Update on Background Teams

I am so excited that our Background Teams are finally coming together! Of all of the changes Highlands Emmaus has implemented during the past couple of years, I believe with all my heart that the formation of Background Teams has the greatest potential to make a positive impact on our community. These teams of Emmaus members will work in tandem with the Conference Room Teams and will be every bit as vital to the success of our walk weekends.

Any community member is always encouraged and welcomed to show up and serve in the background during Walks. Hear me when I say if you've been on an Emmaus Walk we still want and need you at Emory & Henry in July, whether you're officially on the Background Team or not!

But also having volunteers who are intentionally committed to certain background tasks during the weekends will 1) allow more people to be involved in our Walks than ever before, 2) make sure we have all of our bases covered, and 3) become the first step in the ideal of "progressive servanthood."

Peggy Lootens is heading up the Background Team for the Women's Walk and Bill Ogle is heading up the Background Team for the Men's Walk. Here is an encouraging excerpt from an email Peggy sent earlier this month:

We need 10 or so designated background Chairpersons for each walk. These Chairs will have a “teaming” event (or events) sometime in June to bond, brainstorm, and finalize as a Background Team. Each of these can have as many as needed from the community to get the task to done for the weekend. There is a list of community members who have never teamed; we need to get this list into the hands of the chairs. The board will help identify community people to help.

We will need to work with Susan and Vince, and/or an ALD contact to develop a schedule for background jobs. Johnna Hernandez has been assigned this liaison task for the Women’s Walk. We are trying to cover as much as possible with background persons so that in the future, we can have fewer ALDs on the team. These ALDs need to be able to concentrate on the conference room and Pilgrim needs.

These are who we have on board so far:

-Connie O’Dell will continue to collect gift agape and have it sorted for background people to distribute for meals, conference room tables and beds. It sort of worked last year for the Women’s Walk, but we can make it work better. We will need Connie’s input as we plan.

-Crystal Davidson will continue to gather letter agape (from other communities) to display in the conference room. She is also on board to help be our board rep to communicate the agape needs. We also need to consider how we want to do the snack agape tables.

-Rick Guthrie will do the final Take Down on Sunday of the Women’s Walk, and whatever else he can for the WW.

-Amber Fiedler has volunteered to fill the kitchen boxes. She will also type out prayer requests from Sponsor’s Hour for the Prayer Room Cross.

-Amber has volunteered to do the computer background needs for the WW, since Mary Burns is on the team.

-Bill Everett has been, and will continue providing suggestions from his wealth of experience in the Tidewater Community.

-Dale Dietz needs to be part of this to contribute from his experience of many years as background volunteer.

That’s a start. Please respond with corrections and suggestions.

DeColores,
Peggy

July will be here before we know it, folks. Remember, it takes an entire Emmaus community to hold a Walk. How can you help?

Weaving

Last night, after our third meeting, one of our team members said to me, "I feel the power of the Holy Spirit more on this team than any other team I've been on." Now I know past Walk Directors have likely felt this same thing, but I had to agree with her.

God never fails to show up when we're faithful to answer his call to walk with Him on the road to Emmaus. But His presence among us this time is so real that it's almost tangible, and I can practically feel the tug of the needle pulling the thread as he weaves us together into a colorful and rich representation of His love and grace. Johnna H. gave a heartfelt devotional that led straight into our prayer, hearts lifted n unison, for a sister in Christ and fellow team member who is struggling under attack. Then we were blessed by Jim O.'s remarkable reminder that God's Prevenient Grace is what brings us to this life of grace. Dorothy P. was the picture of Piety (it's a good thing!), as she challenged us to go "whole hog," and not be "chickens" in our daily walks.

But if I had to point to single time during our Tuesday nights together, a time that binds us together more than any other, it would be our chapel time. I cannot tell you how grateful I am that my precious friend Barbara F. is serving on this Walk as clergy for the first time. Her gentle message covered us like a blanket, and set the stage for our circle time, our time to share joys and burdens. Note, I didn't say prayer requests. These are our glimpses of God, and how He is working in our lives, touching our hearts, prompting us to do His will. Folks, we are having CHURCH during team meetings! And I'm going to have to buy several boxes of tissues before next Tuesday, because the tenderness in that room (whichever room we happen to be in) is palpable and sweet.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

DeColores, S.

P.S. - Team, please be in prayer for New River Valley's Men's Emmaus Walk, which starts tomorrow. And when you catch me looking at you during team meetings, just know I'm thinking about how much I love each and every one of you! See you next Tuesday.

Agape from South Georgia

Crystal D. recently sent conference room wall agape from Highlands Emmaus to Dayspring Walk to Emmaus in Southeast Georgia. In turn, they sent our community some wall agape, as well as this prayer for our walks:

May God move in a mighty way amongst the team and pilgrims on your upcoming weekends. We pray that God is working in the hearts of them, even now, for them to be open and receptive to what He would have them hear and learn on the weekend. We pray a hedge of protection around the teams, pilgrims, and sites.

In Christ's name, Amen.

He Changes Everything

We had another good meeting Tuesday night (3/31). To me it felt like we started to hit our stride in this second gathering because we had two speakers and everyone knew what to expect, for the most part. Mike S. talked about the Means of Grace (there are so many!) and Connie C. reminded us that sometimes we just need God "with skin on." She also pointed out that we'll have the privilege of being just that—God with skin on—to the pilgrims who are called to our walk in July.

In the chapel, Susan F. echoed that thought with her devotional. She told us she ran into one of our team members earlier in the week and this woman told her she couldn't help wondering, "Why ME?" Just in case you're asking the same thing—on this walk, in your church, at your workplace, in your family, or wherever God has called YOU to show His love—remember this: He equips the ones He calls. Like Susan said, He called each of our names in heaven and has a very specific purpose for every one of us.

In July we will very likely realize why He called us to serve. What a blessing when we can see His hand at work through us. But even if we can't decipher His master plan, we can trust that it WILL be accomplished. We’ll plant the seeds and hope to enjoy the fruits. But not seeing the harvest doesn't mean there isn't one.

I would add that He will also change you, team members, through this experience. He has something special for each and every one of us. No, it's not our walk. But believe me when I tell you that you will be changed. Jesus changes everything.

At the end of our time together, I asked if anyone would like to share a "glimpse of God's grace" he or she had witnessed the previous week. I was overwhelmed and so thankful to hear the team's responses. As we stood with hands joined, we heard how He had changed moods, minds, and lives. Remember, He changes EVERYTHING.

We're not meeting next week, and I already miss you all!

DeColores,
Susan