you need to be: participating in a Group Reunion, actively living your Fourth Day, attending Ultreyas frequently and six months out of your own weekend.
Sponsoring: What and how you tell a perspective candidate about what he or she may expect on the Weekend is one of the most important elements in opening the door for God to work His transforming power in their life during the Weekend. Pray. Seek God’s clear guidance about sponsoring someone. Before you invite them to be your candidate, consider discussing it with the perspective candidate’s priest. The priest is often in a better position than you might be to determine someone’s readiness to attend the Weekend. As you initiate the sponsoring process with your potential candidate, help him or her to relax, trust and be open to Christ’s leading. Defuse expectations. Part of being able to do that will come from you knowing the information below; part from you sharing the appropriate items listed below with the person you are sponsoring; part from you answering their questions honestly. If you aren’t sure how to answer, tell them you will find out and get back to them. Call the Lay Director, Rector, Rectora or one of our Anglican 4th Day Priests to get your answer. Get back to them with the answer as soon as possible. Stay focused on God’s plan for your candidate. Pray. YOU are who your candidate is counting on for guidance, encouragement and assurance.
Below is a list of what you must do as a sponsor to give your candidate the greatest opportunity to experience what God has planned for him or her at their Anglican 4th Day Weekend. Be familiar with your responsibilities and talk about the appropriate ones with your candidate.
Responsibilities Prior To Anglican 4th Day Weekend:
Create joy and a comfortable atmosphere between you and your candidate. Help him or her understand the value of coming to the Weekend without preconceived ideas and ready to receive what the Holy Spirit has for them. Be a blessing and be blessed!
Give them an application
Discuss it with them
Remind them to make out a check for $15.00 payable to Anglican 4th Day Secretariat and turn it in with the application. Be sensitive to their financial situation. You might suggest helping them with it if is seems to be a problem.
Be sure they listed any dietary or medical concerns
Make sure both you and their priest have signed
Turn the application in to the Lay Director as soon as possible. The deadline is one month prior to the last Ultreya before the Weekend.
Send a card of encouragement and support to your candidate every week prior to Anglican 4th Day. You might include a Scripture verse. A little piece of palanca is fun to put in the card, but not necessary. On Sunday after the conclusion of the Weekend, you may give your candidate a special gift if you so choose.
Buy a coffee mug for your candidate. In nail polish, write their name on the bottom of it. Bring the mug with you to the Weekend and put it in the kitchen.
Write three letters to your candidate - one on each of the topics below. On the outside of the envelope write their name and which letter it is. Bring them to Anglican 4th Day and put all three of letters in the Palanca House. Make sure the candidate’s name and theme of the day it is intended for is written on the outside of the envelope.
Faith – Friday
Love - Saturday
Hope - Sunday
Write a $50.00 check payable to Anglican 4th Day Secretariat. Give it to the treas- urer for the following items the candidate receives:
Candle
Cross
Flowers
Group picture
Music book
Name tag
Sippy Cup
T-shirt - You will need to ask your candidate his or her size and give thatinformation to the person ordering them.
Contact significant people in your candidate’s life. Ask them to write a note to the candidate. Suggest topics such as: encouraging - supporting them, expressing thankfulness for their life, what the candidate means to the writer. Tell the writer not to let the candidate know about this because the note will be given to them on their Weekend as a gift. Give the people you contact a deadline, well before the Weekend, to get their note to you. Bring the notes with you to Pre-week, all in one envelope, with the candidate’s first and last name and “notes from significants” written on the outside of the envelope. Put them in the Palanca House.
Arrange for their transportation to and from Anglican 4th Day
Bring their bedding, towels and a lawn chair for them, their name on it, when you come for Pre-week. Make their bed for them when the bunk house is ready. Put their lawn chair with yours on the black top.
Tell your candidate:
A free will offering will be taken on Sunday to make it possible for someone else to come to Anglican 4th Day
To leave watches at home – trust, they are on God’s time
They won’t need a cell phone – leave it at home. Emergency numbers will be given to them to give to their family. ** (Take time to explain 1-3 so they understand why and are comfortable.)
About shower facilities and temperature so they can pack accordingly
Sunday, after all is finished, if you have a small gift you would like to give your candidate, please give it quietly one on one. Not all sponsors give a gift. It is optional.
A Likely Candidate: is someone who is already on a journey with Christ, but would like to deepen their relationship with Jesus, grow spiritually, learn more about being a disciple and has clear potential for developing Christian leadership qualities.
RESPONSIBILITIES AFTER A4D:
Support your 4th Day Disciple as they begin their Fourth Day. Help him or her realize the value it has in maintaining their relationship with Christ for the rest of their life.
Assist your Anglican 4th Day Disciple in getting into a Group Reunion if they aren’t already in one.
Encourage them to come to Ultreyas. Bring them.
Check in with them monthly to see how things are going for them.