures and through the history of the Church since Christ; “Lord Come to Us. Send Your Holy Spirit.”

THE WORK OF PRAYER The reason it is called ‘the work of prayer’ is because it has an aspect to it of being a task, a commitment, a job that we all commit to undertaking on behalf of others. In effect, it is an invitation extended from the Ministry and now accepted by people, to be like Christ and to pour their lives out, expressed through their time and heart, in praying for people they have not met so that they would encounter Christ more deeply or even for the rst time.

IN THE ENGINE ROOM Being ‘in the Engine Room’ simply refers to the FACT that prayer releases the power and presence of God upon the people who will watch or listen to our media and or participate in various events because it shows our need and dependence upon God for His blessing.

Those in the Engine Room are the ‘powerhouse’ beneath this Ministry.

FROM ALL OVER In our Ministry, T.E.A.M. means Together Everyone At Mission. The Bible teaches us that we are part of a mystical body where all of us are given spiritual gifts by God to contribute with. Some sing, others bring their administrative gifts to bear on the events, others welcome and bring the gift of hospitality, others operate cameras and technical equipment, others contribute their nances or resources, others comfort, some speak but what those in the Engine Room will do in the BODY IS PRAY.

fi

fi

4953

The secret to our ministry is an international group of people who have speci cally committed to praying for The Catholic Guy Ministry. We call them the ENGINE ROOM PRAYER TEAM - It all starts with prayer.

Thank you Bruce, Rosemary and Team. I have a sense of excitement that God is working through you. Be assured that I want to join in praying with the members of the T.E.A.M. I pray that the Holy Spirit will anoint, gift and empower each one of us. I nd the material you send us is very powerful and lifegiving. God bless.

You and your team have become a blessing to hundreds and thousands of people throughout the world. Not only have you rekindled the faith in lapsed Catholics, but members of other denominations have followed you; people have found a deeper level of prayer and have grown in their relationship with God. How wonderful that God has made you His instrument here on earth. I pray with all my heart that Catholic Today will be a modern day revelation!! May God bless you all in abundance.

Thank you Lord for the privilege of being part of the TEAM within the Engine Room. I commit to praying daily. Lord prop me up if I falter. I look forward to the JOY of the success in enabling others to come closer to you and to be open your powerful \ love.

Dear Bruce and Rosemary, I have continued praying for you and your ministry these past weeks. I take being part of the Engine Room very seriously. It has given me a connection to the body of Christ I never had before.

Thank you Bruce, Rosemary and Team. I have a sense of excitement that God is working through you. Be assured that I want to join in praying with the members of the T.E.A.M. I pray that the Holy Spirit will anoint, gift and empower each one of us especially on the beautiful feast of Pentecost. I nd the material you send us is very powerful and life-giving. God bless.

Dear Bruce, Thank you so much for the email. I am so proud to be part of ENGINE ROOM TEAM. You have shown me the way to meaningful prayer. You have changed my life.

My prayer life has been changing since watching the rst Lent broadcast this year my faith is deepening and my joy in knowing how much God loves me is wonderful. I have felt honored and privileged to be part of the Engine Room Team and rejoice that I can be an intercessor for others and feel close to those I do not know but am praying with and for. This is a gracious gift.

Thank you for this opportunity to pray with you and all others for God’s blessings throughout this mission. I commit myself to this serious endeavor and pray for your continued growth and witness to all who attend as well as for diligence for all who are praying with us.

fi

fi

50

fi

fi

ENGINE ROOM PRAYER T.E.A.M.

FOUND YOU ON TELEVISION People mistakenly think they found us accidentally, but we were searching for them. It was no accident.

The reason I’m writing to you guys is because yesterday I came across your show on television and I don’t know how to put it into words because it felt like it was meant for me.

I just happened to be watching television today and came across your program, “The Catholic Guy.” Imagine how blessed I feel. Praise God for your program. I now have a program to watch every week.

Thank you for your ministry Bruce I found you through Facebook months ago and I’m so very thankful for how my life has been blessed this Lent through your messages and prayers.

I found you on the web in my darkest time as my husband was dying – thank you and God bless you.

Thank you Bruce and your ministry for all the help you have been given me, since I found you on the internet after I had to leave my job of 32 years. I do go to Church, but listening to you it’s so so different, I have learn so much more with you, and can truly tell that I am so much closer to God. Again thank you for all do!!

Good morning Bruce, I am so grateful to God that I found you on Youtube in February of this year by accident, I’m learning so much as a Catholic, you are an inspiration to my faith, so I thank God for what you and your ministry are doing for so many people around to world, bring them closer to God, the Son and Holy Spirit, my list of people that need prayers is very long so will keep it short.

I was channel sur ng one day and I came across your show and was hooked from the rst episode. I thank you so much for your ministry. It means so much to me being in prison with no Catholic service.

I came across your program on television on Sunday. Thank you.

fi

fi

5153

hearing afresh while older At the age of sixty odd, I WISH there was someone who had explained all of this to us the way you are Bruce. Perhaps as younger people we would have had a much deeper walk with God and not just going through the motions year after year. Thank you for following what God has sent you to do. God bless you all.

I am 70+, and if I had heard this in my twenties maybe my life would have turned out very differently. But, better late than never!

I think you showed up on my Facebook feed from our Diocese – not even sure now! So glad I found you. I agree with the letter you just read about the gentleman who wished he had known this as a young person. I agree. I think that is why we have lost so many people in the Catholic church. They don’t really get it. Hard to really understand what the bible is telling us unless you take in a bible study or listen to someone like you. Thank you for what you do. I have forwarded your website to a few of my friends – I hope they are watching!!

