Green evangelism for March 17
St. Patrick is known as the “Apostle to Ireland.” Patrick arrived in Ireland around 432 A.D. After 15 years of missionary work much of Ireland had been converted. According to some sources, Patrick planted some 200 churches and baptized some 100,000 converts. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick )
The missionary spirit permeated the Irish converts. Irish missionaries were sent to various regions of Europe. Their missionary methodology included: a group of 12 men + one leader would settle in a community where the Gospel had not yet been proclaimed. They would occupy some remote or valueless land but they would live among the people of the community. They would serve the community and eventually their piety and charity would open the door for them to proclaim the message of Christ to the locals. How might the Celtic way of evangelism be adapted to our context today as we try to connect with those who are yet believers in Christ? You might want to read: George G. Hunter III’s book, The Celtic Way of Evangelism. Check it out at Chapters/Indigo: http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/search?keywords=The%20Celtic%20Way%20of%20Evangelism&pageSize=10 .
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One2oneconnect's Blog 
March 17, 2009 at 6:46 pm
“The missionary spirit permeated the Irish converts. Irish missionaries were sent to various regions of Europe”
When I was researching where my first name came from, I was surprised it originated with two “brothers” (monks?) from Northumbria, England. One was named “Ewald the Fair”, the other “Ewald the Black”. They were schooled in Ireland before going to Old Saxony about 690AD to convert people there to Christianity, most likely their own distant cousins.
Wikipedia records: “By 695 the pagan Saxons had become extremely hostile to the Christian priests and missionaries in their midst and began to suspect that their aim was to convert their over-lord and destroy their temples and religion, which was probably true.” On October 3 of the year 695AD, the Ewalds were martyred for their troubles. Ewald the Fair was killed quickly, but Ewald the Black was tortured and torn limb from limb. Their remains were cast into the Rhine River.
Decades later, Einhardt (a monk, historian and dedicated servant to Charlemagne) considered the Saxons especially war-like and ferocious and long resisted becoming Christians as they “are much given to devil worship” and “are hostile to our religion [Christianity] as when they martyred the Saints Ewald”. Charlemagne conducted a long series of annual campaigns, the Saxon Wars, from 772AD to 804AD, defeated the Saxons and enforced baptism and conversion of the Saxon leaders and people. Charlemagne even destroyed the sacred tree or pillar of the Saxons known as “Irminsul”. Thus the Saxons became Christians and incorporated into Charlemagne’s Frankish kingdom (Charlemagne’s Empire).
So, for those who have ancestral Saxon roots going through Northern Germany… “Now you know the rest of the story” about how and why your forefathers became Christians. 🙂
As for me, I’m really surprised that the first historical recorded occurrence of my name seems to be from England. Even though the Saxons had previously invaded Britain (then known as the Roman province of Britannia) in the 5th Century.
So it seems, St Patrick’s missionary work in Ireland, eventually led to the “Christianization” of northern Germany.