Call to arm speech

Dear Prof.  Herewith is a speech that I may consider a "Call to Arms/Action" with regard to my passion in church work.  It happens that church leaders often face difficulties of lackadaisical attitude of the people that we serve. I sort of tried your framework on how to prepare a 2-minute speech (although this one that I did may take about 5 minutes).  Just to appreciate your help po...the guide that you sent yesterday helped me to develop this one.  Thank you Sir.  < Good try;  let us hear this in class

CALL TO ARMS

(Following Prof. Saguinsin's framework: "How to Deliver a 2-minute Speech")

By:  Leader "Sister" Belle Katigbak

1.       Tell initially what you want to tell them.  Go direct to the point.

    Fellow parish leaders, you are holding the history of the next generation of leaders in your hands. What is it that you want to bequeath to the next officers of the Parish Pastoral Council?  I want you to understand how important your role, my role, our role is in the church.   Our legacy is to be faithful till the end…no matter what, continue serving.  Even when it seems that nothing good is happening, serve anyway.  This is the model of servant-leadership that you and I will leave to the next generation.  

2.        Explain by examples what you want to tell them.  Be anecdotal.  Relate to the audience if you have prior knowledge of their demographics

    Jesus' disciples who were fishermen went out to catch fish.  All night long they "toiled and took nothing".  They labored but did not catch any.  Meanwhile Jesus approached them.  This Jesus, the carpenter's Son, and who doesn't know a bit about catching fish would tell them, "Duc in altum"! ("Put out into the deep").  Yet His friends hesitated not a bit.  They cast their net as instructed, and lo and behold, just imagine what happened!    They caught a multitude of fish, a big catch indeed it was, that the boat started to sink!  (An Adaptation from the Gospel of St. Luke 5:1-11)

    Like the disciples, I too, have experienced "working all night long and came home empty handed".  Just at the time that I gave myself to the service of the church, my husband's business went bankrupt.  We had to sell properties one after the other.  The fruit of long years of hard labor went down the drain.  Then back to church service there were times when after having prepared everything so well, only three or four or five participants would come…oh, it is like "going home with an empty net!" And then Jesus would tell me, "Put out into the deep and let down your net for a catch", and I surrendered to Jesus.  And He filled my net, more than what money could buy.

3.       Repeat # 1 and if possible ask for commitment, understanding or action

    What does this "put out into the deep" mean to you?   Have you ever experienced working all day long and only to come home with nothing? When was the time that you labored so hard for the church and you came home empty-handed, frustrated that nothing is happening in your life?  My brothers and sisters in Christ, today, Jesus is telling you and me to "Put out into the Deep".  Cast your net.  Lay your cares on Him, and you will not want.  He alone will bring fulfillment in our lives.  Upon hearing Him say, "Duc in Altum", go at once and obey.  And you will see what Jesus will do for you. 

    Fellow servant-leaders, despite the trials that come our way, let faithfulness to our vocation become the legacy to the next generation of parish leaders!   

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FULL TEXT OF THE GOSPEL

St. Luke 5:1-11

5 On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, ² and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. ³ Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. ⁴ And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." ⁵ And Simon answered, "Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets." ⁶ And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. ⁷ They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. ⁸ But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." ⁹ For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, ¹⁰ and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men."^{[a] 11} And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.