I too am wondering why I did not nd someone like you before. I often look up help with guidance.

That is how I found you. I sure wish I knew you were talking when my children were young and still part of our “church” experience. Anyway, you give me hope.

Your message is expressed in a language and communication style that makes faith accessible and understandable. This is so true and at this late stage of my life, I'm beginning to understand my castle size more than ever. I go to daily and Sunday Mass and am involved in a number of voluntary roles, but sometimes I feel more like Martha rather than Mary as it is more about ‘attendance.’ However, your talks have given me a new perspective towards my whole faith. I wish something like this had been around when I was younger. I am from the era when the Bible was not really studied (even though I went to a Catholic school), apart from the readings and homilies at Mass so your series has opened my eyes to so many aspects of my faith, in particular the Holy Spirit. Thank you.

I’m in my 60s and just found you during Lent.

Would have been great if you'd come around sooner! But you're here now. The thing I like most about you is that you all the way on the other side of the world and you bring that Aussie down to earthiness to a faith that can sometimes be misunderstood because of a self righteous air of some. You came along when I was feeling more or less abandoned by clergy in general. This pandemic has not brought out the best of people.

I found a lot of people have let fear guide them at a time when we needed courageous leaders.

I nd that in you..

fi

fi

5212

THE CHURCH IS NOT HEARD Proclaiming Christ today demands new ways of sharing faith are adopted and, most critically, that the modern person is understood and respected.

People come to truth and faith today differently than they did just a few decades ago.

One of the reasons for this is that people under forty years of age, and even more so, teenagers and young adults are not hearing what the Church is saying because the Church speaks in a manner from a past era.

Its language, in terms of images, examples and feel are often not relevant.

Put simply, we might describe it this way.

If we were to go back only forty years ‘truth’ was given to us. People believed more quickly what parents, guardians and authority gures in society, as well as the Church, had to say. There were norms, standards and values that people held to because that is what had happened in the past.

This does not mean people did not wrestle with authority, but their ght or argument was for different reasons than it is now.

Today, we do not care so much that a child knows that two times two equals four, so much as they know how to use technology to get the right answer.

There are exams both at school and at university where you do not have to get the right answer but rather show why you think what you think and if you argue your case well then you will get a good grade.

The fact that it might be right or wrong does not matter.

The reason for this is that a slow change has occurred over the past few decades.

The underlying value in society today is, ‘Do whatever you want as long as you are not hurting anyone.’ Your rights and your thoughts are supreme.

In other words, we have all become the arbiter of our own truth today. The world is saying to us that what we believe and want to do is ok.

Now, on the one hand, we can argue that it is right to respect the individual, but when that opinion comes up against truth that is ‘unchangeable,’ there is a problem.

There are two kinds of truth; Subjective and Objective Truth.

Subjective Truth is based on what we individually believe to be true. Simply, we might say it is our opinion.

Objective Truth, on the other hand, is truth that is outside of ourselves because it is fact. It is true no matter whether you believe it or not, what culture you are from, or what time you live in.

For example, a Subjective Truth is that my sports team is the best team regardless of whether it wins the trophy because it just is.

It is not based on fact but on opinion and feeling.

An example of an Objective Truth is that a person cannot stay alive long-term underwater unaided. They will die. It does not matter whether a person agrees with this or not. It is true regardless of personal opinion.

Christian belief, on the whole, is regarded as Objective Truth. It is true regardless of whether a person agrees with it or not.

However, the values of the world are subjective when it comes to faith.

For example, the Scriptures and the Church tells us that there are three persons in the Trinity; The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This is an Objective Truth.

Younger people, when told this, because of education and conditioning from within society, have one response on the whole and it is this: “I am glad you think that. Let me think about it and I will tell you if I agree.”

We must remember that today the world says that the individual is the arbiter of truth.

This is not true. Christ is the arbiter of truth.

The Church needs to present the truth of the Gospel without compromise while also having the wisdom to know its audience’s capacity to hear and comprehend and therefore adjust its communication so as to lead a person to Christ.

“I get a lot of spiritual insight out of this man of God. I used to be Catholic. I made my Holy Communion and Con rmation when I was a child.

If I would have had gotten this kind of teaching, then, I would never have left the Catholic Church.

fi

fi

fi

53

TRANSCENDENT LANGUAGE LOSS Right now, with the rise of rampant secularism (godlessness), we are losing language to express transcendent values. What do I mean by this? We live in a world today where language is about being successful and high achievement. Much of it is based on the practicals of how to do things, facts and is analytical in nature.

Transcendent language expresses that which is hard to de ne, such as love, joy, dreaming, hope, pain, fear and suffering.

This type of language and the feelings which connect with our deepest self as a person are often expressed through faith and religion. As more and more people drop away from faith, this transcendent language, which has been our own code or dialect, we might say among the Christian community, is being lost, forgotten or never learned in the rst place in our faith communities. What is happening is that we are losing our own language to express the values and experiences we have that are at the core of what it is to be a human and spiritual being.

Faith and human experience, therefore, are being analyzed using language and concepts that cannot interpret it.

Today our singers and poets are communicating these transcendent values and inner experiences. Therefore, people often ock to these storytellers in massive numbers so that their inner experiences can be expressed in a language they can relate to. These experiences were once the domain of the Church and our faith to express. I recently watched a huge pop concert on television and as the singer shared their stories and the crowd listened in rapt awe, it crossed my mind, ‘Was I in Church?’

