|
|
|
|
Dallas Women's #260
11/5-8, 2015
Mt. Lebanon
Dallas Women's #261
2/25-28, 2016
Sabine Creek
|
| |
|
| |
and
If you know any woman who would benefit from Kairos Outside, and visit the Guest tab for the reservation form. |
|
|
|
|
|
UPCOMING WALKS
Dallas #260 Women
11/5-8, 2015
Mt. Lebanon
02/25-28, 2016
Sabine Creek
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."
|
Looking for Pilgrims!
Now is the time to share the love that you experienced on your Pilgrim Walk with one of your sisters in Christ! There are still many slots available for Pilgrims on 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.
|
 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.
|
A Message from a Recent Pilgrim
Greetings Emmaus brothers and sisters! I am thrilled to be able to contribute to the Emmaus newsletter to share my experience from the Women's Walk back in June, walk #258 at Camp Compass. In addition to the fellowship, the Agape love, the time away from work and all the food, the real gift was to share this experience with one of my sisters-in-Christ and congregants, Brenda Cruz. Nobody at the walk knew that I was Brenda's pastor until the last day. It was a gift for me to be "undercover" for a few days and not be "a pastor," but just be "one of the girls." It was a gift to experience this wonderful 72 hours with Brenda and the other women and be able to share openly, to be vulnerable and to be on the receiving end of the ministry of presence and the stories of each of the women at my table, the table of Ruth. It was a gift to walk alongside all of the women, but also walk alongside Brenda as I was personally aware of what God was doing in her life prior to the walk and was able to see God confirm several things in her life during the walk. Being aware as her pastor of certain aspects of her spiritual journey leading up to the walk I am thankful to have experienced first-hand God's renewing and reaffirming her identity as a woman, as a mother, sister, and as a wife. I witnessed the encouragement, courage and renewed energy that flowed from our experience at the walk to Brenda (and I). Since then our calling and God's purpose for our lives has been reaffirmed and recharged. Since the walk, it continues to be an incredible experience to watch Brenda and also experience for myself, the fruits of the walk in our lives, families and in our church as I see Brenda's renewed passion and commitment to Christ and service in the church. She has emerged as a leader. The walk truly impacted both of our lives and I thank God for the opportunity to have shared this experience with Brenda as her pastor. We are thankful to be a part of the Emmaus Community in Dallas.
Showers of blessings! Rev. Martha P. Valencia, pastor Agape Memorial UMC, Dallas
|
Message from the Community Spiritual Director
"5 Mile"
Back when my father was a youth, he and his family would go on long float trips down the Mountain Fork River in  southeastern Oklahoma. They would have someone set them out on the river 8 to 12 miles upstream from their campsite and then would float down the river, fishing all the way. They were all proficient with the fly rod, so their journey was steady as they took turns fishing and paddling. They would spend hours, working their way down the banks of the river, casting their flies into the most likely-looking nooks and crannies for bluegill, goggle-eye, bass, you name it. Sometimes the water was deep and ran smooth. Sometimes it was shallow, swift, and choppy. Sometimes the flow reduced to a trickle, and they would have to get out and carry their canoes through the "narrows" to the other side. These trips were adventures, and when my brother and I grew old enough my Dad invited us to share the experience.
The stories my Dad and Granddaddy used to tell about these trips are always amusing, sometimes rather "tall," but on the whole I believe them ... mostly. Especially the story of the "Five Mile."
One day my grandfather and Dad were fishing their way down the Mountain Fork River, taking their time about it as it was a beautiful summer day and the fish were biting with ease. As one might expect, the hours were getting away from them amidst the joy of catching fish, and soon the daylight began to wane as the hour grew late. Curious, and somewhat concerned as to how far they had to go before reaching their pick-up point, they pulled over to the bank where they had spotted a lone old man, "lolly-gaggin'" by the riverside.
"Howdy, sir. How far is it to the low water bridge?" asked my granddad. "What bridge?" asked the man. "You know, the bridge that crosses the river at the farm road" replied by granddad. "Oh, that bridge . . . you can't get there for here." Frustrated, my grandfather scratched his head and said, "Sir, it's the low-water bridge I'm talking about ...the one that crosses this river." "Oh! That bridge! It's about five mile down the river." (Note, it's "five mile," with no "s" on the end).
Worried about being late, my father and grandfather put their fishing tackle in the boat and headed on down the river. With only an hour left of daylight, their arms straining as they huffed and puffed, they paddled their way toward the next bend in the river. As they rounded the bend ... there was the "low-water bridge." Turning to look back up the river my Dad could see the old man waving.
"Five Mile" became the name of the Neal-family canoe. Granddad stenciled it on the front right side of the boat, with an arrow underneath to point the way. As Dad told the story, "the next time we made that same trip, and we pulled up to the bank to ask another old geezer - uh, gentleman - that same question, he opened his mouth as if to say 'about five mile ....' then caught sight of the words on the side of our boat, smiled, and said 'it's just around the bend.'"
