Do I Really Need a Sponsor?

A prospective candidate asked me recently "Why do I need a sponsor? What does a sponsor do?" Good questions!

Christianity is unique among the world's religions because it is the only one that isn't based on what the worshippers do for God, but on what God did for His worshippers. He doesn't want our perfection; he wants our affection. It's all about the relationship!

Jesus came to build His church one person at a time. He spent three years in close relationship with a small group of friends, training them to spread His message. And they did--by going and forming relationships with others. God has chosen people (not angels) to spread the good news throughout the world. In Tres Dias we call this process "See a Friend, Be a Friend, Share Christ your Friend." In other words you bring your friends who don't know Christ to Him by sharing with them your friendship with Him. This is the essence of witnessing: we tell our friends, and they tell their friends, and so on...

It's the same in Tres Dias. We rely on pescadores to reach out to those in their Environments who want a closer walk with Christ and invite them to attend a Tres Dias Weekend. As an act of love, the pescador helps the candidate through the three phases of the Weekend: PreWeekend, Weekend, and Post Weekend.

PreWeekend: See a Friend.
The first phase begins with prayerful observation of your Environment. Who among your family and friends would be a good candidate for a Tres Dias? Are they seeking a closer relationship with Christ? Are they able to emotionally, spiritually and physically handle the weekend? Remember, the Weekend can be pretty intense, and we don't want to overload them!

Once you have approached someone with an application in hand, make sure you answer all questions honestly. Tres Dias' policy is full disclosure. THERE ARE NO SECRETS! Tell them all about the Essentials: the talks, breaks, chapel times, all the food, the music, times of prayer. Tell them that it is a very structured, cloistered weekend. Don't even hint that there are surprises to be unwrapped. Do warn them about being asked to put away watches & cellphones. Tell them to leave iPods and other such devices at home. You might want to warn them about the silence on Thursday night. The point is you should know your candidate well enough to know how best to prepare them for the Weekend.

Help them overcome obstacles if you can. For example: you might want to share the expense of the Weekend, or watch their kids, or prepare special foods if needed. Obtain palanca letters for your candidate too, even from family members who may not have made a Weekend.

Weekend: Be a Friend
The second phase is the Weekend phase. Your candidate needs a sponsor whom s/he can count on to be there on the outside of the Weekend to pray for him/her. Take care of your candidate's earthly needs...does the dog need walking? The kids need a drive to ballet or soccer practice? What about covering their Sunday School class? Showing up to the Mananita or serving a meal is important for the sponsor to do, too (You can't do these things if you are already at Montfort as part of the team, by the way. When you are not asked to serve on Team, then you are in the perfect position to Sponsor!). Oh and don't forget to come to Closing and bring your new pescador home.

Post Weekend: Share Christ Your Friend
This is probably the most important phase of Sponsorship--living the 4th day together. If your candidate is not already part of your Reunion Group, invite him to join you for at least a few meetings. Encourage him in his Piety, Study and Action. Bring him to the next few Secuelas, to the next Mananita, show him how to serve behind the scenes at the next Weekend (and for a man, his first opportunity will come quickly--the Women's Weekend is usually not more than two weeks away). Help him write short palanca notes and show him where to deliver them. (here's a handy reference guide to our Sponsoring Guidelines)

If you sponsor from your relationships then it won't be hard to remain in relationship after the Weekend. Remember, the Weekend is a tool. The Life in Grace, supported by the tripod of Piety, Study and Action, shared with others in a Reunion Group, is the main focus. Sponsoring our friends on a Tres Dias Weekend is just one Action we can take to share the love of Jesus with our world. Let's change our Environment, one heart at a time! (need an application? click here.)


Please tell us your sponsoring experience, or ask questions about sponsoring, in the comment section below. As always, anonymous comments are welcome.