[00:00:00] Jim Jansen: Hey everybody. Welcome to The Equipped Cast. So today I sit down with Renee Ames and, uh, Renee tells her story about going from being a HR professional in the corporate world, uh, moving from Nebraska to Arizona, and then back to small town Nebraska. Uh, a parish family with, uh, 10 parishes. Uh, part of it. And her call to serve as an evangelization coordinator for her family of parishes. Uh, it's just a fun conversation. Uh, hearing Renee talk about the, just the fundamentals of accompaniment of her own prayer and the role of trying to be present to people. Um, finding the balance between personal accompaniment and the kind of initiatives and, and programs that, that often, you know. Form the, the skeleton of, of evangelization in efforts, in parishes. Uh, it's really a great, great conversation. Lot of wisdom, uh, that Renee just gently shares in the conversation, so you're gonna love it. Take a listen. Hey everybody. Welcome to The Equipped Cast, a weekly podcast for the Archdiocese of Omaha. I'm your host, Jim Janssen. Now let's dive into some encouragement and inspiration to equip you to live your faith and to be fruitful in your mission. Let's go. Renee Ames, welcome to the Quip Cast. How you doing today? [00:01:24] Renee Eames: Good. Thank you, Jim for having me. I really appreciate it. [00:01:27] Jim Jansen: I, Renee, I'm excited about the conversation. We, uh, we haven't known each other real long, but, uh, we were praying for you, we'll, we'll talk about kind of the role you've taken and, uh, the way you're, uh, kind of supporting your family for evangelization. But, uh, it was such a gift. I think I heard about you showing up being, you know, a, a blessing to your pastor, father Wieder and the family before we, we actually, uh, met and then. Now we've had a couple of, you know, we've got multiple connections through the mentorship program and, and your work at the parishes. Uh, but for those who don't know you tell us a little bit about your story. [00:02:04] Renee Eames: Hey, well thanks. Thank you so much for those kind words. Appreciate it. Alright, so I am married. We, my husband and I have been married 25 years this year. That's exciting. [00:02:14] Jim Jansen: Wow. Congratulations. I'm right on the precipice. We're at 24 now, so. [00:02:19] Renee Eames: We're, we're all getting there. Um, I have two children. I have a, uh, freshman in high school and a junior in high school, and they both go to Guardian Angel Central Catholic here in West Point. We have been in West Point since, um, December of 21. January 22 we came, right? Um, as at the turn of the calendar year before that, we were five and a half years in Arizona where the desert was. Very real. [00:02:53] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:02:53] Renee Eames: Very palpable in a spiritual sense and in a physical sense. And I also grew to appreciate the beauty of the desert. [00:03:05] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:03:05] Renee Eames: So there was, um, a beautiful spiritual walk during that time and a beautiful spiritual community. Um, in Arizona. And so I'm so grateful though, while I went maybe, um, kicking and screaming. [00:03:19] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:03:20] Renee Eames: Um, that the Lord gave me that opportunity to have that time in the desert. Um, we also have family down there, so it was also the very fruitful and beautiful time to spend time with, um, family, um, and to be together. Before that though, uh, we were in Omaha. I grew, grew up in Omaha, um, born and raised there. Um, and we spent the first 13 years of our married life in Omaha as members of, um, St. Philip Neri in St. Louisan, um, parishes, um, depending on where we lived at the time. So, um, I spent. The early part of my life in corporate America, and I worked for ConAgra brands for 15 years, and then I left that job to homeschool my children. So we spent seven years homeschooling and was [00:04:17] Jim Jansen: So you got a promotion. [00:04:17] Renee Eames: That was Yeah, I did. I really did get a promotion. It was probably the most terrifying promotion that I've ever had in my life. And, uh. I had no idea if I would be able to do it or how we could do it, um, with, um, within our family, but we just really felt the Holy Spirit calling us to do that, um, during the younger years of [00:04:41] Jim Jansen: mm-hmm. [00:04:41] Renee Eames: Our children's schooling. So we did that all the way up until about junior high for both of the kids, and it was a lovely foundation for them. And it was also, um, very much a growing time for me. I, I maybe learned the most. And, uh, as they got into high school, uh, age, we could tell that, um, they were gonna really benefit from being part of a high school community. So, um, that, um, along with, uh, the Catholic hospital here in West Point is what drew us to this community here and called, uh, we felt called to leave Arizona and come to West Point at that time. [00:05:20] Jim Jansen: Now, were there any, did you have any roots or connections to West Point besides the hospital job? I don't remember. [00:05:27] Renee Eames: Well, when I, I went to Wayne for a few years, two and a half years I went to Wayne State. Nice. So I drove through West Point a lot and, uh, I have a very I and made sure I wasn't speeding, so I wouldn't get pulled over. [00:05:43] Jim Jansen: Yeah. [00:05:44] Renee Eames: Um, uh, and I have a. A college roommate who lives here and, um, she teaches at, uh, Guardian Angels Central Catholic and has for a long time. And so they, they, her and her husband had tr been trying to get us to move here for a long time, for pretty close to the time that they, um Oh, okay. Moved out here about 20 years ago. Yep. And her husband was also my husband's sponsor when he came into the church, um, back in 2007. [00:06:14] Jim Jansen: Okay, so you had some connections, but for those who are not from, uh, Nebraska maybe, and even if you are from Nebraska, like the contrast between Omaha, uh Right. Which is, you know, closest we get to a big city here in Nebraska and West Point, I mean, it could be more dramatic. We do have smaller towns than West Point. Um, it's kind of in the medium size you mentioned, you know, there's a hospital there, so it's like we have smaller towns, but it's, it's not Omaha, it's not Arizona. Talk about, like, again, and this may be a, a nice setup as, as you talk about kind of the role you took, talk about the experience of entering