CHANGING VALUES Some suggest that to bring people back to God and Church, we change the core teaching of the Church to be more accommodating of the world’s values. But can truth be changed as society’s values change? No, it cannot. Truth is given by God. What will happen when society’s values change in the future again because they will? Do we change the truth of the Church’s message again to be acceptable to an audience that seeks to have their ears tickled by what they want to hear? Surely not.

Other people suggest that rigidity and blind adherence to rules or what can be called fundamentalism will bring everyone rushing back, or at the very least, it will maintain a pure few in the real faith until the Church booms again in the future. But is this love or Christian maturity? For example, Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee who stood at the front of the temple and said, ‘I keep all the rules. I am not like this tax collector up the back.’ The tax collector stood at a distance and beat his breast and said, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner.’ It was the tax collector who went home justi ed. Luke 18:9-14.

fi

fi

fi

fl

54

CHALLENGE OF SHARING FAITH 1

This diagram represents a scale of the receptivity of a person to God and Church. 10 is the point of personal belief.

2

In a past era reaching people who had dropped out of Church and their relationship with God were easier to reach than it is now. We might say people were already 6 to 7 on a scale of 0 to 10 of receptiveness. If a Parish Mission was held or a Billy Graham evangelistic style event came to town it did not take much to get people re-involved again in their faith.

3

Today in the current era, receptivity to God is much lower. We might say it is a 2 to 3 on a scale of 0 to 10.

When a Parish Mission or a Billy Graham evangelistic style event comes to town, it is far more rare to get a person to go from where they are to full re-involvement in their faith. The jump from where they are is just too great.

fi

55

4

People tend to take small steps back to faith and not the giant leap from where they are as it is too great a jump. This requires an entirely different process of conversion and change. It takes time, and on the whole, the average Catholic is not equipped to know how to engage in this process and walk a person back into faith. This thwarts most of our efforts and greatly disheartens committed Christians in their outreach efforts.

5

If we can re-involve someone in their faith and they decide to become serious about it then what is quickly discovered is that they received the Sacraments before they were converted to believing and owning their faith for themselves. In other words, they know very little. As is very commonly said in the USA, the Sacrament of Con rmation is the Sacrament of Exit.

6

FORMATION BECOMES CRITICAL

Formation in the basics of faith becomes critical and this is not easy as any type of intellectual and heart transformation for the modern person takes time. It is here that we the proclaimer has a role in keeping a person engaged and interested in their faith. By providing 24/7 connection to the Church, we must support a person in their home and on their devices, in their faith while the local parish or church community walks with a person through this time of conversion.

LEADING A PERSON TO FAITH TODAY

We need to include these ways when we share the Message of the Gospel with the modern person: 1. STUDY & OBSERVATION: It is essen al to recognize and embrace the changes needed in our communica on and presenta on style that is required today to share faith in our modern world. This means we must study how people are trained and condi oned to think and hear in our modern world. When we understand this, we can develop our ways of communica ng and be far more personal.

2. CONVICTION: It is impera ve that the communicator/preacher/evangelist is deeply and overtly convicted about their faith and presents it as such. The whole me they are saying to the person they are speaking to, “this is me. This is what I believe and hold to be true.” This convic on and certainty are vital because this is precisely how people in the world are trained and condi oned where they are also saying this is what I believe and who I am. So o en, we Catholic and Chris ans are apologe c for our convic ons. People today are condi oned to everyone having their strong opinions.

3. LOVE & RESPECT: It is impera ve that the communicator of faith has a deep love of people regardless of their faith stage and whether they agree with you or not. The bo om line is, ‘do we love them enough to want them to have the faith we bear and not just the opinions we have?’ It is not their fault necessarily that they do not believe. It could be the case that no one has ever loved them enough to go to the e ort to share it in a manner that they can understand.

4. MAKE THE CHURCH’S ARGUMENT: Share what the Church’s teaching is for your belief as expressed through the Tradi on and Scripture in as relatable a way as you can. Talk in your words about your convic on.

Remember most people are not trained in Church academics of Theology or Doctrine but in their eld of exper se. When you have shared, walk away.

5. MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT: Present your personal reasons for what you believe but do not expect that the person listening will respond posi vely and accept your posi on just because you said it. Give solid, informed reasons for your faith and walk away.

6. TELL YOUR STORIES: Be prepared to share your life through your stories. Tell of your personal encounter with God. Why you believe. What di erence it has made to you.

This requires vulnerability and honesty. When you have done this, walk away.

7. SHARE YOUR CONVICTION: By making your argument and by telling your stories you are sharing your beliefs and the convic ons that you carry. This is what a ects a person's life as they come face to face with a person of faith who is most o en a person just like them.

Someone who is frail and very human and yet deeply convicted of who God is for them and for all of humanity. This convic on leads them to ask the subjec ve ques on, “Do I want this for my life?” Once you have shared this, walk away.

8. WHAT DO I MEAN ‘BY WALK AWAY?’ Walk away means having presented all the evidence that we can for our belief and having shown our convic on and told our in mate personal stories of encounter with Christ; we then need to leave the person to their thoughts and the processing of what has been presented to them. They may come to faith instantly or it could take months or longer to do so. The reason for ‘walking away’ is that this is how people process thought in the modern world. But they are not alone…

9. THE HOLY SPIRIT: By giving people space we need to pray that the Holy Spirit works in the person's heart, mind and spirit. We are not the one who brings about conversion. God brings about conversion. We are simply the evangelizer, ushering people toward God. 10. STAY CLOSE, WITNESS & REPEAT: Stay close to the person you are sharing with so that they can hear again and again from you not just by your words as you go forward but by the ‘sound’ of your ac ons. For most people, one sharing is not enough. This is why evangelizing television and media is so powerful.

