How Do You Make Time for God in Your Life?
Welcome to Word of God Project!
This faith-sharing Gospel resource was created during the summer of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. With churches shuttered and collections bottoming out, parish staffs were faced with a drastic cut in budget. As Director of Religious Education for a small parish in the suburbs of Chicago, I was struggling and praying for a solution to the problem, while still wanting to deliver the best possible religious education experience for our students and families. As summer quarantine and social distancing lingered on, the reality of in-person learning seemed dismal. The answer to my prayer came from a not-so-unexpected source, my daughter! She had been listening to my worries and despair, and she thought of a way to share faith and read the Gospel that is both interesting and thought-provoking. I admit that I was unsure at first but, as I surrendered my anxiety to God and accepted the challenge, I knew that what she had dreamed of was the perfect answer.
The Word of God Project was developed with the gift of many volunteers from around the world who said “yes” when we asked them to help. Most are friends and family or extended family. The readers of the Gospels were affectionately dubbed “WOG’Rs” (Word of God Readers). The WOG’Rs live in over 12 states in the United States and seven different countries. All videos were self-recorded and sent back for editing. Remember--this project was created during the summer! Many of the Advent, Christmas and Lenten Gospels were read by people in t-shirts or tank tops and shorts! Instead of snow and Christmas trees, you will see a lot of sunshine and green leaves.
Watch and listen for Gospels read in different languages too! You will hear Spanish, Italian, German, Filipino, Chinese, and even American Sign Language. You will also notice that the title page is color-coded to the liturgical season. WOG’Rs mention what cycle the Gospel is from. All of these are teaching moments for you and your family.
Our gratitude is immense for all of these volunteers who worked so hard to record and send the Gospels.
I wrote the reflections and the questions that go along with each Gospel. Please jot down the questions as you hear them and use them for faith sharing with your family. Also, please feel free to share the links to these videos with your friends and family. I hope and pray that you will hear the Word of God through this project. (Listen for a little voice at the end asking, “Did you hear it?”)
Finally--my heartfelt thanks and love to my daughter Caroline and to my godson Kevin who helped to create this project and worked tirelessly all summer. Caroline created the structure for the project, recruited many of the volunteers, and helped with the artistic aspects. Kevin did all of the beautiful film editing and wrote and recorded the music. If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a WOG’R, please email me at stphilipre@gmail.com.
Nancy McKnight
This faith-sharing Gospel resource was created during the summer of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. With churches shuttered and collections bottoming out, parish staffs were faced with a drastic cut in budget. As Director of Religious Education for a small parish in the suburbs of Chicago, I was struggling and praying for a solution to the problem, while still wanting to deliver the best possible religious education experience for our students and families. As summer quarantine and social distancing lingered on, the reality of in-person learning seemed dismal. The answer to my prayer came from a not-so-unexpected source, my daughter! She had been listening to my worries and despair, and she thought of a way to share faith and read the Gospel that is both interesting and thought-provoking. I admit that I was unsure at first but, as I surrendered my anxiety to God and accepted the challenge, I knew that what she had dreamed of was the perfect answer.
The Word of God Project was developed with the gift of many volunteers from around the world who said “yes” when we asked them to help. Most are friends and family or extended family. The readers of the Gospels were affectionately dubbed “WOG’Rs” (Word of God Readers). The WOG’Rs live in over 12 states in the United States and seven different countries. All videos were self-recorded and sent back for editing. Remember--this project was created during the summer! Many of the Advent, Christmas and Lenten Gospels were read by people in t-shirts or tank tops and shorts! Instead of snow and Christmas trees, you will see a lot of sunshine and green leaves.
Watch and listen for Gospels read in different languages too! You will hear Spanish, Italian, German, Filipino, Chinese, and even American Sign Language. You will also notice that the title page is color-coded to the liturgical season. WOG’Rs mention what cycle the Gospel is from. All of these are teaching moments for you and your family.
Our gratitude is immense for all of these volunteers who worked so hard to record and send the Gospels.
I wrote the reflections and the questions that go along with each Gospel. Please jot down the questions as you hear them and use them for faith sharing with your family. Also, please feel free to share the links to these videos with your friends and family. I hope and pray that you will hear the Word of God through this project. (Listen for a little voice at the end asking, “Did you hear it?”)
Finally--my heartfelt thanks and love to my daughter Caroline and to my godson Kevin who helped to create this project and worked tirelessly all summer. Caroline created the structure for the project, recruited many of the volunteers, and helped with the artistic aspects. Kevin did all of the beautiful film editing and wrote and recorded the music. If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a WOG’R, please email me at stphilipre@gmail.com.
Nancy McKnight