Texoma Emmaus Community

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1 Texoma Emmaus Community 1 Newsletter, June, 2015 Ed. Then the two from Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road and how they had recognized him as he was breaking bread. Luke 24:35 NLT A message from our Chair J Net Chambers Newsletter news: Please get your information into the database to ensure continued electronic receipt of the newsletter. Go to to enter your address. If you need to receive a paper newsletter, please send your mailing information to: Texoma Emmaus P O Box 665 Sherman, Tx UPCOMING WALKS Women s Walk #91 Lay Director: Lynda Lewis September 24-27, 2015 Men s Walk #92 Lay Director: Jesse Farrer October 22-25, 2015 What do you want? Seen on a church marquis If you re praying for rain, stop. We have been blessed with abundant rain. In recent travel I witnessed flooding, closed roads, stranded cattle, and tornado damage. I pray for those that have been hurt, suffered property damage and loss of life during the storms. I prayed for water to recede, for folks to be safe, dams to hold and the recovery of communities. In scripture, Moses is talking to the Israelites as they are preparing to cross the Jordan. Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord our God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 30:13. In telling them to be strong and courageous he was telling them that the going was going to get tough. He knew they would be adversely impacted by the future. But he also gave them words of reassurance and encouragement. By trusting in the Lord and obeying him they would be victorious in spite the obstacles they would face. The Israelites had been on a long journey and it wasn t over yet. When Joshua takes over the Lord tells him No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Joshua 1:5 Sound familiar? The Texoma Emmaus Community has completed 2 walks this year. The pilgrims walked in the sun and the rain. God was with them. The community grows. During the recent rains, the cross near the lake was slowly swallowed by deep waters, remaining a symbol of God s presence. I remember a time when that cross lay broken on the ground, until the spirit moved members of the Community to act. God was with them. Scripture tells us we will face struggles, fears, challenges, adversity, and loss. Many times not realizing what we want may not

2 2 be what we need. Oh my, how many times has that been me? Looking back and remembering my own struggles, crying out to God. So much like the Israelites. What do I want? It boggles the mind. What do I need? That boggles the mind as well. Running the list in my mind brings me to the reality that it ain t always up to me. Yes, I have free will. And, history has taught me that at times I ain t too smart. Our God is alive and well in the Texoma Emmaus Community. You have been the face of Christ in many of my storms. In you, I have seen Jesus, my Lord. The rain will stop. It will get hot really hot. We will again pray for rain. So with that in mind, I leave you with this: But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me. Micah 7:7 God s peace for you all, J Net Chambers A message from our Registrar Ben Foytik Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and CERTAIN of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1 I believe the key word there is certain. If you have that kind of unshakable faith, if you are absolutely certain that Jesus is who he said he was and he did what the bible says he did.well, then there is nothing in this world that can keep you down for long. You have put your trust in Christ and that means that you are also certain of your eternal future. There is always going to be that light at the end of the table. My Emmaus experience boosted me up to that level of faith. It would not have happened had I not had a sponsor that cared enough about me to offer me the opportunity to experience a walk to Emmaus. Do you know somebody that could benefit from this experience? Someone who is stuck in a faith rut and could use a little help getting back on track? Why not take a chance and tell them about the Emmaus experience and the potential blessings that they are likely to find during those three life changing days. It just might be the best thing anybody has ever done for them. An Emmaus walk, unlike any other worldly offering, truly has the best odds of being the gift that keeps on giving. My walk did that for me and it is still doing that for me today. I for one am ever grateful that my sponsor didn t shy away from the perceived responsibilities and sacrificed a small amount of HIS time because he knew the potential of the walk plus the quantity as well as the quality of the blessings that I might discover there. Somebody did it for him and he passed it on to me. Somebody did it for you. Will you pass it on to another? De Colores! Ben Foytik

