Encountered, Enlightened, Empowered and Evangelising: 4‘E’ Webinar Series by MJDYPN

The Malacca Johore Diocese Young People Network (MJDYPN), which is the new name of the official diocesan ministry for the young people in MJD, organised four sessions on the 4‘E’s: Encountered, Enlightened, Empowered and Evangelising during the months of September through November.

Dec 19, 2020

By Francisco Overee
The Malacca Johore Diocese Young People Network (MJDYPN), which is the new name of the official diocesan ministry for the young people in MJD, organised four sessions on the 4‘E’s: Encountered, Enlightened, Empowered and Evangelising during the months of September through November.

These sessions were conducted online via Zoom and catered for two age groups: youth (13-17) and young adults (18-39). Seventeen participants joined the four different sessions as they journeyed on what it means to be a 4E Catholic as a young person.

The 4Es were also expounded by Sr Jennyfer of the Canossian Sisters during the Tamil YOULIFT programme (a Leadership programme for the Tamil speaking young people in MJD on the 27th of October, 2020. The 4E spirituality was introduced following the Final Statement of the Malacca Johore Diocesan Synod and also a part of the Vision-Mission Statement of the Diocese of Ma lacca Johore. It is a framework on discipleship and being a ‘discipling’ Church for all the people of God in the Diocese in their various degrees, a call to be e-Priests, e-Catholics, eYouths, e-Parishes and an e-Diocese. The formulation of the 4Es comes from Bishop Bernard Paul DD, the Bishop of the Diocese of Malacca Johore.

MJDYPN, having for its vision and mission the formation of young  Catholic Apostles through networking and discipleship, decided to run the 4E series in order to help the young people of the Diocese learn and share practical ways of being eYouths through everyday living.

The sessions were conducted by Francisco, a MJDYPN pastoral worker, with input followed by breakout room sharing where the participants could elaborate on their experiences and ask questions  on the topic at hand. Every session ended with an assignment on prayer and a practical challenge based on the theme for the day which will be shared among participants in the succeeding session.

During the third session, EMPOWERED, held on Nov 11 and 12 2020, the participants heard a testimony from Sharon De Mello, the Catechism Coordinator and a catechist herself in the Portuguese Set tlement, Melaka. Sharon shared her experience of being empowered and how her encounter with Christ has led her into taking proactive steps in studying the faith and eventually sharing the faith through catechesis.

For further updates on past programmes or upcoming programmes of MJDYPN, do follow our official Facebook page at Malacca Johore Diocese Young People Network.

Youths share their testimony
Isaiah James from St Peter’s Church, Melaka, a participant in the young adult’s sessions shared this after the series: ‘I encountered Christ spiritually while I was journeying through these 4E sessions. I noticed that there is a pool of knowledge to discover about Jesus Christ, the importance of understanding the sacraments, and Mission of the Church and it was indeed empowering.

“Modelling the scene of our Blessed Lord with two of his beloved apostles in the road to Emmaus (a deserted sandy road), I realised that with the presence of this COVID-19 pandemic,  our lives can be also deserted and messy like the road to Emmaus. Similar like the two disciples (where they felt tired walking for seven miles), we also feel tired walking through each day without a certain future.

“Therefore, we need to encounter Christ (like how the two disciples did) and we can encounter Him through His Words which is everliving and besides going and attending Masses (physically/online), this webinar is a ‘good supplement’ for you to have a steadfast faith in journeying through your life in these trying times.”

From St Teresa’s Church, Masai, Johor, Valentina Hendricks says, “During the 4E sessions, I learned a lot. These sessions also helped me to find myself and understand myself better and what I might be missing in life. Not everyone has discovered their gift yet, but in time to come, you will know when you discover yours!”

Eugene Wong, from St Francis Xavier’s Church Melaka, noted that, “The four-week series about the 4Es were really educational and relaxing. The content shared by the speaker was easy to understand and enlightening. In the comfort of our homes, it was a conducive setting for learning, sharing and praying. One thing I liked about the sessions was that it had an easy-going flow and everyone was approachable. More young adults should be open to listen and be formed through simple sessions like these.”

A final Testimony comes from Monisha, who also hails from St Teresa’s Church Masai. She says, “I attended the Youth Leaders in Faith - Training (YOULIFT) programme organised by MJDYPN over the ZOOM platform. I would like to share the talk by Sr Jennyfer which is about the 4Es. Before I attended this programme I thought that the 4Es were only for the adults who have a higher position in church. But, she explained the 4Es well and what we can do as young people.

“We as youth always forget to encounter Jesus. In the end, we struggle to keep our faith strong. Sr Jennyfer explained why we should encounter God in our life. When we really encounter God, we will be enlightened and empowered to keep moving on in  our faith, and from there we can start our evangelisation, and we can serve the Church well. “As a leader, we are always able to encounter God, but we refuse to get the empowerment from God, and in the end, we can’t serve well or keep our faith.

“The talk by Sr Jennyfer really helped me in my faith and also in serving the Church. I’m always able to encounter God, but I lack the empowerment. From this talk, I am able to find the way to empowerment myself from God and now I can move strongly in serving the Church.

“I would like to thank MJDYPN for organising this programme and giving me the opportunity to join in. I also wish them the best of luck for their upcoming programmes.”

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