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What is a Walk to Emmaus?
By Lonni Collins Pratt

Smiles, songs, and hugs fill the room. Women, men, young and old, mind­less of racial dif­fer­ences, join hands and sing about their unity in the Spirit, while a line of exhausted men enter. 

Most of them need a shave and a clean shirt, but what you notice is their beam­ing faces and quiet eyes. This is the scene at the clos­ing moments of an Emmaus week­end, where the sto­ries of lives touched and changed by grace are exchanged, and the glory and power of the Lord are made evi­dent to all.

 The Walk to Emmaus is a 72-hour expe­ri­ence, an Upper Room pro­gram attended mostly by United Methodists, but open to Chris­tians of other denom­i­na­tions also.

 Those par­tic­i­pat­ing are called Pil­grims. The Pil­grims spend 72 hours liv­ing together. As a gen­der group of men or women, they study, sing, wor­ship, talk, pray, and expe­ri­ence some­thing like a New Tes­ta­ment com­mu­nity. They are guided through the week­end by an Emmaus team com­posed of laity and a few clergy who have already expe­ri­enced an Emmaus Walk. 

The most recent esti­mate indi­cates that around the world more than 250,000 United Methodists have attended a Walk to Emmaus. It is an inter­na­tional move­ment with Emmaus com­mu­ni­ties in South Africa, Aus­tralia, and Zim­babwe. 

Local churches are dis­cov­er­ing that indi­vid­u­als who return from these week­ends talk about it in life-changing terms. The pro­gram is designed to ignite spir­i­tual pas­sion and shape lead­ers for the local church, and that’s exactly what’s hap­pen­ing. 

On the Walk, Chris­tians expe­ri­ence the pres­ence of Christ in their lives in a new and excit­ing way. Emmaus is needed in the United Methodist Church not just because it has poten­tial to revive con­gre­ga­tions and excite new work­ers, but because it works. 

If you look over the ros­ter of new Sun­day school teach­ers and other work­ers, you’ll find that these peo­ple have returned to work in their church, and teach oth­ers about the life-changing grace of Jesus Christ. 

In addi­tion to encour­ag­ing Chris­tians to serve oth­ers in the local parish, Emmaus reunion groups meet reg­u­larly. These small groups talk about their own spir­i­tual jour­neys, their action for Christ and their study plans. They lov­ingly hold one another account­able for spir­i­tual growth, and walk through dif­fi­cult times together. 

There is noth­ing mys­te­ri­ous about what hap­pens on a Walk to Emmaus. It is a highly struc­tured week­end, includ­ing 15 talks about dis­ci­ple­ship with an empha­sis placed on the pres­ence of Jesus Christ in daily liv­ing. Par­tic­i­pants receive com­mu­nion often. Fun, music, and good food also con­tribute to the for­ma­tion of com­mu­nity. 

The focus of Emmaus is God as revealed in Jesus Christ, and how Chris­tian­ity is lived out in the local church. It’s expressed pur­pose is “to inspire, chal­lenge, and equip local church mem­bers for Chris­t­ian action in their homes, churches, and places of work. Emmaus lifts up a way for our grace-filled life to be lived and shared with others.”

As United Method churches, along with other main­line churches, face the rapid emp­ty­ing of the pews, Emmaus stands out as one pos­si­ble way to slow down the exo­dus. 

Mov­ing beyond the emo­tional expe­ri­ence, Emmaus is also a plan. By fol­low­ing the plan and form­ing small groups to nur­ture and care for one another, fol­low up is guar­an­teed. Besides these small reunion groups, Emmaus mem­bers are given oppor­tu­nity to become part of a team that puts together a walk. Reg­u­lar gath­er­ings of a larger Emmaus com­mu­nity hap­pen often. 

Another ben­e­fit of the Walk to Emmaus is the unity it can bring to a church. One woman from Trin­ity remem­bers hear­ing about the small group reunion prior to going on her Walk. 

“Here’s a list of peo­ple I will not be in a small group with. I will not have any part of these par­tic­u­lar per­sons,” she told her hus­band, refer­ring to oth­ers that had attended. “I meant it too. Now, some of those peo­ple are my clos­est friends, I love them like fam­ily. It’s some­thing only God could do.” 

The empha­sis is never on the joys of being a mem­ber of the Emmaus com­mu­nity, but on the larger pic­ture. What are you doing about spir­i­tual growth, and how are you acti­vat­ing your dis­ci­ple­ship in the local church and your own sphere of influ­ence? Chris­tian­ity involves a call to dis­ci­ple­ship and respon­si­bil­ity. This is a key focus in Emmaus. 

The pro­gram, along with its sis­ter pro­grams in other denom­i­na­tions, traces its roots to the Roman Catholic Cur­sillo move­ment devel­oped in Spain in the 1940s. The full name is Cur­sillo de Cris­tian­dad, which means “short course in Chris­tian­ity,” and describes very well the theme of an Emmaus week­end. 

