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Here are things you need to know as a Pilgrim…
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- Read Luke 24 several times before your walk.
You do not need to concern yourself with transportation. Your sponsor will
be delivering and picking you up. Please make sure you bring the balance of
the money owed your weekend.
Please let your sponsor know if you need a special diet or medication
regimen so they can pass that information onto the Lay Director.
The sleeping arrangements are cabin style with bunk beds. Bathrooms are in
the rooms and include showers. However, you will need to bring your own
sleeping bag, pillow, bed linens, towel, wash clothe and hand towel.
Enjoy wearing comfortable clothing – no need to dress up. Be casual:
jeans, T-shirts, etc. are most appropriate. This is a time to rest in the Lord
and learn what He has planned for you. (You may want to bring a jacket in case
the A/C is too cool for you.)
Please understand that your personal participation is expected from 7 pm
Thursday until approximately 6 pm on Sunday. Each event builds on the other,
so you are expected to attend each and every event, this is part of this
program and the reasons will become more evident during your Walk.
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Please also understand that there will be no contact with your
family or business except, of course, in an emergency. This is so that you can
focus on your weekend. And you deserve this time to be alone and focus on the
Lord. (Please give the name and address of a close relative and friend to your
sponsor, if you haven’t already.)
Please leave the following at home: cell phones, pagers, radios, lap tops
and video cameras. Again, this is so that you can focus on their weekend. You
will be asked to take off your watch and give it to your sponsor or you may
leave your watch at home. If you forget and wear it, your Lay Director will
ask that you take it off and put away on Thursday evening.
Please remember that I will be praying for you, the Lay and Spiritual
Directors will be praying for you, the team members will be praying for you,
fellow pilgrims will be praying for you, the Emmaus community will be praying
for you, and all who will share in your pilgrim’s weekend.
I want you to understand that each weekend is unique and that each person
seems to find exactly what God wants that person to experience. You can look
forward to gaining a new enthusiasm for serving God.
What to Expect from the Walk Weekend Itself…
- What is "The Walk to Emmaus?"
It is a spiritual renewal program
intended to strengthen the local church through the development of Christian
disciples and leaders. The program’s approach seriously considers the model of
Christ’s servanthood and encourages Christ’s disciples to act in ways
appropriate to being "a servant of all." (Luke 24:13-35) The weekend can give
the participant an intensely felt awareness of God’s grace, the power of
prayer, and Christian love.
- What happens on a Walk?
Your Walk experience will involve a 72-hour
short course in Christianity, comprised of fifteen short talks by lay and
clergy on the themes of God’s grace, disciplines of Christian discipleship,
and what it means to be "the church." The course is wrapped in prayer and
meditation, special times of worship and daily celebration of Holy Communion.
The "Emmaus community," made up of those who have attended an Emmaus weekend,
support the 72-hour experience with a prayer vigil, by preparing and serving
meals, and other acts of love and self-giving. The Emmaus Walk typically
begins Thursday evening and concludes Sunday evening. Men and women attend
separate weekends. Sorry, no hiking involved.
- What is the encampment like? What do I need to bring?
It is a typical
camp setting which has a dining hall, a meeting room/area, and cabins which
have bunk beds, showers, and restrooms. You must bring your own bed linens and
towels. You are served 3 wonderful meals a day, plus snacks and drinks which
are readily available. Restroom facilities are also readily available. They
ask that you please wait to go at designated "break times" out of respect for
the speakers. You will have numerous "break times, " however, if you must go,
please do so quietly. You will be on a precise time schedule that is important
for everyone to keep. Participation/involvement in every activity is a must so
that your experience will be the awesome. Remember it is all about listening,
learning, and being a servant of Christ.
- What is a daily structure of the program like?
There is a short talk
from a speaker, then time to discuss with your small group, which you will be
broken up into in the beginning. There is a time to share, as well as singing
and meditation. There will be many wonderful and loving surprises for you to
experience. Remember there is something God wants you to learn. Ask Him to
open your ears, your mind and your heart so that you will know what He wants
you to learn.
- What is expected of me after I attend? It is really up to you,
however, during and after the three days, Emmaus leaders encourage
participants to meet regularly in small groups. The members of the small
groups challenge and support one another in faithful living. Participants seek
to Christianize their environments of family, job, and community through the
ministry of their congregations. The three-day Emmaus experience and follow-up
groups strengthen and renew Christian people as disciples of Jesus Christ and
as active members of the body of Christ in mission to the world.
published by GWEC 10/06/2002
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