In This Issue:

Young Catholic Professionals
Kerygma seminar in Italy
Bible Distribution in Bay Area
Learning to Forgive
Harris Family Report
Kerygma in the Future

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Kerygma Texas News

A Year of Unity

To hope is a duty, not a luxury. To hope is not to dream, but to turn dreams into reality. Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true.

Leon Joseph Cardinal Suenens

This Year Kerygma has been busy turning dreams into reality.
We have seen the Body of Christ come together in new and exciting ways at an accelerated pace like never before. It is a great time of growth for us as we watch the desire for ecumenical understanding increase. We thought we would share some of the unity activities we've plugged into.

(Some are reported in more detail in this email.)

* Walking Hand in Hand Seminar, YWAM Milan, Italy
* National Day of Prayer Smith County, TX. 5 of 12 churches participating were new
* Pentecost Celebration Diocese of Phoenix, AZ & John 17 Movement
* Toward Jerusalem Council II Conference Dallas, TX
* One Voice Coalition, Korean Pastors praying for revival San Francisco, CA
* Fremont for Jesus, Door to Door Bible Outreach with YWAM Redding, CA
* United in Christ, with Matteo Calisi in Toronto and then in Dallas, TX

Young Catholic Professionals

We have been sharing about Kerygma in 2015 with young Catholic adults at monthly gatherings in major Texas cities. Three years ago an organization formed in Dallas Texas called Young Catholic Professionals (YCP). Young Catholic working adults do not have the fellowship opportunities they had in high school or college. Few Dioceses offer ways for their young adults to hang out together. After college, there really is nothing but Mass. Even then, very few Catholic young adults attend Mass.

Enter YCP. Itâ€™s a joy to find eager people in their 20â€™s and 30â€™s looking for something more in their life. Young working Catholics can attend a monthly evening with others like them. They can socialize and network over drinks and food, receive a short devotional and hear a seasoned Catholic professional share about being Catholic in the working world. Kerygma offers them dreams of doing more for God. They are trying to keep their Catholic faith going, but they donâ€™t know what theyâ€™re looking for.

In these meetings, God has directed wonderful young adults to check out our table. We share the kinds of opportunities Kerygma offers: retreats, mission trips and training schools. We explain how they could serve God through Kerygma. We may not see many of these people again, but we're planting visions.

At YCP we have built a few relationships and have been able to pray with some of these great kids. Is their career as good as it gets? How can they fit their Catholic faith in? Does God have something truly greater for them? Pray for us as we minister to these Catholics who havenâ€™t given up on their faith.

Walking Hand in Hand

Come, let us reason togetherâ€¦â€¦.

This year YWAM Milan (Italy) experienced our Kerygma seminar to bring YWAMers a new understanding of the Catholic World. It's called Walking Hand in Hand When We Canâ€™t See Eye to Eye.

The week long workshop was presented by Kerygma International executive leaders Bruce Clewett and Rob Clarke (shown) and provided an opportunity for many from our YWAM family and others from the Protestant world to compare what Catholics believe versus what most Protestants have come to believe about Catholics. Kerygma will continue to develop this seminar and offer it at YWAM locations around the world and in the U.S.

YWAM is a family, with all our strengths and imperfections. Joined from around the world through many cultures and stations of life, Youth With a Missionâ€™s core values are what make us one blood. We may have different callings and charisms within this very diverse family but share in the conviction that one distinctive of ours is to bring reconciliation to the Body of Christ.

Unity is at the heart of the Father and by working from the inside out, we are able to bring about a new perspective, healing from past hurts to former Catholics and blessing to all who hunger for reconciliation.

Bible Distribution

This summer, Kerygma was part of reaching a target population with the Word of God and it was right here in America! Fremont, a Suburb of San Francisco, California is home to Afghans, Indians, Koreans, Chinese and other nationalities.

54 languages are spoken in the Fremont School District alone! Youâ€™ll find this diversity of cultures in all the major cities of the world. We no longer have to travel to the other side of the globe to evangelize those of another culture, they have come to us!

In Fremont, our evangelizations teams did door to door distribution of the Bible and the Jesus Film DVD, finding many ready to receive the Good News in their own language. People were willing to talk and engage in discussion about who Jesus claims to be. Many of these people were willing to be prayed for on the spot.

America has long been the nation that influences the world. May we be the nation that influences for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Bible distribution as a door to evangelization not only works but it is easy to accomplish. Kerygma will continue working with this Bible outreach to San Franciso next year. May God give us willingness to not only share His Word but read it ourselves.

Read our related story about Roy.

Forgiving The Unforgivable

The Story of Eric

In July Kerygma was part of a bigger plan of summer "waves" doing friendship evangelization to a mixed international community in the Bay Area of California. Thatâ€™s engaging in conversation with every day people to look for an opportunity to share Jesus.

Lebanese evangelist, Andre Housenney was with us to teach our teams on Muslim culture.
Andre, Lori and I went to to a Turkish kabob shop to drop off a Jesus Film DVD to the owner.