We don't really know what the bends in the river of life have in store for us. We all have a sturdy canoe (the church), a lot of fishing (evangelism) to do, and - thankful ly - a whole lot of fisher friends (our fellow Christians) with whom to do it. Even though the day appears to be getting short, and the distance appears far, we shouldn't let some lazy bystander tell us we've still got "five mile" to go. God's bridge will show up soon enough. It's looking for those bridges, while doing our fishing and caring for our canoe, that's the hard part. Even the most spiritual among us needs time to sit back and give some thought to the experiences of life. Prayer and reflection upon some of the deep truths of the faith wouldn't hurt us any either.
Dr. Greg Neal
Dallas Walk #97
Table of Luke
Community Spiritual Director
Senior Pastor
First United Methodist Church of Commerce, Texas
|
Message from the Community Lay Director
Serve by Sponsoring
This weekend, we welcomed 14 new Fourth Day  Pilgrims from Men's Walk #259 in to the Dallas Emmaus Community. As always it was amazing to hear their testimonies during closing to see how God has and will change their lives.
It takes a great deal of effort, many people and prayer to put on an Emmaus weekend. It all starts with the selection of the Lay Director, team selection, team preparation before and during the team meetings and finally the weekend. Simultaneously, God is calling sponsors to explain the Walk to Emmaus to potential Pilgrims and then get them registered. Once the pilgrims arrives and activities get started, the weekend seems to go by in a blur and before we know it, the Pilgrims are walking into closing. During closing, we hear in the Pilgrims testimonies the many ways the weekend has impacted the Pilgrims lives and what they intend to do about it. It always amazes me how powerfully God impacts the hearts of the Pilgrims during these three days.
One of the most important ways we serve in the Dalla s Emmaus Community is sponsoring Pilgrims. Look around your church. Is there someone you've been thinking about that would benefit from the Walk to Emmaus? Who would be a great leader in your church and need a little nudge in the right direction? Maybe it's time for you to be that nudge and share with them the gift of Emmaus. Check the sponsorship information on the Dallas Emmaus Community (DEC) website at www.dallasemmuas.org to help get you started.
We currently have teams forming for the next 2 women's walks. In November, we will host Women's Walk #260 at Mt Lebanon and we have 7 women currently registered for this walk. In February, we will host Women's Walk #261 at Sabine Creek Ranch. Both of these team are busy preparing for the weekends they are scheduled to serve.
We will host our annual Chili Gathering on Saturday, November 6 at the Pavilion at Mt Lebanon, beginning at 6pm. Bring out a pot of your famous chili and all the fixin's to share. Desserts and drinks are needed as well. If you've sponsored someone this year, please bring your Pilgrim to the gathering and introduce them to others in the community. After dinner we will head over to Candlelight for Women's Walk 260.
I hope to see you all at the Chili Gathering and Candlelight!
DeColores!
Suzie Purifoy
Community Lay Director
Walk 175, Table of Esther
|
|
Message from the Board
Giving a gift
Dear Sisters and Brothers In Christ,
As I write this message Dallas Emmaus Men's Walk 259 is coming to a close. The men are sharing what the Walk has meant to them and what they intend to do with this experience. What an exciting time! Once more, the Holy Spirit is at work among us. I am not physically there but I know from experience it is happening. I know because I have been there as a pilgrim, a sponsor, a team member, and a witness. God's grace pouring out through His Spirit unto His people.
On Thursday evening I was blessed to check in the pilgrims as they arrived for The Walk to Emmaus. The sponsors were beaming. Some of the pilgrims were excited to be there. Some of the pilgrims were anxious with moist palms and furrowed brows. Some were most likely thinking, "What on earth have I gotten myself into?" The team members were ready to begin. They were anxiously awaiting the outcome of hours of preparation. The camp was setup and ready to go. People around the world were already praying.
The Walk to Emmaus is only the beginning, it is not the final chapter. We are called to go forward finding the need and doing something about it. We are called to be the hands and feet of Christ. We are called into action within our families, churches, communities, and the world. 
The act of sponsoring someone on The Walk to Emmaus is a very precious gift. I will never forget what my sponsor said at church twelve years before I attended my Walk. Cathy said it was like receiving a rare precious jewel. It was like a pearl of great price. Who is waiting for you to share this precious gift?
Emmaus is not a select club. It is about doing our Father's business. It is taking His love and grace to a hurting world. It is about service. It is about being brave and of good courage in growing into the person God has created us to be. It is about renewal and being good servants for His glory.
I pray to see you as you sponsor pilgrims, work Fourth Day, serve on teams, hold a candle, and step up in service to our churches and communities. Let us be about imparting grace and love.
DeColores
Pam Davis
Dallas Emmaus Women's Walk 195
Table of Sarah
|
|
T-Shirts!
Available for sale at Dallas Emmaus Community Gatherings
and Candlelights
OR
|
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
|
|
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. 
|
 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
|
|
|
|
Contact Information
214-502-4072
| |
|
|
