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Upcoming
Emmaus Events |  |
September 16th - 19th
Women's Walk # 227
Sabine Creek Ranch
October 14th - 17th
Men's Walk # 228
Sabine Creek Ranch
November 4th - 7th
Women's Walk 229
Mount Lebanon
November 6th
Chili Cookoff & Gathering
Location TBD |
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We asked, you answered
"My sponsor is special
to me because ... "
I remember the glow of Christ on my friend when she shared about her weekend. I wanted to experience that.
She is compassionate and gives to others unconditionally. She is a shepherdess to God's animals and makes sacrifices to ensure their safety and livelihood. She is a beloved Sister in Christ.
No only is she family, but also she left me a little love note on my pillow that I found after the movie! What a warm fuzzy feeling that was. It helped me have a glorious weekend.
My sponsor has tolerated me for almost 41 years as her husband.
He was willing to take a chance and sponsor someone like me. Seriously, he told me (and some other guys) that Emmaus was the coolest spiritual thing he'd ever done. Got my attention.
Thank you for sharing! |
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2011 Dallas Emmaus
Applications will
be available September 2010
Kairos of Texas
Inside & Outside
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Women's Walk 227
Walk 227 will be September 16th - 19th at Sabine Creek Ranch. The Community is invited to attend various events, so save the dates for : Send-off and potluck on the 16th beginning at 6:30, Candlelight at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday the 18th, and Closing on Sunday the 19th at 4:00 p.m.
Each Walk's success is a result of your prayers for the pilgrims and team. Please visit the Dallas Emmaus Community website to sign the online Prayer Vigil. The online Prayer Vigil supplements (but does not replace) the paper Prayer Vigil that is passed around at Candlelights and other DEC events for signature. Both the hand-signed and the printed online Prayer Vigils are posted during Walks for Pilgrims to see who has been praying for them. |
 Working on a Fourth Day Team is a rewarding way to participate in the Emmaus weekend as as the hands and feet of Christ, and the easiest way to stay connected with the Community. To sign up, email the 4th Day Director for the walk you want to serve on. There are three more opportunities in 2010. |
 AGAPE : "....unconditional love - love that is freely
given and unrelated to our deserving it or earning
it.... a self-sacrificing love that reflects total
commitment to the one who is receiving it."
Day Four: The Pilgrim's Continued Journey; R. Wood; p. 34 Can you imagine your Emmaus Walk without agape? If there were none of those wonderful little gifts, souveniers, and candies that mischievously appeared at every turn? Me either. I'm left speechless by the very thought.
It did not take long for any of us to understand that the small tokens of love which seemed to materialize from thin air were not simple five-and-dime party favors bought by the team and tossed onto the table. They were genuine demonstrations of love. Women and men had taken time out of their lives to think about how they could share the mesage of God's love through their own actions. Whether bought at a store, or made by hand during a reunion group meeting, each rainbow colored pencil, every hand written message on a tiny slip of paper, or hand crafted bookmark had been thoughtfully considered, likely prayed over, and definately sent as a blessed momento to each of us by our family of faith. Every pilgrim deserves to know they are loved by the Emmaus Community through this rich tradition. Encourage your Reunion Group, or pilgrims from your walk to gather together around a bucket of art supplies, trinkets and labels one afternoon. Agape blesses both the receiver and giver. Beware: there are some basic guidelines regarding quantity, labeling and delivery - so please be sure to review Agape Instructions on the DEC website before you begin. Have fun & De Colores! |
Message from the Community Board
Amazing!
Need to know something--now? We google (google is a noun and a verb!). Amazing the things (and how quickly) we can find them on the internet.
For all the ways technology has made this world smaller and faster, we can find googols (10 followed by 100 zeros) of information on the internet. But, it's not the same as finding you.
I am humbly privileged (and excited!) about my first responsibility with the Dallas Emmaus Board as the Church Connection and Clergy Liaison Chair. The purpose of this committee is to keep our clergy and members (lay persons) involved with up-to-date information from the Community. It also serves to provide resources and information for Emmaus members and individuals who are new to our Community.
Dallas Emmaus Community currently has a whopping, Texas-sized database of 6,781 members who have attended walks in the North Texas area.
We have some large goals for a large undertaking to get the database updated and current, but we'll start with you. Does the community have your most current contact information?