11. PRAY: It is God who changes hearts and He holds them precious to Him because of His love.

ti

ti

ti

ti

ti

ti

ti

ti

ti

ti

ti

ti

ti

ti

ti

ti

ti

ff

ff

ti

ti

ti

ti

ti

ff

ti

ft

ti

ft

ti

ti

fi

tt

56

THEY COME VERY SLOWLY The Catholic Guy Team crafted a well thought out Brochure to announce that a Catholic Guy Outreach Event was being held for people who did not go to Church or who wanted more from their faith.

The brochure addressed people’s concerns and issues and also what they could expect if they chose to attend the weekly outreach.

Some people have suggested that the Church needs to have slower or less religious activities to attract people to Church but our experience shows that people attending religious activities expect them to be ‘religious.’

You do not go to a football game expecting something else. You go for football and your experience will dictate whether you attend again or just stay at home and watch it on television or you just won’t bother at all.

Our experience has shown us that we need to be clear about what it is and what it is not.

We had dropped into tens of thousands of people's homes a 6-panel brochure with the title, “Have you Heard What is Happening in Your Suburb?”

Every week new people nervously came. Some came once, some a few times and others came regularly.

It never generates huge numbers immediately but produces slow and consistent numbers. We must always tell people what we are doing and that we are there and they are welcome.

Months went by and then one day, a person called our of ce who had questions about who we are and faith in general. They were asked a question by a member of our team, “How did you hear about us?”

The woman on the phone said, “I have been meaning to come but just have not got around to it. I have kept your brochure. It’s in the fruit bowl.”

THEY JUST NEED TIME People are busy, so turning up to Church is often on people’s list of things to do, but it just gets ooded out by more pressing issues and the busyness of life.

As evangelists, we must keep asking people to come and be in people’s lives. When moments of transition occur in a person’s life, they re ect on the deeper things of life and are more open to God. If we are not there inviting them, they likely will not turn up even though they need it.

They want to, but ‘it is in the fruit bowl’ for a day in the future.

The invitation is in the fruit bowl

fl

fl

fi

57

THE sound of TURNING TO GOD I recently spoke to a Catholic Archbishop. A very good man. He is deeply concerned that the people of his Archdiocese know Christ, not just those who go to Church, but also those who have never connected to their faith, as well as those who have fallen away from the Church. He said what I have heard other Bishops say and many other people say.

“We try and reach people, but we don’t see results and so we stop and start. We try new ways, but mostly, we give up knowing we should but again we don’t see results and so we feel that we don’t know how.”

In some places, every activity done in the Church is called evangelization. This makes us feel better, that we are doing something, but reaching someone new or reinvigorating the disengaged Church attending person is not that common.

The problem is not that Dioceses, parishes and individuals are doing it wrong, but rather, that we do not know the ‘Sound of Evangelization.’

People are private concerning their lives. Questions concerning a person’s faith are not something shared publicly by most people. The person who is living contrary to the Gospel doesn’t, on the whole, jump up and down saying, “Look at me.” The person who is trying to connect or go deeper in faith but does not know how, is also not jumping up and down saying, “Look at me.”

People do not want to be identi ed. People come to faith slowly over days, months and years.

The ‘Sound of Evangelization’ so often is silence. Yet in the life of the individual, great progress is occurring.

It is easier to support education, social justice initiatives, building programs, feeding and clothing the poor and other critical works than evangelization. We can measure their results in numbers but those evangelized will not be counted on this side of heaven because so much of it is hidden in the privacy of people’s lives. It is silent.

Evangelization of ces are closed down too soon, outreach programs shut down too soon, funding is withdrawn too soon, and people give up sharing faith with those they love too soon because they do not see results quickly enough.

It takes time, a long time for a person to come to Christ.

fi

fi

Don’t give up in the silence of someone turning to God.

58

elements of EVENT proclamation It is essential to understand how a person comes to faith and what we need to do to maximize the potential for conversion or renewal within a person’s life. As Christians, the center of our lives as seen in this diagram is our FAITH in God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This diagram outlines the elements and steps concerning how to bring about conversion or how to bring renewal into a person’s FAITH life whether they attend Church regularly or have dropped away from active participation or have not believed in the past.

To come to this faith, a person must be able to; 1. Talk directly and honestly to God 2. Forgive others and themselves 3. Accept themselves Conversion takes places within us at a; 1. Physical 2. Emotional 3. Spiritual level The way to lead people to this conversion is through; 1. Movement 2. Stories 3. A Pathway that shows them the way

MOVEment

is created within a person when the sharer of faith: 1.

2.

3.

Has Conviction. They are convinced for the person or people they are reaching because of what Christ has done in their life.

Gives clear and meaningful instruction that causes the person to yield to Christ.

In particular, the First Step is de nite, speci c and is meaningful to the person being reached.

pathway 2.

3.

Teaching a person that prayer, which is talking, listening and being in the presence of God, is possible for them.

Teaching or showing the person being reached a method of prayer that is achievable because it is in steps that they can do.

