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Dallas Men's #259
9/24-27, 2015
Sabine Creek
Dallas Women's #260
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If you know any woman who would benefit from Kairos Outside, and visit the Guest tab for the reservation form. |
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UPCOMING WALKS
Dallas #259 Men
9/24-27, 2015
Sabine Creek
Dallas #260 Women
11/5-8, 2015
Mt. Lebanon
Pilgrims spots are available on both Walks - sign up today!
Click here to view Walk Rosters
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 2015 Walks. Please click go to the Walk Roster and click on the Prayer Vigil 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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Looking for Pilgrims!
Now is the time to share the love that you experienced on your Pilgrim Walk with one of your Brothers or Sisters in Christ! There are still many slots available for Pilgrims on the upcoming Men's Walk at Sabine Creek on September 24th-27th and the upcoming Women's Walk at Mt. Lebanon on November 5th-8th.
Sponsor a Pilgrim and encourage others to sponsor a Pilgrim on one of these Walks, and give your friends the opportunity, through an Emmaus Walk, to feel the awesome power of God's abundant grace and love! Applications can be downloaded by clicking here.
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 Exciting news for our Emmaus Community - our lovely Emmaus banners are about to receive a make over! If you wish to make a financial contribution towards the cost of remaking our banners, please send your check to the following address: Dallas Emmaus Community PO Box 2361 Rockwall, TX 75087 Be sure and mark your check as being for the "Banner Fund". Thank you in advance to all who will desire to participate! De Colores, Melinda Propes W133, Table of Rachel DEC Communications Chair & Banner Committee Head |
Annual Emmaus Chili Gathering
Saturday, November 7, 2015
6:00pm to 7:30pm
Before Candlelight for Walk #260
at Mt. Lebanon Baptist Encampment Pavilion
Bring your favorite chili and fixin's (Fritos, crackers, cheese, onions, etc.), a side dish, dessert or drinks to share.
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Message from the Board
I Saw Jesus
One of my favorite songs from my MYF days (many years ago)  repeats the phrase "they can tell we are Christians by our love". Another song that rings in my head frequently has the line, "you can be the only Jesus that they see". I shared the following poem in the "Priesthood of All Believers" talk on a recent Walk and it sums up what being a Priest to others is all about:
He was wearing blue jeans and an old shirt.
He was up at the church building;
He was alone and working hard.
For just a minute he looked a little like one of our church members.
But it was Jesus; I could tell by his smile.
I saw Jesus last Sunday.
He was teaching a Bible study.
He didn't talk real loud or use long words,
But you could tell he believed what he said.
For just a minute he looked like my Sunday School teacher.
But it was Jesus; I could tell by his loving voice.
I saw Jesus yesterday.
He was at the hospital visiting a friend who was sick.
They prayed together quietly.
For just a minute, he looked like our pastor.
But it was Jesus; I could tell by the tears in his eyes.
I saw Jesus today.
He was praying on his knees all alone.
He began to cry for those he prayed for.
For just a minute, he looked like a lady from our church.
But it was Jesus; I could see the compassion poured out of his prayer.
I saw Jesus the other day.
He was at the grocery store talking to a friend.
He put his arms around her to comfort her.
For just a minute he looked like a young mother in our Sunday School class.
But it was Jesus; I could see the concern for others who hurt.
I see Jesus everywhere,
Taking food to the sick;
Welcoming others to his home,
Being friendly to a newcomer,
And for just a minute, I think he's someone I know.
But it's always Jesus; I can just tell.
May we all strive to let others see Jesus in us.
De Colores and Fly with Christ!
Kenna Davidson
Church Connection and Chrysalis Chair
Dallas Men's Walk #53, Table of Peter
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Message from the Community Spiritual Director
Why Was Jesus Baptized?
"Why was Jesus baptized?" This is an excellent question, and one for which there is really no simple answer. While many answers have been proposed, not all are of equal worth, some are just plain wrong, and the few which remain can often leave us wanting more. However, let's take a look at the Holy Scriptures and see what we can find.
 The story of Jesus' baptism can be found in all the three Synoptic Gospels (Mark 1:7-11, Mathew 3:13-17, and Luke 3:21-23). In all three John expresses his inner sense of not being worthy to baptize Jesus. As Matthew records it: "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" (Matthew 3:14) John's confusion is very understandable: if Jesus were to come to me or to any other minister of the Gospel seeking baptism, I know that that we would be confronted with a serious emotional and theological quandary. We aren't worthy!
True. However, it has nothing to do with being worthy. No human being is intrinsically worthy to participate in any means of grace. Quite the contrary, while being unworthy we are, nevertheless, made worthy by the blood of the lamb through participating in the means of grace. This is true both for those who receive the sacraments, as well as for those who lead the congregation in celebrating them. Put another way, I am equally unworthy to baptize Jane Blow as I would be to baptize Jesus. Only God's grace, working through the promise of scripture, makes my participation as a minister of the Gospel possible.
