Florida Crown Emmaus Newsletter
| A Gateway to Christ |
March 2017 |
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SEEKING PILGRIMS FOR WALK #79
Do you remember the joy and love you felt overwhelming you during your walk? Don't you want to share God's love with others? The way to do that is to sponsor someone on the Walk to Emmaus.
The goal of the Emmaus Board is to see every walk filled to capacity! That's 28 men and 28 women. This number has been established due to the limitations of the facilities we are currently using. The decision deadline for our next Walk is September 4, 2017. You have an opportunity to register online or to print the applications and mail them to me. Don't procrastinate! God is depending on us to take action. God will lay someone on your heart and it is up to us to do the next steps.
God puts all kinds of opportunities in your life to share about the Walk to Emmaus. Look for these opportunities to share the Walk to Emmaus.
Please remember that for the application to be complete, I must have the completed Pilgrim's application, the sponsor application and a deposit of $25.00. The deposit may be done on PayPal or you may mail a check to me at the address below. Make checks payable to FLORIDA CROWN EMMAUS (FCE).
I look forward to serving you,
Verna Fields, Registrar
4956 Red Pine Court,
Jacksonville, FL 32210
904-771-7450
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From the Community Lay Director:
In this Lenten season, I pray that you are experiencing the joys and blessings of God as we prepare to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Easter reminds us just how much God the Father truly loves us and we respond to that love as we share it with others. That is what the Walk to Emmaus is all about.
Preparations for Walk #79 this fall are underway and team selection will begin soon. One of the steps in the process of preparing for a Walk is leadership training. In the past, this has been done a few weeks before the first team meeting with the Lay Directors, Assistant Lay Directors, Spiritual Directors, and Board Representatives for the Men's and Women's team for the upcoming Walk. This has worked well but we have an opportunity this year to provide this training for everyone in the community. On Saturday, April 29, 2017 there will be an Emmaus Leadership training day held at Lakeshore United Methodist Church. The focus will be on preparing current and future Lay Directors, Assistant Lay Directors, and Spiritual Directors on planning and conducting team training meetings for Walks. It will be conducted in the same format as a team meeting, will be hands-on, and interactive. There will be a lot of experience represented and the opportunity to ask questions and benefit from those who have done this before. This is open to everyone in the community but those who have served as Assistant Table Leaders, Table Leaders, Assistant Lay Directors, and Spiritual Directors are especially encouraged to attend. There will be more on this over the next few weeks.
In this newsletter, you will find the Upper Room Covenant Letter for 2017. The board of directors of every Emmaus community around the world are asked to sign this document. You, the Florida Crown Emmaus Community, have the opportunity to select the members of your board, and we in turn commit to serving this community under the authority of God and the Upper Room. By signing the Upper Room Covenant we are showing this community's intent to be in a covenant relationship with them, as we support each other in the ministry of Emmaus. Read through the Covenant and if you have questions please ask me or any member of the board.
I am looking forward to another awesome year of serving with you as we experience and share the joy of Jesus Christ. Decolores!
In His service,
Ernie Busack
Community Lay Director
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| Where are you in relationship to who Christ is?
Where are you in your journey? I ask this because the only way to know where you are going, is to know where you are. This thought was something we navigated through on our Emmaus weekend. I also ask this as we enter the season of Lent. Is Christ one of your sources for strength, or is He your only source? Lent is a season where one looks at themselves, in relationship to Christ. It is where we look at ourselves in relationship to the Cross.
I believe that the starting point for us, is found in our image before the cross of Christ. In order to grow into the image Christ has created us to be, we must be honest with ourselves, in view of the sufficiency of God's grace at the cross. I also believe this relationship is deeper than putting Christ in the center. Yes, Christ is the center of our existence, though I believe he is found on the edge. The love of Christ is found in the peripherals of our existance. Christ is found in every detail of our being. I am reminded of Psalm 139, "You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely. 5 You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. 7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea."
If you believe as the psalmist that Christ can be found in every detail, of everything, then everything we do should be asked within the context of one question. In Matthew 16, Jesus asked the disciples, "who do you say that I am?" I believe this is the quintessential question. This is a question to which man has wrestled with since the beginning of time. Jesus quizzed Peter with the ultimate question, and the question is the same today. The answer to this question is found not in your actions, but your reaction.
Back to the question: where are you in relationship to who Christ is? For some it is easy to answer this question in view of Sunday service, though the answer is found, not only Sunday, but the other days of the week. The answer is not found so much when we are singing Amazing Grace, as it is when we realize we are living in amazing grace. This answer is found not only when we are happy, but also when we get angry? "Who do you say that I am" when someone wrongs you? "Who do you say that I am" when no one is around? I challenge you to take time during this Lenten season to honestly reflect on the Cross, in relation to "Who do you say that I am" in view of your reactions.
