A Word From The Spiritual Director…

Open Our Eyes

There is a little book in my house that states in one section” Look at everything as though you were looking at it for the first time or the last time. Then your time will be full of glory”. When I first read this I thought to myself” What a moving idea! If one has the exuberance of all those ‘firsts’ life would be exciting and it would be an enthusiastic experience”. But the more I thought about it the less I agreed with the idea.

When pilgrims take that precious Walk to Emmaus many do get the sensation of seeing some things they already knew as if it were the first time and it is exhilarating. But then there is also a wonderful feeling of familiarity. Maybe it is hearing a song that has always comforted or inspired you. Maybe it is the experience of Communion that has bound the Body of Believers together down through the Ages.

I am reminded once again of Psalm 100:3 “Know ye that the Lord he is God; it is he that hath made us and not ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture”. God knows exactly what we need whether it is a fresh look at an old truth or the comfort and security of familiar affirmation.

I suggest that we try to see things as God puts them before our hearts and minds. He knows when we need a wake up call and need to see things anew; he also knows when we need familiar affirmation. May our eyes be truly open to his goodness and wisdom.

In His Service,

Phil Howard

New Board Members Elected

The following people were elected by community vote to serve a three (3) year term on the Greater Scioto Valley Emmaus Board:

Cindy Sykes Tom Dishong Dale Stevens

Jon Mark Hall Jenifer Goedde Sandy Blakeman

Clergy: Tad Grover Neil Foster

During the December meeting, the Board will be electing a new Chairman/Community Lay Director from those who are serving in their second year on the Board. Please pray for the Board as they select the person to fulfill this responsibility and as new assignments are made for 2005.

Board Hi-lites…

Tony Perry and Rusty Staten gave reports on Men’s Walk #22 …..All went well.
Regional Training meeting scheduled for May 20 & 21, 2005
Lorri will keep the list job
There are 82 women and 39 men on the waiting list.
Next meeting is Nov.18, 2004 @5pm

***NOTICE***

It’s time to renew your snail-mail subscription to the Greater Scioto Valley Emmaus Community Newsletter. The renewal will be for the calendar year, 2005. Regardless of when you subscribe during the year, your subscription will expire December of 2005. Cost for the annual subscription is $5.00. You may also view the newsletter in its entirety on the website for free. To receive a monthly e-mail reminder for the most current newsletter posted, contact Kevin Pancake: pancake@bright.net.

PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU TOOK YOUR WALK IN 2004 — HERE’S ANOTHER GIFT OF AGAPE — YOUR SUBSCRIPTION WILL BE FREE UNTIL 2006!

TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE SNAIL-MAIL NEWSLETTER, DOWNLOAD THE FORM AS A WORD.DOC OR A ADOBE.PDF AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS. PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR SUBSCRIPTION BY JANUARY 31, 2005.

Message Board Instructions………..

Welcome to the Greater Scioto Valley Emmaus Message Board. The message board replaces the previous Guest Book and Prayer Requests and provides a forum-based site where members of the online Community can exchange information, ideas, etc. between each other and the entire Three-Day community. The board is accessible from the Community website’s menu page, or by going directly to http://community.gsvemmaus.org/. This is a private board, open to anyone who has participated in a 72-hour event (Emmaus, Chrysalis, Kairos, etc.) This tutorial will assist you in registering your account. If at any point along the way you encounter a problem or have a question, feel free to send an email to bbadmin@gsvemmaus.org. We’ll reply to you as quickly as possible. This tutorial is downloadable from the website.

1. Click on the Message Board link found on the Menu page of the GSVEC web site. This link will take you to the Forum Index page.

2. In the upper right hand section of the Forum Index page, you will see several clickable links. Please click on REGISTER. This will take you to the registration page, where you set up your account information.

· Read the Agreement Terms and click on the appropriate response.

· You are now at the Registration Page. Items marked with an * in the Registration Information Section are required entries.

· Enter your User Name using the format, First name Last name (that’s a single space between the two)

· Enter your Email Address.

· Enter the password you wish to use to access the message board.

· Enter the same password again to confirm. (Note: Please remember your password.)

· In the Profile Information Section, you have the option of allowing other members to contact you using any of several popular instant messaging services. If you have none, or don’t wish to enable these, leave them blank

· Website: Share your personal website URL if you have one.

· Location: Use City, State format for where you live.

· Occupation: Optional

· Interests: Optional

· Signature: This is not optional, and uses the standard Emmaus style of identifying yourself. Please enter this using the following format:

Name (First MI Last)

Three Day Event Name (e.g. Greater Scioto Valley Men’s Walk #22

Table Name

· Preferences Section settings let you customize how others see and communicate with you on the board.

· Always show my email address – “Yes”, allows others to contact you by email. They cannot, however, see your address.

· Hide your online status – Leave as “No” unless you don’t want other members to know you are logged into the board.

· Always notify me of replies – Set to “Yes” if you would like an email notice when someone replies to a topic that you posted.