into Right. Small town Nebraska life in West Point. [00:06:54] Renee Eames: Yes. And I would say that, um, that is something to consider. So we're about an hour. Northwest of Omaha, and so we're not terribly far from the city. That is one thing that was a little bit challenging for me to even think about. I think my husband would've moved to a small town years and years ago. Um. But I was, I was the holdout, I think, for that. And, uh, now that we're here and we've kind of, we've settled in and we've been, um, welcomed as part of this beautiful community here, um, within, um, west Point and our, um, family of parishes, which we'll talk about in a little bit. I just couldn't imagine it otherwise. Um, there's a lot of, uh, you know. Benefits and disadvantages of both, I think. Um, but kind of funny. Um, one of the things I was thinking about that's really different, um, between Nebraska and Arizona and this back to smaller town Nebraska, um, would be the sounds. Hmm. So the sounds are very different. So when you're, when you're in Omaha. Well, we lived a little bit outside the city, but you know, you hear more of the traffic and the, the busyness and. [00:08:08] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:08:08] Renee Eames: The sirens and you know, the goings on and people coming and going in Arizona. It was quieter because we were outside of a city. We were, um, south of Tucson. What I heard there were coyotes and they sounded like teenagers having a party out in the desert. Right? [00:08:29] Jim Jansen: Well, I think they are. Oh yeah. It's totally, we have some in our place too, and they're just, they're, yeah. It's a crazy sound if you've never heard it. [00:08:38] Renee Eames: Yeah, so we had, we had those and the Colorado, uh, bullfrogs. Those also make a very interesting sound. They like, sound like something is dying out in the desert, like. Yeah, a small animal of some sort. And then coming here to West Point, we, I hear a little bit of a mix of things, right? [00:08:59] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:08:59] Renee Eames: You know, you hear a little, the comings and goings on the highway, um, and I hear the cattle lowing at the, at the sail barn. [00:09:07] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:09:07] Renee Eames: So I, I can hear, hear that. And so it just reminds me of. Um, you know, what type of community that, um, we are a part of here and very much a, um, farming community. And the slogan outside of, uh, the Town is Cumming County, doing its part to, you know, feed America, feed the world. Yeah. And, uh, I think that's just really beautiful. [00:09:32] Jim Jansen: You've got more cattle than people, right, by a lot. [00:09:34] Renee Eames: Yes. So I think so that's what I've heard. [00:09:36] Jim Jansen: Yeah. I mean, if the cattle ever rebel like you guys are in trouble because there's like, I think they out outnumber you all like three to three to one, but they're tasty. So we're okay. Little. [00:09:48] Renee Eames: Yes. And both of my parents, um, grew up on farms and um, were part of a rural community growing up, so it's. They also have enjoyed that they still live in Omaha, but they have [00:09:59] Jim Jansen: mm-hmm. [00:09:59] Renee Eames: Enjoyed, um, coming and visiting West Point and getting to know, um, the families here and being part of the community here as well. So it's a little bit hearkens back to my roots as well and [00:10:12] Jim Jansen: mm-hmm. [00:10:13] Renee Eames: I can walk so many places that it's just absolutely beautiful. So, uh, one day I was driving down the street and, you know, I saw. One friend that I knew, she was outside working on her, um, garden and um, another friend was out taking a walk. And so it's just such an intimate experience as you drive through town and you see people that you know. [00:10:40] Jim Jansen: Right. [00:10:41] Renee Eames: On every corner. [00:10:42] Jim Jansen: Yeah. Beautiful. I mean, it really is like kind of a picture of small town life. I mean it's, uh, again, like for from a Catholic perspective, I think you all have like over right, right around 50% mass attendance, which is. Pretty unique. You know, typically in the United States it's like 25%, so it's just a very, there's a lot of, you know, immigrant German Irish Catholics that moved into the area, and then it's got this beautiful small town feel. Renee, if we can, I want to give you a chance to talk about. The role that you took on as an evangelization coordinator for this family of parishes, because, you know, I'll let you describe it, but there's multiple parishes now together under one pastor, and as part of the pastoral planning for the archdiocese, we asked pastors to name an evangelization coordinator, and I think you were like the second or third, second evangelization coordinator. Talk a little bit about the family and talk about. Talk about your role, like how'd you get started? [00:11:44] Renee Eames: Yes. Um, okay. So our, uh, family of parishes includes 10 parishes, but not that as many communities. So we're really com it's a, like a triangle. [00:11:59] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:11:59] Renee Eames: And we're, uh, west Point to Beamer, to Wier. And then. That's one leg and then you take another leg of the triangle, you can drive over to Howell's, and then Dodge is very near there. And then Dodge back to West Point. And then within there are, um, several country churches as well. Um, country parishes as well. It is so beautiful to have these churches within the small communities where people can stop in, uh, and pray. We have adoration hour here, uh, in West Point, and we have that 24 7, and so it's. The parishes really do drive the community here. [00:12:48] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:12:49] Renee Eames: Now, we are fortunate, we don't have a huge geographic area that we cover. It's just under 20 minutes from West Point to Wisner, and I think it's about 20 minutes or so from. Uh, whi over to Howells, and then Howells and Dodge are close. They're about seven miles apart. Seven minutes, and then Dodge to, uh, west Point is maybe about 20 minutes so far. Okay. So they're they're pretty clustered. [00:13:15] Jim Jansen: Yeah. They're pretty clustered together. [00:13:16] Renee Eames: Yeah, we're pretty clustered in the middle. Mm-hmm. Yep. [00:13:19] Jim Jansen: Okay. Talk a little bit about your, your role. I mean, being evangelization coordinator, I mean, that's a, that's a newer position just