Please visit our website (www.dallasemmaus.org), and select the Communication tab at the top of the page. There will be a drop down box with an option to Update My Information (and several other options you might be interested in!). Please pass this along to any Emmaus members you know. For folks you know who may not have internet access, contact information can also be mailed to:
Dallas Emmaus Community
Church Connection
P.O. Box 2361
Rockwall, Texas 75087
Next, I invite you to help us grow the connection, to build up and strengthen the body of Christ. We appreciate prayers for this endeavor, but also your presence and service. If you are interested in serving on a Church Connection committee to discover and initiate contact persons in the Dallas metroplex churches, please contact us at churchconnection@DallasEmmaus.org.
We welcome you to join us. I'm sure you will be amazed!
Patricia Downing
Church Connection / Clergy Liaison Chair
Walk # 155 - Table of Esther |
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 This is the day that the LORD
has made! ~ Psalm 18:24 |
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Message from the Community Spiritual Director
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men" Colossians 3:23 NIV
I owe the inspiration for this message to my head Steward Dianna Thompson, Dallas Emmaus Walk # 207 Table of Sarah, September 2007. She chose this scripture for the Steward's Annual Day Celebration at Agape Temple AME Church. As I studied the scripture, I understood Paul to be saying, sometimes God calls us to do some things that we do not really enjoy doing and when He does, whatever we do, we should consider it as an act of worship or service to the Lord. Paul suggests that this kind of attitude will help take some of the boredom out of our laboring. In other words, if we find ourselves complaining or becoming resentful of the task we have been assigned, we should treat our jobs or assignment as the cost of discipleship.
As I meditated on this, I was reminded of a lady that I met at FUMC Mabank on July 11, 2010. As she approached me with a smile, she began to thank me for the articles I had written about my experiences in Seoul South Korea and the Korean Emmaus Walk. I was flattered that she commented on my articles! But, as she shared with me how much she enjoyed reading my article, I shared with her how much I hated writing, not the articles, but writing period. Because she enjoyed reading what I had written, she seemed sadden at the fact that I said I do not like to write. She looked at me and said, "You should, because you are good at it." I can still see her walking away with her head down and I often wonder what she was feeling and thinking.
While I do not know what was going on in her mind and heart, I do know what God has revealed to me through the words of Paul. Paul said, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord." It was as if I had again been hit by God's two by four. The Spirit of God spoke to my heart and showed me that the joy in being obedient to the call of God is found in the knowledge that God uses what we do, for Him, to do far more than we could ever imagine. When we are obedient to persevere in the work of the Lord, people all over the world, people we may never meet, people we may never hear from are growing closer to God. The Spirit revealed to me that being faithful and obedient to the simple duties assigned to us has the potential to touch and draw even those who may have never heard a word from the Lord into a relationship with Him.
So, there it is! This is my message to you today. The best job in the world is serving the Lord in any form! Whatever you do for the Lord, be it teaching, preaching, youth worker, ladies group, steward, trustee, sound technician, song leader, praise team leader, musician, usher, church-cleaner-upper, stewardess, coffee maker, or whatever, know that your job is never done in vain!. The work we do for the Lord pays the best dividends; has eternal value; does good even when nothing else does any good; and accomplishes something when nothing else does! So, do it with great zest and zeal. Do it "with all your heart as working for the Lord!
DeColores!
Rev. Ella McDonald
Walk #54 - Table of Esther |
DEC on FB! Select  today to be updated on the latest news and events including Candlelights, potlucks, prayer requests and more. Then "share" or "suggest" the page to your friends so they can stay easily connected to the Dallas Emmaus Community too. As of August 1st DEC has 234 friends on Facebook, and we know there are more out there!
Email Melinda O'Brien if you have questions about using Facebook.
IMPORTANT TO NOTE: You do not have to be on Facebook to see what's going on... simply click here to see what's it is all about.
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Community Response
Have you been holding your breath, waiting for just the right opportunity to express what Emmaus has meant to you? Would like to share how your Walk still affects you today, ten years later? Or maybe you just have a question you would like to ask.
We want to invite you to share your reflections and questions for consideration in upcoming newsletters. Simply email the editors.
Selected responses will be posted anonymously. |
Kairos : Opportunities to Serve this Summer
Looking for an opportunity to serve in a powerful ministry? Visit Kairos of Texas online to find out about the units and areas of ministiries near you.
Kairos is a prison ministry whose success is dependent on the community of faith support in providing agape such as prayer chain signatures, cookies, and financial donations. If you are interested in knowing more about how you can participate, or to find out how to attend a Kairos closing, email the editors for information.
"... whatever you did for the least of my brothers, you did for me."
~ Matthew 24:40
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Contact Information
214-502-4072
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