The doorway to prayer is through vulnerability. It is saying to the person being reached this is how I relate to God. These are the blessings I experience and the struggles I have in prayer.

fi

fi

59

fi

concerns how a person relates or connects to God for the first time, when engaged in personal renewal or how they come back to faith after having fallen away in some form.

This connection to God is achieved by the sharer of faith: 1.

2.

touches a person at an emotional level which helps them connect with their personal story. This is done through:

1.

storieS 3.

Honesty, which may lead to tears as it touches the heart of a person.

Humor, which brings people face to face with the fragility of life and that when we try our best it can still fall short of our hopes and desires.

Relatability helps a person nd their story as they listen and can recognize the truth of what is said as it could have been them.

FIND & CONNECT TO FAITH COMMUNITIES “I have been watching you on YouTube on and off for several months.

Your words were so inspiring that I decided to become Catholic and was con rmed last Sunday”

As much as an individual or even a Ministry might be an evangelizer, the Church is always the great evangelizer. Evangelization is a process, but even more, it is a journey throughout our life as we are continually transformed to be like Christ.

Connecting people to a local faith community centered around Eucharist and Sacraments is critical to their spiritual growth and discipleship.

People are connecting with parishes around the world.

This Ministry ushers people into the Church.

- Thank you! It is amazing to think of praying with you all! What a gift! Most importantly, I thank you Bruce for the ministry you are doing. You have had a signi cant role in our Lord bringing me back to the Catholic Church. I am grateful beyond words.

- I wanted to thank you so much for totally making me see Reconciliation in a whole new light. I’ve dreaded it in the past and not know what to say. I was going about it all wrong. What a shame I have made it to 64 before having my eyes opened so I could see reconciliation as it really is. Thank you so much for the inspiring work you do.

I was a Catholic that had been disenchanted with the Church a long time ago so had been going to another Church.

When I rst saw The Catholic Guy on TV I was surprised.

I had the Personal Prayer book written by Bruce sent and joined in the Holy Week prayers and now am praying the Rosary with you each day.

Bruce - you were instrumental in bringing me back to the Church and I am sure I am not the only one.

fi

fi

fi

60

Proclamation across denominations Thank you, Bruce for your kind words of encouragement. I'm not a Catholic but I have decided and followed you every day of this Lenten journey. You taught me so many things I didn't know. You made me look at every possible thing in a very di erent way I never thought of. I learned so much from your daily teachings and I'm forever grateful 🙏 to you. God bless and keep you and your Ministry. UP THE EXCELLENT God bless you Bruce! I'm a Greek Orthodox and love following you and your messages.

Thank you so much for doing short videos to stop I'm not even Catholic but nd your messages amazing and straigh orward and easy to follow I have tried Lent before, but you have given me inspira on for this year and good explana ons on the reasons why.

Amazingly good for people of whatever denomina on. A man with a real heart for prayer and a teaching gi .

Thank you.

Hello, you spoke of “signs”. I don’t know how an email from you came to me at LENT. I am not Catholic, but my mom and my husband were, may they RIP. I hesitated before I deleted it and both of them came to mind. My mom died 2008, my husband in 2018. I am being drawn into your words and listen intently.

ti

ti

ti

ft

ti

ti

fi

ti

ti

ti

fi

fi

ti

tt

tt

ti

ti

ti

ti

ti

ti

ti

ti

ff

ti

ti

fl

tf

ti

ti

ti

ti

ti

61

I am not a Catholic, but I am truly inspired by your sermons every day especially on Sunday I love the music Ministry such great sounds, but I would like to hear another one just before you close us out in prayer is this possible. THANK YOU GOD BLESS EXCELLENT WORK

I have been a part of your teachings during Lent and have been spoken to through each message. I am a Protestant and at rst was unsure how comfortable I would be with the teachings.

However, I found each lessen to be geared to all Chris ans. I have been so blessed that I wanted to partner with this Ministry. I look forward to listening and growing deeper and deeper in my rela onship with Christ through the teachings beyond Lent.

I am a devout Chris an, but I am a Bap st and not a Catholic. I pray that this me will glorify God and no par cular denomina on. I am excited to grow closer to my Lord and to understand more completely the signi cance of Lent.

I am not a Catholic but enjoy your messages so much I am spreading the word amongst my friends.

I am not a Catholic. I am a Chris an and I think this retreat will be educa onal. and interes ng? and I hope to grow through It will keep me accountable.

Thank you for your inspiring words. I live in Cape Town, South Africa and belong to the Dutch Reformed Church, and have really enjoyed your last three courses.

I am not a Catholic, but I'm truly inspired by your sermons every day especially on Sunday. I love the music Ministry, such great sounds.

Thank you, God bless. Keep up the excellent work.

I’m not Catholic but being blessed by this s ll the same.

The love of Jesus is universal, and the desire to bring light into every area of darkness in my life is what I seek this Lent Season.

Hi so love the Lent series and God is doing something new in me. Totally I want to go deeper with God. Excited and following this series now. A lot of my friends would be angry if they knew I was listening to your broadcast.

I'm living in Northern Ireland and I'm a Protestant. I stumbled across the Lent series on Facebook I'm so glad I did. For me my journey with God through Lent has been a healing, restoring and restrengthening. I'm looking forward to con nuing to go deeper and being empowered by the Holy Spirit. Thank you and your team for being obedient and faithful .

I am not a Catholic, but I absolutely love your sermons and am blessed by the worship.

