Greater
Greater
As
I sit and write this month’s note I’m trying to catch my breath.
First of all, Men’s
Walk #25— WOW. GOD is good. The Holy Spirit was in the house in abundance. He
provided healing to so many pilgrims. If you attended the closing on Sunday you
know what I’m talking about. Many commented on burdens God diminished,
spiritual healings, awareness of God’s presence and personal renewal. The
community pulled together for support in every aspect—kitchen, housekeeping,
agape, candlelight activities, closing ceremonies and so many more. God
continues to bless us in so many ways.
The
weekend after the walk, it was off to
I
am anxious to get a report on Kairos as well. God has blessed this community
with so many ministry opportunities and with Spirit-filled servants who are
willing to sacrifice their time and talents for the His kingdom. I thank you on
behalf of the pilgrims and butterflies that you blessed and served during the
events of the February men’s walk, Chrysalis flight and Kairos walk.
May
we bask in His mercy and grace.
Jon
Mark Hall
How Can I Serve on an Emmaus Team?
There are many ways to serve on an
Emmaus walk, and they take various levels of commitment from you. You have
probably heard of housekeeping and kitchen signup sheets. These opportunities
to serve are more than pitching in to do your part. They are blessings to those
who take part. They are fellowship opportunities and service to the Lord. The
72-hour prayer vigil is another way to serve. You can also serve by being a
prayer partner or praying for a team member who is giving a talk. Prayer may be
the most important way you can serve the walk.
Did you know that we are keeping track of who is
serving? When it comes time to select the live-in Emmaus team, we pray for the
Lord’s guidance as we consider those who have shown their support for past
teams by signing up and showing up to do the “less lovely” jobs required to
make an Emmaus walk happen.
The requirements to be an Emmaus
team member are simple. A prospective team member must have been a pilgrim or
butterfly (Chrysalis) a year or more previous to the upcoming walk, be a member
of a share group, and have participated in other service capacities in the
community.
You may ask, how many times must I
serve to be considered for a team? There is no hard and fast answer to that
question. It depends on the number positions available and the number of
potential team members who meet the criteria.
Remember, it’s not just
accumulating “points.” When you serve in the kitchen, on the housekeeping
team, or pray, you are serving the Lord, and that should be your primary
motivation.
Serving on the live-in team
involves a large time commitment as well as a heart commitment. It’s an honor
and a great responsibility. When you say yes to serving on a team, you are
committing to more than a three-day weekend. There are five or six team
meetings that may last up to six hours. You will pay your own expenses and
contribute food for the team meetings, candy for the table baskets, and pop for
the breaks on the weekend. You will spend time preparing for the meetings and
embrace other team members with gifts of agape.
When you do serve on a team, you
find that your focus is entirely different from your original walk. It’s no
longer about you and your relationship with the Lord. It’s about the pilgrims;
loving them and doing everything you can to see that they have the best walk
possible.
Most of the components of an
Emmaus weekend do not change from walk to walk, but the ways that God manifests
himself at the tables and in the sanctuary can be very different. Each walk is
unique, but there is never a walk where God’s presence is lacking. It’s a great
blessing to serve on an Emmaus live-in team.
—Amy
Edler
All-Emmaus
The Emmaus board is in the early
planning stages of an “All-Emmaus” reunion event. Tentative plans are for a day
of blessings, including lots of good food and uplifting music in an outdoor
setting. The date and place have not been set yet, but keep watching this
newsletter for more details. We would like to see past lay-leaders contacting
pilgrims from their walks so that everyone can share in a great big blessing.
Gatherings are held at
Trinity United Methodist Church, the third Thursday of the month at 7 P.M.
in the sanctuary.
March Gathering—March 16 at
See you
there!!!
Women’s Walk #36 June 15-18
SPONSORSHIP
The most important job in Emmaus
By Lorri Stewart, past
community lay director
Some of us
have sponsored many pilgrims, some of us are thinking about it, and some of us
have someone on the waiting list. Regardless of which category describes you,
we all need to keep current on the duties of an Emmaus sponsor.
What is a
sponsor? According
to the dictionary a sponsor is one who takes responsibility for another. As a
sponsor you have an impact on the Emmaus movement as well as the local church.
Taking the responsibility for a pilgrim through sponsorship is definitely a
long-term process. Sponsorship is the first act of Agape before a walk ever
begins.
Sponsorship
requires: Prayer—time—prayer—perseverance—prayer—planning—prayer—follow through—prayer—openness to God—and more prayer.
The goal of the sponsor is to bring
revitalization to Christians who in turn will bring new life and vision to the
work of the Church. The aim of sponsorship is to build the Body
of Christ. Wise sponsorship is purposeful and prayerful.
Our
openness to God enables us to become God’s instrument. Being open to God means
we listen for instructions even when it does not conform to our expectations.
The Disciples prayed for help in selecting a replacement for Judas.
The person
you sponsor is the seed you are sowing for the future of the church, the church
leadership, and the Emmaus community. We must have discernment in deciding on
who we should sponsor.
Who should you sponsor?
·
Those committed to living a life that is pleasing to
God
·
Those who want to grow and increase their knowledge
and understanding of God and God’s will.
·
Those actively involved in the church
·
Those who are hungry for something more.
·
Emmaus is
right for many but not for all.
Who can be
a sponsor? Anyone who has participated in Emmaus and can fulfill the
responsibilities of sponsorship can be a sponsor. After you have prayerfully
selected the person you want to sponsor give him or her an application. Give
your potential pilgrim time to fill it out and pray about it. Check back, and
answer any and all questions the potential pilgrim has truthfully. When you get
the application back, check the front for completeness and fill out the back.