generally in Catholic parishes. But then in the unique circumstances of this, you know, 10, 10 different churches in this family of parishes, uh, talk about your role a little bit. [00:13:40] Renee Eames: Yeah, so it is new and um. I began in July and when I saw the position was opened, I actually had have been on another adventure with my sister, uh, doing a, uh, tea company, our Bluebird Refuge Tea company, and also I felt called and, and that's a more of an while. We're trying to work intimately as well, but it's also like an online based business. But I just really felt called to do something within. My own community, like [00:14:16] Jim Jansen: mm-hmm. [00:14:16] Renee Eames: Day to day. So when that position came open, I really prayed about it and I wasn't really sure if that was the right thing for me to be, um, or, or to apply for, but I just saw it as a way to serve my community. When I was in Arizona, uh, I did a lot of work, uh, with our parish on a volunteer basis. [00:14:40] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:14:41] Renee Eames: And. So I really felt that it, it was an opportunity, uh, for the Lord to use me to serve, uh, him and the people within this, within this area. [00:14:56] Jim Jansen: Okay, so you've got this right? Beautiful online tea company. You're, you're new. Yes. Right? You're new back to this very close knit community, and you're like, huh. I think I'll do this evangelization coordinator thing at the parish that, that's a nice way to give back. Uh, how has your perspective on evangelization changed since entering it? I mean, you know, it wasn't hidden, it was in the title, so you knew it was like part of the job. Talk about how your, your perspective on evangelization has changed since you entered into this role. [00:15:27] Renee Eames: Well, I think the, uh, tea business that my sister and I have actually like, uh, led. Very specifically into this role because part of what we're trying to do, it, it's a, we have a pro-life focus and we're trying to, um, awaken hope and joy by accompanying women in motherhood. And so that accompaniment piece is very close to my heart. [00:15:56] Jim Jansen: Mm. [00:15:57] Renee Eames: So I think that. The, that is why the call to an evangelization coordinator felt right for me was because I felt that it was a call to accompany people. And as you know, and one thing that I've learned, you know, is you can have all the programs, but to really move people's hearts, to walk with others in their journey in life. [00:16:23] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:16:23] Renee Eames: And their journey to Christ is. A really a different mind shift. I think a lot of people can confuse Prosta proselytization [00:16:34] Jim Jansen: mm-hmm. [00:16:34] Renee Eames: With evangelization. Yeah. And so we're, we're not telling people what they need to do or how they need to be, but really walking with people in their journey to Christ. And you know that story that is used in evangelization of the Emmaus journey, right? It, it becomes very real, understanding what Christ was trying to do and say, Hey. I'm not telling you that I'm here, but I'm here. [00:17:04] Jim Jansen: Yeah. [00:17:05] Renee Eames: Um, I'm not being very explicit, but I'm here with you. And having that shift in our mindset, um, and the way that your team has provided, um, training and support has been, um, a really helpful in helping me to do my role. Especially as it relates to understanding that environment of invitation and walking with other people, um, one-on-one and helping all of us within our community to feel welcome and a part of the body of Christ. [00:17:42] Jim Jansen: You know, Renee, as you say this, like, I'm like imagining either like Jesus walking with like a cup of tea, like down the road of Emmaus or just like, Hey guys, let's just sit down and have a, have a cup of tea. I just wanna follow my own curiosity here. Talk a little bit more about how this conviction, right for accompaniment and the tea business, uh, I'm just fascinated how the Lord. Kind of laid this foundation for you, for evangelization, because I mean, that is right. Accompaniment, being a missionary disciple, walking with people, that is, it's more than just a buzzword, but it is kind of become, right the, the language of the church really pretty dramatically in the last, you know, I'd say five, five to 10 years. Talk about. How this conviction about accompaniment and being present to people and listening to them and journeying with them. Talk about more about how that developed, because I'm fascinated to hear what, what the Lord did in you way apart from your official churchy role, which came later to, to, to bring you to this place. [00:18:48] Renee Eames: Well, that one is easy. It was modeled to me, uh, by my parents. They have, uh, always lived. A life, uh, of accompaniment and walking with other people. My dad was ordained a deacon in 1985, I think is, was the year. So I was only in second grade. And, uh, they have always lived a life of walking with other people. It was, I mean, people were always showing up at our door or the phone was always ringing and. They always made time for anyone who needed an ear, and they continue to do that, uh, even into their late seventies. So it's, wow. It's easy when the parents model it, and that's one thing. [00:19:42] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:19:42] Renee Eames: As we as. That is really also near and dear to my heart, especially within evangelization, is the importance of parents modeling their faith life. [00:19:54] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:19:55] Renee Eames: To their children and in a way that is, uh, exemplary and part of their own life and their own walk with Christ so their children can see it. Sometimes I can be a little bit, um. Uh, protective of my time with my family. We only have two children. [00:20:15] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:20:16] Renee Eames: Um, I was thankful that the Pope Paul, the Sixth Institute was in Omaha in our early years of marriage. And, uh, I have those children because of Dr. Hilger's. And so I can tend to be a little bit protective of my time with them. [00:20:31] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:20:31] Renee Eames: And I also have to remember that if they don't see me living my faith in community with other people and they don't see me stepping out of, uh, our time together as a family and being in communion and walking