Renew Your Faith

I grew up as a Lutheran, but as I grew older (and conceivably wiser) I found there was not really that much difference between the different Christian denominations. I went to a Catholic church service first with a girlfriend, and found it ritually similar to the services I had grown used to in the Lutheran church. I consider myself non-denominational now, but have the greatest respect for the Catholic Church, which I have seen first hand as offering aid and comfort to the poor of the world.

A small group of members, led by two priests,Tom Kleissler and Tom Ivory of the Newark diocese, came together with a shared vision to renew the Catholic Church in 1976. Thus began Renew International, a faith sharing vision of the future of the Catholic Chruch. Renew now offers materials that enable small Christian communities to share their faith, and even offer some excerpts for free.

Renew International involves small groups from diverse backgrounds and cultures, who seek to carry out the command originally given by Jesus Christ to "go make disciples of all nations." Renew has since grown to include service for over twenty five million Americans in some fifteen thousand parishes and one hundred thirty dioceses, with a presence in twenty two countries besides the United States.

The basis is simple, and similar to the early Christian Church, where small groups of people gathered together to share their beliefs and support each other's faith and spiritual growth. Renew International is a powerful example to others who wish to evangelize, showing how small groups of people can come together accomplish great things.