Erosion of trust
- Missionaries of the Real Presence
- Jul 18
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 22
Sharing the real Presence
IN this newsletter
Erosion of Trust by Griffin Rain
Upcoming Events
Volunteers Needed
erosion of trust
By Griffin Rain
Very often while evangelizing, we will meet people who say they believe in God, but they do not go to any church or practice any religion. They often say things like that they are spiritual but not religious. When I ask questions to them about what this means, they say that they have a way of relating to God that is different than others. How this plays out is that they have a personal religion that they are the only follower of. When I ask follow-up questions, it often comes down to that they've had a bad experience with religion and that they do not trust the people who are in different churches or religions.
The human person longs for God. Religion unites us to God and also to other believers. When other believers are rough around the edges and rub us the wrong way, the natural response is to distance ourselves. In order to find God, God wants us to love others in their brokenness just as he has loved us in our brokenness. The one who says they love God but hates their neighbor is a liar.
Recently, I saw a video of Pope Leo that was AI generated and it seemed like a real speech. With the emergence of AI, this aspect of trust is becoming more difficult for things online. In a society already plagued with a lack of trust and addicted to smartphones, etc, where does this leave us? What I have seen in many encounters with people while evangelizing is that a lack of trust leads one to rely on oneself even more. Are we reliable? Throughout the ages the church has called us not to rely on ourselves but to rely on God.
This erosion of trust comes from a break in the truth. People have been lied to over and over and do not know what is real. How can we help people turn to the God that is trustworthy?
upcoming events
Missionary Associates Dinner - Join us for our next Missionary Associates Dinner. This month it will take place on Monday, July 28th. This is for people who volunteer with the Missionaries or are interested in volunteering/supporting our work. We hope that this continues building up the community around the Missionaries, getting to know others and energizing more people to start working for the salvation of souls here in Milwaukee. This occurs at the Street Disciple House located at 2126 W Michigan St, Milwaukee, WI, 53233. The schedule for the event is as follows:
● Evening Prayer 5:30 pm - 5:45 pm
● Short talk from Griffin with discussion 5:50 pm - 6:10 pm
● Dinner and socializing 6:15 pm onward
If you can't make it this time, plan for the 4th Monday of each month. If you would like to be on our text updates list, please text your name to (414) 235-7307 and we will add you.
Lunch in the Park - We will be serving food at King Park (1531 W Vliet St, Milwaukee, WI 53205) on Saturday, August 23rd from 11:00am to 1:00pm. Volunteers are needed on two teams - Kitchen team and Evangelist team. Please contact us if you can make it. We begin at the Street disciple house at 11am.
Men's Open House Discipleship Nights - Join us for the Men's Open House Discipleship Nights every Friday at the Street Disciple House. This takes place every week unless otherwise noted. See the schedule & speakers for upcoming nights here. It is an open house, so come when you can. The plan for the nights is as follows:
● Prepare dinner from 5pm until ready; then eat
● Evening Prayer 6:30pm
● Formation Talk with guest speaker 7pm
● Game night/social 8:15pm - 10pm
Please invite those who you think would benefit from this night of discipleship! Also if you would like to help with organizing the night, communication, cooking, finding speakers, etc., please let us know!
Discernment Group - We are hosting a Discernment Group that meets every other week on Saturday evenings. Please contact Griffin at (414) 235-7307 if you would like to be a part of this group. We are reading from the book A Living Sacrifice: Guidance for Men Discerning Religious Life. We have copies available for those joining the group.
Join the Street Evangelist group chat
This group is primarily for posting events or days/times for evangelization. If you have days that you would like to go out and evangelize, please post in the chat and hopefully someone else will be available to accompany you for evangelization.
Some recurring times for evangelization:
Fridays - Evangelization after 12:05pm Mass in front of Gesu Church @ 12th and Wisconsin Ave.
Saturdays - Big group evangelization in a high foot traffic area
needed items
(Click the underlines for link to donate)
Street Disciple House Items
2x brooms and dustpans
Dehumidifier
Alarm clocks
Bunk Beds
Street Evangelization/Preaching Items
Amazon List (pamphlet racks, camera battery, note taker bible)
Financial Donations for Missionary Formation and Street Disciple House
Wood 2x4's (8ft) for the Weekly Way of the Cross
about the missionaries of the real presence
The Missionaries of the Real Presence aims to assist in the apostolic renewal of the Church by intentionally discipling men living in community and encouraging missionary vocations in the Church. We participate in Christ’s evangelizing work for the salvation of souls, especially seeking out those who have been spiritually neglected. We introduce people to Jesus through intentional conversation, preaching, teaching, and prayer. We engage in direct evangelization in the public forum on city streets, public transit, and in homes, and share the good news of Christ with those we meet. All of this flows from a life of prayer and union with Jesus as our source.
Support the Mission, Join the mission
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If you appreciate the work we are doing, consider supporting our mission financially here.
Volunteer with us in street ministry and house visits by clicking here.
If reading about some of our stories inspires you, come and see what life as a missionary is like and visit us for a day or longer for prayer and ministry as you discern here.
If you want to learn how we evangelize, consider watching videos on our YouTube Channel, Missionaries of the Real Presence.
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