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 | Upcoming Emmaus Events
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Dallas Men's #251
2/27-3/3, 2014
Mt. Lebanon
Dallas Women's #252
3/27-30, 2014
Sabine Creek
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If you know any woman who would benefit from Kairos Outside, and visit the Guest tab for the reservation form. |
Links
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The Community is encouraged to attend the following events:
Send-off which starts at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Candlelight begins at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday.
Closing will start around 4:00 p.m. on Sunday.
Please be careful not to arrive earlier than 7:15 p.m. if just attending the Candlelight services on Saturday.
The online Prayer Vigil supplements (but does not replace) the paper Prayer Vigil passed around at Candlelights and other DEC events for signature. Both Prayer Vigils are posted during Walks for Pilgrims to see who has been praying for them.
The Prayer Vigils are now available online for the 2014 Walks. Please click here to add your name and pray for the Pilgrims!
Please prayerfully consider if you are being called to sponsor
a friend or member of your congregation.
"The aim of sponsorship is to build up the body of Christ."
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 We will have our Annual Training and New Year's Gathering at Highland Park United Methodist Church on January 25, 2014 starting at 3 pm.
There will be training for music, sponsorship, 4th Day and more. There will also be a Chrysalis Q&A session. Music training will be from 3-5pm. All other sessions will be at 3 or 4pm (45 minutes each).
The New Year's Gathering will begin at 5pm with a potluck dinner then we'll worship together Emmaus style.
Come learn how you can be involved in Emmaus and enjoy an afternoon in fellowship and worship with old friends.
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T-shirts - Get yours at the New's Year Gathering
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An Invitation from Reverend Ella McDonald
Greetings to All My Sister's and Brother's in Christ!!
I greet you with much love, joy and sincere appreciation! You have continued to be a blessing to me personally and through the ministry I faithfully serve! Within a recent devotion reading, I was drawn to reflect on the joys of having many of you in my life and ministry - and how appreciative I am for the many things you have done with little or no complaining for many years, yet somehow, THANK YOU does not seem to be enough!
My prayer is that each of you know how blessed and honored I truly feel, and how equally blessed each of you are to me, and to God!
As most of you know, I am working on my Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.). As my Thesis, I have chosen "Black, Female and a Preacher: Sermonic Strategies for Overcoming the Resistances to Gaining a Hearing in Various Cultural Context." In an effort to field-test these Sermonic strategies and bring this thesis together, I need my AMEC, UMC, Emmaus, Pastors, friends and Congregations to unite and form a diverse cultural congregation setting!!
At 3 p.m., on January 26, 2014, as a way to create a cultural unity worship experience, we will bring together St. Luke AMEC, a predominantly African American congregation, with FUMC, Rockwall, a predominantly Caucasian congregation, Pastored by Dr. Joe Pool!
The service will be held at FUMC 1200 E. Yellow Jacket Ln. Rockwall, Texas. This worship service will also serve as St. Luke's church anniversary. Our Theme will be "Unity in Diversity- Christians Celebrating Doing what is Right and Good and as Christ Would!" The guest preacher for this exciting worship celebration will be Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, Episcopal Prelate of the 10th Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Also, our annual church anniversary is considered one of our major stewardship campaigns and efforts to raise funds to support our ministries. Therefore, an offering will be collected and the funds received will be used to help support the mission and vision of St. Luke AME Church, with a portion of the funds raised being used to sow a seed into ministries outside of St. Luke and a portion going to support our Bishop's 20/20 Vision in the 10th Episcopal District.
I look forward to seeing each of you as we fellowship together at, what I believe, will be a very special experience!