Thank you for your daily videos Bruce. I listen each morning and they help me be more aware of God being with me. I'm not a Catholic but you've changed my opinion of Catholics who I used to think were stuck on works... Mass, a ending church, fas ng etc. You have shown me there are many Catholics who like us Protestants, love Jesus, His word in the Bible and just want to grow closer to him daily. God bless you and Rosemary in the work you do I found you on Facebook and decided to follow you in the lead-up to Christmas. I've been so blessed with your presenta ons. I'm not a Catholic but I'm a born-again Chris an and I love my savior.

I love the way you taught us to pray through Advent God bless Bruce is Great! I highly recommend him to any Chris an, no ma er denomina on! Music on some of his posts is fantas c also.

Thank you so much for these messages. I found them so inspiring. I have never understood what Lent is all about. I am not Catholic, and it's been a great me of learning for me, an examina on of where I am, and a great reminder that my rela onship with God is the most important thing to be of concern, and everything should ow from this. Thank you so much.

Your short daily devo ons have taught and in uenced me greatly in the short me I've been watching. I was raised as a prac sing Catholic.

Church was a weekly ritual.

God and church were respected but is has only been through you that has shown me more about God and I grow in God daily learning and enjoying His word with your help. I know you were sent to me from God. Thank you so much for your insight Bruce. As a prac sing Catholic for 59 years, my Bible has never been my strength as we had Catechism but never really delved deeper into the readings. I am truly blessed to be having this quality me with you and I'm learning so much about my faith. I live in Brisbane, Australia but am originally from South Africa, I forward all your videos to my 81 year old dad in South Africa, who is loving this opportunity.

Thank you so much for your extraordinary teachings My faith has been restored thanks to your beau ful words and also laughed and cried and been amazed how much I love this every day.

Thank you and God bless.

ft

ti

ti

ti

ff

ti

ti

ti

ti

tt

ti

ft

fl

tt

fl

ti

ti

ti

ti

ti

ti

ti

ti

ff

ti

ti

fi

ft

ti

fi

ti

ti

ti

As a tradi onal Catholic, I always nd Mass sermons hard to understand, and o en nd myself switching o . Not with you though! You make them relevant, interes ng and not too long. Well, most of the me!

ti

ti

fi

fi

ti

Proclamation to catholics God bless you Bruce for your instruc on of these days of Lent. They have a be er understanding of what it means and what I should be doing to improve my life in Christ! I hope that you'll be con nuing your lessons.

I would like to thank you for coming into my life and showing me who the Holy Spirit is, as I always would have people talk about the Holy Spirit and I would feel they were truly blessed and I felt I had something missing in my life. I tried reading books on the Holy Spirit but never ever felt I got any closer to knowing who the Holy Spirit is. I knew in my heart something was missing and need xing badly and quickly seeing I'm going into my senior years. I started Lent with you and have enjoyed every single moment forgiving my faith an extra push.

Thank you for today's discussion on halfheartedness, this is my second Lent with you and I'm so grateful for you and this teaching. You helped me make your decision to become a Catholic. I started with your book about praying to see this programme, it always speaks to me, you're helping me to stay stronger.

Thank you I come from a Catholic

background much like yours. I know and have wonderful rela onships with many priests and nuns, so why you?

It's because you're the real deal Bruce, I can trust you.

I've been following your message since I found you on Ash Wednesday. You made such a di erence to me in preparing for Easter. Thank you for refreshing my faith on a daily basis. I do a end Mass each Sunday but have found your talks increasing my faith and love of God more deeply and understanding the mystery of the Trinity. He was certainly blessed in being able to explain this to us.

It was listening to you these past few days that woke me up spiritually about praying to him daily. Thank you Bruce for waking us up spiritually about the Holy Spirit. God bless.

This is absolutely amazing!

I'm a new Catholic (3 years).

And I'm just learning so much and in all how deep my faith is becoming!! Thank you so much.

Your short daily devo onals have taught and in uenced me greatly in the short me I have been watching. I was raised as a prac cing Catholic.

Church was a weekly ritual.

God and church were respected but it has only been through you that has shown me more about God and I grow in God daily learning and enjoying his word with your help. I know you were sent to me from God. Thank you.

Thank you, Bruce for bringing me back to Church a er a long me. I can’t remember the last me I have taken the me to listen to words like this. May God be with you and your Ministry.

Thank you for keeping me grounded with my faith. At mes I fall down but when I listen to you I pull myself up again. My plights is not with God but with the church organisa on that fell to help me when I needed help.

I'm so glad I discovered The Catholic Guy. I'm enjoying this Lenten programme as my church is not doing any this year due to Covid. I depend on American TV presenters to ll in the gaps. So refreshing to hear the way Bruce presents the word of the Lord. I try to share to my Facebook page each day.

Have also sent to my personal Catholic friends. Hope these emails con nue.

I wanted to thank you so much for totally making me see Reconcilia on in a whole new light. I’ve dreaded it in the past and did not know what to say. What a shame I made it to 64 before having my eyes opened so I could see Reconcilia on as it really is.

Good a ernoon Bruce, I'm so glad I have joined your program. I'm a lapsed Catholic but my God is s ll a big part of my life. He has given me life with all its ups and downs. I am so grateful that God s ll wants to know me.

Hi Bruce, thank you for bringing the Holy Spirit into my life. I've been Catholic all of my life and never did fully understand about the Holy Spirit. So here I am at 77 waking up to the Holy Spirit, thanks to someone the other side of the world.

5862

Proclamation THROUGH lent Even people with little understanding of faith are more open to ‘spiritual things,’ at times of transition or in different seasons of life.

