el Quiri Greater Sidney Area Emmaus Newsletter April 1999
Greetings in the Name of our Risen Savior Jesus!
The Madness has swept across America! Yes, it is time for March Madness in College Basketball. All of us, who follow college basketball and even some that don’t, are picking our winners in the brackets hoping to choose the eventual winner of the N.C.A.A Basketball Championship. what an exciting time in the life of college sports!!!! (Sorry Sharon, it won’t be much longer until we can watch E.R. again!!!)
But guess what is even more exciting than March Madness? EASTER MADDNESS!!!! Easter Madness is upon us right now!!! That’s right, Easter Madness! Oh how I look forward to the N.C.A.A. basketball tournament, but oh how thankful I am for Easter Madness!
Imagine arriving at the empty tomb, or seeing the two angels who told the women that Jesus had risen! How awesome that experience must have been!
How about Peter, who when he had heard the news of Jesus being gone, ran to the tomb only to see the linen strops lying there by themselves. He left in wonderment.
And then in Luke 24:13-35 where the Emmaus Road experience is written and how they recognized Him when He broke the bread, gave it to them, and disappeared from their sight!
Yes folks, this truly is the time of year to celebrate Easter Madness. It is the time of year to be thankful for the death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ.
But what about the rest of the year? When did you "see" Jesus for the first time? When were your eyes opened? Again I need to be constantly reminded of EASTER MADNESS! It shouldn’t be celebrated only during the spring of each year, it should be celebrated every day of our lives!
Let’s all catch the madness!........ EASTER MADNESS!
DeColores,
Bill
Let's Concentrate on a Worthwhile Goal
That no child be unwanted,
that no person go unloved.
And let's not stop smiling at
whomever we meet,
especially when it's hard to smile."
"It is easy to love those who are far away.
It isn't always easy to love those who are right next to us.
It is easier to offer a dish of rice to satisfy the hunger
of a poor person, than to fill up the loneliness and suffering
of someone lacking love in our own family."
"How can you love God whom you do not see,
if you don't love the neighbor whom you do see-
the neighbor you know and live with every day?"
The fruit of Silence is Prayer.
The fruit of Prayer is Faith.
The fruit of Faith is Love.
The fruit of Love is Service.
The fruit of Service is Peace.
The fullness of our heart is expressed in our eyes,
in our touch, in what we write,
in what we say, in the way we walk,
the way we receive, the way we need.
That is the fullness of our heart
expressing itself in many different ways.
Mother Teresa
UPCOMING 4th DAY SPEAKER:
Stacy Pettit will be sharing her 4th day with us at the May gathering.
Thank you Stacy for giving us the opportunity to listen to your story.
Candlelight at 8:00pm May 1, Saturday night
at the First United Methodist Church.
The Closing for the pilgrims will be at 4:30pm
Sunday afternoon. Please come after 4:00pm same location and meet in the Old Fellowship
Hall.
Upcoming Men's Walks
#14 July 29th through August 1st, 1999
#15 November 18th through November 21st, 1999
#16 February 24th through February 27th, 2000
#17 August 3rd through August 6th, 2000
#18 November 16th through November 19th, 2000
Upcoming Women's Walks #15 April 29th through May 2nd, 1999
You may want to check out the Emmaus web site (www/oneinspirit.com/emmaus)
to see who else God has called for the Women’s Walk #15.
BREAKFAST STRATA
6 slices bread, cubed
6 eggs, beaten
2 cups chredded Cheddar
2 cups milk
1 cup diced ham, or saute’d sausage, drained
Mushrooms (optional)
Put bread in pan, cover with meat & cheese. Mix eggs & milk together. Pour over
meat/cheese. Cover & refrigerate overnight. Bake uncovered 350 oven, about 45 min.
The Greater Sidney Area Emmaus Info The Greater Sidney Area Emmaus Community’s Gatherings are on the second Tuesday of the month at 7:00pm. We meet at the First United Methodist Church located at 230 E. Poplar St., Sidney, Ohio. Please come and celebrate Christ's love with us.
Board Meeting's are held at First United
Methodist Church in Sidney in the Chapel at 6:45 PM on the fourth Thursday of each month.
From the Music Dude
GOOD TO SEE ALL OF YOU AT THE APRIL GATHERING
OR I MISSED YOU, WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE.
A SPECIAL THANK-YOU TO ERIC TRUXAL AND RANDY
LOCKER FOR THE SPECIAL MUSIC.
