Florida Crown Emmaus Newsletter
| A Gateway to Christ |
April 2017 |
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Happy Easter!
Praise God for the wonderful gift of His only Son. He is risen!
As April continues Florida Crown Emmaus has a couple of important events scheduled. On Saturday, April 22, New Friendship Baptist Church is hosting the monthly Emmaus Gathering. Come and share a delicious meal, fellowship, worship, testimony, and communion with your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Then, the following Saturday, April 29, is the community-wide Emmaus Leadership Training at Lakeshore United Methodist Church. There will be a gathering time beginning at 8:30 am and the training will begin at 9:00 am with worship and Holy Communion. The focus will be on preparing current and future Lay Directors, Assistant Lay Directors, and Spiritual Directors, for Emmaus and Chrysalis, on planning and conducting team training meetings for Walks. The format will be hands-on and interactive. There will be a lot of experience represented providing plenty of opportunity to ask questions and benefit from those who have done this before. The scheduled portion of the meeting will end at 1:00 pm, but there will be time for further discussion and questions afterwards for anyone needing a little more time. 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. I hope to see many of you at Lakeshore UMC on April 29.
I pray that you have been greatly blessed this Easter season and have grown closer to Jesus Christ. Decolores.
To God be the glory!
Ernie Busack
Community Lay Director
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The Gift is a love offering for International Emmaus and Chrysalis Communities. It is a fundraising program initiated by the Walk to Emmaus/Chrysalis movement to ensure that Christians all over the world can enjoy the fruits of this beautiful ministry. Did you know?
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More than 1 million Christians have experienced a Walk to Emmaus or Chrysalis weekend
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The 600 Emmaus and Chrysalis communities are in 39 countries and 13 countries, respectively
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Emmaus/Chrysalis resources have been translated into 13 languages on 6 continents
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Emmaus/Chrysalis do not receive any funds or money from the United Methodist Church or any church denomination
As part of our covenant with the Upper Room, we are called to actively support international communities through financial contributions to The Gift program. At our January Board meeting, we voted to step out in faith and provide a tithe of 10% of our income from last year.
This year, that amounted to $
1,350.
This is the third year in a row that we have done this and we have been truly blessed by our faithfulness. We are a growing community and are becoming more and more financially sound each year.
Please remember that whenever the "green agape" boxes are passed
at Emmaus gatherings and events
, you can make a tax
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deductible contribution by simply writing a check and making it out to Florida Crown Emmaus. You will then receive a tax statement
by the end of January for the prior tax year
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Your gifts help us to keep the weekend costs as low as possible and allow us to continue to have a quality program for our pilgrims, as they experience the "Walk to Emmaus". Thank you for your on-going support of Florida Crown Emmaus through your participation, sponsorship, prayer, agape and financial support.
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Gives Us This Day
Easter is right around the corner. I recently asked the congregation, "What does Easter 2017 mean to you?" "When you look at this upcoming Easter through your own lens, what do you see?" I ask this because your vision should surround an abundance of grace.
The Easter story is a story of Grace in its fullest lived out through the Cross, and an empty tomb, and the overcoming of death. I have thought a lot about this lately. I am reminded that it is easy to live in this light, when life is going in your direction. Let's face it though, life is not always that "bed of roses."
Sometimes things loom up before us that seem impossible. It could be that sin, that pulls you into the darkness. Maybe it is those moments in our journey, when that cross seems too heavy of a burden to carry. Maybe it is facing a big surgery, or the death of a loved one, or a lost job. The reality of this thought is that, each of us has our own version of what that darkness, or weight looks like. Sometimes even the simplest tasks can become overwhelming, where we feel like we are facing a huge mountain before us. Know that in any given moment, the lens which we look through, makes or breaks us. What does Easter look like to you?