3 3 A message from our Vice-Chair Patsey Smith We ve had two successful spring walks and we re ready to start working on our upcoming fall walks. The community would like to thank everyone who sponsored a pilgrim, participated on the teams, and volunteered in whatever capacity during these two walks. We could not have done it without you. We greatly appreciate you being the hands and feet for Christ. Christ has no body on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ s compassion for the world is to look out; yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good; and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now. While summer is fast approaching, the preparation for Fall Walks #91 and #92 is underway. Two wonderful members of our community has accepted the call and will sacrifice their time to form teams in preparation for our pilgrims to have a great experience. The Women s Walk #91 will be led by Lynda Lewis, which will be September 24 th through September 27 th. We will need all hands on deck Sunday, September 20 th for the setup. Please join us and keep an eye out for an e-blast reminder. The Men s Walk #92 will be led by Jesse Farrer, which will be October 22nd through October 25 th. We will need your assistance for setup on Sunday, October 18 th and you will receive an remainder about this event. We ask for your prayers, support and love for these two lay directors, team members, pilgrims, and upcoming events. Our Team Selection meeting will kick off on Saturday, June 13 th. If you would like to volunteer during the upcoming walks let us know. Please consider sponsoring a pilgrim, sponsorship is the most important role in the Walk to Emmaus. Without sponsors, there would be no Walk. Here s the link for a Walk Application forms.html On our journey with Christ always remember, He s goes before us, He s walking beside us, and He s faithfully leading us along the path of His abundant blessings. God has great things ahead of us! The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:8 DeColores, Patsey Smith

4 Board Members If you would like to serve in any area, or have any questions, please contact any of the following Board members Texoma Emmaus Calendar J Net Chambers Chair jnet1957@aol.com Patsey Smith Vice Chair/ Team Selection patsey.smith@att.net Samantha Parson Spiritual Director parson.sam88@yahoo.com Leon Veazey Assistant Spiritual Director leon@gracesherman.org Duane Marks 4th Day Chair Duane1688@gmail.com Carolyn Cherry Kitchen Team Chair mommycarolyn72@gmail.com Ben Foytik Registration Chair bfoytik13@gmail.com Leeora Bryant Agape Chair leeorabryant@gmail.com Sandra Carter Treasurer msjecarter@gmail.com Michelle Dunaway Secretary/Historian Chair mychelledunaway@yahoo.com Robin Woodall Communications Chair (Website, Reunion Groups, Sponsorship) woodall13@me.com Paul Welborn Literature Chair Paul.welborn.cgci@statefarm.com Lonnie Pointer Supplies Chair circle9lp@yahoo.com Colleen Reilly Database Chair (e-blast) Colleen.reilly@sbcglobal.net Eddie Herman Fundraising Chair toniaherman@yahoo.com Chuck Bell Follow-ups and Gatherings thebells_ct@excite.com Christi Haywood Music Selection Chair haywood.christi@yahoo.com John Orozco Newsletter Chair john.orozco@tombean-isd.org Charlie Philips Past Chair cphilips@philipsandepperson.com July 11, :00 p.m., Board Meeting, Northpark Baptist, Sherman, TX 6:30 p.m., Gathering, Northpark Baptist, Sherman, TX August 15, :00 p.m., Board Meeting, Trinity UMC, Denison, TX 6:30 p.m., Gathering, Trinity UMC, Denison, TX September 20, :00 p.m. Board Meeting, Texoma Baptist Youth Camp 4:00 p.m. Walk Set-up September 24-27, 2015 Women s Walk #91 October 6, :30 p.m., Women s Walk #91 Follow-up, Grace UMC, Sherman October 18, :00 p.m. Board Meeting, Texoma Baptist Youth Camp 4:00 p.m. Walk Set-up October Men s Walk #92 November 3, :30 p.m., Men s Walk #92 Follow-up, FUMC Howe, Howe, TX November 14, :00 a.m., Board Meeting, The Harvest Church, Allen, TX December 5, :00 a.m., Board Meeting, TBD 12:00 p.m., Gathering, TBD