with other people, then they won't know to do that when they get older as well. [00:20:54] Jim Jansen: Wow. You know, Renee, I, I could not cite it at this point, but you, you're, you're bringing back something I learned, I mean, years and years ago now. It's been over 20 years since I kind of, you know, finished my, my master's in theology. But at the time, I remember a professor talking about a study that had been done on. Not just faith practice with children, but basically like on saints. So people had actually become saints and one of the very, very common, like there wasn't, there weren't a lot of common patterns. I mean, okay, love Jesus, and, but like, but other than that, you know, rich, poor, small family, big family, they just said all the different demographics, all the different things. But one of the most consistent factors was they saw a parent, particularly their mother. Uh, living generosity to the poor, and again, in variety of different circumstances. But the, the it, you know, it was just the, the research kind of theorized that just how powerful it was for children to know. Even in all their neediness as children, that they weren't number one, and that there were, there were others that were in need. And to see that example lived out. So it's, uh, I love that you just, you talked about that. I mean, again, seeing it in your parents, but then seeing, recognizing yourself, like, I have got to model that for my kids. [00:22:12] Renee Eames: Mm-hmm. [00:22:14] Jim Jansen: How have those convictions shown up in your work? Because I'll just name it, maybe you don't feel it, but like, I'll name, I know I think many, many of us who work for the church in a more formal role, uh, whether it be diocesan or parish, feel the weight of the kind of structural, programmatic, systematic responsibility. And even if we're intellectually convicted about how important it is to be with people, sometimes people can get lost. So how is this, these convictions about accompaniment shown up in your work? [00:22:49] Renee Eames: Well, I think we, I, I think you can see this in any parish, um, any community, uh, no matter, no matter where you are, uh, there are, and especially within a church community, I think there are a lot of. Passionate people and a lot of people who have that desire for closeness with Christ and are are yearning for something more. I mean, we, we all are until we. Reach heaven one day. And I think that is a beautiful strength. And it can be also one of our, our biggest weaknesses, you know, as, as we get really passionate and all of our feelings, um, can, can bubble up. And I think that the devil wants to divide us. And so that is one of the things that I think is important also in this role to keep in the forefront is to just name that. And to not allow division within our communities and. Have those different programs or even buildings or whatnot [00:23:59] Jim Jansen: mm-hmm. [00:23:59] Renee Eames: Distract us from the goal of heaven. So, uh, one of the reasons my parents were called into ministry is because I had a brother who passed away, um, before I was born in my mom's. [00:24:13] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:24:13] Renee Eames: Uh, my mom and dad are my heroes for that reason because they continued to be able to, um, raise us in a very, very faith-filled, um, in. Uh, environment and, um, my mom found out she was pregnant with me the day that he passed away. So I think, wow. It's, and, and she, you know, refused medication and, and, uh, you know, even within her anxiety and she carried me. And so I think it's like ingrained within me to be, to, to look to eternity. I think that has always been a part of who I am is to look to eternity and really try to, while it's, I'm not always perfect at it. [00:25:03] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:25:03] Renee Eames: There's always a, a lot of challenges with, with it, and I'm always growing is to not let those bumps in the road [00:25:13] Jim Jansen: mm-hmm. [00:25:13] Renee Eames: Be a distraction from. Where we're trying to go. And since the Lord calls us all to heaven and just trying to remember and make sure that we keep in the forefront, that we all have an obligation to help each other get there, you know, and if we could keep that as our basis, you know, as our basis within our marriages, as our basis with our children and in, um, siblings and parent relationships, friendships. That, that should be the driving force for every, everything, you know, there's, there are plenty, there's plenty of space there for us all to get there. [00:25:52] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:25:52] Renee Eames: And I think a lot about, uh, Dorothy Day's comment and Dorothy Day was the, uh, one who started the Catholic worker movement. She was an American. [00:26:00] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:26:02] Renee Eames: And. One of her really striking quotes is, you only love God as much as the person you love the least. And that really makes me, [00:26:15] Jim Jansen: mm-hmm, [00:26:16] Renee Eames: put into perspective all of my relationships. And since charity is loving God or loving others for the sake. God, because you love God. It takes on a whole new, um, meaning and perspective to really just ask the Lord, to lend us his eyes to see others the way that he sees them. [00:26:43] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:26:44] Renee Eames: So that. We can remember how much they are loved and how much we are loved, and how much dignity we all have so that we can walk together and move together toward heaven. It is very easy to be, get stuck up in the, or distracted by, I gotta do this paperwork, or I gotta get this program done, or I gotta put this email out. [00:27:10] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:27:10] Renee Eames: Or I have to do this. While all those things are necessary, good and necessary and need to be done, it's also not the end of the world if that one thing doesn't get done. And what's more important is to allow ourselves to be interrupted for those conversations that take more time to walk with somebody, whoever that may be, um, that the Lord puts in our path, um, during that day. [00:27:37] Jim Jansen: Okay, Renee, this is, I mean, this is deep stuff and I don't think there's anybody who's listening who I mean, isn't touched by your story of your mother's, you know, just commitment to carrying you despite the, the grief that she was experienced with