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In
the News
THE GIFT
Message from the
Community Spiritual Director
Personal Walk
Testimonies
New Emmaus
Purple Worship Books
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THE GIFT
THE GIFT of Walk to
Emmaus/Chrysalis
The International Walk to Emmaus
and Chrysalis movements have
initiated a new program to ensure
that many from all over the world
can enjoy the fruits of this
ministry. THE GIFT is a financial
program that allows
Emmaus/Chrysalis communities
internationally as well as the
emerging new communities to tap
into the generosity of pilgrims
and butterflies that the Lord has
so richly blessed.
Emmaus and Chrysalis communities
are expected to include in pilgrim
and butterfly packets a flyer
provided by the Upper Room
describing THE GIFT program. The
Upper Room believes that the
Emmaus and Chrysalis movements are
so powerful and so blessed by the
Holy Spirit that they should be
able to impact more Christians all
over the world. Together with the
Upper Room International Emmaus
and Chrysalis offices, we are
committed to be the hands and feet
of Christ in the world and to help
our brothers and sisters in
Christ. To that end, pilgrims and
butterflies will be asked to
consider making a love offering.
The money collected for THE GIFT
program will go to the funding,
supporting and sustaining of those
communities who have the need.
The International Emmaus and
Chrysalis movements have pledged
that 100% of the monies donated to
THE GIFT will be used for the
purposes stated. No money
collected will go toward salaries
or pensions. Not one penny will go
to pay the light bill or any other
expense.
Here are some examples given of
where the money can go (from THE
GIFT home page on the Upper Room
website): “This money will go the
Latin American countries who
cannot afford a simple wooden or
pewter cross so they use 2 sticks
and a strip of a leaf to tie it
together. This money will go to
the African countries that get
pilgrims and food and teams ready
to go on a Walk but then because
of the one million percent
inflation, cannot afford the
facility. This money will also go
the European countries as
scholarship funds because they
cannot afford the subsidized
pilgrim fee. We cannot allow money
to become an obstacle to grace.
Brothers and sisters, it is our
responsibility to provide the
‘First Fruits’ funds to facilitate
an opportunity for all Christians
who want to draw into a closer
relationship with Christ to be
able to do so.”
Want to see exactly how much has
been donated and by whom? Or where
the needs are and how much is
going there? Then, visit the
Updates page for the latest
information.
If you feel the Holy Spirit
calling you to respond to "The
Gift" of grace that you received
on your Walk or Chrysalis weekend,
please consider making a donation
to THE GIFT. Make your check
payable to: "International Walk to
Emmaus and Chrysalis." Send your
offering of love to: The
International Emmaus/Chrysalis
Office, 1908 Grand Avenue,
Nashville, TN 37213
(1-877-899-2780 Ext. 7227).
For more details about THE GIFT,
please visit THE
GIFT home page on the Upper
Room website.
De
colores!
Nancy
Summers
Dallas Community Lay Director
The Walk to Emmaus
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Message from the Community
Spiritual Director
A Place Called
Emmaus
My trip to Israel in March was
one of the highlights of my life. By
the grace of God and the love of a
friend, Kirk Ragsdale, I was on
my way to Israel to go to
Jerusalem and Tel Aviv; to see where
Jesus was born; to walk where Jesus
walked; to sleep where Jesus slept;
to eat where and what Jesus ate; to
ride on the seas He rode on; to sit
where He stood and taught; to view
the place where He would return; to
walk the Via Dolorosa; to
float in the Dead Sea; to spend a
day in the Old City; to share in the
meditation and the Lord's supper at
the garden tomb; to feel what it was
like to have been baptized in the
Jordan River; to see the immensity
of the stones of the walls of
Jerusalem; to pray at the Wailing
Wall; to climb (ride the sky lift)
to Masada, to bargain with street
vendors; and much more.
It
was a true blessing to have someone
of the caliber of Dr. Keith Boone
leading the trip. He knew as much if
not more than the guide. His sermons
and worship services will have a
lasting impression on my life. Ikey
was our guide and he saw to it that
our days were filled with one
amazing sight after another. His
teaching brought the Life and Love
of our Lord Jesus into a clear
focus. I was so amazed at the fact
that the land was so green and lush
and with the number of wild flowers
I saw growing everywhere. How can I
ever forget that beautiful first
glimpse of Jerusalem at sunrise from
my hotel room that was right on the
Sea of Galilee? I was also
incredibly moved to touch the
Western Wall and have a chance to
pray there. The pace at which Ikey
moved challenged every one of us,
but we were inspired to keep up with
him because he was extraordinarily
knowledgeable. It was like touring
with the encyclopedia but with a
personal touch. Although I had some
familiarity with each sight that I
saw, my knowledge of location was
very narrow. Ikey changed that! I am
now able to place all the locations,
and that has granted me the
opportunity to focus more on the
spiritual side of my Bible Study
rather than the logical side. This
makes Bible Study illuminate off the
pages for me.
