Erosion of Trust

Sharing the Real Presence

Author

Griffin Rain
July 22, 2025

In This Newsletter

  1. Erosion of Trust by Griffin Rain

  2. Upcoming Events

  3. Volunteers Needed

Erosion of Trust
By Griffin Rain

Very often while evangelizing, we will meet people who say they believe in God, but they do not go to any church or practice any religion. They often say things like that they are spiritual but not religious. When I ask questions to them about what this means, they say that they have a way of relating to God that is different than others. How this plays out is that they have a personal religion that they are the only follower of.  When I ask follow-up questions, it often comes down to that they've had a bad experience with religion and that they do not trust the people who are in different churches or religions.

The human person longs for God. Religion unites us to God and also to other believers. When other believers are rough around the edges and rub us the wrong way, the natural response is to distance ourselves. In order to find God, God wants us to love others in their brokenness just as he has loved us in our brokenness. The one who says they love God but hates their neighbor is a liar.

Recently, I saw a video of Pope Leo that was AI generated and it seemed like a real speech. With the emergence of AI, trust is becoming even more difficult. In a society already plagued with a lack of trust and addicted to smartphones, where does this leave us? What I have seen in many encounters with people while evangelizing is that a lack of trust leads one to rely on oneself even more. Are we reliable? Throughout the ages the church has called us not to rely on ourselves but to rely on God. 

This erosion of trust comes from a break in the truth. People have been lied to over and over and do not know what is real. How can we help people turn to the God that is trustworthy?

Upcoming Events

Missionary Associates Dinner  – Join us for our next Missionary Associates Dinner. This month it will take place on Monday, July 28th. This is for people who volunteer with the Missionaries or are interested in volunteering/supporting our work. We hope that this continues building up the community around the Missionaries, getting to know others and energizing more people to start working for the salvation of souls here in Milwaukee. This occurs at the Street Disciple House located at 2126 W Michigan St, Milwaukee, WI, 53233. The schedule for the event is as follows:

  • Evening Prayer 5:30pm - 5:45pm

  • Short talk from Griffin with discussion 5:50pm - 6:10pm

  • Dinner and socializing 6:15pm onward

If you can't make it this time, plan for the 4th Monday of each month. If you would like to be on our text updates list, please text (414) 235-7307 your name and we will add you.

Lunch in the Park - We will be serving food at King Park (1531 W Vliet St, 53205) on Saturday, August 23rd, from 11:00am to 1:00pm. Volunteers are needed on two teams - Kitchen Team and Evangelist Team. Please contact us if you can make it. We begin at the Street Disciple House at 11am.

Men's Open House Discipleship Night - Join us for the Men's Open House Discipleship Night on Friday nights at the Street Disciple House. This takes place every Friday unless announced otherwise. See schedule & speakers for upcoming events here. It is an open house, so come when you can. The plan for the night is as follows:

  • Prepare dinner from 5pm until ready; eat

  • Evening Prayer 6:30pm

  • Formation Talk with guest speaker 7pm

  • Game night/social 8:15 - 10pm

  • We will conclude with Night Prayer at 10pm

Please invite those who you think would benefit from this night of discipleship! Also if you would like to help with organizing the night, communication, cooking, finding speakers, etc., please let us know!

Discernment Group - We are hosting a discernment group that meets every other week on Saturday evenings. Please contact Griffin at 414-235-7307 if you would like to be a part of this group. We will be reading from the book A Living Sacrifice: Guidance for Men Discerning Religious Life. We have copies available for those joining the group.

Join the Street Evangelist Group Chat

This group is primarily for posting events or days and times for evangelization. If you have days that you would like to go out and evangelize, please post in the chat and hopefully someone else would be available to accompany you for evangelization.

Some recurring times for evangelization:

  • Fridays - after 12:05pm mass in front of Gesu Church @ 12th and Wisconsin Ave.

  • Saturdays - big group evangelization at a high traffic foot area.

Needed Items
(Follow the links below to donate)

  • Street Disciple House Items

    • 2x brooms and dustpans

    • Dehumidifier

    • Alarm clocks

    • Bunk beds

  • Street Evangelization/Preaching Items

    • Amazon List (pamphlet racks, camera battery, note-taker Bible)

  • Financial Donations for Missionary Formation & Operation of Street Disciple House

  • Wood 2x4's (8ft) for the weekly Way of the Cross

About the Missionaries of the Real Presence

The Missionaries of the Real Presence aims to assist in the apostolic renewal of the church by intentionally discipling men living in community and encouraging missionary vocations in the church. We participate in Christ’s evangelizing work for the salvation of souls, especially seeking out those who have been spiritually neglected. We introduce people to Jesus through intentional conversation, preaching, teaching, and prayer. We engage in direct evangelization in the public forum on the city streets, on public transit, and in homes, and share the good news of Christ with those we meet. All of this flows from a life of prayer and union with Jesus as our source.

Support the Mission, Join the Mission

If you appreciate the work we are doing, consider supporting our mission financially here.

Volunteer with us with our street ministry and house visits here.

If reading about some of our stories inspires you, come and see what life as a missionary is like and visit us for a day or longer for prayer and ministry as you discern here.

If you want to learn how we evangelize, consider watching videos on our YouTube Channel, Missionaries of the Real Presence.

Check out our Facebook or our Instagram.

If you liked this newsletter from the Missionaries of the Real Presence, consider subscribing and sharing with your friends.