5 5 A Message from our Spiritual Director Samantha Parsons Grace and peace to you, my friends- It s been awhile since I have been able to be a part of Texoma Community Activities, and I have missed the joy of fellowship with those who have shared the power of an Emmaus walk! Between my health issues and our daughter s graduating senior events, our home has been transition central since January. It has been a very stressful time - full of uncertainty, indecision, anxiety - reacting to all the changes taking place. And it has been a time of great anticipation full of excitement, celebrations, emotion experiencing all the changes taking place. Two perspectives: Reacting to change and experiencing change When we react to the change happening around us, it tends to feel like something is being done to us, that we might not have much choice in the matter, that we are treading water and barely keeping our head up as the waves keep crashing in. When we experience the change happening around us, we can choose to observe what is happening, choose to evaluate the impact of the change, and even try to participate in rolling with the waves. Anyone with me? As an ordinary human being, I ve done both of these the past few monthsj The Psalms are an amazing help in times of change David and the other authors knew just how to express the perspectives of being an ordinary human being going through all kinds of change! Psalm 139 is one that I return to time and again it begins with statements of awe for God s faithful presence, continues with celebrating the unique creation of each person, - then there is this jarring request for violence and vengeance against his enemies, and finally David closes with a personal request for a renewed heart and spirit. When we are going through times of change there will be a pattern of ups and downs! Some days we will be experiencing and praising the presence of God, and then there will be days when we ask for vengeance against the source of our changes! What we have to remember, is that in spite of and throughout all of the changes that we are experiencing GOD NEVER CHANGES. Jesus Christ is the SAME yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) I am trying to get a new pattern of daily living for health and wholeness given our current family, work, and outside commitments. Jacqueline is preparing for an entirely new set of commitments that will involve a different setting, different responsibilities, and different resources to fulfill her obligations! As a one child family, we ll be hitting the empty nest experience as of August 23. Yikes where does the time fly? And yet we can claim the steadfast faithfulness of God through every part of our lives. As a response to this time, I have used the last two verses of Psalm 139 to create a prayer for moving through these times of change. I pray you will find it useful in your journey as well. Search me, O God, And know my heart Claiming the dark spaces for your light. Test me, Lord, And know my anxious thoughts, Guiding me from the far places by your right hand. See if there is any offensive way in me That separates my understanding from your faithful presence, And lead me in the way everlasting, That I may praise your wonders and treasure your thoughts. Selah (which translates to Pause, and calmly think of that ) De Colores! Pastor Sam When we are going through times of change, there will be a pattern of ups and downs!

6 6 A Message from our Assistant Spiritual Director Leon Veazey Who Is God Calling? Many clergy give testimony to the fact that their calling to vocational ministry came as a surprise, and many even testify that they ran from their call, but God wouldn t let them go. I love to hear the many stories of how the Great Shepherd guides His under-shepherds into their role in pastoral ministry. I am NOT one of those who were caught off guard! From the time I was eight years old, I dreamed of being a Pastor. I literally DREAMED of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ in auditoriums, including the school gymnasium. Yeah, I know, I was a real NERD! A religious nerd at that! Well, after serving as a pastor in charge for 23 years, in January, 2013, for the first time in my adult vocational life, I was not serving as a clergy. If it hadn t been for the opportunity afforded me by The Texoma Emmaus Community to serve as the Assistant Spiritual Director, I don t know if I would have been able to handle that transition. Samantha Parson, our Spiritual Director, the Texoma Emmaus Board of Directors, and the Community at large have been vessels of God s grace in my life as I ve navigated a major life transition. Many heartfelt Thanks go out to all of you! Since I accepted my call to serve as Assistant Spiritual Director, which I did intending to serve 3 years, God has continued to transition my life, and it appears that He is leading me into preparation for more Pastoral Ministry. I have been serving as a Staff Pastor at Grace United Methodist Church for several months now, which is a volunteer position and is designated as a lay position, because I don t yet have credentials within the United Methodist Church to serve in a clergy role. However, I have been in communication with the District Superintendent and the General Board of Higher Education, and I believe God is moving me toward attaining the credentials required to serve as a Licensed Local Church Pastor, and probably to eventually pursue ordination as an Elder. This means that once that process starts, I will have officially relinquished my current ordained status, which was attained through a different denomination. So, I won t be qualified to serve as the Assistant Spiritual Director of the Texoma Emmaus Community until I attain the necessary credentials as a clergy in The United Methodist Church. So, with that said, I will be serving out the remainder of 2015 as The Assistant Spiritual Director of the Community, then somebody else will need to answer the call of God to take my place. I know that God is calling somebody! Are you listening? You must be an ordained clergy who has been on the Walk to Emmaus and served as an Assistant Spiritual Director or the Spiritual Director of at least a couple of walks. If you feel like the Holy Spirit is calling you to serve or want to know more about this opportunity, please feel free to contact me! I d love to visit with you about the blessing of serving in this role. May God bless you as you seek His will! De Colores! Leon Veazy

