One of the most important aspects of being a Christian is sharing our faith and knowledge about Jesus Christ and his Church. This list contains 10 powerful ways that you can make a difference in the kingdom of Christ. There are many people who have not heard the truth of Christ and they are never told where to go to learn more. These examples not only share Christ with people, but they expose people to ministries within the Church that they can obtain reliable resources to draw closer to Jesus. Not all of these examples are suitable for everyone. But one thing is for sure, you can make a major impact on someone's life by committing to evangelizing in some manner.

Next time you are on an airplane, place a Catholic tract in the magazine pouch that is in front of you. Stuffing tracts inside the Airline's free magazine will also work. Most of the time, people are bored on airplanes and are looking for something to do. This approach may generate some interest for the person reading it. In addition, place a Catholic tract in the Bible in your hotel room. You may plant a seed that will one day grow and bear fruit.

Ask your priest if you can set up a table after Mass to distribute Catholic information. You can purchase tracts in bulk quantities at small costs. Place these tracts on a table and offer them free of charge. Stand behind the table and answer any questions that someone may have. This is a great way to meet people and spread the faith. Provide a donation can for those who want to financially support your cause. If you are receiving a lot of support, consider purchasing some audio tapes and 'rent' them out free of charge. Ask the person picking up the tape to fill out a card with his name and phone number. State clearly that the tapes need to be returned after one week.

Your parish priest has the opportunity to reach many people during his homily. Often, priests have no idea of the great books that have been published in the last few years with regard to explaining the faith. Purchase a copy of your favorite book and give it to him as a gift. If you are shy, you can drop it off with the church's secretary. I recommend 1) "Catholicism and Fundamentalism" and 2) "Catholic for a Reason."

Make a list of friends and family members who need to know the truths of the Catholic faith. This may include those who you know are Catholic, but are not living out their faith, or those who you know oppose Catholicism. After you make the list, send each one of them a tract or tape. I recommend Catholic Answers booklet, "Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth." This booklet costs lest than a dollar and explains the faith clearly and quickly. If you prefer to send an audio tape, I recommend Gospel Truth’s "Catholic Beliefs in the Bible."

Whether this person is a DJ for a music station or a talk show host, you can send a tract describing the Catholic faith. Often times, these personalities can distort Catholic teaching and cause many people to distrust the Catholic Church. Along with the booklet, send him a list of Catholic web sites to visit in case his interested is peaked by the material. Once again, Catholic Answers "Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth" is an idea choice.

Most public libraries accept donated books. It is not surprising that many public libraries carry books that distort Catholic teaching. Often an uninformed Catholic may run into one of these books and eventually leave the Church. But this does not have to happen. Purchase a couple of good Catholic books and donate them to the library. There is a very good chance that these books will end up in the hands of someone who really needs it. Who knows, after 10 years in the library, these books may have been read by hundreds of people. Books I recommend donating are 1) "Catholicism and Fundamentalism" and 2) "Catholic for a Reason."

For the same reason above, it is important to provide people the opportunity to get their hands on a good Catholic book. Locate your local used bookstore and bring them a copy of your favorite book. To make it easy on the bookstore, tell them that you are donating the books and you wish not to get paid for them. Somebody may stumble across these books and help them understand the faith. Books I recommend donating are 1) Catholicism and Fundamentalism and 2) Catholic for a Reason.

Instead of buying your friends and family another piece of clothing for Christmas or birthday, consider buying them a subscription to a Catholic magazine. Gift subscriptions are particularly good gifts, because they last a whole year. A person may forget about a Catholic book and lose it, but it will be hard to forget about something that comes in the mail 12 times a year. Since the person has to at least see the magazine every four weeks while going through the mail, it is really the "gift that keeps on giving." Additionally, you can purchase a gift subscription without the receiving person even knowing who bought it for them. Recommended magazines include 1) This Rock and 2) Envoy.

Ask the parish priest if you can write a small section in the weekly bulletin explaining some part of the Catholic faith. You want to limit your paragraph to less than 50 words. The paragraph can be a summary of a Catholic belief, a few scripture verses, a list of books or home pages that are of interest, a few paragraphs from the Catechism, or a profile of a Saint. Before you meet with the priest, prepare a list of about 20 subjects that you will be writing about. If needed, tell him you will write 4 weeks of the paragraph in advance and submit them to him for review.

If you are confident about your understanding of the Catholic faith and you are comfortable speaking in front of groups, offer to speak at a parish organization meeting. Most parishes have men’s groups, married groups, mothers groups, senior groups, and singles groups. These groups typically have monthly meetings where they welcome speakers. The front page of most bulletins has the names of the chair people for these organizations. Contact these people and ask them if they would like to have a speaker come to one of their meetings and speak on a certain aspect of the Catholic faith. Tell them that you can limit your speech to less than 20 minutes if need be. Try and allow 10 minutes for questions and answers. Make handouts that include books and tapes you recommend with the names and phone numbers to the apostolates that carry them.

To obtain the recommended information listed above,

contact the following.

"Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth" Catholic Answers 1-888-291-8000

"Catholicism & Fundamentalism" Catholic Answers 1-888-291-8000

"Catholic for a Reason" Emmaus Road 1-800-398-5470

Sample Tracts Catholic Answers 1-888-291-8000

"Catholic Beliefs in the Bible" Gospel Truth 972-724-1056

"Verses Fundamentalist Use" Gospel Truth 972-724-1056

"Envoy Magazine" Envoy Magazine 1-800-553-6869

"This Rock" Catholic Answers 1-888-291-8000

"And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church,

and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it" Matthew 16:18