1.

The Birth of the Church and the Period of Apostles

―When the day of Pentecost came, all the believers were gathered together in one place,
Suddenly, there was a noise from the sky which sounded like a strong wind blowing, and it filled
the whole house where they were sitting. Then they saw what looked like tongues of fire which
spread out and touched each person there. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to
talk in other languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak.‖ (Acts 2:1-4)

In St. Luke’s Acts, the Church is inaugurated with the spectacular outpouring of the Holy
Spirit. ―All were filled with the Holy Spirit‖ (Acts 2:4). This corresponds to Jesus’ inaugurating his
public ministry with his opening discourse in Luke’s Gospel, ―the Spirit of the Lord is upon me‖
(Lk 4:18; cf. 30). At Pentecost the large crowd were much confused upon hearing the eleven
―express themselves in foreign tongues and make bold proclamation as the Spirit prompted
them‖ (Acts 2:4). The people asked: ―What are we to do?‖ Peter answered ―You must reform
and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, that your sins may be forgiven;
then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit‖ (Acts 2:38). CFC 1300
Thus it was the Holy Spirit, sent by the Father and the Risen Christ, that gave birth to the
first Christian community, the apostolic Church. St. Paul describes the people of this New
Covenant as ―a letter of Christ, . . . written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on
tablets of stone but on the tablets of human hearts‖ (2 Cor 3:3). This Spirit is the ―Gift of God‖
who is Love (cf. 1 Jn 4:8,16), the first gift which contains all the others, and which ―has been
01
poured out into our hearts‖ (Rom 5:5; cf. CCC 733). CFC 13

Reflection Questions:
1. What are the qualities and values possessed by the early Christians in this period of the
Church?

2. How can you continue the missionary activity of the early church in today’s context?
2.The Persecuted Church
The period of Christian persecution lasted over three hundred years but there were times during
this period when there was peace and happiness, and the Christian faith grew strong and
spread throughout the Roman Empire.
A. 3 Stages or Periods:
1. First Period, (54-60 A.D.): Emperor Nero
2. Second Period (100-250 A.D.) : Emperor Trajan, Emperor Hadrian
Emperor Antoninus Pius, Emperor Marcus Aurelius
3. Third Period (249-251 A.D.)
Emperor Decius
Emperor Valerian
Emperor Diocletian
B. Causes of Persecution:
 1.Refusal to participate in pagan rituals
2.Reluctance to worship the emperors and their gods.
3.Christians are threats to the empire.
4.Exclusivity
5.Cannibalism and incest
6.The nature and content of the Christian beliefs
C. Effects of Persecution
1.Strengthen the faith of the Christians
2.Attracted more converts to Christianity
3.Increased the number of Christians
4.Many died for the faith
5.Many turned apostates
6.Hampered the missionary activities of the Church
During the persecution period, to be a Christian is a decision between life and death. It’s
a decision that manifests a love and passion for the Truth. It speaks of the courage to stand up
for the Truth and be ready to risk one’s life for it. These events proved their faithfulness to God
and their mission for the Kingdom. There were those whose faith have wavered for some
reasons but there were those who have remained sincere in their faith.
The sufferings incurred by the Church were not just due to the Roman persecutions. At some
point the Church experienced attacks of heretical teachings and false claims. From its end, the
Catholic Church through its apologists grounded and defended the Church against the heresies.
Today, the Church is confronted with a lot and new challenges in the midst of varied situations
in the world. The Catholic Church today has continued to play its mission as the instrument and
defender of the Truth. Yes, modern heresies continues, modern persecutions exist, but it’s the
same Spirit who sustained the faith life of the early Christians will sustain us in today’s context.
We can reflect somehow that martyrs and apostates are still existing in modern times. The lives
of the Christians are somehow challenging us to check our hearts and ask ourselves in what
way have we stood for our faith, in what way have we lived out our discipleship amidst the
situation today.

Reflection Questions:
1. What can we learn from the early Christians’ experience of persecution?
2. What forms of persecution have you experienced? How did you deal with the experience?

3. Unity and Division within the Church

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body,
though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one
body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body
does not consist of one member but of many. . . . As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
(I Corinthians 12:12-14, 20)
Christianity, in the early days, belonged to small areas within the Roman Empire. It began as a
simple group of believers in the Risen Lord.
In the East, the power of the pope was not accepted and was controlled by the state.
4th century, Eastern Church-Orthodox Church- ( Orthodox means right opinion), disagreed with
the Western Christian Church.

