 On August 4, 2023, Christians from the Pentecostal, Charismatic, Evangelical, and Roman Catholic streams gathered together at World Youth Day to put forth what they called “The Challenge.” Before a crowd made up of 49,000 youth, clergy, lay ministers and just the “average Joe,” Christians from all streams of the faith worshipped Jesus together. They were led by Catholic and Evangelical recording artists including Matt Maher and actor Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus in the hit television series, “The Chosen.”
What exactly is “The Challenge?” Its material goal was to pay for the event, but its spiritual goal is to end the misunderstandings and suspicions between Christian brothers and sisters so Christians can reconcile as the one body of Christ that our Father sees so the World might believe Jesus is its only Savior. The Challenge can be said is to unite all the streams in the Current of Grace into one tsunami of grace so Christians can realize that there is one faith, one hope, one God, and one Father of us all. Jesus’s Church already is one.. Christian leaders in all streams have been diligently working together since 1967 to help the laity discover our true identity is in Christ! That identity is discovered when we accept our role as the common priests, prophets, and kings in Christ. Through our baptism we are commissioned to be ambassadors for Christ to a world desperately searching for a savior; and remind people the job is already taken by the King of the Universe - Jesus - and he is not abdicating his Heavenly throne.. Every baptized Christian is a minister of reconciliation, as if God the Father is appealing to the entire world through us. The time has come for every Christian to experience a personal Transfiguration and recognize who Jesus is, and who we are in Him. The time has come for all clergy to recognize that the laity have the right, the duty, and the responsibility to be Jesus’s real presence in society as they Go! Proclaim the Gospel. On October 31, 2014, His Holiness Pope Francis called the evangelists of the Catholic Fraternity of Charismatic Covenant Communities and Fellowships to look at the Church as a polyhedron — a multi-sided object that reflects Christ’s real presence. The 850-plus evangelists present at the meeting enthusiastically agreed to work together to create relationships of families that would fulfill the Holy Spirit’s work laid out by Pope Leo XIII at the end of the 19th century. The Catholic Fraternity’s North American leaders, led by Dan Almeter of Alleluia Community in Augusta, Georgia, were invited by Bishop Clemens in the Vatican to spearhead the project. The leaders responded by creating the Awakening the Domestic Church project. Its original Senior Facilitator was Deacon Darrell Wentworth, who was responsible for the project’s planning and development. Alleluia Community is considered one of the best “visible signs” of the grace present to those laity who choose to form intentional neighborhood-based Christian Communities. In 2017, as many Christian leaders joined the Lutherans, Anglicans, Roman Catholics, and United Methodists in signing the Joint Declaration on Justification, many leaders saw this event as another sign that the Protestant Reformation was ending as the Current of Grace was expanding among Catholics, Pentecostals, and the new Charismatic networks. Most Christians are still unaware of this news, but Alleluia Community has been living it out for decades. Pentecostal Pastor Joe Tosini of New York was inspired in 2013 to reach out to the Vatican. He has formed friendships with Catholic bishops and even Pope Francis. He is instrumental in launching the John 17 Movement which promotes authentic, biblically-based relational ecumenism. Some North American bishops have endorsed the goal of forming these intentional relationships to end the misunderstandings and suspensions hopefully even forming small intentional communities to heal our cities. In 2019 Pope Francis transformed the Catholic Fraternity and its sister organization ICCRS into CHARIS, the Catholic Charismatic Renewal International Service, as a Public Association of the Christian Faithful. The service organization operates under the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, and is pastored by Kevin Cardinal Farrell, the former Bishop of Dallas. CHARIS International was a collaborator and organizer of the World Youth Day Change Challenge stadium event. CHARIS’s Ecclesial Advisor, Raniero Cardinal Cantalamessa, the preacher to the Papal household, addressed the crowd via video. His Holiness Pope Francis and Pentecostal Pastor Joe Tosini were both on stage together again on November 4, 2023, to encourage Catholics, Pentecostals and new Charismatics to work to restore full communion in the Church. The common goal is to help Christians, especially enthusiastic Christ centered youth, to embrace the concept of becoming missionary disciples in this new Missionary Age. The Awakening the Domestic Church project, CHARIS USA, Pentecost Today USA, the Association of Diocesan Liaisons, and many other missionary organizations flowing in this Current of Grace provide service for United States charismatic Catholics and other Christians to help them form neighborhood or citywide intentional healing communities. A new book called Grace for the Whole Church, has been sent to every bishop in the United States. Pentecost Today, USA and the Ark and the Dove Charismatic Center in Pennsylvania are leading that effort. ADC is inviting every Christian to respond to The Challenge by taking intentional steps. The Response we suggest is:
Every challenge requires a response. How will you respond? You can respond wholeheartedly by saying: Yes, Lord! Here I am, send me. You can respond no and turn your back and run away. But the call is always to repent and believe in the gospel! Our call has always been to repent for the things that I've done, but more importantly for the things that I have failed to do. Christians have failed to love one another and forgive from the heart. Christians have failed to become missionary disciples, and ambassadors for Christ, and Jesus’s ministers of reconciliation. We have failed to be like Mary: humans full of grace. It's time to Change and Embrace the Grace, the Current of Grace being poured upon the whole world through streams of grace, flowing as living water into a culture thirsty for the way to discover the truth. Jesus is our way first! He leads us to the Truth. As we immerse ourselves into the love of God the Father, we become His Real Presence! He leads us to a life in the Spirit and authentic relationships of grace. We invite you to become vessels of grace, to dispense His grace as living water to others. Join us in prayer! Let's make our homes, our churches, or our small groups schools of evangelization asking God the Father: Teach us to change our hearts O, God! Make us be like you! For videos to help you please visit the Awakening the Domestic Church YouTube page. For more information contact: Andrea Garrett, ADC Senior News Editor. Phone (785) 422-0409 Email us for additional information at [email protected]
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The Awakening the Domestic Church Project is a collaboration between Christians who want to work for the restoration of the
Church according to the vision of the Nicene Creed of 326 AD. Join this effort to Turn on the Light of Christ instead of yelling at
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Church according to the vision of the Nicene Creed of 326 AD. Join this effort to Turn on the Light of Christ instead of yelling at
the Darkness.
Address:
500 Studio Drive
Virginia Beach Virginia 23452
Phone: (757)-683-0207
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Awakening The Domestic Church is a partnership between Restoration Minded Pastors and laity who are networking with each other to bring all things under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
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