With love, joy and appreciation,
Rev. Ella M. McDonald, Pastor
St. Luke A.M.E. Church
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Message from the Community Spiritual Director
Nehushtan: Despising the Grace of God
 "And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. " (John 3:14-16 NRSV) *** Among the most beloved passages of scripture in the New Testament are the wonderful words of John 3:16. Most Christians can probably quote the verse without much effort, and for good reason: it is, indeed, a core affirmation of the Gospel which we are called to proclaim. But, as often as John 3:16 is quoted, John 3:14-15 is usually ignored. And that is also understandable ... these are two very strange verses. What is this "serpent in the wilderness" that Moses is supposed to have lifted up, and how does it relate to crucifixion of Jesus? I don't know about you, but I hate snakes. I don't like them, can't stand them, don't want to be around them, and when I see them I go the other way. Heaven help anyone who ever gets between me and an exit when I'm fleeing a snake. There is, definitely, something Biblical in most people's revulsion for the slithery beasts. And, yet, they are a part of God's creation. They are even a part of the creation about which God said "it is good." And, God used snakes -- he used what the King James called "fiery serpents" -- to punish the Israelites when they did a very naughty thing. The people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food." (Number 21:5 NRSV) Let's be blunt: the people's grumbling against Moses, God's chosen leader, was bad enough; the people's grumbling against God was even worse; but for the people to actually grumble about God's gracious gift of the Manna, calling this miracle provision of nourishment "miserable food," is truly the height of spiritual arrogance. Worse yet, in detesting the Manna the people of Israel were detesting that very gift of God which Jesus would identify with himself: "I am the bread which came down from heaven." (John 6:41 and following verses) No wonder God punished them! And it wasn't just any old punishment that God meted out! God didn't just smite them, God sent something that most people truly detest -- poisonous snakes -- to bite this bunch of stiff necked, recalcitrant people. So horrific was the attack that the people begged Moses to ask God to take away the serpents; Moses did so, and God's response was just brilliant: "Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live." So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live. (Number 21:8-9 NRSV) Rather than take away the snakes, God rubbed their noses in their sin by taking that which was attacking them -- the detestable snakes -- and converting them into a reminder of their sin as well as a symbol of their salvation. It's as if God was saying "ok, you want to detest my gifts, I'll give you something to really detest!" This bronze serpent on a pole came to be called "Nehushtan." It became an important part of Israelite cultic worship, and eventually people began to worship it, burning incense to it rather than being reminded of their sin. Eventually Nehushtan had to be destroyed, but not before God's message was made clear: Don't disrespect, reject, or despise the gifts of God.
This is a danger which we face today. It is so easy to find oneself despising, rejecting, or disrespecting God's Grace. God's Grace comes to us in many different forms: the Holy Scriptures, Prayer, Fellowship, Giving, Worship, Preaching, Serving, the Sacrament of Holy Communion ... the many Means of Grace are, themselves, manifestations of God's Grace. They are among the ways in which God has seen fit to channel Divine favor to those who act in faith. When we neglect their use we are, like the Israelites, declaring the Grace of God detestable. When we fail to read scripture, when we forget to pray, when we avoid our friends and families, when we refuse to give as God calls us to give, when we stay away from Worship and from the Preaching of God's Word, when we reject the call to serve in the family of God, when we repeatedly refuse to partake of Holy Communion, we are proclaiming the spiritual nourishment in these Means of Grace to be "miserable food." Some of our brothers and sisters, for physical reasons, cannot partake of the Eucharist, cannot attend worship, cannot even see to read the scriptures; and, yet, they partake of God's Grace in many other ways: by praying, by listening to sermons on CD and over the internet, by serving through phone and note-card ministries of encouragement. How can we, who are physically capable of participating in the many Means of Grace, detest and disrespect God, God's House, and God's gifts by not participating?
Look in your life. Are the serpents attacking? Are things falling apart? Does God seem distant? If so, I implore you to stop detesting the Grace of God! I implore you to delay not a second in praising God for His Grace, and neglect not a single means of coming into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord. The alternative we face is much the same as that which the Israelites faced when the serpents attacked. In our case, we can either gaze upon the cross of Jesus, realize that he hung on that cross and died for our sins, and give thanks for the miracle provision which he provides in his abundant Grace ... or we can die. Eternally.
Thanks to God's Grace, the choice is ours.
De Colores!
Dr. Gregory S. Neal
Walk #97
Table of Luke
Community Spiritual Director |
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Message from the Community Communications Chair
Pay It Forward
I'm sure you have seen on the news or social media about "paying it forward". I'm sure there are tons of ways to do this, but I've always thought it was a really, really neat thing to do.
This morning, Jan. 6, we had extreme cold temperatures in the DFW area. I decided to go through Starbucks and get a hot chocolate. The line was wrapped around the building, but since I was cold and wanted my hot drink, I waited. During my wait, it came to me: This is your chance to do something for someone you don't even know. This is your chance for a "random act of kindness". So I paid it forward. I paid for the drink of the lady in the car behind me. What a great feeling I had when I pulled out of the Starbucks parking lot! Isn't this what God intends for us to do?