Three Illustrative examples of the history of the unity and division of the Church
A. Constantine and the Christian Church
The early Church was unified under the Roman Emperor Constantine but subsequently divided
into two major branches: Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox.

Under Constantine, the coalition of the Church and the State paved the road to the union of the
Church and the State in the Medieval Ages. Whether this coalition was right or wrong, it proved
to be one of the turning points in the history of the Church and of the world. The Church would
never be the same again for better and for worse.

B. Religious Controversies: Dogma and Councils

While Constantine bestowed the Church with so much temporal privilege, peace and power, it
was not immune from internal threats to her unity. The Church encountered differences of
interpretations pertaining to its dogma and doctrines. Like the previous centuries, heretics and
the ecclesiastical authorities came to a battle of interpretation and declaration, ushering the age
of the Ecumenical Councils of the of the early Church.

An ecumenical council is ―literally a council drawn from the whole wide world‖ or a ―meeting of
all the bishops of the inhabited world‖ in or century were there to ―deliberate on Church affairs,
make decisions and lay regulations.‖ The ecumenical councils of the fourth century were
primarily focused on Christological heresies.
The Great Ecumenical Councils of the Early Church
1. Council of Nicea (325 A.D)
Arius, a priest at Alexandria preached that the Divine Word is God’s foremost creature and
creation of all the others, but He is not of the substance of God the Father and not eternal. He
disturbed the unity of the Christians and sowed the seed of confusion. He was able to convince
few believers and continued teaching his belief. The heresy later was named Arianism.
The Council Of Nicea facilitated by Constantine and attended by bishops condemned
Arius as a heretic and affirmed its faith in Jesus as equal to the Father in the famous Nicene
Creed in 325 A.D. The Bishops added the adjective homoousios in speaking of the Son of God.
That is to say that the Son is consubstantial with the Father. From the Council of Nicea,
emerged a famous figure responsible for the partial defeat of Arianism, the bishop of
Alexandria, Athanasius, who was also considered as the greatest of the fourth century
defenders of the first Council of Nicea.
 2. Council of Constantinople (381 A.D.)
Even after the Council of Nicea, heresies still persisted. Another controversy came up because
of this question: ―If He (Jesus) was very God, how could he be true man?‖
Apollinaris of Laodicea ―denied the full humanity of Jesus, saying that the rational soul in him
had been replaced by the Divine Logos therefore making Jesus incapable of sin because he did
not have a human soul which was capable of sin and error.
Emperor Theodosius I, appointed a new bishop of Constantinople. Gregory of Nazianzus and
―convened a council in his capital in order to re establish the creed of Nicea, condemn Arianism
and Apollinarism. The council clarified the doctrine of the Trinity and make sure that these
clarifications were contained in the Creed. The Council of Constantinople indeed re affirmed
Nicea and condemned Arianism and Apollinarism.
3. Council of Ephesus (431 A.D.)
Nestorius, patriarch of Constantinople ―divided the two natures of Christ, one divine and the
other human and each has its own personal manifestation‖ and conceded that Mary was Christ-
bearer (Christotokos) but not the ―Mother of God‖ (Theotokos).
On the other hand, Cyril of Alexandria attacked the claims of Nestorius. An intelligent
theologian who is faithful to Nicea. ―He worked to emphasize the unity of divine and human in
Christ‖ and strongly argued that the title Theotokos for Mary is ―permissible‖
The Council of Ephesus condemned the views of Nestorius and declared Mary as Theotokos

4. Council of Chalcedon (451 A.D.)

Dissatisfied with the previous declarations on the person of Christ, Eutyches, a monk from
Constantinople, ―asserted that, although there were two natures before the union of the
Incarnation, there resulted only one nature, the divine after the union. In other words, ―Christ’s
human nature was completely absorbed by the divine nature. Such new heresy was termed as
“monophysitism, the doctrine of one nature in Christ.‖
Since this heresy deliberately and clearly violated the teachings of the previous councils,
Flavian, the bishop of Constantinople had Eutyches condemned and excommunicated.
At the Council of Chalcedon (A.D. 451) the Church declared that the two natures of Christ are
joined "in one person and one hypostasis" where hypostasis means one substance. The
phrase "hypostatic union" was adopted a century later, at the fifth general council at
Constantinople (A.D. 533). It is an adequate expression of Catholic doctrine about Jesus Christ
that in him are two perfect natures, divine and human; that the divine person takes to himself,
includes in his person a human nature; that the incarnate Son of God is an individual, complete
substance; and that the union of the two natures is real (against Arius), no mere indwelling of
God in a man (against Nestorius), with a rational soul (against Apollinaris), and the divinity
remains unchanged (against Eutyches).