Of course, the pro­gram will only work if new Emmaus com­mu­ni­ties are wel­comed and encour­aged in a local church. It is not designed to exist with­out thee sup­port of a local con­gre­ga­tion. Gen­er­ally, Emmaus walks are held in United Methodist churches that vol­un­teer their facil­ity. 

Return­ing pil­grims need oppor­tu­ni­ties to become involved in the life of the local church, and putting them to work while the fire is still blaz­ing is vital. Pas­tors who have expe­ri­enced an Emmaus week­end under­stand this.

But pas­tors who have not attended will soon be won over if they see the com­mit­ment and enthu­si­asm which become the most notice­able traits of those who go on a week­end. Many UM clergy have found a new place of min­istry within Emmaus and deeply enjoy their involve­ment, but pil­grims are encour­aged to remem­ber that the pro­gram is designed for laity, and they should not bad­ger their pas­tor about attend­ing a walk. 

Trin­ity UM Church’s pas­tor, James Tim­mons, has not attended a Walk. Nev­er­the­less, he has men­tioned sev­eral times from the pul­pit that those who expe­ri­ence an Emmaus week­end seem to return with new fer­vor “to serve oth­ers and our Lord.” He encour­ages his con­gre­ga­tion to be part of an Emmaus Walk, if pos­si­ble. 

Your local con­fer­ence can put you in touch with the Walk to Emmaus pro­gram in your area. Most Emmaus com­mu­ni­ties spon­sor sev­eral walks for men and women every year. There is also a pro­gram for older teens, called Crysalis. 

The sto­ries of lives changed are heard in every clos­ing cer­e­mony of Emmaus. Recently, one man summed up his week­end say­ing, “All my life, I’ve been a Chris­t­ian and faith­ful church mem­ber. But some­thing was always miss­ing. I’ve found it here in the love that’s been show­ered on us. Now, I’ll go back to my church and go to work. I’ll never be able to for­get that God loves me and so do all of you.” 

For more infor­ma­tion about an Emmaus com­mu­nity in your area, call Ms. Jean John­son, Pro­gram Coor­di­na­tor, 615–340-7227 or write, The Rev. K. Cherie Jones, Direc­tor, Walk to Emmaus, 1908 Grand Avenue, Nashville, TN 37212. 

Lonni Collins Pratt is a United Methodist free-lance writer and speaker. Her arti­cles on church renewal and United Method­ism are fre­quently found in Good News magazine.

This arti­cle was pub­lished in Good News (January/February 1994).

http://www.goodnewsmag.org/library/articles/pratt-jf94.htm

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What is a Walk to Emmaus?
By Lonni Collins Pratt

Smiles, songs, and hugs fill the room. Women, men, young and old, mind­less of racial dif­fer­ences, join hands and sing about their unity in the Spirit, while a line of exhausted men enter.

Most of them need a shave and a clean shirt, but what you notice is their beam­ing faces and quiet eyes. This is the scene at the clos­ing moments of an Emmaus week­end, where the sto­ries of lives touched and changed by grace are exchanged, and the glory and power of the Lord are made evi­dent to all.

The Walk to Emmaus is a 72-hour expe­ri­ence, an Upper Room pro­gram attended mostly by United Methodists, but open to Chris­tians of other denom­i­na­tions also.

Those par­tic­i­pat­ing are called Pil­grims. The Pil­grims spend 72 hours liv­ing together. As a gen­der group of men or women, they study, sing, wor­ship, talk, pray, and expe­ri­ence some­thing like a New Tes­ta­ment com­mu­nity. They are guided through the week­end by an Emmaus team com­posed of laity and a few clergy who have already expe­ri­enced an Emmaus Walk.

The most recent esti­mate indi­cates that around the world more than 250,000 United Methodists have attended a Walk to Emmaus. It is an inter­na­tional move­ment with Emmaus com­mu­ni­ties in South Africa, Aus­tralia, and Zimbabwe.

Local churches are dis­cov­er­ing that indi­vid­u­als who return from these week­ends talk about it in life-changing terms. The pro­gram is designed to ignite spir­i­tual pas­sion and shape lead­ers for the local church, and that’s exactly what’s happening.

On the Walk, Chris­tians expe­ri­ence the pres­ence of Christ in their lives in a new and excit­ing way. Emmaus is needed in the United Methodist Church not just because it has poten­tial to revive con­gre­ga­tions and excite new work­ers, but because it works.

If you look over the ros­ter of new Sun­day school teach­ers and other work­ers, you’ll find that these peo­ple have returned to work in their church, and teach oth­ers about the life-changing grace of Jesus Christ.

In addi­tion to encour­ag­ing Chris­tians to serve oth­ers in the local parish, Emmaus reunion groups meet reg­u­larly. These small groups talk about their own spir­i­tual jour­neys, their action for Christ and their study plans. They lov­ingly hold one another account­able for spir­i­tual growth, and walk through dif­fi­cult times together.