the loss of your brother and. Your own, you know, commitment to like, okay, I'm gonna be present to people even if I've got something else I need to do, or something that feels pressing. But I mean, practically on a Tuesday afternoon, how do you do that? [00:28:13] Renee Eames: Well, I think the first thing is to be rooted in prayer. That is a movement of the heart. But also a practice and a discipline. [00:28:26] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:28:26] Renee Eames: And you know, sometimes, sometimes I feel in that as well, but I try to always take Jesus with me wherever I go, um, and in whatever I'm doing. And I think that if we don't have that prayer life and we don't have that relationship with our Lord, we can't speak Christ to others. So I think that's first and foremost. [00:28:52] Jim Jansen: Well, I wanna give you a chance to just be a little transparent. What does that look like for you? Not that you know you're, I mean, we're not putting you up on a pedestal, but just we're all real people trying to make prayer a priority and a part of our lives. Just tangibly what does, yeah, what does that look like? What are some things that you found helpful in terms of your disciplines, routines, et cetera? [00:29:12] Renee Eames: Yeah. For actual discipline is just making sure that. You're starting your day off with prayer at, at a minimum, uh, a morning offering, right? [00:29:23] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:29:23] Renee Eames: And then, and, and reading the gospel, reading of the day, and taking some time to really reflect on what the Lord is, um, saying to me during that time. But then I think the rest of, I mean, uh, and I guess that would be the discipline part. The other discipline part is, uh, I really like to say that Angelus at noon and just really stop whatever I'm doing and do the angelus because I think it causes me to, uh, it'd be inconveniently paused for [00:29:53] Jim Jansen: mm-hmm. [00:29:53] Renee Eames: Less than a minute. Yeah. You know? Yes. And I think that's a, a really good, uh, practice and discipline and then. For the rest of the day, I like to call them micro decisions, just little decisions that I make in my life and how am I bringing Jesus with me, so I go by the church often. I, I'm very fortunate to live, live very close to our parish within a few blocks, and so making sure that I am. Popping in to say, to say hello to our Lord and taking a moment of prayer, or if I am going up to the school to meet my kids, or something like that, you know, instead of like sitting in the car and making, you know, scrolling through my phone. Maybe I take a moment of prayer or I pop into the church. You know, the, all of those little decisions and ways that I can bring Jesus with me. The little things that I'm doing or when I get irritated or something is difficult just to remember to do those small aspirations or say where I say, Lord, I'm really frustrated right now. This is for you, or whatever it may be. That is, um, in my path at that moment. [00:31:07] Jim Jansen: I can hear you're like, you're kind of like, alright, Jesus, we're gonna go pick up the kids right now. All right, Lord. I mean, you're just kind of bringing him with you throughout the, the day. Yeah. Uh, Renee, I wanna give you a chance to talk about, I mean, you have this conviction about just living in light of eternity and accompaniment and really being grounded in prayer. Uh. How have those things translated into the kind of the practical nuts and bolts, uh, the initiatives that you've taken in your first year as the evangelization coordinator? [00:31:39] Renee Eames: I certainly cannot take all the credit for the good work or any of the good work that has been going on in West Point. This was, uh, in motion far, far before I even arrived on the scene. So, uh, we're fortunate to have many, uh, beautiful hearts and [00:31:57] Jim Jansen: mm-hmm [00:31:57] Renee Eames: people who within this community who to desire to sit with Jesus. And also to bring others to sit with Jesus. [00:32:07] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:32:08] Renee Eames: And so one of the things that first started, uh, or was already in progress was, uh, alpha and. I had, we had done Alpha just at St. Mary's in West Point a few years back, and my husband and I were small group leaders for that. And it was a really good experience. Alpha's a huge investment of time. So when I got this job [00:32:30] Jim Jansen: mm-hmm. [00:32:31] Renee Eames: And they're like, all right, we're doing Alpha, we're planning for Alpha in the fall. I'm like, oh boy, here we go. It's, it's gonna be a really big investment in time. And so. Right away, whenever something is a big investment or time, I have to like, I have to pray through that. I have to work through it because, uh, like I said, sometimes I can be kind of selfish with my time with my kids and my family. Uh, but I knew. From the past experience that there will be a lot of fruits from it as well. So this was our first initiative really from an evangelization perspective as a family of parishes and we were able to have a location. [00:33:09] Jim Jansen: I wanted to ask about that because did you have some skepticism? Um, 'cause again, it had been done in a central location. Um. But I mean, it's okay if you're like, no, no, no, you had me at Hello, but I'm curious if you were, yeah. If you had some like skepticism, uh, about, uh, about Alpha, you know, the investment because there is something about the unique geographic distribution, even if it's not that huge, just the number of communities that, that you're, you're trying to bring together. So I just wanna give you a chance to, to talk about that. [00:33:43] Renee Eames: Mm-hmm. I don't know that I was expressly skeptical of Alpha because I had seen the fruits from it and some like great friendships that I, that I have here in West Point. Came out of Alpha the first time. People that I wouldn't have known or gotten to know. So I already knew that it, there were a ton of fruits from Alpha. Okay. There was though, I think from a family perspective, a lot of skepticism about, is this gonna work? Who's gonna come? Nobody's gonna come. [00:34:20] Jim Jansen: Sure. Yeah. [00:34:20] Renee Eames: But we had a great showing. We had, I think on average, about, uh, 40 people there every week. [00:34:26] Jim Jansen: Yeah. That's really good. [00:34:27] Renee Eames: And, it was a wonderful opportunity for our team, which we had great