Living by Faith
**Important Dates To Remember **
Pre-Walk Gathering will be on March 18th 2023
Osgood First Baptist Church
Please be in prayer for our upcoming Spring Walks:
Men’s Walk: April 20th – 23rd 2023
Women’s Walk: April 27th – April 30th 2023
Cultivating Joy
by Gina Manskar
Our companion, guide, comforter on the great journey joy is the Holy Spirit. At the it is the Spirit who inspires when grace has opened receive God’s word When life’s perplexities impoverish us, it is the Spirit who, working through the gift of joy, removes all boundaries to our hope.
John S Mogabgab
Weavings: A Journal of the Christian Spiritual Life
Joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). While we pursue and enjoy happiness through our circumstances, sometimes it doesn’t seem to be enough.
Post-Walk Gathering will be on May 6th 2023 Location TBD
The joy we receive as Christians can carry us through challenging times, lifting us up and giving us perspective. Joy is brought to life in us by the One who gives us life.
We can open ourselves to joy, cultivating a soul-environment where it can take root and grow.
Here are some practices to help cultivate joy.
Interested in serving on an upcoming walk?
Please fill out a willing servant form
Gazing on Christ
Hold Christ before your awareness, allowing yourself to be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Rom. 12:2). Take time to reflect on Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, and to share time with others who are doing the same. Look for glimpses of Christ in the world.
Practicing Gratitude
•Look for something for which to be grateful each day, no matter your circumstances.
•Give God thanks.
•Let others know how grateful you are for their presence in your life.
Sharing Joy
•Share yourself with others in a spirit of support by offering kind words, encouragement, hope, and time.
•Be on guard for the times that you are tempted to squelch the joy of others through bitterness, jealousy, or unforgiveness.
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Southeastern Indiana Emmaus Community Newsletter
Winter 2023
1
Living by Faith
Thinking about sponsoring a pilgrim on an upcoming walk?
This commitment has many responsibilities which need to be considered before asking a candidate if he/she is interested in a Walk. Please be in prayer before and as you share this amazing instrument of God’s love with your brothers and sisters in Christ.
As a Sponsor we need your commitment to do the following in preparation for the weekend, during the Walk, and after the Walk:
Ensure that the pilgrim has all the necessary details regarding time, place, cost, and expectations.
See that the completed application and deposit are submitted by deadline.
See that transportation is provided to and from site.
Arrange financial support if cost is an issue.
Arrange for any special care for family and home so that pilgrim can enjoy the weekend.
Attend Sponsor’s Hour on Thursday evening.
Support the 72 Hour Prayer Vigil.
Attend Candlelight & Closing.
Continue the relationship with the pilgrim & attend 4th Day Events with pilgrim.
Follow up after the Walk to integrate pilgrim into the Community, Small Groups and Gatherings.
Cultivating Joy
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Allowing the Unknown
•Even when you don’t know what is ahead, allow uncertainty to exist, trusting in God’s grace.
•Ask Christ to walk with you through the voids in your life.
•Be of service to others during these ambiguous times.
Reframing Your Experiences
•Watch out for the times when you limit your view of joy’s possibilities.
•Consider whether the difficulty you are experiencing or the suffering you are enduring might be a place of encounter with Christ, “the light [who] shines in the darkness” (John 1:5).
Fourth Day
The king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to the one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40).
We return home from Weekends glowing in the light of love found there All too soon, the world is not cooperating We want everyone to feel as exhilarated and exhausted as we do. This dynamic happens whether we are a new pilgrim or a team member. We want the Emmaus atmosphere to be present always. But it’s not going to happen
How do we keep the “high”? Surely, Peter, James, and John wanted to keep the powerful Transfiguration event alive Peter suggested they build three booths: one for Jesus, one for Elijah, and one for Moses. They would stay on the mountaintop forever
Keeping Hope Alive
•If you feel your hope is fading, connect with others (a pastor, spouse, good friend, mental health professional).
•Seek out scripture that reminds you that you are God’s beloved.
•Share both your positive and your difficult feelings with God in prayer.
“Even now,” writes Doris Donnelly, “in the middle of calamity, crisis, unfinished business, brokenness, pain, and indifference, rejoicing is to be.” May the Holy Spirit help us discover the joy of knowing God’s love and sharing that love with others.
