“… And he sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal. He said to them, ‘take nothing for your journey, no staff nor bag, nor bread nor money – not even an extra tunic…’” (Luke 9:2)
Deacon Ralph is convinced that the Lord wants to do something different with New Evangelization Ministries – not better, just different. In the above text from Luke, we read that Jesus sent his disciples with the understanding that He would be with them and take care of all of their needs – not with the understanding that they were to go at that time and raise money for their ministry. Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta gives us an amazing example of how much God can do with one person’s “Yes,” and how He desires to provide for those who give Him the chance.
With all of this in mind, no pre-set fees have been established for any of NEM’s in-parish services or printed materials, for two very important reasons:
- Any parish that is truly seeking renewal, but has limited financial resources for materials and training, can continue to have access to this ministry because the Lord wills it so.
- This places everyone involved in a position of surrender and expectation for the Lord’s providence.
Please do not misunderstand our premise; we are very aware of the costliness of founding and supporting a ministry, as well as the need to provide for our families. But we also believe that even in this aspect of the ministry, we can be a witness to our clients to the need to trust in God for everything!
One area that parish teams will be asked to cover, however, are the expenses incurred while traveling to/from your parish, and throughout the duration of his stay with you (i.e. plane tickets, housing, meals, parking, et. al.)
Beyond these traditional expenses, pastors and their staff will be asked to simply pray together to determine if the ministry and materials they received “merits” a gratuitous offering on behalf of the parish. For the last several years, Deacon Ralph has been giving presentations and leading retreats free of charge, although listeners and pastors have often responded later with donations that had not been anticipated beforehand! He is simply obedient to the Lord’s will for his ministry, and relies on the obedience of those he ministers to, for the success of his services and the funds needed to continue this great work.
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