representation from the whole family. Uh, as part of the core team, we got to know each other, we got to grow in relationship, and that is just invaluable. And then a lot of the participants also, um, got, were able to grow in relationship with one another and. We have gotten to know each other through that. [00:34:58] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:34:58] Renee Eames: And then we rolled Alpha over into our OCIA for this year. So the people who were in OCIA, it was a really beautiful way to approach it because they weren't just in a room with just the people who were coming into the church. [00:35:14] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:35:15] Renee Eames: They first got to experience 12 weeks with. People in the gr you know, with members of our, our parish family and see that there were other people, uh, within their own communities that were part of this. So I think that was a huge fruit from it. And then we rolled into our smaller group and, um, having some more discussions about, uh, the faith specifically versus the broader, um, discussions that happen within Alpha. [00:35:48] Jim Jansen: Cool. That's YI wanna give you a chance, you mentioned your team there, right? And you had good representation from, you know, uh, the most of the, the different, you know, kind of parishes, churches, uh, within the, the family of parishes there. Talk a little bit about your team, like. Who are they? I mean, you don't need to name drop if you don't want to, but like, but just talk a little bit about like what they do, how you work together. 'cause I think it's helpful. We, we certainly do. I, I know, don't wanna give the impression that it's like, well, it's all Renee, right? She's, she's alone. There's, there's a real communal effort here that you're playing a coordinating role. Again, I've been blessed to be with you and your team together, do some formation time. They're really exceptional. Wonderful people. Talk a little bit about your team. [00:36:33] Renee Eames: Yeah. I feel so blessed to have so many people within this community that really have that desire to build a faith community. Right, right. Where we live. And so I had a, um. Uh, my friend Alicia, she was our, really, our leader and I, I helped with a lot of the coordination and communication, but she has gone through the mentorship program. Um, and in addition to just naturally being able to, um, walk with others, I think that was a, a great fruit and it was a great blessing to have her as part of the, the team to really pull everybody together. And then we have so many people who have been through, uh, CEC or the mentorship program within our communities that have created some of those, what we may say, missionary disciples. Right. You know, who have the idea that that core understanding being in a community and relationship with others to just [00:37:42] Jim Jansen: mm-hmm. [00:37:43] Renee Eames: Walk that faith, walk together. [00:37:44] Jim Jansen: Right. And for those who are like, right, not from. The archdiocese here. CEC is an outgrowth of curcio. So it's one of those kind of matic weekend retreats where people often have a very profound experience, like, whoa, he's alive, he loves me. And you know, that just, it's a profound thing. What are you learning? You know? 'cause you're. Are you over a year now? I forget what you said you started in July? [00:38:10] Renee Eames: No, just since July. [00:38:12] Jim Jansen: Just since July. Oh, so just in July. So like, and, and I mean, a lot of life, you know, I know it hasn't even been a full year. [00:38:17] Renee Eames: Yeah. [00:38:17] Jim Jansen: A lot of life has passed. What are, what are you learning, uh, as you, as you enter into this role? [00:38:23] Renee Eames: I'm learning that everything hearkens back to Ecclesiastes and nothing is new under the sun. [00:38:30] Jim Jansen: Ooh. Say more. [00:38:31] Renee Eames: Sometimes I, I. I can think that the people from the Old Testament are those, you know, that was a really long time ago and we don't have anything in common with 'em. But then I realize how much of an Israelite that I am as well. [00:38:46] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:38:47] Renee Eames: And what I mean is in context with the evangelization role or just like, you know, working in the church and working to bring other people to Christ is that we can get really busy doing. And we can forget the fundamentals of relationship. And again, first and foremost, that relationship with Christ. And secondly, that relationship with other people and all of that far and away outweighs any program or one particular way to. [00:39:27] Jim Jansen: Hmm. [00:39:28] Renee Eames: Uh, to walk the journey to heaven. [00:39:33] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. What's been surprising, and these could be good surprises or bad surprises, I think a little bit of, of both would be honest, but what's been surprising? [00:39:41] Renee Eames: Well, I think it's been surprising how much I've learned about myself. I think that's been one surprise. [00:39:50] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:39:50] Renee Eames: And you've just learned how much I, I've just learned how much I still have to grow. The other, I, I don't know if it's a surprise or if it's just like we can get caught up in what you hear, what we hear about others, right? [00:40:10] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:40:10] Renee Eames: You know, so we, you know, somebody will tell you, oh, well this group is like this, or this person is like that, or this person wants this. And so we have all of these opinions and assumptions coming our way, right? And. Then you go and you sit and you grow in a relationship and you talk with people and you're like, wow, you know, that was really wrong, and shame on me for. [00:40:34] Jim Jansen: Hmm. [00:40:36] Renee Eames: Forming an opinion ahead of time or, um, listening to what somebody else had to say, uh, because these, this group, these people, this person are so beautiful. [00:40:47] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:40:47] Renee Eames: I think that then on the flip side of that, the other surprising thing is how much we don't listen to each other. [00:40:53] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:40:53] Renee Eames: To, and, and while we might know people, but maybe we haven't taken the time to listen to them and really grow in relationship with them. [00:41:01] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. Renee, as