JUST A REMINDER: LET ME KNOW IF YOU WOULD LIKE
TO OFFER OR KNOW ANYBODY WHO WOULD LIKE TO
SHARE MUSICALLY.
JERRY NOBLE
GATHERING MUSIC
FEB 99 SHARON MASARIK
JILL BOYD
APR 99 ERIC TRUXAL
RANDY LOCKER
MAY 99 SHARON HALTER
UPCOMING EVENTS: OCTOBER WILL BE OUR ALL MUSICAL GATHERING!!!
Make a joyful nosie unto the lord, all ye lands.
Psalms 100:1
Call me if you wish to share your talents:
937-465-7696 Home
937-593-9010 Work
LIVE-IN
TEAM SELECTION
Since I’ve joined the board in January, the question of how to be on a live-in team has surfaced many times. Our wonderful Emmaus community is producing active and supportive members that want to take that next step. How great that is, and a wonderful testament to the Holy Spirit actively working in our lives.
I’d like to take this opportunity to explain the guidelines for team selection that the Greater Sidney Area Emmaus has adopted, which closely mirror the guidelines set forth by the "Upper Room" in the Emmaus handbook.
First and foremost - you have to fill out the "willing servant" form that was in your packet. This lets us know of your intention. You should take this step only after praying for God’s guidance and discernment. After all - it must be His call we answer. This form can go to any board member, and they will give it to the leadership chair who will then add your name to the list.
There are some pretty basic requirements the board has before they can be selected to be on a team. First, they MUST be in a share group. This is necessary to help the pilgrims understand the importance of the follow-up to the weekends. Second, they must be active in their own local church. Emmaus is designed to aid and equip church leaders. Team members should demonstrate some type of support for their own church. Third, they should support the Greater Sidney Area Emmaus in some manner. This service can be any type of commitment that the individual is able to do within their own abilities or variable constraints. (i.e. job commitments, long distances, physical limitations, etc.) However, there are always jobs that need done that can fit into almost anyone’s schedule.
Now that we are a "mature" community with over l,000 pilgrims who have gone through the weekend, we normally require a person to have completed their walk one-year prior to being on a team. This gives that person a chance to fully experience their 4th days, discern God’s will for them in this area, and allows that person to "grow" in their faith so that they can better minister to the pilgrims.
So much for the requirements. What happens next? The board will vote on the weekend lay directors. After the lay director has accepted, he/she has the responsibility of putting a list together of numerous names, including backups, for all weekend positions. This is done after the lay director has prayed, prayed, prayed, and compared their list to the before mentioned requirements. When the lay director is sufficiently prepared, the board will call a "team selection meeting" 3 - 5 months in advance of the walk. The lay director will come with their list of "nominees." The lay director and team selection committee pray diligently for God’s guidance for the awesome task of selecting members from that list. The committee will make suggestions, confirm eligibility, and give the lay director some guidance on who to ask first. This is so important - choosing those members who will be asked to be channels of God’s grace and love to the pilgrims on the weekend. It is not a responsibility the lay director and team selection committee take lightly. It is one of the board’s most important functions. That list of names that emerges from that meeting becomes the working list that the lay director calls from - one by one - for each position, until the team is full. Sometimes this is a very long process, as many people asked from that list will say no for one reason or another. For this reason, you may see a person serve on walks back-to-back, although the committee discourages it. Sometimes it’s unavoidable, especially if the lay director has received a lot of "no’s" and has worked through their list.
I hope this answers a lot of your questions on how to get on a live-in team. In a future article, I’ll explain what a team will "look" like, in terms of experience, diversity, etc.
Remember that the Walk to Emmaus is a tool of God. He wants this to succeed. He has a lot invested in it. The Holy Spirit is an active participant in the whole team selection process. Don’t be discouraged if you haven’t been asked to serve in the forefront. That’s what is great about Emmaus, there are so many areas to serve, many in the background such as kitchen, setup and tear down, prayer vigil, agape, and the list goes on. These jobs are just as important as being on the live-in team. Just consider yourself a member of the "live-out" team. It truly is a team effort. Without those wonderful servants behind the scenes, the weekends would never happen. So pray for God’s guidance, and look for all the ways to support the weekend, and be ready when God calls!
God bless you!
DeColores,
Randy Boyd,
Leadership Chair
My Cup Runs Over
God loves to bless His Children--|
fully, freely, faithfully,
more than we could ever imagine,
with more than we can possibly hold.
To the One who gives abundantly
His good and perfect gifts,
To the One who loves unconditionally...
we give heartfelt thanks and praise.