7 From our Agape Chair Leeora Bryant 7 Hello Texoma Emmaus Community!!! Hebrews 13:1 "Let brotherly love continue". Agape -The love of God for man and of man for God. Whether the love given is returned or not, the person continues to love (even without any self-benefit). Agape love is self sacrifice for others. Just as Jesus sacrificed for us. We are to love others sacrificially. As The Texoma Emmaus Community we give Agape Love thru Sponsoring, Prayer, Agape Letters, Special Agape Items such as (placements, pens, pencils, necklaces, head attire etc...). We also give Agape Love with Food and Snacks. If there is one thing our Texoma Emmaus Community does is EAT!!! (Smile). Our 1st two walks of 2015 were very meaningful for so... many pilgrims, and God was truly in the mist of it all. I would personally like to Thank and Commend Our Community and Reunion Groups for the love, prayers, letters, food and sponsoring The Pilgrims of Walk #89 & #90, because without you there wouldn t have been two walks this year already. You've poured love out of your hearts by taking time out of your personal schedules to give God's Love To Someone Else!!! I'm sure its okay to speak for each member in our community in saying. (THANK YOU!!!) We will have two more walks coming up this fall. Women's Walk # 91 September 24-27, Also Men's Walk #92 October 22-25, We will be needing Agape for both Walks.If you would please start preparing your Agape, so we can have a over flowing of Agape for The Pilgrims of Walk #91 and Walk # item each will cover a full Walk. If there happens to be some left over you may collect them at Follow-up, or at our Gatherings. I would like to give a Special Thank You The Community Members who have Already Prepared Agape for the Fall Walks coming up. If you have any questions concerning Agape you can reach me at or leeorabryant@gmail.com It is truly a pleasure to be a part of The Texoma Emmaus Community!!! De Colores!!! Leeora Bryant (Agape Chairperson) From our Newsletter Chair John Orozco Our Texoma Emmaus Community has many opportunities for everyone to remain active within the community. I want to encourage each of you that are not involved to find a place or area to use your gifts in our community...christ is Counting on You and so are future pilgrims. If you are not sure where your talents can be used, simply contact any board member and we will help you get involved. There is a list of all the board members, their phone numbers and addresses on page 4 of this newsletter, so PLEASE contact us and let us help you find a place to share your God given talents. DeColores, John Orozco From our Secretary Michelle Dunaway I want to share a quote with you that helps me to stay positive in my daily walk. Maybe it will help you in difficult times as well. I am too positive to be doubtful, too optimistic to be fearful and too determined to be defeated." De Colores! Michelle Dunaway