you look back. How have you seen the Lord, you know, preparing you? I'm thinking, I mean, obviously your family background you mentioned, but your, your professional background, although it wasn't part of your, you know, your, your hr, I dunno if you mentioned that, but, you know, ConAgra your professional background. The Lord's been using that as well, you know, and it's not like you weren't like a theology, you know, major, you didn't have this like, you know, degree church training, you know, even a certificate, but the Lord's clearly using you and he is using like all of you. As you look back, how do you see his preparation? [00:41:41] Renee Eames: So I kind of fell into HR because I couldn't really make up my mind in college and what I should do. So I just was like, okay, well I'll do business because that's pretty broad and you can do anything. You know, you can, you can do just about anything with a degree like that. [00:41:55] Jim Jansen: I have college students who are right there. Yeah. [00:41:58] Renee Eames: Yeah, for sure. I mean, we're, you're so young, uh, you know, and, uh, so many of those experiences you have when you're 19, you look back and you're like, oh, if I could have only like, grasped the full beauty of that experience, um, I. But that's okay. I think those, you know, that, that's like planting seeds in it, in our lives. But I do always remember having this desire or call to do something with the church. And probably because, you know, how my parents modeled and, and what my dad did for a living is he worked at, um, St. James for years, that job. Um, I worked 15 years and I got my MBA and I did all, all of those things and I worked in human resources. Those years were very important. Um, in my formation. I was so blessed, um, to have very faith-filled, um, managers and department heads within that role. And I do remember at some point very specifically feeling a, a bit disillusioned with, am I, am I doing anything to really change lives. [00:43:05] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:43:06] Renee Eames: And to help, you know, help the world. I was more in a, a technical side of human resources, so I did like compensation, so I was doing a lot of spreadsheets. [00:43:14] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:43:15] Renee Eames: And I was evaluating a lot of jobs and I, you know, I was providing consultation, how much to pay people. And I'm like, really this is, you know, this is like the least of the things that I value in life. [00:43:24] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:43:24] Renee Eames: And I'm like consulting on these things. So I do remember feeling disillusioned, but there was some point along the way that I remember specifically thinking, you know what? This is where the Lord has placed me right now. For whatever reason, and my call is here today with my coworkers, so if I make the day a little bit better for the people that I work with day in and day out, then that is impacting their lives and their lives at home with their families, and so am making a difference. And it doesn't have to be on some like monumental big scale that anybody's getting recognition for, and I think that's really the heart of evangelization. [00:44:05] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:44:05] Renee Eames: Is how are you doing this today with where the Lord has placed you it. You don't have to be working for the church, or you don't have to be in a nonprofit, or you don't have to be in a particular ministry. You just have to be affecting the lives that are, the Lord has placed in your circle and really staying focused on those intimate relationships that we all have day in and day out. [00:44:35] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:44:36] Renee Eames: Even if you're. Selling insurance, doing spreadsheets, right? [00:44:41] Jim Jansen: Yeah. [00:44:41] Renee Eames: You know, working at the grocery store, you know, doing lawn care, whatever it may be. The Lord gives you those opportunities, gives all of us these opportunities within our lives to bring Jesus a little bit more present to each person. [00:44:58] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. I love that, Renee, because, you know, it reminds me a little bit, like I say, like I, I, for whatever reason I was thinking about, you know, like athletic teams. It's the attention to the process. You know, blocking and tackling or you know, good form, and in this case an evangelization being present to people, being present to the Lord that. Teams that pay attention to the fundamentals end up winning games. Um, you know, people that pay attention to being present to the Lord and the people that he puts in front of them end up changing lives. Um, but if we get too preoccupied, preoccupied by the scoreboard or by wins and losses, uh, we end up missing, uh, the, those, those fundamentals. Do you have, I wanna give you a chance, if you have like a dumpster fire story, a failure or a success story of like how you've seen the Lord working in, in your time so far. [00:45:54] Renee Eames: I don't know if I have a dumpster fire story. Really. [00:45:59] Jim Jansen: That's okay. I got plenty. [00:46:03] Renee Eames: I'm sure they exist. I guess, I mean, some of the dumpster fires is that, you know, going back to that like passion. Uh, within our, our communities, you know, when we build churches and when we build buildings, we're also building communities and we're building the body of Christ, right? So we are the church, right? And then we have these like ancestral ties to what our communities have built up. [00:46:37] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:46:38] Renee Eames: And I think that some of those dumpster fires, for lack of better terms, can be when we, that great strength of that passion that we can all have. [00:46:52] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:46:53] Renee Eames: For our communities, which is good and beautiful passions. We can forget that we're all on the same team. [00:46:59] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:47:00] Renee Eames: And so, yeah, I think that those wins then. Come in every conversation or every realization that we have that we go back to, we're on the same team. [00:47:16] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:47:17] Renee Eames: And we're driving toward the same goal. So you can go back to that sports analogy, right? Right. Of that there are those