GUIDELINES FOR THE WITNESS SPEAKER                   

Cum Christus

The Witness Talk

The Purpose

The purpose of Ultreya is to foster, affirm and encourage perseverance in the Fourth Day. In the Ultreya, we encourage one another to grow in intimacy by forming and joining permanent group reunions and to grow as a community by actively taking part in the groupings, singing and shared prayer of the evening.

A major part of any Ultreya gathering is the witness we share with one another. In witnessing. we each in our own unique
way."share with the larg~r community our penetration of our particular environments. In sharing the Truth that we are and the Truth of the Father's hand in our lives, we become instruments of encouragement to others in the community as they persevere in the penetration of their environments.

When preparing a witness talk for Ultreya it is important to keep in mind the purpose of Ultreya and its call of encouragement, affirmation, and perseverence in the Fourth Day. The following guidelines are offered not in an effort to limit or control your witness, but in an effort to help you in the understanding and preparation of that witness.

Witness speakers in calling the community to prayer at the begining of their talk draw the community's attention to the fact that the lord, God Who Is, is among us and guiding us as individuals and as a community.

The Ultreya Witness Talk is composed of three major elements.  These are : prayer, testimony, and witness.

PRAYER

Prayerful preparation of a witness talk is essential: We seek and strive to move "onward" (ULTREYAJ) towards changing the whole world for Christ. What sets us apart is our prayer, for it is through the day by day prayer of our lives that the Father graces us with his friendship and the vision to know his will. Many people work toward the change, the betterment, of the very same environments which we find ourselves in. Yet. their motivation may be humanistic, political, or merely a job for which they are being paid. It is not what we do that sets us apart, for many actively seek change in their environments. It is, rather, what
we see that sets us apart. What sets us apart is our prayer, for it is through our prayer that the Father graces us with the vision to do his will.

Witness speakers in calling the community to prayer at the beginning of their talk draw the community's attention to the fact that the lord, God Who Is, is among us and guiding us as individuals and as a community's attention to the fact that the Lord, God Who Is, is among us and guiding us as individuals and as a community.
 

                                                                                                                          TESTIMONY

Testimony is that portion of the witness talk that is concerned with the questions: What is God doing in my life today? or How has God been working in my life, recently? or How has God touched my life through others, recently? Webster defines testimony as the giving of evidence. It is this section of the wit- ness talk that allow the speakers to tell the story. give the evidence of God work. ing in their lives. It is the testimony, the evidence, the story that we are a people of vision; a people who see with eyes that are open; a people who strive to see even more clearly the Will of God in their lives.

WITNESS

The "witness" portion of the talk draws heavily on the testimonial section of the Witness Talk. It is concerned with relating exactly how we are in Christ's hands; how we have made ourselves available to being a channel for God's grace in our environments. It is the portion of the Witness Ta!k which gives the testimony substance. "Because God has touched my life...! have responded by..." The witness portion of the talk is stressed as the primary motivator for others at Ultreya as we continue to encourage, support and affirm each other in persevering in the penetration of our individual environments. While it is no more, nor no less important than the testimony, it is the portion of the talk that is looked for and stressed as taking up the most time. It is an opportunity for the, witness speakers to share with the community the methods that they used, why they came to try cer.tain ways of reaching others, and their successes and failures.
 

                  METHODOLOGY OF A WITNESS TALK

As with any methodology this is merely a model to follow. Method has been defined as, "not a set of instructions which any dolt can follow, but a chance for creative collaboration." (Bernard Lonergan, SJ, Method in Theology.) The methodology presented below is not intended to limit or control your witness, but is presented in an effort to assist you in the preparation of your talk.

How you incorporate the major elements of prayer, testimony, and witness into a 10 to I 5 minute maximum presentation is ultimately something that each of us will have to decide as we continue to live and speak; as we continue to witness to the fact that we are community of believers who dare to state: "And I on His Grace."

A simple methodology in presenting a Witness TaIk wcu!d be:

a. Begin at the beginning...as in all things we begin with prayer.
b. You may want to make a brief one or two sentence statement of when you began your "walk" as a follower of Christ; whether it was
    during a retreat weekend or whether it has been an ongoing conversion experience.
c. Your personal testimony; i.e., a recent close moment; your Piety.
d. Your Study and your plan of Action:. the tools you planned to use.
e. Your "Witness" or "How with the help of God, I carried out this action.": The problems and obstacles you encountered and how they
    were overcome or met. Your group involvement.
f. A short summary of your experience, the strength you gained from it, and the hope you have for the future.
g. A closing prayer of thanksgiving for this opportunity to grow.