I
realize more and more how much of a
gift it was since arriving home. It
will take a lifetime for me to
unpack this experience. I was
introduced to so much while in
Israel during those 7 days, that it
will take a life time of living this
Christian journey to unpack it all.
Before I began this newsletter, I
reviewed all my translated notes and
tears keep wailing up in my eyes.
How did I get there? What manner of
man was this that granted me this
opportunity? How can I ever
repay him? Will he ever know how he
was used by God to change my
life? Will he ever know the
impact he had on my ability to
preach with power and vision?
Thousands of questions were in my
heart and mind! Our God is an
awesome God and He has people who
will serve Him with gladness and
joy. I am thankful to have so many
of these people touch my life in so
many ways.
We
were only in Israel for 7 days, but
we did and saw so much in such a
short time. Rarely a day passes when
I don't think of something we did
while on that wonderful trip. While
every day and every minute spent was
extraordinary, when asked what stood
out on the trip, I can honestly say
that there was no special highlight
on this tour because everything was
a highlight. In fact, I can truly
say that each day I was there I saw
the history of Israel come alive.
However, the one vision that keeps
coming into my mind is when I
preached at Emmaus, Cana, and on the
Roman Road outside the High Priest
Caiaphas' house. I will never forget
those experiences.
Needless
to say, in the short time I was
there I gained an immense insight
into the country and an appreciation
of what this small country is
capable of doing. I also gained a
heart-warming respect and
appreciation for both the ancient
and present history of Israel. As I
reflect on this experience and
examine my own faith, I can
sincerely say that my faith in
Christ was reaffirmed. Just think,
there I was in the place where Jesus
was born, lived, died and was
resurrected. I believe that I am a
stronger Christian because of my
trip to Israel.
In
the future I will share more about
my trip, but today I want to talk
about Emmaus. There is no better
place to ponder our walk with Jesus
along this Christian journey than in
a place called Emmaus. Although the
place called Emmaus seems to have
vanished from the scriptures after
it is mention in Luke 24, I am a
witness that it does exist.
"And,
behold, two of them went that same
day to a village called Emmaus,
which was from Jerusalem about
threescore furlongs."
Well,
there were more than two of us;
there were 19 of us to be exact. One
of the places we visited in
Jerusalem was the village of Emmaus.
As I watched the couples hold hands
and walk in front of me, as I walked
alone, on the road that led to the
village called Emmaus, I was
reminded of many things. For
instance, I was reminded of how much
I was like those two travelers in
Luke's Gospel Chapter 24, when I was
invited to go to the Walk to Emmaus
at a place called Bishop Masson. For
them Emmaus was a place to go when
it seems as if your life is headed
nowhere. It was a place where they
didn't have to talk or think about
the awful events of the last couple
of days. It was a place to go where
others may never know that they had
lost hope. And when Jesus showed up
on their walk, it became a place
where they felt like they had
nothing worth saying. But Jesus
pressed them for the information
that they would have rather not
shared. As a result, with some
reluctance they shared their
broken-hearted story, the admission
of their failures and the confession
of their loss of hope.
That
pretty much sums up where I was at
the time of my first Emmaus
experience as well. I had been
preaching for 15 years and pastoring
for 13. My 21 years of marriage had
just ended in divorce and it seemed
that my ministry career would soon
end as well. I felt perhaps as
though I had lost the ability to do
this ministry at all, even as a
volunteer. I prayed harder than I
ever had in my life but there was no
reassurance from above. I had lost
hope. I was on the road to nowhere
with nothing to say and all these
strangers were talking about my
life. How did they know? My hope was
buried in the ground miles behind me
and all I wanted to do was hide, but
they wanted to chat. After listening
to all this chatter I recognized it
was Jesus all along.
I was reminded of all of this during
our little short walk down the
Emmaus road. As we approached the
village, I invited Him to stay with
me. It was in the evening. The table
was set. We had entered the remains
of a fifth century church and I was
granted the blessing of preaching
and serving communion at Emmaus,
Israel. My sermon was all about how
it was at Emmaus, that as I broke
bread together with Jesus; He
himself met me in the midst of my
deepest isolation and hopelessness
and reminded me that He never left
me. Words cannot express the joy and
tears that mixed together on my
chest as I blessed, broke, and
shared the bread from the table at
Emmaus, Israel. It all made sense!