· All the rest may remain as set, unless you wish to change them.

· Review your entries, and then click on Submit.

3. After you click submit, three things will occur before you will be able

to access the board. First, an email will be sent to the message board administrators, notifying them that you have requested an account. The administrator will review your information, and begin processing your request. Secondly, you will receive an email with your account information, letting you know that the administrator is processing your account. Please print this email and retain it in a safe place. Thirdly, you will receive another email to let you know your account has been activated and is ready for you to use.

That’s it! You are now ready to begin sharing electronically with the Three Day community. The phpBB 2 board is designed to be simple in design and use. Should you have a question or problem, there is an excellent FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) function always available to you at the top of every page. For questions or problems not addressed by the FAQ’s, email us at bbadmin@gsvemmaus.org. These instructions are downloadable as a WORD.DOC or a ADOBE.PDF. For those to whom a “picture is worth a thousand words”, here’s a PDF that shows how the Registration Screen should appear-Show Me. Enjoy!

Mark Your Calendars – Regional Training Session

Greater Scioto Valley Emmaus annually signs a covenant with the Upper Room in Nashville, Tennessee (the governing board of Emmaus). One of the items in the covenant that we are to uphold is to conduct a regional training session every three years in this community. We have scheduled a regional training session for Saturday, May 21^st, 2005 at Trinity Church. This session will be an all-day event, complete with a time of praise, Holy Communion, lunch, and lots of information regarding the Emmaus Movement. Plan now to attend. Make it a reunion time with your tablemates. Make it a share group activity. Make it a renewal time for you. More information will be coming in future newsletters and mailings.

Meet The Board

It is time to meet some more Board Members and get to know allitle about them. The first on our list for this month is Kevin Pancake who is our Technology person for the Emmaus Board.

1. Year & location of your original walk

GSVE Walk #4, Table of Paul

2. Your real job

Horizon Technology Manager, Internet Services Division

Providing Internet Connectivity, IT, Installation, Technical, and Customer Support for Horizon Bright.net, Horizon ViewNet, and Horizon BrightWireless subscribers.

3. Family

Married to Patsy (Tackett) Pancake, 25 years, Son Christopher, graduating senior, The Ohio State University, majoring in Construction Systems Management.

4. What do you do in your leisure time?

"tech" toys, computers, amateur meteorology/storm-chasing, traveling, camping

5. What church do you attend and what are you involved in there?

Chillicothe Vineyard Church

Sound & Media Tech Team, Kinship Group Ministry

6. Special Emmaus memory?

Finding a real life understanding of grace that I could embrace and be embraced by. All the trips to the "woodshed" taken by the Table of Paul.

The second member is Karen Edmonson and her position is Women’s Registrar.

1. Year and location of your original walk?

GSV Emmaus Women's Walk #18 in May 2000

2. What is your real job?

I am a farm wife and mother. In the fall I work in the office of family elevator and in the spring I work for McClish's Greenhouses in Washington C H.

3. Family ( spouse, children & ages, Grandchildren if you have any)

Married to Brent 20 years, son Mathew 16years old and daughter Whitney 14years old.

4. What do you do with your leisure time?

Sew, camp, garden, visit National Parks, hike, Girl Scout Leader and volunteer at school.

5. What church do you attend and what are your activities there?

I attend Frankfort UMC, I serve on the building committee and the education committee, I am leading a Disciple I Bible Study with my husband, Brent

6. Special Emmaus memory?

The love of Christ that was given so freely. I wish we could live in a world where his loved flowed so freely.

The third member of the board is Cheryl Rutherford and she is our Treasurer.

1.Year and Location of your original walk/

I went on my original walk in March of 1997 with the Greater Scioto
Valley Emmaus

2.What is your real job?

My current job is babysitting the most PRECIOUS little boy -- my first
grandson, Corbin

3. Family?

Tim and I have been married for 25 years and we have a daughter, Mandy
who lives in Indianapolis (soon to be living in Boulder, Colorado) and a
son, Nathan who is married to Lesley. They have a son, Corbin who is
expecting a baby brother or sister in June.

4. What do you do in tour leisure time(if you have any leisure time)?

I love to work in the yard, garden, refinish furniture and shop for
antiques.

5. Where do you attend church and what are your activities there?

I attend the First Wesleyan Church in Chillicothe and I pretty much do
whatever I'm asked to do.

6. Special Emmaus Memory?

Hearing Tim play "How Beautiful" on his saxophone after candlelight on
my original walk.

7. Anything you would like the community to know?

I love serving the community and the Lord any way I can.

Invitation…

Don’t forget to invite an old (or Young) Emmaus Buddy to come to a gathering and renew special friendships. If you know someone who hasn’t been active in Emmaus lately, give them a call or drop them a card or email to let them know that we miss them and would love to have them join us again.

Thank You…

A special “thank you” to the Chrysalis youth and leaders for a fine job leading our last gathering. You did a great job and we were all blessed by your presence. It is great to see the youth taking on leadership rolls in the community.