C. Luther splits Christendom (16th c.)- will be taken in detail in the next period
We can see in this lesson different events that led to both the unity and division within the
Church. We have come to an understanding and appreciation of the Church’s growing
understanding of her faith in Jesus. Enlightenment on the teachings of the heretics were made
through the declarations of the General Councils. We are just grateful for all the efforts of our
Church leaders in standing up against the heretical teachings and becoming firm in their faith
that became the foundation of our doctrines today. Amidst the different instances of division, but
still the Church triumphs and maintains her unity.
It will somehow give us a view and a realization that no matter what divisive events come in our
lives, it should not be the end of everything but a chance for us to grow in our faith.

Reflection Questions:
How can you promote unity amidst differences?
What are your concrete ways of creating unity in the church?
4. Church in Medieval Period

FALL OF ROME AND GERMANIC INVASIONS

Invasions by the Germans caused the decline of the Roman Empire and the Church. The glory
of Rome fell and disappeared very fast. Different tribes pressed on and broke the boarders of
the Roman Empire.
FEUDALISM
EFFECTS OF FEUDALISM TO THE CHURCH
 The church became the primary unifying element to the society, resolving disputes and
unites former adversaries.
 The Roman Catholic Church being the official religion during the feudalism age,
proliferated to every individual in the empire.
 The Carolingian empire, led by Charlemagne, started the Carolingian renaissance which
was inspired by the Christian Roman empire in the 4 th c.
 Monasteries and nunneries spread throughout Europe during the Middle Ages, and
monks and nuns provided much of the education, healthcare and practical charity for the
population at large, as well as the preaching of the Christian Gospel.
THE GREAT SCHISM: SEPARATION OF THE EAST AND THE WEST (1054 A.D.)
SCHISM – a division of a church into factions because of differences in doctrine.
FACTORS/REASONS BEHIND THE DIVISION
 Disagreement on the understanding of the person and origin of the Holy Spirit.
 The pope imposed the Latin rite on eastern churches in Italy and the East imposed its
rites on Latin Churches in Constantinople.
 Michael Cerularius, the Patriarch of Constantinople refused to help Rome fight the
Normans
 He condemned the Latin practices of using unleavened bread, teaching ―and from the
Son‖, enforcing the celibacy on the clergy.
 The Eastern emperors had never forgiven Rome for the coronation of Charlemagne as
an emperor
CRUSADES
With a series of foreign invasions threatening Christianity and taking its holy places,
Christianity became militant.
 In 1095, at the Council of Clermont, Pope Urban II called for the first crusade. He asked the
knights of the West to go to the aid of the Christians in the East and win back the holy
places. The Church organized the holy war which is called crusade. The pope granted
plenary indulgence to those who took up the cross from the moment of their departure: they
were given a dispensation from all penances required for the pardon of their sins. It was
taught by the ecclesiastical authorities that if a crusader dies during the crusade, he is
assured of his salvation because he was already forgiven of his sins.
The crusades lasted for a few hundreds of years. According to history, there were as many
as 14 crusades including a few children’s crusade wherein young lives were wasted,
abused, sold to slavery and others died along the journey either by sickness or accident.