Send the application to the registrar or to Trinity with the $20 deposit as
soon as you get the application. Pray for your pilgrim.
You will
receive a packet of information from sponsorship approximately three weeks
before the walk. PLEASE READ IT.
The packet explains Agape Letters, what your pilgrim should bring, reminders
for the sponsor and information about getting your pilgrim to the Walk and what
to do.
(Continued on page 6.)
2006
GSVE Board Members POSITION NAME TERM YR. PHONE eMAIL Agape 1 Cheryl Schomberg 3 740-776-7539 cschom@adelphia.net Agape 2 Jeni Goedde 2 740-335-1905 cjgoedde@adelphia.net Chairperson Jon Mark Hall 2 740-626-2791 halls@horizonview.net Chrysalis Joanne Charles A 740-354-4494 jcharles@shawnee.edu Computer Kevin Pancake A 740-703-8782 pancake@bright.net Good
Shepherd Sandy Blakeman 2 740-456-4433 sanlee@adelphia.net Housekeeping
1 Dena Benner 1 937-981-4162 db0142@dragonbbs.com Housekeeping
2 George “Pat” Miller 1 740-446-1537 pjmiller@frognet.net Kairos Jim Mathers A 740-983-2120 jmathers@columbus.rr.com Kitchen
1 Tom Dishong 2 740-596-4353 dishong@ohio.edu Kitchen
2 Danny Morris 1 740-606-1562 capmorris@hotmail.com Leadership Kevin Pancake 3 740-703-8782 pancake@bright.net Music 1 Peg Beekman 1 937-981-9805 pbeekman@direcway.com Music 2 Community Committee Newsletter Amy Edler 1 740-642-2938 amyedler@horizonview.net Outreach Neal Foster 2 740-998-6753 fosters@horizonview.net Purchasing Dale Stevens 2 740-335-2041 ww4625@dragonbbs.com Registrar,
Men Ed Ruggles 1 740-998-4843 huge@bright.net Registrar,
Women Karen Edmonson 3 740-998-5650 bedmonson@bright.net Secretary Cindy Sykes 2 740-993-2789 csykes@mail.gsn.k12.oh.us Social
1 Jim Brammer 3 937-981-3243 jbrammer@in-touch.net Social
2 Harley
Barney 1 740-998-6523 Special
Projects Phil Howard 3 740-820-8557 philandwanda@hotmail.com Spiritual
Director Tad Grover 2 740-773-6640 tad@trinityumchurch.net Sponsorship LouAnn Drummond 3 740-993-4386 jerlou@bright.net Treasurer Arla Bush 1 740-773-7865 A pilgrim left a bag of
laundry after the February Men’s Walk. If it’s yours, please call Jon Mark
Hall at 740-626-2791 to retrieve it.
LAUNDRY FOUND
(1,2,3)=Term Year A=Board Appointed
Send a Word of Encouragement Bill and Becky Fetters’ son, Brad, is
stationed in Iraq, and he could use some encouraging words from home, and,
of course, our prayers. Send cards and letters to: Cpt.
William B.A. Fetters 19th
Support Center LSA ANACONDA APO. A.E.
09391 If you have a family member on active duty,
send us his or her address. We will post it so the community can pray for
and encourage them. Computer
Fund Last year the board established a fund to purchase a
computer. The current balance in the computer fund is $1603. Donations
are welcome.
A Cautionary Tale
A
mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open
a package.
"What food might this contain?" the mouse wondered. He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.
Retreating
to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning. "There’s a mousetrap in
the house! There’s a mousetrap in the house!"
The chicken
clucked and scratched, raised her head
and said, "Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it
is of no conse-
quence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."
The mouse
turned to the pig and told him,
"There’s a mousetrap in the house! There’s a mousetrap in the house!"
The
pig sympathized, but said, "I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is
nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers."
The mouse turned to the cow
and said "There’s a mousetrap in the house! There’s a mouse- trap in the
house!"
The cow said,
"Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose."
So,
the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's
mousetrap alone.
That
very night a sound was heard throughout the house—the sound of a mousetrap
catching its prey.
The
farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see
it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the
farmer's wife.
The farmer rushed
her to the hospital, and she returned home with a fever. Everyone knows you
treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the
farmyard for the soup's main ingredient.
But
his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her
around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.
The
farmer's wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for the funeral
that the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.
The
mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.
So, the next time you hear someone is facing a
problem and think it doesn't concern you, remember—when one of us is
threatened, we are all at risk.
We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for
one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.
Author Unknown
Sponsorship
continued . . .
Once your
pilgrim has accepted:
·
Check with them weekly
·
Start gathering Agape Letters (it is never too soon)
The week
before the Walk:
·
Go over what they need to bring
·
Reassure them you will check on their family
·
Make arrangements to transport them to the church
THEN:
·
Bring them to the Walk (arrive at Trinity between
6:30 and 7:00 PM)
·
Make their bed
·
Go to Sponsor Hour (purchase a Fourth Day book for
your pilgrim)
·
Check on their family
·
Do NOT make contact with your pilgrim during the
weekend
·
Attend the special services during the weekend
·
Get them to gatherings
·
Get them in a share Group
·
Follow up on them in their Fourth Days.
We try to get spouses on the next available
walk but we cannot guarantee they will be called for the very next walk. If you
are sending in an application for a spouse, get it in as soon as possible.
Where it says spouse, mark the box with a big X so the registrar will see it.
Remember,
sponsorship is like being a Godparent. A
Godparent does not just stand in front of the church while the infant is being
dedicated; they help that individual grow in their spiritual life.