It Starts With You: Developing A Personal Relationship with Jesus (Part 1) | Ep. 3
You can spend a week doing church work and still need to make room for your own prayer. Khalil Hattar, Fr. Sammie Maletta and Kris Ziegelhofer discuss the first principle of Be Disciples, Make Disciples: parish renewal begins with the people leading it. Fr. Sammie describes discipleship as surrender to Jesus and reliance on grace. Kris reflects on why working for the Church does not settle the question of how we are growing in faith.
They get specific about building prayer into the team’s life: reflecting on the coming Sunday’s Gospel, gathering for spiritual formation, attending Mass and going to adoration together. They also discuss helping people become comfortable praying aloud. The challenge continues beyond staff meetings. Showing up for a ministry commitment when you would rather stay home, making room for a Bible study with friends and allowing people to take initiative all raise the same question: how are we living the discipleship we invite others to embrace?
In this episode
- Growing in faith while working for the Church
- Surrender to Jesus and reliance on God’s grace
- Making time for staff prayer, Mass and adoration
- Helping people learn to pray aloud
- Supporting initiative without trying to control every ministry
About the guests
Fr. Sammie Maletta
Fr. Sammie Maletta is pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish in St. John, Indiana. His ministry centers on parish renewal, collaborative leadership and the sacramental life of the Church. He works with staff and parish partners to help people encounter Jesus.
Kris Ziegelhofer
Kris Ziegelhofer works in human resources and parish partner engagement at St. John the Evangelist Parish. Her responsibilities include recruiting, hiring, and payroll for the parish and school, along with serving on the parish’s leadership team.