With the Roman Empire gone and the many problems and controversies the church endured,
the Catholic Church had grown to greater maturity. The various events in history encountered
by the Church had somehow hampered the missionary activity of the Church. But true to her
calling to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, the Church did not give up amidst
these adversities; instead, these made her more courageous and persistent .
―The Church signifies the presence of Christ in the world, for to her, the task of continuing the
mission that the Father had given her. The mission of the Church of the Church is fulfilled by
that activity which makes her fully present to all peoples and nations. She undertakes this
activity in obedience to Christ’s command and in response to the grace and love of the Holy
Spirit. In the course of history, it unfolds the mission of Christ Himself, who was sent to preach
the Gospel to the poor. Hence prompted by the Holy Spirit, the Church must walk the same road
which Christ walked: a road of poverty, obedience, of service and self sacrifice.‖ (Ad Gentes #5,
Decree on the Missionary Activity of the Church)
Reflection Questions:
1. How did invasions and crusades affect the life of the Church?
2. How can you relate to this period of the Church?
5. Renewal in the Church
A. PROTESTANT REFORMATION (15TH-16TH CENTURY)
Events And Circumstances Leading To The Reformation
1. BLACK DEATH – is a plague that almost wiped out the population of Europe in 1347.
PAPAL CONTROVERSY - From 1378-1417, the Catholic Church was enveloped with
great controversy created by its own authorities. In 1376, the Pope was still living in
Avignon (France). Catherine of Sienna, a Dominican nun travelled from Italy to Avignon
to tell Pope Gregory XI the Pope has to live in Rome. He returned to Rome, thus
weakening the very strong ties between the Papacy and France. Gregory was the last
Frenchman to become Pope.
In 1378, before Pope Gregory XI died, He decreed that the election for his successor be
made immediately after his death. (That the new Pope should be elected by a simple
majority). When he died, the sixteen cardinals who were in Rome gathered immediately
and elected an Italian who was not a cardinal. After the election, they doubted if they
made the right choice. The people outside are shouting that they are tired of a French
pope, so they elected again but have the same result. Urban VI was elected. He showed
a fiery character with his foul language. Eventually 13 cardinals sneaked out of Rome
and went to Avignon. There they declared that the election of Urban VI is null and void.
 They elected another Pope who took the name Clement VII. (1394). Now there were two
Popes: one in Rome and one in France. Each of these popes had their own college of
cardinals and had their own successor.
Urban VI ---------Boniface IX---------Innocent VII----------Gregory XII (resigned)
Clement VII---------------Benedict XIII (deposed)
Alexander V-----John XXIII (deposed)

The University of Paris proposed two suggestions to solve the problem of having two
Popes in the Church. One is mutual resignation and the other is through a general
council (Conciliarism) – whereby the decision of the council has a greater authority over
the Pope.
The two popes refused to resign from their seats to solve the problem. In 1409, 24
cardinals, 14 from Rome and 10 from Avignon accompanied by about 300 other bishops,
gathered for the council at Pisa. In the council, they declared both popes as deposed
and elected a new one who took the name Alexander V who was succeeded by John
XXIII after his death. For the next 6 years, there were three popes. Gregory XII in Rome,
Benedict XIII in Avignon and John XXIII. A general council ended the problem of having
three popes.

Sigismund who was the Emperor at that time convinced John XXIII to call for a council.
In 1414, representatives of all three popes of the time gathered at the Council of
Constance in Switzerland. John XXIII called for it. The council deposed John XXIII,
accepted the resignation of Gregory XII and dismiss the claims of Benedict XIII, then
elected Martin V as the new Pope.
2. UNWORTHY POPES TO THE THRONE OF PETER
Popes I the Middle Ages were subject of envy among the powerful and the ambitious because
of the absolute power and the wealth of the papacy.
3. SELLING OF INDULGENCES
 Johann Tetzel – a Dominican priest, calling people to repent, threatening them
with the fire of hell and its eternal damnation and selling indulgence with these
outrageous words: For every coin that rings is a soul in purgatory that springs.
 It was disgraceful to the people, to the Church and to God. For once payment
was secured, the poor, gullible people who were fearful of divine wrath, received
a card/certificate of indulgence.
4. REFORMERS
MARTIN LUTHER
 Belong to a well to do family, had a good educational background, entered the
monastery and become an Augustinian monk/priest.
 Took the ―last things‖ very seriously:death, judgment, heaven and hell. He was
tormented by the thought of God’s judgment as he reflected on his unworthiness.
Traditional modes of mortification and penance did not work for him. He
concluded that God alone can save him if only he would trust in Gods power and
readiness to save him. He found peace when he read in the letter to the Romans
that it is by faith that one is saved.
 His dismay and dissatisfaction in the Church led him to nail his 95 theses on the
door of the Church at Wittenberg as his protest to the Catholic Church.
 His enduring legacies to Protestantism are the following: the condemnation of
the sale of indulgence, the translation of the Bible to the vernacular (German) to
make it available to ordinary people, consideration of baptism and Eucharist as
the only valid sacraments, his attack on the veneration of the saints and Marian
 devotions, the Sacred Scripture as the only authority of Christian teaching and
his famous doctrine on justification by faith alone.
 He was married to a former nun named Katherine of Bora on June 13, 1525 and
took up residence in his old monastery, where he often held council and
continued to write and lead his movement.
ULRICH ZWINGLI
 A priest in the city of Zurich who was more radical than Martin Luther.
 He used violence to promote his ideas.
 His teachings include:
 The Scripture is definitely the only authority and each person should
interpret it personally.
 Condemned crucifixes, statues, pictures and altars.
 Recognised only two sacraments: baptism and the Lord’s supper, and
these were only symbolic.
 Abolished the Mass – claimed that the Holy Eucahrist is just an ordinary
memorial meal: thus Jesus was not really present in the Eucharist.
JOHN CALVIN
 Known for his influential writing.
 Like Luther and Zwingli, he put primacy on the Sacred Scripture as a source of
belief, rejected the papacy and stressed on Divine grace for salvation.
 Went to the extreme in his teaching on Predestination – God has already
determined our destiny, and that God indeed allows many to be damned to
manifest divine justice
In 1524, there was a peasant revolt. They attacked the rich. They had heard some teachings of
Luther and interpreted it saying that everybody is free. Luther’s teachings were associated with
the revolt. It became a political issue.

