Hello Community:

The Men’s and Women’s walks are just around the corner! (Men’s Spring Walk #61, 17 to 19 April; Women’s Spring Walk #62, 14 to 17 May)

I wanted to send out a few reminders about agape.

1. The most important agape that you can provide for either weekend is your prayers. Please be in prayer for the team members and pilgrims of Walks 61 and 62.

2. Sponsors, please remember: it is your responsibility to collect 12 personal agape letters for your pilgrim(s). These letters should be given to the Agape coordinator Thursday evening of the weekend (during send off). There will also be a box out front of the agape room that you can put these letters in. We ask that you do not put them anywhere else in the agape room; this can cause confusion for the agape coordinator. Please do not give any more than 12 personal agape letters to the Agape Coordinator.

If you should receive more than 12 letters during your collection please deliver them to your pilgrim(s) as a 4^th day surprise.  If you receive a letter via us postal service, take the letter out of the envelope, put into a new clean envelope.  In the center of the envelope write the pilgrim’s full name and in the upper right hand corner (where a stamp would go) put a “P”.

3. I know that each piece of general agape is made with love, and we want to make sure that each piece is used and placed at each pilgrim and team member spot with love, we don’t want any piece not to be used, so please make sure that you count enough for pilgrims and team. FYI: a safe number to make is 60, which would be enough for 30 team members and 30 pilgrims. If we end up with just enough of one kind of agape for pilgrims only we will not be able to use that piece during the weekend. Please do not sign your general agape; these gifts should be gifts of love from God.

4. Please remember it is also agape to be a silent servant. If you are going to go up to the

mountain anytime during the weekend to help, please remember to keep a low profile and avoid contact with the Walk participants. We need to allow those pilgrims and team members to remove themselves from the world. No matter what job we are doing during the weekend (making beds, washing towels, praying in prayer chapel, working the agape room, cleaning up trays from the cafeteria……) we should remain unseen by the pilgrims. The pilgrims should not even know we are up there doing these “behind the scenes” acts of love.

If you have any questions or concerns please contact Donna Martin (CLD) or John Mitchell and Jeff Davenport (Community Committee Chair and Co-Chair)

Thank you for your spirit of cooperation and high idealism. I am sure we all look forward to serving together during these 2 coming up weekends.

God’s peace be with you.

Men’s Weekend April 16 – 19, 2009

Four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody met to accomplish an important task. Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

(Somebody wrote that, but Nobody knows who. We don’t either)

Everybody , are you listening? Somebody, Anybody and Nobody are busy the weekend of April 16-19, 2009. So please, please make sure that you show up at Eagle Eyrie to help the Men’s inside team and the Lynchburg Emmaus Community with Walk 61!

Thanks and God Bless,

LCVA Emmaus Community

 

Good Sponsorship is Vital to Emmaus

While most church related functions take a “y’all come” approach to participation, Emmaus relies on a method that is more consistent with the message of the Walk: sponsorship. The personal character of sponsorship underlines God’s personal care and commitment to each pilgrim. The fact that the Emmaus experiences passes from person to person reflects the relational nature of God and the manner in which God reach out to people through people. Sponsorship is integral to some of the unique features and strengths of the Emmaus experience — a discerning approach to recruitment, personal agape and prayer for the pilgrims, sponsors’ presence at Candlelight and Closing and follow up.

Sponsorship:

• The first act of agape before a Walk even begins
• Undergirds the whole weekend with sacrificial love on behalf of the pilgrim
• The foundation for a healthy, effective Emmaus Movement
  

Whom do you sponsor?

• Church leaders (pastors & laypersons) who will bring new vision, commitment & understanding back to their congregations
• Dependable church members, the quiet backbone of the church
• Less active members who need their awareness of grace rekindled
• Christians who are hungry for “something more”
• Members & leaders who represent a cross section of the church
• Respected laypersons & clergypersons who participation, support & leadership will encourage other to take the Walk
• Members of diverse congregations, denominations & ethnic groups
  

Remember, Emmaus is right for many people, but not for everyone.

How do we sponsor?

• Pray for the person’s openness to God’s call to discipleship
• Make an appointment with the person to discuss participation

• Extend an invitation
• Ask the person to make a commitment (by filling out the application)
• Continue to pray for the prospective pilgrim
• Prepare agape letters; (the Lynchburg Community asks for 12 so that all pilgrims receive the same number of letters)
• Support the Walk
• Through prayers during the 72 hour prayer vigil
• Your presence at Send Off, Sponsors’ Hour, Candlelight, and Closing
• By supporting the pilgrim’s family during the weekend
• Encourage the pilgrim in his/her Fourth Day involvement; bring them to a Gathering
• Help the pilgrim find a reunion group
• Help the pilgrim reenter their church & consider ways to act out new commitment
• Inform the pilgrim of ways to serve the Emmaus Community & future walks
• Help the pilgrim sponsor others
  

Who can sponsor?

• Any person who has participated in the Emmaus can sponsor another person to Emmaus so long as they understand the aim and responsibilities of sponsorship and can fulfill them for the person they would sponsor.
• The Lynchburg Community has a guideline; you must attend a Day of Deeper Understanding BEFORE you sponsor someone