(The Nationalist, 4 October 2002)
People all round Ireland will shortly start hearing about a new programme called Power to Change. It is organized on an all-Ireland basis with the support of the main Christian denominations. There will be an intense campaign of advertising through all the media of social communication, such as billboards, radio and TV, internet, website and phone contacts. However, most contacts will be at the personal, one-to-one level.
What’s it all about? It starts with the recognition that people need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and that many have either not heard it before, or have heard it only in a way that has not penetrated into their lives.
Many people today are bewildered by the pace and scale of change in society. Values once regarded as unquestionable have been rejected. Everything, it seems, is questioned, perhaps even belittled or ridiculed. Institutions once regarded as rock-solid sources of assurance on issues of truth and morality are now regarded with suspicion. There is a sense of fragmentation and even disintegration in society.
Parents are frightened and bewildered by changes which affect their children and over which they seem to have no control. For example, the recent study which showed that the busiest night of the year for hospitals treating people subjected to sexual assault is the night of the Junior Cert exam results, comes as a shock and an eye-opener.
People feel insecure about relationships. Marriage and family life seem, at times, to be in meltdown, leaving children drifting in uncertainty and confusion, and young adults unwilling to enter into a permanent commitment, thereby adding to the cycle of uncertainty.
The Power to Change programme aims to put before people the figure of Jesus Christ as one whose life and teaching has stood the test of time. It is a matter of fact that no person in human history has had his influence. The programme offers people the hope that change for the better is possible by committing themselves to Jesus Christ and anchoring their lives in him.
At this stage, people are asked simply to have an open mind, not to shut any doors in advance against what is being offered. We all have something to learn, if we are open to it. Most of us recognize that we need to change; we want to change and become better people. The Power to Change programme can help motivate people to make that change possible.