Gina Manskar is editorial assistant for Alive Now.
We know that Jesus’ transfiguration was the revealing event that proved the Law and the Prophets were complete in him God sealed this vision by saying, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” (Mark 9:7)
Christ is re-presented to us on Weekends. We are told that whatever we do in love, even if it is the least task, we have done it to and for him Think about the loving tasks you do each day Are you a parent? a custodian? a teacher? a nurse or doctor? a truck driver? a secretary? You may feel that your position in life is not as important as someone else’s. But that’s not true. All things done in love count for good.
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2
Living by Faith
2023 SEI Emmaus Board
Lay Director
Rhonda Henegar
Spiritual Director
Scarlet Hudson
Secretary
Bonnie Stokes
Asst. Spiritual Director
Vernon Williams & Willisa Redford
Treasurer
Terri Hardy
Registrar
Carolyn VanCleave
Communications
Louise Griggs
Agape
Ronnie McAdams
Kitchen
TC Rieman
Music
Kirk Hopkins
Team Selection
Tiffany Hollis
Training
Nick Cornell & Tim Ballard
Facilities
Mike Hicks
Candlelight/Sponsors Hour TBD
Gatherings
Missie Powell
4th Day/Reunion Group
Rowdy Green
Nominations
Terry Meyer
Fourth Day
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What about Weekends? Do you sign up for the Prayer Vigil? Do you work to prepare meals for the pilgrims and team members? Do you write agape letters to all of the pilgrims first? Make writing pilgrim agape letters a priority (Remember what a loving impact they made on you.) Persevere in doing, what some may consider, the least jobs Setting up for a Weekend and taking down after the closing are just as important as the lay director’s servanthood Without your work and willingness to serve, the lay director would have nowhere to lead the pilgrims So work where you can If done in love, it will glorify God and edify the Body of Christ
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth. O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy your consolations. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Emmaus has three priorities: to deepen the spiritual growth of pilgrims, to deepen the spiritual growth of those in our congregations, and to let the light of Christ shine brightly in our families, neighborhoods, and workplaces. On a Weekend, the first priority has hopefully taken place in us. Now, it is up to us to help deepen the spiritual growth of our brothers and sisters in our homes and churches As we do that, we reach out to our communities to work where we can to bring the light of Christ to our environments No matter what least job you do, if done in love, you have done it for and to our Lord
Question for Reflection: Are you envious because you feel your tasks are less important than the tasks of others?
Reprinted from Walking Side by Side: Devotions for Pilgrims by Joanna Bultemeier and Cherie Jones
Copyright © 1998 Used by permission of Upper Room Books For more information, visit bookstore upperroom org
In addition to our Facebook page and website, our Community periodically sends information to members through text, phone and email. It’s a great way to ensure you are aware of news, events and other information happening in our Community and the Emmaus world at large.
We want to be sure you are included on the distribution list…. Please send an email to update or add your information to our distribution list.
3
February 17, 2023
A plea from your Community Lay Director and our Board of Directors:
Please be advised that we find ourselves in need of support from our SEI Community members. It is always our intention to provide the best walks that we possibly can for our community, ones that bring glory to God first and foremost. In the past couple of years our costs have risen but we have not increased our fees. The costs have gone up due to changes in our arrangements due to the Covid restrictions and inflation. We used to collect offerings at our Post Walk Gatherings.
In light of this, we find that we have more money going out than coming in. For transparency, we will be putting our last year’s treasurer’s reports on the website in order that you can see for yourself the credits and debits to the account. I know many of our community members are unable to support the walks by serving on them. In lieu of serving, I’m sure that many of us would love to support our community monetarily. You can do so by making a taxdeductible donation.
Donations should be made payable to SEI Emmaus Community through PayPal (payments.seiemmaus@gmail.com) or by check mailed to Terri Hardy, Treasurer, 1564 State Road 350, Osgood, IN 47037.
The Board will be doing an updated cost analysis in the near future. We are praying that with your support we will not have to raise the walk fees. In the meantime, will you join us in supporting our community? We also covet your prayers in the decisions we will be making as we look at our cost analysis.
Thank you for your consideration and support. If you have any questions feel free to contact me.
De
Colores, Rhonda Henegar
SEI Community Lay Director Laydirector.seiemmaus@gmail.com