Colossians 3:17 says, "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
Sponsoring a Pilgrim is, in a way, kind of like "paying it forward". When you sponsor a Pilgrim to go on a Walk to Emmaus, you are helping them in their spiritual journey - a gift to them for their Fourth Day that is the rest of their life! What a Gift!
In 2014, we will have 3 women's walks and 2 men's. Please check our
web site at www.dallasemmaus.org for the dates and applications.
De Colores,
Table of Elizabeth
Communications Chair |
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Message from Community Lay Director
The Ultimate New Year's Resolution
The Cambridge Dictionary defines New Year's Resolutions as follows: "A promise that you make to yourself to start doing something good or stop doing something bad on the first day of the year". People make resolutions regarding a lot of things - weight loss, exercise, bad habits to quit (i.e. smoking), etc. If you are anything like me, and I bet you are, you are guilty of making resolutions and then find yourself letting them go within a few weeks of the New Year. Feelings of guilt and failure can become overwhelming and once those set in, forget about getting back on track.
Well, as we enter into this New Year, I think it is important to remind ourselves that God gave each and every one of us the absolute best resolution in history. It is not just for the first day of the year but for every day of our lives. There are many verses in the Bible about resolve and resolution but the one verse that always brings it all home and grounds me through my personal let downs is John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
Think about that for a second....God's resolution to mankind (a promise made to each of us) was to give HIS ONE & ONLY SON to us in the ultimate sacrifice. Remember, we are all a work in progress. We will have highs and lows, but we have been blessed with grace to allow us to continue on the path. If you find yourself eating a piece of cake instead of the carrots you promised yourself, or choose to enjoy a movie instead of going to the gym, don't fall into the "I'm a failure" trap. When you find yourself beating yourself up, look to John 3:16 for comfort or find another scripture to remind you of the resolutions already given to us.
As you begin your journey in 2014 and struggle to stick to those resolutions, I encourage you to remind yourself that you have already succeeded. May this New Year keep you healthy, wealthy and wise. Healthy in both body and spirit, wealthy in love and laughter, and wise to see God's blessings in your life every single day. I leave you with this verse as this year begins and we all move to make improvements: 2 Timothy 2:15 "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth."
De Colores!
Carolyn Jestis
Walk #180
Table of Esther
Community Lay Director |
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A Message from the Board
The Importance of Sponsorship
Blessings and greetings from Registration! My name is Stephani Huffman. I took my Walk in November 1994 on Amarillo Golden Spread Emmaus Women's Walk #59 and sat at the Table of Sarah. My position with the Dallas Emmaus Board is Registration Chair.
As we embark on 2014, the Dallas Emmaus Community has many opportunities for YOU to step up and be the Body of Christ. Being a sponsor is one of those! Prayerfully consider the person God lays on your heart to sponsor. Sponsorship is very important before, during and after the 72 hour Walk to Emmaus. It is an investment that you should make in the life of your Pilgrim and the Body of Christ for life.
There are 5 Walks in 2014. Sadly we had to decrease the number of Walks this year because of lack of Pilgrims. We had to completely cancel the Walk in March of 2013. So far, February Men's Walk #251 and March Women's Walk #252 only have a few Pilgrims registered.
Make my trip to the post office worthwhile! Sponsor a Pilgrim, and send in those applications for 2014 today!
De Colores!
Stephani Huffman
Walk #59
Table of Sarah
Registration Chair |
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Help Wanted
 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, view the Walk Schedule to get in touch with the 4th Day Director for the walk you want to serve on. |
DEC is on FB
Next time you are on Facebook, search the Dallas Emmaus Community, then select the "Like" button to be updated on the latest news and events including Candlelights, potlucks, prayer requests and more. "Share" or "Suggest" the page to your friends so they can stay easily connected to the Dallas Emmaus Community too. As of Dec. 2013 there are 509 likes!
IMPORTANT TO NOTE: You do not have to be on Facebook to see what's going on... click here to see what's it is all about. Email Melinda O'Brien with any questions. 
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 You can easily donate money to the Dallas Emmaus Community at any time by clicking here. PayPal is a secured donations system which directly deposits all funds into the Dallas Emmaus Community account. This is a great way to make payment for a pilgrim you are sponsoring or to keep the cost affordable for others who may not otherwise have means to sponsor a friend or loved one. |
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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