Transition times are when changes happen in a person’s life such as graduation, a promotion, change in career, marriage, the birth of a child, retirement, moving house or even country, death of a loved one, a relationship disruption and the list goes on.

It is, therefore, one of the best times of the year for reaching people who are disconnected from Christ and the Church.

It is, for this reason, we create numerous different types of content in length and form that will appeal to different people.

It is often in times of improvement or advancement in life that people ask questions about who they are and what they value and it is in these times that questions of faith arise.

We then distribute this proclamation content in as many places as possible so that people will come across it, and by God’s grace, respond in their way.

The yearly seasons that come around of a new year, Christmas and Lent can be signi cant moments of questioning and a time of people being more open to faith and connecting to God.

This means it will be on television, as well as online in numerous ways with campaigns to bring people in so that they receive the content directly from us or they can see the content through social media directly.

WHAT IS CRITICAL

As we connect with people, it provides them with speci cally created content such as video programs, podcasts, blogs etc.

We don’t have to force faith on people but just be present with a reason for our faith and be able to explain it in language, concepts and images that are accessible to the understanding of a person who possibly does not have a faith language, but feels a stirring within to ask the deeper questions of life.

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?

Romans 10:13–14

fi

63

fi

Lent is one of these critical seasons of the year when people are more open to God.

It takes people of faith to Proclaim Christ in our modern and complex world. Reaching those we love with the message of the Church is an intentional activity. It requires us to be prayerful, thoughtful and well organized.

Hi I so love the Lent series. God is doing something new in me. A lot of my friends would be angry if they knew I was listening to your broadcast. I'm living in Northern Ireland and I'm a Protestant. I stumbled across the Lent series on Facebook I'm so glad I did. For me my journey with God through L e nt h a s b e e n a h e a l i n g , restoring and restrengthening me. I'm looking forward to con nuing to go deeper and being empowered by the Holy Spirit. Thank you and your team for being obedient and faithful .

I've been a Catholic all my life and I have experienced many Lenten programmes but nothing like this. And for the rst me I can see changes in me and for the rst me I'm ge ng a strong message of how I can allow God to work in me. A er my husband's death two years ago, I knew I had to work out who was the new me. Bruce’s daily message that God sees and knows us right where we are, reinforced in me that I'm on the right track. I need to trust that God will be walking and cheering for me every day.

I just wanted to say thank you from the bo om of my heart, for changing my spiritual life. I was introduced to you during Lent, and I have followed you ever since.

Every day I learn something new, and it helps me improve my rela onship with God. Keep doing what you're doing because many more people need to hear you.

Thank you, Bruce for your kind words of encouragement. I'm not a Catholic but I decided and have followed you every day of the Lent journey. You taught me so many things I didn't know. You made me look at every possible thing in a very di erent way I never thought of. I learned so much from your daily teachings and I'm forever grateful to you. God bless and keep you and your Ministry.

The best explana on of the fall I've ever heard in my 70 years of sermons.

I've been on this journey with you since star ng in Lent. You must know the impact you have on anyone who listens to you. You bring Scripture to life through your life. Relatable to almost anyone willing to listen.

My belief is that there are many more just like me with open their life to more forms of scripture and what each of us are being called I'm a be er Chris an Catholic and person today than I was before this journey I'm sorry very joyful with my life and I think they almighty God for your calling you're in my prayers daily.

This is my second lent with you and I'm so grateful for you and this teaching. You helped me make the decision to become a Catholic. I started with your book about praying. It always speaks to me, you're helping me to stay strong.

In the me I've been with you I've learned so much about our faith, thought I knew my faith but discovered not so un l I started with you God bless you and your ministry abundantly.

From South Africa.

I was raised as a prac cing Catholic. Church was a weekly ritual.

God and church were respected but it has only been through you that has shown me more about God and I grow in God daily learning and enjoying his word with your help. I know you were sent to me from God. Wow, you really struck a chord!!! The way you broke down the our father. I’ve prayed that prayer my whole life, broken it down myself but the way you did it... gave it a whole new meaning to me. Thank you.

My friend introduced me to your site.

I wasn't too keen on this type of evangelising that was two weeks ago. Here I am on Friday night in the UK s ll listening.

This Lent I'm dealing with the passing of my wife and I'm very sad, but you Bruce have been the voice that has helped me turn my sadness into joy, because I've walked with you and praying with you. I now I know that my wife is with God and I have compl etel y surrendered myself to Him and in God's me He will call me home and I will be with my wife again. I asked God to bless you.

I can’t thank you enough for the most meaningful Lenten journey I have ever taken! I happened across your website quite by “accident” but it has become the essen al start to my day.

Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.

1 Peter 3:15.

ti

fi

tt

ti

tti

ft

ti

ti

fi

ti

ti

fi

ti

ff

ti

ti

ti

ti

ti

64

tt

ti

ti

Thank you for the way you deliver the word of God. This Lent has been very special and even though I’ve been brought up catholic all my life, I feel that these is my rst true Lent! Thank you!

Thank you so much for your inspira onal talks. You helped me climb out of the dark hole of grief. My husband of 43 years went home to God last April, and yes, God does have plans.. HE sent you to restore my faith. THANK YOU. I've been a Catholic all my life and I have experienced many Lenten programmes of but nothing like this. And for the rst me I can see changes in me and for the rst me I'm ge ng a strong message of how I can allow God to work in me. A er my husband's death two years ago, I knew I had to work out who was the new me. In my Christmas le er to my family and friends I said I wanted to be a more authen c friend and I wanted to be life giving. Bruce’s is daily message that God sees and knows us right where we are, reinforced in me that I'm on the right track. I need to trust that God will be walking and cheering for me every day.

