The Archbishop’s Call to Share (ACTS) in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas was initiated by Archbishop Strecker as a response to Vatican II: to engage more fully the Catholic faithful in the evangelical mission of the Church. The ACTS has grown to become a lifeline for more than 40 specific ministries, services and agencies provided by the Archdiocese.
The ministries supported by the ACTS fall into five pastoral priorities: Conversion, Evangelization, Education, Outreach, and Stewardship. For a large number of these ministries, the Archbishop’s Call to Share is their sole source of funding. Some of these ministries attend to needs beyond the scope of individual parishes, and some exist for the sole purpose of assisting parishes in their mission to teach, evangelize and provide good liturgical experiences.
The ACTS annual campaign returns under the leadership of Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann. The Archbishop’s Call to Share is the annual coming together as one united community of the Catholic Church of Northeast Kansas. The theme for ACTS 2019 is Never Alone, Always Loved.
Please peruse this website to familiarize yourself with the appeal. A list of ministries supported by the ACTS can be found here. A sample presentation outline is given below. If you have any questions or need additional assistance, please contact Geri Nickels at 913-647-0364 or gnickels@archkck.org.
Click here for the Lay Witness Speaker Guide.
PRESENTATION SAMPLE
It is important that your talk be personal and warm, and that you sincerely ask your fellow parishioners for their help in supporting the ministries funded by ACTS. Use this sample outline to organize the information that you share at Masses. The text in italics is an example, please use your own words to share the message of ACTS and ask for support.
Introduce yourself
I am ______ and I am a fellow parishioner here at ______. I/my family and I have been member(s) here since _____ and we participate in ______.
Introduce the Archbishop’s Call to Share
Father _____ asked me to speak today about the Archbishop’s Call to Share (or ACTS), the annual appeal for ministries in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, of which we are a part. The funds collected support more than 40 important ministries that assist our parish and the community at large in sharing the Gospel of Jesus with the people of Northeast Kansas. On January 12/13, we heard Archbishop’s homily introducing ACTS 2019, and I was struck by ______.
Share your story
My family and I give to the Archbishop’s Call to Share because ______.
OR
One of the ministries funded by the ACTS is ______. This ministry provides ______ to ______ in the archdiocese. ______ was helped by the ministry by ______. The ministry had a profound impact on the life and faith of this person as you can see by ______.
Ask each family to support the ACTS
Thank you to those of you who have already made your commitment to the Archbishop’s Call to Share 2019. If you have given in the past, now is the perfect time to renew your commitment to the ministries of the archdiocese. If you have never given, please consider joining me and ______ of our parish families who support the larger Church with gifts to the Archbishop’s Call to Share. Our parish is being challenged to increase our participation rate this year, and any gift, great or small, is participation in this important appeal. Return your pledge card to the collection basket here or make your gift online at www.calltoshare.org/give.
Conclude
Thank you, Father ______, and all of you for allowing me the chance to share the good news of the Archbishop’s Call to Share with you today. Please be generous as you consider your response to this important appeal.