This week I talk to Keith and Iwona Major of Stonetoflesh.org. This is a fascinating combination of Protestant Evangelical fervor and the methods of church-planting ‘missiology’, with orthodox Catholic teaching and practice. Keith was a pastor at a charismatic protestant church before he and his wife, Iwona, came back to the Church.
Their mission is to reach out to Catholics and evangelize them so that they are inspired to fulfill their full mission in the Church. They created a missionary formation of learning by praxis. By learning the faith of the Fathers and the traditional practices - chanting the Office, praying with scripture using Lectio Divina - they have created a community of dispersed house-groups through northern LA.
The hope is that each person who goes through their Stone to Flesh formation of the heart, will discover a richer faith and their charism of evangelism and then as Leaders, they are sent out, with the mission of attracting and forming others. They are in their third year and have four full-time missionaries and over 20 working people who have committed to do this as a devotion.
They moved their at the invitation of a local auxiliary Bishop. Here is a description of their vision from the stonetoflesh.org website
GOD HAS A DREAM AND YOU ARE IN IT.
We are dwellers in the Father’s Love, being provoked to sustain each other’s hunger. We are wounded healers who trust Jesus’ touch and are not hiding the doubts of our weak hearts. We are creative seekers, finding the anointing of the Holy Spirit in all aspects of life because His touch is hidden and manifested in mourning and in thrill. We are pioneers on our way to heaven living in a missionary community in the Los Angeles area.
Those who are interested in working with Keith and Iwona and live within striking distance of Asuza, California (northern LA) should contact them through the website.
If you are interested in trying to create a similar network where you live, then they would like to hear from you too. Do so, again, through stonetoflesh.org or majorchange.org which contains information about their general philosophy and online courses they have created, Prayer, Lectio Divina, Praying the Hours, Adopting a Christian Rhythm of Life.