Thank you so much for the encouraging message today, as always. My daughters and I are planning the funeral for my husband who passed away in January. It is a di cult period in our lives and with God's help we will make it through. You are my inspira on on a daily basis and I'm happy I found you on my Facebook. I followed you all through Lent and con nue to do so every day. It helps him when I am missing my husband to have a spiritual support. Thanks again.

tt

tf

ti

fi

ft

fi

ti

ti

ti

tti

fi

ti

ti

ft

ti

ti

ti

ft

ti

ti

ti

ti

tti

tt

ffi

65

ft

fi

ti

fi

Proclamation even in grief Thank you, my husband died of suicide the day before Thanksgiving and morning is so hard. Bruce you are helping me get through this me so much in helping me pray and get closer to God .

A er losing my wife last year, it has been inspiring to nd your site. I've enjoyed the daily Lenten messages and your daughter's message earlier in the week. Very moving for me and today's Easter Service was wonderful.

Thank you for all your work.

God bless!

I lost my husband in September. I really understand your comment about being alone except for the Lord’s comfort. God bless you.

This Lent I'm dealing with the passing of my wife and I'm very sad, but you Bruce have been voice that has helped me turn my sadness into joy, because I've walked with you and prayed with you, so now I know that my wife is with God and I have completely surrendered myself to Him and in God's me He will call me home and I will be with my wife again. I asked God to bless you.

This Bruce, my husband passed away six months ago, and I'm inconsolable. I want God to take me so I can be with him forever, please God Take Me Home.

Bruce, yesterday, my family placed my wife at her nal res ng place. Because of the virus we had to wait to do so.

It was hard but we completed the journey together. I can tell you that your daily messages help so much.

Thank you, so comfor ng for me each morning especially since my husband died on January 6th, 2021 RIP. Lord give me the strength to endure my cross.

Thank you for today, I lost my husband a few months ago in a terrible accident. My will then was that I wanted him to live as I held his hand. That's all I could pray for. Today, I understand God's will. Thank you.

My Dearest Bruce and Rosemary. It is my pleasure to be able in some way to aid your ministry. Thank you for the gi of the cross which I carry every day. Your daily messages are much appreciated and integrally important to me. I'm travelling through a period of grief over the loss of our eldest son with Melanoma cancer in August 2019. A ques on God as to why??

And for a me, I stopped praying thinking my prayers had been unanswered. Your Ministry has enabled me to reconnect with God again and slowly regain my trust in his plan for my family. I s ll have a long way to travel and the journey is not easy. Thank you both for the wonderful hope that you give. All my hear elt love.

Thank you Bruce, your message on the 18th really resonated with me. I have previously sent a prayer request. I'm a 74 year old widow. I have always believed that God is with me. A er my husband passed, I was ok for a couple of years, but in the past three years I have been in deep depression, doing nothing and not feeling God's presence. I've been praying and saying to novenas and talking to God, but to no avail.

When you spoke in your message about doing my part for God's help, I realised that was it. I have been si ng here praying but not doing anything, as if He would change me, not thinking that I have to make some changes.

Sorry this is so long, but I wanted you to understand my posi on. You have helped me in many ways but I think this is the big one. I donate, not much as I am just above the poverty line, but at least I feel as though I'm helping in some small way. Thank you again and I pray that I will make the changes I need to. God bless you and I'll look forward to listening to you every day.

Thank you, Bruce for bringing God back into my life. I started with Lent which helped me understand be er and help me get through my husband's illness and death.

Easter Sunday was joyful and lled with happiness even with the sadness going on in my life.

F A C E S of those we L O V E

_____ In all of our lives there are people that we love and the greatest gift we can give them is faith.

The world we are living in is becoming more secular by the day. Secular means godless.

Truth, once given to us by the Church, is being swamped by the noise of the world all around us. The overwhelming volume and constancy of the voices of the media has captured the attention of people in a manner like never before. We consistently are being bombarded by messages that tell us that we are the centers of our own world and that should we have what we want, that this will make us happy.

How untrue this is.

Today being unful lled and being isolated everywhere we look, from the distant places around the world to nearby in our own suburbs and even within our own families.

So many of our sons and daughters, husbands, wives and grandchildren are missing out on hearing about Jesus Christ, because they no longer or have never heard the Message of Christ, let alone encountered Christ for themselves.

Our loved ones need the Message of God’s love and the invitation to relationship with Him taken to them where they are. Now is the time to go out to the highways and byways and take Christ to them.

The modern highways are the media world and through events of power and impact. Community like that in the early Church is the answer for isolation so many feel.

The Catholic Guy Ministry is entirely about the happiness and ful lment of those you love by taking Jesus Christ to them and connecting them to the Church Community expressed in many ways.

If we are to reach people today, we must do so in multiple different ways as one presentation of the Gospel will not reach everyone the same.

This is the great commission in our day.

fi

fi

66

“Reaching those we love who are disconnected from the Church.”

Website::

TheCatholicGuy.com

Email:

TheCatholicGuy@TheCatholicGuy.com

Mailing Address UNITED STATES OF AMERICA The Catholic Guy Inc. Bruce Downes Ministries Inc. PO Box 55750 Phoenix AZ 85078

AUSTRALIA The Catholic Guy Ministry Ltd Bruce Downes Ministries PO Box 1564 Osborne Park WA 6916