Pastor Karl Wiggins
Community Spiritual Director
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WELCOME TO OUR NEW LADY PILGRIMS
In January 2017 our WALK #78 included 32 women! Please welcome them to our Emmaus Community:
Gloria Ackley Nikki Angelo Joanne Armistead
Bonnie Boothe Beth Boyd Amelia Buggle
Molli Collins Rosie Cox Darlene Curtiss
Carol Dannenfelser Deborah Donald Patty Durden
Nancy Elliott Yolando Elmore Elizabeth Foster
Donna Johnson Leslie Kendall Barbara Ketchum
Roxie Kulcznski Judy McBride Nickie Owens
Patty Peacock Beverly Phillips Vera Pierce
Jan Ruth Charlotte Shepherd Angelee Smith
Vashti Strickland Rose Sweatland Shirley Terrell
Tammy Thomas Peggy Washington Krista Wood
We apologize for omitting the name of Rose Sweatland in our January newsletter.
Our next Walk #79 is scheduled as follows: Men - Oct. 4-8; Women - Oct. 12 - 15, 2017. I already have started a waiting list so it is not too early to send me your application. Enrollment will be limited to 28 pilgrims on each walk. Please remember that a completed application includes the pilgrim form, sponsor form and $25.00 deposit. You may download the application from the website or request a copy from me via email. My mailing address is listed below.
Blessings,
Verna Fields, Registrar
Florid Crown Emmaus
4956 Red Pine Court
Jacksonville, FL 32210
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| Emmaus Newsletter Check with all of your Emmaus friends to ensure that they're getting the newsletter. If they aren't, encourage them to go to the website to sign up, text EMMAUS to 22828 for a signup prompt, or send a note to [email protected]to get their email address added. There are several ways and we want our Community to stay informed! |
| Board of Directors List Community Lay Director - Ernie Busack (904) 779-6499 Asst. Community Lay Director - Kathy Scott (904) 612-4361 Community Spiritual Director - Rev Karl Wiggins (904) 314-1902 Asst. Community Spiritual Director - Rev. Grant Siegfried (904) 646-2698 Treasurer - Debbie Frendahl (904) 509-3927 Men's Team Selection - Bill Adams (904) 771-4268 Women's Team Selection - Barbara Rowe (904) 642-5995 Secretary - Hugh Fletcher (904) 223-4744 Registrar - Verna Fields 771-7450 Agape, Prayer Vigil - Phil Jacobs (904) 406-0105 Gatherings - David Arrington (909) 652-8630 Kitchen Coordinator- Aileen Wood (904) 491-4900 Physical Arrangements - Mike Oakes (904) 434-7444 Music - Joe Alexander (904) 221-5791 Communications Director - RIchard Jacobs (904) 742-5151 Reunion Groups - Vacant Click here for email addresses |
DeColores!
I write this shortly after attending the Ash Wednesday Service at my church. I cannot help but think about how my flight was like a mini-lent. From dying moments, to our exciting next steps/fourth day. Except there is no way you could fast during a flight. Lent is a time to prepare ourselves for the resurrection of Christ. Some take up fasting, some take up doing good, or practicing a spiritual discipline. All of these things are designed (if done right) to bring us closer to God. During my flight, I was taught how to practice my spiritual disciplines, ways to put them into my everyday life. I was encouraged to find a group of people who have experienced exactly what I have experienced to hold me accountable to a promise I made on my flight; "I am counting on Christ." Flight #33 has been an exciting time for the Chrysalis and Emmaus Community. We welcome new butterflies into our community who just like you and I, made that same promise; "I am counting on Christ." What if I told you that the Chrysalis Community is counting on you, the body of Christ, to be there for the new Butterflies of Flight #33 and for those God places on your heart to invite to the next Flight. Plans are already in the works for Flight #34 and there will be many opportunities to share God's love with the next group of caterpillars. We are counting on your prayers. Make sure to sign up for the 24-hour prayer vigil. We are counting on your presence. Make sure to attend Send-off, Candlelight, and closing. We are counting on your gifts. Don't your remember all of that crazy agape? Most importantly we are counting on your witness. Weekends cannot happen if we don't have caterpillars to fill them. One of my favorite quotes said on almost every weekend is; "You might be the only Jesus people ever meet." You might be the only way people get to experience Chrysalis or Emmaus.
Fly With Christ!
Thomas Garrett
Florida Crown Chrysalis Secretary
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| ABOUT THE WALK TO EMMAUS The Mission: Empowering Leaders to be the hands and feet of Christ
The Vision: Fourth Day Leaders Embodying Jesus Christ
"I continue to dream and pray about a revival of holiness in our day that moves forth in mission and creates authentic community in which each person can be unleashed through the empowerment of the Spirit to fulfill God's creational intentions." -- Unknown
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| Florida Crown Emmaus PO Box 351588 Jacksonville, FL 32235 flcrownemmaus.com
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2017 Gatherings
March 18 - Swaim UMC
April 22 -New Friendship Baptist
May 20 -
June 17 -
August 19 -
September 16 - Lakeshore UMC
October 21 - 4th Day! Orange Park UMC
November 18 -
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Florida Crown Emmaus
www.floridacrownemmaus.com
Jacksonville, Florida 32235
Communications
904-382-7323 |
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