No, the issue of worth is not in play here. Rather, the problem is one of meaning: what does baptism do? As the Nicene Creed says: "We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins." If we recognize that baptism is for the remission of sins - if baptism is a means of grace through which God claims us and washes us clean from our sinful nature - then what was the purpose of Jesus' baptism? After all, and also in the words of the Nicene Creed, we believe Jesus to be:
God from God, Light from Light
true God from true God
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
It doesn't sound to me like Jesus needed to be baptized, and certainly not for the "forgiveness of sins." Jesus had no sins - he was perfect - hence he didn't need baptism. Right? So why was he baptized? There are several proposed reasons: for instance, some tend to think that, in being baptized, Jesus was setting a pattern for the rest of us to follow. This is certainly possible; Jesus set many patterns for his Disciples, including a pattern for prayer, for teaching, for preaching, for healing, and many other acts of ministry ... why not here, as well? My biggest problem with the idea is that it converts Jesus' baptism into a "let's pretend" act or teaching-demonstration ... an action which doesn't at all coordinate with Jesus' own stated reason for being baptized: "... to fulfill all righteousness." (Matthew 3:15) What did it mean for Jesus' baptism to "fulfill all righteousness?" My favorite sacramental approach to the baptism of Jesus is to understand it as that event which transformed the Jewish practice of baptism from a simple affirmation of faith to a true participation in the righteousness of God. To put this simply, Jesus was baptized in order to sanctify the action, creating it a means of grace for us. Through baptism into Christ we are submerged into a life that, if lived by faith in God's grace, fulfills God's righteousness in us. Jesus' baptism affirmed that we should be baptized (hence, the concept of pattern-setting mentioned above), but it doesn't stop there: Jesus' baptism actually energized, or consecrated, the act for our sanctification; it made it into a sacrament. In other words, he was baptized so that our baptism would have meaning as a means of grace. De Colores! Dr. Greg Neal Dallas Walk #97 Table of Luke Community Spiritual Director Senior Pastor First United Methodist Church of Commerce, Texas
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Message from the Board
A Trip Down Memory Lane
Re  cently, I've been rather nostalgic. Just this past week, my husband and I took a short vacation, which required us to drive south from Big D on Interstate 45. As we passed the exit to Madisonville, I started reminiscing about all the trips we used to make to visit our son in College Station, following him around campus and meeting his friends, going to CRAZY football games and singing all those silly college cheer songs in support of the team. Good memories made me smile. A little farther down the highway, my hubby and I passed through The Woodlands and again, I started remembering all the years of happy experiences we had in that city, visiting really good family friends who lived there. Going through Houston brought more fond memories of my college years spent there. What a great time of life that was. Finally, my husband and I ended our journey at our destination of Galveston and again, it felt a bit like going home. I've made a lot of trips to that fair beach city in years past and it holds a special place in my heart. Happy memories, happy times.
My memories of my original Emmaus weekend are kind of like that too. When I stop and remember what a great experience my Emmaus Walk was, I can't help but be grateful. It's been over 15 years since I attended my Walk, but some things will never be forgotten, like seeing all those lights as I walked into the room on Saturday night and all those shining faces. Bizarre things stand out too, like seeing my 6' 5" friend, Bill, who always towers above the crowd. There he was, singing the Jesus, Jesus song and holding that candle, presenting clear evidence to me along with all the other beautiful people of how much God loves me. No, I'll never forget that moment.
Everyone has a favorite Emmaus moment and when asked, it is hard for me to name just one. I've worked a lot of walks since that early beginning and each one is special and unique so I've got lots of special memories. What about you? What's your favorite Emmaus moment? It's good to stop and remember such an important step along your faith journey. Remember again and thank God for having brought you to Emmaus in the first place.
Emmaus memories needn't stop there though. Serving on an Emmaus team, in any capacity, provides plenty of opportunities to make new, special memories. I'll probably never forget serving as Head TA and seeing two other TAs knock on my door late at night. I wondered why they weren't going to bed as expected, but there they were, standing together, dressed in the exact same blue polka dot pajamas and grinning from ear to ear. Unknown to one another, they'd each bought the same new pair of pajamas for the weekend and then ended up as roommates. We three laughed ourselves silly over that one. Maybe it was delirium, I'm not sure, but what I am sure about is what a happy memory it is. I also like to think God might have been laughing right along with us. The strong bonds of friendship and Christian fellowship are forged through such experiences. So many other wonderful things stand out in my memory as well, of Candlelights and poster parties, singing and worshiping together, sharing thoughts and prayers around the table, wonderful sweet pilgrims who came together as strangers and left as friends. Such things happen over and over again, at each and every Emmaus Walk. God's amazing, healing, transforming grace in action is a powerful thing to witness and the really exciting part is - we get to participate in it!
Our Emmaus community has a need for willing volunteers. Start by serving on 4th Day to get connected. Say yes to team service when asked. Sponsor pilgrims to help fill up walks. Tell your family and friends about what a great experience Emmaus was in your life and ask them if they want to try it. If you've already asked them, pray first and ask again. I had to be asked several times, over a two year period, before I would agree to go. Let your own enthusiasm for Emmaus bubble over and maybe someone else will take notice and want to experience it too. And finally, remember your own special Emmaus moments and give thanks.
De Colores!
Melinda Propes
DEC Communications Chair
Walk 133, Table of Rachel
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T-Shirts!
Available for sale at Dallas Emmaus Community Gatherings
and Candlelights
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Successful Sponsorship
Are you interested in sponsoring a Pilgrim on an upcoming Walk? Be sure to check out the "Successful Sponsorship" video that was recently posted on YouTube. Whether you are a first-time sponsor or a seasoned veteran, you're sure to pick up some great tips to help your Pilgrims have the best sponsorship experience possible. To view the video, click here
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4th Day Help Needed!
 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. 2014 there are 588 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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