fundamentals and I think it takes a courage of not just one person, but of all of us within our parish families and within our parish, um, communities to remember and to remind one another that we are heading on that same path. So that courage to speak up and say, I hear you and I see you, and we're not against each other. [00:47:56] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:47:56] Renee Eames: We're on the same team. We're working, we're working for the same goals. And so I think that's where some of those great, um, wins come in when we're able to [00:48:06] Jim Jansen: mm-hmm. [00:48:06] Renee Eames: Kind of go over that hill in those conversations. And also it takes courage to have humility to say, okay, wait a minute, maybe. Maybe my heart is hard. [00:48:21] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:48:22] Renee Eames: Maybe my heart's a little bit hard and I need to pray into that and ask the Lord to soften my heart. So I don't know that I could even like actually see what all the winds are. It's kind of like [00:48:33] Jim Jansen: mm-hmm. [00:48:33] Renee Eames: You know, building cathedrals where it took them generations and you, you know, or raising children where you never will see. [00:48:40] Jim Jansen: Yeah. [00:48:41] Renee Eames: The fruits of, you know, the, the faith and, and the love and the life that you've given to your children passed on for generations to come. And I don't think that we always necessarily can check a box and say, oh, yes, I see that there were great fruits from this because [00:48:58] Jim Jansen: Right. [00:48:59] Renee Eames: I, we will likely never know the, you know, intimate inner workings of someone's heart. [00:49:05] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. Yeah. At the same time, I would say as an outsider, just a glimpse of the diversity, uh, ages and backgrounds and, uh, the different parishes of the members on your team. Uh, that's been fun to see, right? I mean, you've got a whole family teams, you've got multiple, you know, I mean, it's well over a dozen, maybe even two dozen people if everybody were there. I appreciate watching the way they interact with each other. It's a beautiful moment of unity where they're, they're kind of focused on, uh, the ultimate right, the eternity, and how do we begin to get into people's lives and, you know, witness to the gospel. It's, it's, it's cool to see, it's to been a joy to be with you all. [00:49:53] Renee Eames: Yeah. And I will also say that, like I said, the, the, uh, evangelization team at St. Mary's in West Point has been around for, oh, we were just trying to figure out when did that start? Maybe like, uh, 2022, 2023. So they've been in process for a while, and before that there were even many, many people laying the groundwork for, for an evangelization, um, team going forward. And so I think that that has grown over time, and [00:50:25] Jim Jansen: mm-hmm. [00:50:25] Renee Eames: There are people who have laid a beautiful foundation. But my main point here is that these things do take time. [00:50:33] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:50:33] Renee Eames: So we have to have the patience and perseverance to allow for the little changes to happen. So then when you're taking those, like, you know, baby steps forward. A year, three years, five years. And you look back and you're like, wow, I didn't even realize we had come this far. [00:50:51] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. [00:50:52] Renee Eames: And I think those are some of those beautiful success stories. And I think that we're on, we're somewhere in the middle of that path and those baby steps. Um, and being able to look back and be like, wow, look how far we've come. But we can already pause and look back [00:51:07] Jim Jansen: mm-hmm. [00:51:07] Renee Eames: And say, wow, look how far we've come and look how many, um, hearts are moving. Within their own lives and their own families and in community with everyone else. Hmm. [00:51:21] Jim Jansen: Renee, our time has really flown here. Just any other words of advice for those who encouragement maybe. Right. For those who find themselves feeling a similar call, you know, not, maybe they're pondering, serving in a new way. Maybe they're fresh in, into a role, uh, maybe they're just on the other side. They're like, I'm just trying to live this in my, you know, daily professional, don't work for the church life. What would you say to them? [00:51:48] Renee Eames: Mm-hmm. I would say look around and don't look far. Just, just look close. And maybe it's first with your spouse and then with your children, and then with your neighbors. Look for opportunities to invite someone for a cup of tea or a coffee, um, or go out and have a beer, you know, to build that relationship. And, and don't forget. To pray for that one or two people that you feel the Lord is placing in your life to be able to walk in that journey to Christ. And you don't have to force anything. It will happen naturally and just pray, um, for that person and pray for the Lord to be able to. Use you, uh, in the way that he feels fit? It, it's a bit of an oxymoron. I've had some conversations as of late, you know, it feels a little bit like, uh, difficult to understand, but [00:52:53] Jim Jansen: mm-hmm. [00:52:54] Renee Eames: On one hand. We cannot do anything. We can't do any of this work. The Lord has to do it all and at the same time we have to respond. So I think that's that in that would be the other part of the advice was just evaluating, is this something you want or you're trying to solve, or are you asking the Lord? Guide you and to solve the situation for your, for you. [00:53:18] Jim Jansen: Mm-hmm. Oh, that is good. Uh, thank you, Renee. It's a lot of wisdom in what you're shared. I appreciate just your kind of humble, reflective, uh, sharing right, right in the, the middle of the journey, uh, just as you're, as you're kind of living it day by day. All right. A lot of you, you know, somebody who needs to, to hear this, uh, it's gonna be an encouragement to them. So, uh, go ahead and share this out with a friend when you, when you get the chance. And, uh, again, Renee, thanks for being with us. [00:53:47] Renee Eames: Thank you so much. [00:53:49] Jim Jansen: Thanks for listening to the EquipCast. We hope this episode has inspired you to live your faith and to equip you to be fruitful in your mission. Stay connected with us by going to equip dot arch omaha.org. God bless and see you next time.