While there we met Eric, a rough looking marketing consultant from Queens. He took interest in us and became quite chatty, sitting down at our table while we ate outside.

There was quite a contrast in personalities between Andre, the tall Lebanese in cowboy boots, Eric the shorter Portugese Yankee and Loriâ€™s strong Texas accent. Eric began dumping a long story of his love life sorrows and hurts on us. Heâ€™d been lied to and deceived.

Lori encouraged him to forgive the woman and move on. Giving Eric our card as we parted, he saw a cross on it and said, â€œYouâ€™re Christian? Iâ€™m Christian,â€ although that wasnâ€™t evident. Turning to Andre, Eric asked, â€œWait, are you Christian too? I thought you were Muslim.â€ â€œNo Iâ€™m Lebanese, but Christian,â€ Andre replied.

We invited Eric to come hear Andre preach at the meeting that was soon to start. To our pleasure and surprise, he appeared at the church. Andre decided to tell the story of his family and the life they had in Lebanon. Eric listened intently and even hung his head as he heard of unjust deeds and the power of forgiveness.

There was an offer of prayer for healing at the end. As he raised his hand and said he needed prayer, Eric started crying and prayed out loud, forgiving the lady! It was great. It was a God Thing.

God has assembled the nations in the major cities of North America, come join us as we continue to exercise being instant in season and out. Kerygma will be there. Will you?

The Whole Harris Herd

On the home front, we relish our health and family. The word for this year was â€œexpect changeâ€ and we certainly have.

We were blessed to be able to help Charlie and Calyssa move to Bend, Oregon where he has taken a new job. That took over a week as we pulled a trailer and followed with a car. Our average speed for three days of driving was 50-55!

Juanita is excited about a new oncology clinic she is working in and learning new techniques for cancer patients. She continues to love and pray for them and has quite a few stories of Godâ€™s hand in their lives. Charlotte works for Mercy Ships and we are thrilled to have her and Lucy close by.

Sam no longer works for the airlines so we get to trust God to expand our faith even more as we trust him for flights! James (pictured) has his first truck! Susan arrived safely home after her six week Eastern Europe Mission Trip and Johnny Boy had a great summer of Boy Scout Camp, Sky Ranch, Pine Cove and Aunt Kimâ€™s.

â€œHold The Ropes!â€ On May 30, 1792 William Carey considered, â€The Father of Modern Missionsâ€ preached a sermon on Isaiah 54:2-3 on reaching the lost. In a private conference with his closest friends immediately following the service, Carey laid himself on the missionary altar saying, â€œI will go down into the pit if you will hold the ropes.â€

Here are things you can pray and partner with us for:

We continue to need financial supporters. If you believe that the Body of Christ needs reconciliation and bridge building efforts like ours, please ask God how you can support us monthly, quarterly or through year end donations. Kerygma needs to be able to plan for the future.
Prayer partners. Will you commit to pray for us? We need daily intercessors and those who we can share special needs and upcoming events with. Email or call to be a part of our new weekly live prayer call.
Volunteers. If you are close to Tyler or want to come for a working visit we always need help: computers, graphic design, data entry, phone work; you name it, we will use you up! Don't know how you could help? Just dall.

The Future:

In the remaining months of 2015 we will be sharing at the Catholic Missions Conference, Family Missions Conference, University of Dallas Ministry Fair, National Catholic Youth Conference and Urbana, the largest missions conference in the world,aimed at university students. Registration at Urbana is already topping 1600 and it runs between Christmas and New Yearâ€™s Eve!

Steve Jobs said, â€œThe juice goes out of Christianity when it becomes too based on faith rather than on living like Jesus or seeing the world as Jesus saw it. â€œ We want to live, look, see, touch and taste just like Jesus.

To hope is a duty, not a luxury. To hope is not to dream, but to turn dreams into reality. Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true. We have paid the price to see Kerygma planted in the U.S. and we are ready to continue to pay the price to get a Kerygma Discipleship Training School off the ground in the U.S. We believe the time is now. Weekly we receive calls from potential students, wanting to know when our school is. Will you partner with us to see this happen?

About Kerygma

Kerygma Texas is part of Kerygma International. Kerygma works with the Catholic Church around the world. Cardinal SchÃ¶nborn of Vienna and Bishop Strickland of the Diocese of Tyler have both worked with Kerygma for many years. Kerygma Texas is headed by Alan and Lori Harris and they are in good standing with the Diocese of Tyler. Kerygma Texas focuses on training disciples for evangelization opportunities and mercy ministries in the United States and abroad. They serve in the spheres of inner cities, human trafficking, homelessness, SSA, cross-cultural ministry, prayer, reconciliation, ecumenism and other opportunities to proclaim the fullness of the Gospel.

Kerygma offers many long term and short term opportunities for youth and young adults as well as families and retired adults. The goal of any Kerygma program is to know God and make him known through any and all means possible.

Kerygma is an international lay ministry affiliated with Youth With a Mission. Kerygma missionaries raise their own support. For further information, please visit their website.