Has anybody besides me ever been
there? Have you been to a place
called Emmaus? Have you been to this
place called Emmaus where the lost
can be found? Have you been to this
place called Emmaus where the faith
in your creed is restored? Have you
been to this place where strangers
show up in your space and talk to
you even though you thought you were
running away to a quiet retreat
where you could quietly give up and
there be no one around to try to
talk you out of it? Have you
been to this place called Emmaus
where Jesus shows up and your life
is changed forever?
If you answered yes to any of
the questions above, then I have
good news for you. Jesus has been to
Jerusalem too! In fact, if you
have been there you can be assured
that He walked with you along the
way. If you know someone who needs a
walk with Jesus, why not invite that
person to experience Emmaus too.
De Colores,
Rev. Ella M.
McDonald
Walk #54
Table of Esther
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Personal Walk Testimonies
My
Journey - However Long It May Take
Me!
There
is a long standing joke about me in
my circle of friends. I am a
self-proclaimed "Remedial"
Christian. What this means, at least
to me, is that it took me so darn
long to finally hear Jesus knocking
on my heart and even to this day, I
seem to be the last one to finally
"grasp" a biblical concept, or any
concept really...
I
know that I knew nothing about Grace
before my walk to Emmaus. I had
been walking with Jesus for a long
time, walking slowly, grasping
things as I could, but walking
nonetheless...
You
see, I was 43 years old before I
recognized the void in my life and
actually heard the knock on my
heart. It was during my Walk
that I realized that this was
Prevenient Grace. The Lord
wooed me for a very, very long time
but it was his will and wooing that
drew me in. God had my heart in his
hands for 43 years and by His grace,
I felt the tug upon my heart.
Little
by little everything in my life
gained new meaning. I was trying to
learn everything about God that I
could get my hands on.....Still
feeling totally incompetent because
so much stuff didn't make
sense! I dove into a Women's
Bible Study and always asked so many
questions that I was afraid that the
other women would get tired of my
"non-understanding".
About
three years into my new found
Christian life, I was now a mature
46 year old (Ha!) and feeling a bit
more secure in my relationship with
Christ. Beware! This is
truly when you are
tested! Anyway, I began to feel
the now familiar tug at my heart but
had no idea, as usual, what the
tugging meant, was supposed to mean
or if I was just imagining
it. Remedial still.
Turns
out that the tugging on my heart was
a nudge to journey on the "Walk To
Emmaus". I started seeing brochures
about the walk, heard stories from
random people who had been on the
walk and then, as if by accident,
was thrown into a hotel room with
another church member at a
non-church related gathering and she
somehow agreed to be my sponsor for
my "Walk to Emmaus". That is
some master planning in action!
I attended Walk #217 and sat at the
Table of Mary. Words cannot express
my experiences there nor can they
express the experience that many of
you encountered, I am sure! What I
do know is this.....I am NOT
remedial in my Christianity!
God opens my eyes when I am prepared
to accept and understand what I need
to grow closer to Him. It is His
timing, His will and His grace that
has guided me my whole life - the
fact that it took me longer to
"figure it out" is just the way that
He had it planned.
I
still don't know all there is to
know about God, life, or anything
for that matter, but I am living my
life intentionally, secure in my
relationship with Christ and
counting on Him because I know, for
a fact, He is counting on me...
De
Colores,
Tonja Bridges
Walk #217
Table of Mary
My
Emmaus Walk
Everyone needs time to get away from
the daily experiences of life that
distract them from their true
purpose, which is to focus on God. I
really needed this time however did
not realize it, but someone did. My
reason for going on this walk was a
friend's encouragement and his
lifestyle which showed a true
commitment to Christ. Even before
arriving, I could feel the power of
prayer even though I did not know I
was being prayed for. After
seeing the prayer lists and agape, I
realized what was
happening. This walk was a very
powerful experience for me and I was
able to focus and reset my
priorities with God as number one.
For a group of people to do
something for me personally on this
scale was difficult to accept, but
now I understand that it is the same
as accepting God's free grace. The
presence of the Holy Spirit was
quite evident during the entire walk
and continues. There are numerous
experiences I could describe which
made an impression on my heart which
would include the candlelight,
talks, services, fellowship, etc.,
but I'll just say that I experienced
the three of the best days of my
life on the Emmaus walk. I have been
changed and am forever thankful to
God, the team, and my
sponsor. Prayer is powerful!
And that was just the
beginning. The Reunion Groups,
Candlelights, 4th day, study, etc.
have continued to strengthen my
relationship with God. One of
the main things I have gained from
this experience is the ability to
recognize that there are no
coincidences in this life. The
Holy Spirit is guiding us and we
need to be able to recognize the
signs. The signs are there and
we need to be able to see the
connection.
Their eyes were opened and they
recognized him, and he disappeared
from their sight. They asked
each other, "Were not our hearts
burning within us while he talked
with us on the road and opened the
Scriptures to us?"