In 1529, the emperor decreed that the spread of Lutheranism into areas where there were no
followers yet should stop, but id the areas, where it already exists, let them exist peaceably with
the Catholics. Lutherans in 14 cities sent a combined letter of protest to the emperor about this
decree. It was from this event that the reformers were known as Protestants.

In 1530, a document was drawn and taken as a brief description of Lutheran beliefs. This
document is called the Confession of Augsburg.

There were four (4) fundamental points which the Catholic Church found unacceptable in all the
teachings of the reformers.
1. An exaggerated idea of the power of sin
2. A wrong idea of the role of faith
3. A misunderstanding of the function of the sacraments
4. A rejection of the authority of the Church.

With the Roman empire gone and the many problems and controversies the Church endured,
the Catholic Church had grown to greater maturity. It admitted the excesses of its own
members, particularly the clergy, corrected its own abuses and continually implemented its own
reforms for the welfare of all members.
To the Protestants the Muslims and other religious adherents, the Catholic Church today
emphasizes the need to be united, to foster respect among all people even in our diversity
through a civilization of love and a culture of dialogue.
Reflection Questions:
1.What lessons and insights can you draw from the Protestant reformers and the Council of
Trent?
2.In our contemporary setting, what suggestions/actions can you contribute for the welfare of
the Church and its members.
3. What were the reasons of the Church reformation? What period in your life when you were
reformed? Why?
6. Church in the Modern World
ERA OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT
Issue: Application of human reason in all human affairs and concerns in the pursuit of
―knowledge, freedom and happiness.‖
Rene Descartes - used reason to show the existence of God.
His works were used by others to show that reason can prove everything and that faith is not
needed.
His followers were called Rationalists – believed that all truths could be achieved by reason
alone.
These centuries on the other hand was the time when the Church was gifted both with the era of
exploration and discovery of new lands which signals the beginning of worldwide
evangelization.
The Christian mission spread from the West to the East and missionaries became new heroes
of the faith by their dedication to Christ. Some of them were even accused of dividing the
country and perceived as threatening national stability.

FIRST VATICAN COUNCIL

Convened in 1869 led by Pope Pius IX
Some of the achievements of Vatican I were:
1. the council’s definition on the existence of God who could be attained by reason, Dei Filius;
2. affirmation on how reason and faith complement each other;
3. the pursuit of the truth and the highest good
4. its declaration concerning ―papal primacy and infallibility‖ on matters pertaining to faith and
morals necessary for one’s salvation.

SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL (1962-1965)

Pope Pius XII (1939-1958) the pope during the Second World War
At his death in 1958, the Cardinals gathered at the consistory for the election of the new Pope.
Angelo Roncalli was chosen to be the transitional pope who will sit as the pope until the issue in
the consistory is settled. He took the name John XXIII.
On Jan.25, 1959, he announced his intention to call a council of all the bishops. His purpose
was ―Aggiornamento‖ – renewal or ―bringing something up to date‖
The Second Vatican Council began on October 11,1962. He explained his purpose for calling
the council.
“There is no need for the council, to debate articles of basic Church doctrine. This authentic
doctrine has to be studied and expounded in the light of the research methods and the language
of modern thought. For the substance of the ancient deposit of faith is one thing and the way in
which it is presented is another.”
The first session ended on Dec.8,1962
John XXIII died on June 6, 1963.
June 23, 1963, the Cardinal elected as John XXIII’s successor John Baptist Montini who took
the name Paul VI –reconvened the second session of the council on Sept. 29, 1963. He is the
overseer of the council until the promulgation of the documents on Dec. 8, 1965.

