el Quiri April

el Quiri

Greater Sidney Area Emmaus newsletter April, 1998

From your CHAIRMAN ...

Greetings in the name of Jesus!

At the March meeting, the Sidney Emmaus Board of Directors voted, with regrets, to accept the resignation of Ed Maxwell as chairman of the community. The Board also voted that I should assume the responsibilities of Chairman as well as continue with my present responsibilities.

I would personally like to thank Ed for his work and dedication as a Board and Community member, and know that he will continue to support The Greater Sidney Area Emmaus Community with his prayers and presence.

In Luke 24:30-31, it says "When he (Jesus) was at the table with them (Disciples), he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him and he disappeared from their sight."

Think back to when your eyes were opened to Jesus for the first time. It may have happened on your Walk to Emmaus or it may have been at your church. Maybe it was at camp, or in the quietness of your home. You may have been a child, a teenager, or an adult. Stop and think and feel the peace, the joy, and the realization that Jesus loves YOU and he is LORD! What an exciting closest to Christ moment in our lives!

As I think about Easter and the newness of spring, I stop and go back to when my eyes were opened. Just knowing Jesus is real and alive in the lives of my brothers and sisters in Christ is exciting! Many times I have focused on the great sacrifice Jesus made on the cross, a necessary death for our salvation. But more and more in my walk I am learning that we are victorious over sin, not in the death of Christ, but in his resurrection!

How are we living our lives? Are we serving a living, risen Savior, or are we stuck in the gloom and doom of the grave? During this Easter season, let’s challenge ourselves to be thankful for the death of Christ, but more importantly, celebrate his resurrection and victory over the grave!

Let Your Light Shine,

Bill Halter

On the Road ...Ed Maxwell

From the March issue of el Quiri which was not published

Rodney Thompson went to be with his Savior on January 4, 1998. Almost 14 years to the day that my own father passed away. I doubt if many of you knew them. They were two men who lived on opposite sides of the state and knew nothing of the other. That is until that sunny autumn day when two of their daughters became roommates at Ashland College. That is how I came to know Rodney and his family. He loved his hometown, his country, his family, his church, and especially his God. At Rodney’s memorial service, his grandson read these words written by his father, Rodney’s son. "I have learned from my father to love and honor God with your life actions everyday...to be thankful for the blessings God has given you...to lead your family to church and Sunday school and to honor God in your home...to know that God is faithful in his promises." What really made Rodney special was that he really wasn’t special. He was an ordinary man like any one of us. The difference was that he allowed God to make a difference in his life. Any success that he achieved was due to God’s blessings and hard work. He honored God by being a vessel for the Holy Spirit to work.

As I sat and listened to those close to Rodney try to tell what he had done for them, I realized that I could think of some other special people like that in my life. People such as my own father, Merton, who knew Christ-like values and put them into practice. We all have had those Rodneys and Mertons in our lives. Sometimes it was a direct close association and other times it was a mere acquaintance. But each one affected our lives. Each one is still working in our lives in some way.

My point to this is simple. The purpose of the Walk to Emmaus is to develop church leaders. People who will change the world through their witness of Christ’s love in their workplace, their community, their churches, and their families. People like Rodney, Merton, your Aunt Bess, Mrs. Smith down the street, and many others. But what about you? Who are you showing God’s love to? Are you being a mentor to someone else who will someday remember that you showed Christ to them in a way that they had not experienced before? Try to challenge yourself to take your faith into the world and help others experience God’s grace. We need to be able to use our Christian action to actively change our world. Think about what you are doing in your everyday life and challenge yourself to follow Christ’s example as those who were there for us. Remember those people in your life and think about what they did for you. Then remember this challenge....who will you be a "Rodney" to in your life?

DeColores!!

From the Agape Room ...Judy Zweibel

A new year of walks is approaching and along with it the opportunity to show your love to the teams and pilgrims by giving agape. Here are some suggestions:

Snack Agape

If you would like to give snacks for the conference room, please take them to the church kitchen by Thursday night of the Walk if possible. Please mark "Emmaus" or "Agape" on the containers. You can bring 2 liter bottles of soft drinks, candy, cookies, chips, veggies, etc.

Table/Bedtime Agape

70 pieces of agape are needed for mealtime and 42 for bedtime. Please put your name, phone number and the number of pieces on the container.

Personal Agape

Pilgrim and team letters may be brought to the Agape Room from Thursday night until after Candlelight Saturday night. Everything will be moved from the Agape Room to the office on Saturday night, so if you have last minute letters, you may bring them to the office until noon on Sunday.

© Please do not send bedtime letters for pilgrims. Letters are not to be distributed until Sunday afternoon, so any pilgrim’s letters specified for any time other than Sunday will be placed in Sunday packets.

©Please do not send "super agape." Try to limit your pilgrim’s agape to something that will fit in the packets. Not only does the "super agape" make it appear that one person is being treated differently, but it makes it cumbersome for the logs to distribute. If you would like to give your pilgrim a gift, why not a Fourth Day gift after the Walk for an added surprise.

72-Hour Prayer Vigil

If you would like to sign up for the Prayer Vigil, you will find the posters at all Gatherings or you can call 937/492-0521. If you get my answering machine, please leave your name and number and I will return your call. This is probably one of the most meaningful forms of agape and one that everyone can give.

Recipe Corner ...Nancy Smith

HAM LOAF

1½ lb. fresh pork

1½ lb. ham (have butcher grind these together)

2 eggs 1 cup cracker crumbs 1½ cup milk

Mix well, form into individual loaves. Bake 350° oven for about 45 minutes. Top with glaze and bake about 15 minutes more.

Glaze:

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup vinegar

1 tsp dry mustard

Boil until it thickens somewhat. Baste as needed.

Help is Always Appreciated!!

There are many ways to serve God, the Emmaus community and Pilgrims during a weekend:

Set-up / Wednesday - 6:30 p.m.

Send-off Meal / Thursday - 6:00 p.m.

Saturday Evening Meal Decorating - 2 - 3 p.m. and 3:20 - 4:30 p.m. (This is only done between speakers giving talks and after lunch is over.)

Ice Cream Social / Saturday - 10:00 until midnight

(This is a good activity for a share group)

Sunday morning set-up / Sunday - 6 - 8 a.m.

(We must have the classrooms back in order by 7:30)

Closing Meal Tear-down / Sunday - 7:30 - 10:00 p.m.

Contact: Gene & Elaine Mitchell - 596-6696

We encourage you to submit information and articles for this newsletter. Deadline for the March newsletter is Feb. 25. If you have any additions or corrections to the mailing list or any other suggestions for this newsletter or our Emmaus community, please let us know. Address correspondence to:

Greater Sidney Area Emmaus Commun

230 E. Poplar Street, Sidney, OH 45365

or fax Christi at 937/498-8189

or e-mail "clthomas@bright.net"

Visit our website: www.oneinspirit.com/emmaus/index.html