Oh, I can try to justify it all by saying, "I know that with God, all things are possible," and "I know He gives us the grace we need." However, there are those moments, when we have all faced that the preverbal question that looms in the back of our minds- " it be enough?" The lens becomes foggy. Fear closes in. Weakness overwhelms us. We fell an uncertainty, as the lies of Satan arise, and we wonder, how will we ever have enough strength to handle it? What if I told you, it is not for you to handle, rather to turn over to God? Our battles are the Easter story in living color.
Rev. Karl WIggins
Community Spiritual Director
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WALK #79 PILGRIM QUEST
Now is the time to pray for our pilgrims for Walk #79 and to begin registering him/her. I currently have 2 pilgrims registered. The maximum number is 28 per weekend. I have sent an email to the pilgrims on the HOLD list who were unable to attend a prior walk. If you have sponsored one of these applicants, please contact him/her to encourage his/her participation on this walk. I have 10 women and 3 men on the HOLD list. If you are unsure about the applicant you sponsored you may contact me at
[email protected]
. Applicants may remain on the HOLD list only 18 months and then must complete a new application.
All of the Emmaus Community is anxious to have 28 pilgrims on the women's and men's Walk #79. Be in prayer and you may find the application on the website: FloridaCrownEmmaus.com. You may also email me and I will send you the application.
DeColores,
Verna Fields, Registrar
Florida Crown Emmaus
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Upcoming Events/Walks/Chrysalis Flights
Community-wide Leadership Training
April 29, 2017 8:30am - 1:00pm
Lake Shore United Methodist Church
Men's Walk #79 - October 5-8, 2017
Women's Walk #79 - October 12-15, 2017
Chrysalis Flight #34
Which will be held at Mandarin UMC
Girls September 8-10, 2017
Boys September 15-17, 2017
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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 |
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Our Walk with Jesus and Each Other
In Luke 24 we read that two followers of Jesus began a journey to Emmaus "on that same day," that is, on the day of the Resurrection of Jesus. One is identified as Cleopas; the other is not named. However, as they were walking together, they were discussing the events of the recent days, so we must assume that they at least knew each other as fellow followers, and were perhaps even friends. Along the way, they encountered Jesus, the Risen Savior, although at first they were prevented from seeing Him for who He really was.
While walking with each other, and with Jesus, they experienced a time of study, as the scriptures were opened to them and explained to them by the greatest teacher of all.
While walking with each other, and with Jesus, they experienced a time of piety, as they gave of their time to draw close to Jesus and to each other in relationship, and to commune, and to begin having Communion, with one another.
When their eyes were opened to the Risen Savior, they developed a new priority in their life, to share the Good News that Jesus was indeed risen from the dead with the Apostles back in Jerusalem, and they put that priority into action; they returned at once to Jerusalem and shared the Good News. And that took perseverance, as they had already traveled to Emmaus, and now had to travel back, at once.
Study, Piety, Priority, Action, Perseverance.
Do these terms sound familiar? They should!
The importance of the fact that Cleopas and his friend experienced this encounter with Jesus together is important, I believe. While Jesus obviously could have appeared to them one at a time, He chose to appear to them while they were together. Cleopas and his friend had a shared experience. They could give each other mutual support and aid. They could work together in spreading the Good News. As can we.
Each of us had the benefit of a sponsor pulling alongside us and walking with us as we encountered Jesus in our Emmaus experience. Every Butterfly was first invited to be a caterpillar. And that relationship can, and should, continue after our Emmaus and Chrysalis weekends.
Put yourself in the Emmaus story as Cleopas. Who will be the friend that you will pull alongside and support as they experience the Risen Christ through our Florida Crown Community?
We have all experienced the love of our sponsor, the Emmaus and Chrysalis Communities, and most importantly our Savior. It is time to share that Means of Grace with others.
DeColores and Fly with Christ!
Pastor Will Clark
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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
April 22 -New Friendship Baptist
May 20 - Isle of Faith
June 17 -Open
August 19 - Middleburg UMC
September 23 - TBA
October 21 - 4th Day! Orange Park UMC
November 18 - Open
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Florida Crown Emmaus
www.floridacrownemmaus.com
Jacksonville, Florida 32235
Communications
904-382-7323 |
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