Luke 21: 31 - 32.
DeColores,
O'Keefe Scallan
Walk #214
Table of Peter
My
Experience
I went on my Walk to Emmaus with
anticipation and uncertainty of what
to expect. I hoped to get away from
the busyness that seems to be my
life. I hoped to spend some quality
time in prayer. And I thought that
if I could meet some new Christian
women, that would be cool, too. I
really had no idea what was in store
for me.
Because there weren't watches or
clocks, I soon got out of my routine
of concerning myself with what comes
next. Because there were no cell
phones, I was able to focus on my
own needs and not those of my
friends and family. Because there
was no talking, pressure of
socializing with my new cabin mates
was gone, and it freed me up to
focus on the task at hand which was
focusing on my walk with Jesus
Christ.
My Emmaus Walk took place last
September. I remember feeling
charged with the Holy Spirit like
never before. Afterwards, I couldn't
stop talking about it at work, home,
church, or anywhere people would
listen. I hummed the fun and crazy
songs I learned. I found places for
my agape at home, in my office, and
even in my car. I followed many of
the suggestions of my wonderful
table leader regarding daily living.
Recently, I have found a reunion
group, and I look forward to my
weekly meetings because it helped me
refocus and stay focused on my daily
walk with Jesus Christ.
Because of my Walk to Emmaus
experience, I now call on God
throughout the day, everyday for
guidance, forgiveness, and
thanksgiving. I know he loves me
unconditionally, and for that I am
grateful and feel wonderfully
blessed.
De
Colores,
Mary Kirkpatrick
Table of Sarah
Walk 213
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New
Emmaus Purple Worship Books
The Upper Room has released new
Emmaus purple worship books (officially
titled, “Worship Booklet for
Pilgrims”). The new Emmaus purple
worship books are significantly different
from the old books. Beginning with
Walk 216 (February 19-22, 2009 at Mount
Lebanon), the new worship books will be
given to Pilgrims and used throughout the
Walk. This means that the new Purple
Worship Books will be used at Candlelight
and Closing for Walk 216 and for all
subsequent Dallas Emmaus
events. The new Emmaus purple
worship books will be available for sale
to the Community at all Candlelights and
Gatherings for $3 each. A brief
orientation to the new Emmaus purple
worship books will be conducted at
Candlelilght for Walk 216 and for the rest
of the 2008 Walks as needed.
Announcement from the Emmaus International Director
regarding new Emmaus purple book
Rev. Victor Perez
[reprinted from
http://www.upperroom.org/emmaus/article/default.asp]
Dear
friends:
A long process
of transformation has preceded the revision
of The Walk to Emmaus Worship booklet,
better known as the “Emmaus purple book”. We
have engaged in prayer and dialogue with
clergy and lay persons, members of our
International Advisory committee, our Lay
and Clergy Regional Leaders, and leaders
from several Emmaus communities. We feel
confident that we now have a better resource
with updated liturgies, more modern prayers,
and helpful aides for our pilgrims Fourth
Day journey.
As of now your
Board can order the 2008 revised version of
the Emmaus worship booklet. The new item
number is E-9810. The booklets will be
shipped in packets of ten at a price of $12
per packet. The few remaining old worship
booklets have been removed from our
warehouse to guarantee that only the revised
edition will be shipped to you.
There are a
couple of things we want to remind you. If
your board still has copies of the old
worship booklet and plan to use them during
this year’s walks that would be perfectly
fine. However, once you start placing new
orders you will receive the 2008 revised
version. Eventually, you would need to make
a shift to the revised version. As we
mentioned earlier the revised version looks
quite different from the old one.
Also, within a
few more weeks, the Chrysalis Worship
booklet will be available to the Chrysalis
communities. The liturgy for Holy Communion
is now the same in both Emmaus and Chrysalis
Worship booklets to facilitate the
participation of butterflies and pilgrims
during community gatherings, candlelight
services as well as regional events.
We are grateful
to God for the revised Emmaus worship
booklet that will enhance not only our
community worship time, but our individual
Fourth Day journey. If you need additional
information regarding this new resource,
please don’t hesitate to contact your Emmaus
regional leader whose contact information
appears on our Emmaus webpage. You can also
contact either Deana or Laura at
1-877-899-2780, ext. 7227 & 7230
respectively.
To order your
revised worship booklets you can contact one
of our customer service representatives at
1-800-972-0433. Please make sure you have
your community account number which is found
on page 3 of your finalized Letter of
Agreement, as well as your ordering item
number E-9810.
Within a couple
of weeks your community will receive a
sample copy of this new product. We look
forward to our serving together side by side
during this New Year.
De colores!
Rev. Victor
Pérez,
International Spiritual Director
The Walk to Emmaus
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