There is noth­ing mys­te­ri­ous about what hap­pens on a Walk to Emmaus. It is a highly struc­tured week­end, includ­ing 15 talks about dis­ci­ple­ship with an empha­sis placed on the pres­ence of Jesus Christ in daily liv­ing. Par­tic­i­pants receive com­mu­nion often. Fun, music, and good food also con­tribute to the for­ma­tion of community.

The focus of Emmaus is God as revealed in Jesus Christ, and how Chris­tian­ity is lived out in the local church. It’s expressed pur­pose is “to inspire, chal­lenge, and equip local church mem­bers for Chris­t­ian action in their homes, churches, and places of work. Emmaus lifts up a way for our grace-filled life to be lived and shared with others.”

As United Method churches, along with other main­line churches, face the rapid emp­ty­ing of the pews, Emmaus stands out as one pos­si­ble way to slow down the exodus.

Mov­ing beyond the emo­tional expe­ri­ence, Emmaus is also a plan. By fol­low­ing the plan and form­ing small groups to nur­ture and care for one another, fol­low up is guar­an­teed. Besides these small reunion groups, Emmaus mem­bers are given oppor­tu­nity to become part of a team that puts together a walk. Reg­u­lar gath­er­ings of a larger Emmaus com­mu­nity hap­pen often.

Another ben­e­fit of the Walk to Emmaus is the unity it can bring to a church. One woman from Trin­ity remem­bers hear­ing about the small group reunion prior to going on her Walk.

“Here’s a list of peo­ple I will not be in a small group with. I will not have any part of these par­tic­u­lar per­sons,” she told her hus­band, refer­ring to oth­ers that had attended. “I meant it too. Now, some of those peo­ple are my clos­est friends, I love them like fam­ily. It’s some­thing only God could do.”

The empha­sis is never on the joys of being a mem­ber of the Emmaus com­mu­nity, but on the larger pic­ture. What are you doing about spir­i­tual growth, and how are you acti­vat­ing your dis­ci­ple­ship in the local church and your own sphere of influ­ence? Chris­tian­ity involves a call to dis­ci­ple­ship and respon­si­bil­ity. This is a key focus in Emmaus.

The pro­gram, along with its sis­ter pro­grams in other denom­i­na­tions, traces its roots to the Roman Catholic Cur­sillo move­ment devel­oped in Spain in the 1940s. The full name is Cur­sillo de Cris­tian­dad, which means “short course in Chris­tian­ity,” and describes very well the theme of an Emmaus weekend.

Of course, the pro­gram will only work if new Emmaus com­mu­ni­ties are wel­comed and encour­aged in a local church. It is not designed to exist with­out thee sup­port of a local con­gre­ga­tion. Gen­er­ally, Emmaus walks are held in United Methodist churches that vol­un­teer their facility.

Return­ing pil­grims need oppor­tu­ni­ties to become involved in the life of the local church, and putting them to work while the fire is still blaz­ing is vital. Pas­tors who have expe­ri­enced an Emmaus week­end under­stand this.

But pas­tors who have not attended will soon be won over if they see the com­mit­ment and enthu­si­asm which become the most notice­able traits of those who go on a week­end. Many UM clergy have found a new place of min­istry within Emmaus and deeply enjoy their involve­ment, but pil­grims are encour­aged to remem­ber that the pro­gram is designed for laity, and they should not bad­ger their pas­tor about attend­ing a walk.

Trin­ity UM Church’s pas­tor, James Tim­mons, has not attended a Walk. Nev­er­the­less, he has men­tioned sev­eral times from the pul­pit that those who expe­ri­ence an Emmaus week­end seem to return with new fer­vor “to serve oth­ers and our Lord.” He encour­ages his con­gre­ga­tion to be part of an Emmaus Walk, if possible.

Your local con­fer­ence can put you in touch with the Walk to Emmaus pro­gram in your area. Most Emmaus com­mu­ni­ties spon­sor sev­eral walks for men and women every year. There is also a pro­gram for older teens, called Crysalis.

The sto­ries of lives changed are heard in every clos­ing cer­e­mony of Emmaus. Recently, one man summed up his week­end say­ing, “All my life, I’ve been a Chris­t­ian and faith­ful church mem­ber. But some­thing was always miss­ing. I’ve found it here in the love that’s been show­ered on us. Now, I’ll go back to my church and go to work. I’ll never be able to for­get that God loves me and so do all of you.”

For more infor­ma­tion about an Emmaus com­mu­nity in your area, call Ms. Jean John­son, Pro­gram Coor­di­na­tor, 615–340-7227 or write, The Rev. K. Cherie Jones, Direc­tor, Walk to Emmaus, 1908 Grand Avenue, Nashville, TN 37212.

Lonni Collins Pratt is a United Methodist free-lance writer and speaker. Her arti­cles on church renewal and United Method­ism are fre­quently found in Good News magazine.

This arti­cle was pub­lished in Good News (January/February 1994).

http://www.goodnewsmag.org/library/articles/pratt-jf94.htm

Pop­u­lar­ity: 2% [?]