The Greatest Ecumenical Council held by the Church for the following reasons:
1. It had the greatest number of delegates with 2600 bishops from all over the world and the
additional participation of theologians and experts.
2. It was greatly represented in terms of nations and cultures
3. It was the first council to include the presence of non Catholics, lay participants as guests
and observers of the council
4. It was the first to utilize the gift of modernization, like the modern means of communication
and transportation.
5. It emphasized promotion of peace and unity among nations, not the usual pattern in an
ecumenical council which usually focused on condemnation of heretics or formulation of
doctrines.

The Council Produced 16 documents:

4 Constitutions
 Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium)
 Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes)
 Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum)
 Constitution on Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium)

9 Decrees
 Decree on priestly Ministry
 Decree on Eastern Catholic Churches
 Decree on Bishop’s Pastoral Office
 Decree on Church’s Missionary Activity
 Decree on the Appropriate Renewal of Religious life
 Decree on Instruments of Social Communication
 Decree on Ecumenism
 Decree on the Ministry and Life of the Laity
 Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity

3 Declarations
 Declaration on Non Christian Religions
 Declaration on Religious Freedom
 Declaration on Christian Education

Even with the disagreement on certain scientific findings, the condemnation against secularism
and atheism and the need to adapt the signs of the times in the modern world, the church truly
proved herself as ecclesia semper reformanda.
Reflection Questions:
1. What is the role of the Church in the modern world?
2. What is the evidence to prove the statement that the Church is reformed? If the Church is
already reformed, why does she need continuous reformation?
Concluding Prayer
As baptized Christians, it is our right and duty to pray for the needs of the Church and the
world. As members of Christ's Body, we share in the joys and struggles of others, especially
those who are poor and vulnerable. In faith and trust, the prayers in this section lay before God
the hopes and concerns of a broken world awaiting redemption.
~from Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers
Hear Us, O God

"Know that the LORD is God, he made us, we belong to him,

we are his people, the flock he shepherds."
- Psalm 100:3
Hear us, O God. Hear our families of mixed status. Hear those who wait in fear of separation,
burdened with anxiety.
Hear us, O God. Hear all who are called "foreigner." Hear us when we experience cold stares
or mistrust because of the color of our skin or the language we speak.
Hear us, O God. Hear our brothers and sisters who sweat in the fields. Hear those who work
long, backbreaking hours growing food, serving us at restaurants, and cleaning our homes.
Hear us, O God. Hear those young people who were brought to this country as children. Hear
their dreams for a future of hope.
Hear us, O God. Hear vulnerable women and children. Hear those who have fled domestic
violence, rape, or gangs to seek safety in this country.
Hear us, O God. Hear those who work in the shadows and are exposed to exploitation and
harassment. Hear those for whom just pay for a just day's work is always uncertain.
Hear us, O God. Hear us as we raise our voices. Hear your people as we seek laws and
policies to protect the vulnerable and welcome the stranger.
Standing together—a single yet diverse body of Christ, we pray: Shepherd of the flock, hear
us. Be with us, restore us, and strengthen us, for we belong to you.
May your kingdom come and your will be done. Amen.
APPLICATION/ASSESSMENT

Significant Periods in the history of the Church

 The birth of the Church and the Period of Apostles
 Persecution of Christians
 Unity and Division within the Church
 Church in Medieval Period
 Renewal in the Church
 Church in the Modern world
As a group, come up with a clear output which presents your assigned period of the Church
history (cloud map, poster, timeline, video presentation, song composition etc.).
1. Include important persons and concepts necessary for understanding the period.
2. Include Introductory and Concluding statements in your presentation relating the period to
your experience as a church.
3. Make it ready for presentation next session (10-15 Minutes only per group).
OUTPUT- 50 Points (Relevance to the period and Creativity)
PRESENTATION- 50 Points (Mastery and Delivery)