8 From our Communications Chair Robin Woodall 8 Keeping our community connected Be sure to visit our community website, texomaemmaus.com, to keep up with community events and dates. I wanted to point out where some of the common items we look for can be found: Quick Events You will see this floating on the left side of the home page. This is a quick calendar that has events that the entire community should come to, such as gathering and 4th day opportunities. A full calendar can be found from the cal-endar link at the bottom of any page. Board of Directors contact information On the "About Us page you can find the contact information for your Board of Directors. Walk Membership On the bottom of any page you will find a link to Walk Membership for upcoming walks. Applications A walk application is always just a click away - you can either click the icon on the home page or the forms button on the bottom of any page. (or just send this link to a potential pilgrim: assets/2015-applicationnew.pdf) Database Link If you go to the footer of any page you will see a link to the Database Log-In. Donations If you are unable to make a gatherng or event, you can still donate to the community. Just click the "Donate" button on the bottom of any page. In addition to the community website, you also have the opportunity to connect with other members by joining our Facebook group at: This group is for people who have already completed a walk and is a great place to share with one another and stay connected. DeColores, Robin From our Data Base Chair Colleen Reilly A few words about Change As we enter the month of June and begin summer, one thing we can count on is change. Whether it is the kids being out of school, a child graduating, getting married, etc.; the world is constantly changing. Change could be a new job or loss of a job, a marriage or a divorce. Adapting to a new baby or adapting to caring for your elderly parent with dementia. The question we should ask ourselves is: How will we manage all these changes? Will you do your best to trust God or will you spend countless hours worrying about something you can t control? The best way to confront change is head on with God by your side. The same God who created the universe loves you and will protect you if you ask Him. Trust him with your whole heart and serve Him with willing hands. Proverbs 3: 5-6 is a favorite verse of mine. And when I start to worry about something I remind myself of this verse. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. [a] So in a world of change remember God s love is unchangeable and is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow!! DeColores!! Your Database Chair, Colleen Reilly

9 From our Treasurer Sandra Carter 9 Thank You to all who came out in the chilly rain for the 3rd Annual Rooster Run!!! For those of you who registered for the original Feb date and were unable to make it to the rescheduled date, you may pick up your shirts at the July gathering. Any shirts not picked up will be made available to sell at the August gathering. A special thanks for our wonderful sponsors! We truly appreciate your continued support! Sandra Carter Treasurer From our Gatherings and Follow-Up Chair Chuck Bell My name is Chuck Bell, I went on Emmaus Walk #78, and sat at the table of Paul (clapping goes here) unless you are Troy, in which case you didn t pay attention, or you have a smart remark. I am your Gatherings and Follow-Up Chair this year. I would like to welcome our new members from walks #89 and #90. Our next Gathering is July 11, at North Park Church in Sherman Tx. It is located at 2605 Rex Cruse Drive. Food and Fellowship will start at 6:30 with music and the Lords Supper following. I will continue to Hammer Two things this year, Sponsorship...passing on the gift that you have been given, and Prayer. If Repentance is the door, we must always walk through, and Faith, being the frame upon which it hangs. Then Prayer is the movement of the door opening. Before anything you do in your life, no matter how large, or small. Pray First, if necessary, use words. DeColores, Chuck Bell From our Literature Chair Paul Welborn Hi Emmaus Community, My name is Paul Welborn (I took my walk to Emmaus at Texoma in April of 2003, Walk #36 and sat at the table of Luke). I am serving on the Board as your Literature Chairperson. I am responsible for ordering books for the book table, purple worship books, reunion cards, handout brochures, anything that has to do with reading, and prayer crosses used by each speaker while giving a talk. Also, I am responsible for making sure the conference room team manuals are up to date and in order. I look forward to serving the community these next several years. After serving as Lay Director in 2014 I thought I was pretty much done with serving in our Community, but found out real quick that God has other plans. I may not be serving as a conference team member, but I am still as involved as ever with each Walk. Just ask any Board member and we ll let you know how you too can serve. The conference room team needs your help, just as Christ needed his disciples. Be Blessed Paul Welborn From our Kitchen Chair Carolyn Cherry I hope everyone is enjoying their summer by serving where they are. As we get ready to serve this fall our Kitchen Cha teams are coming to together nicely. Men's Walk #92 head Kitchen Cha will be Gary Hinkle. Our Women's Walk#91 head kitchen cha is still under prayful consideration at this point. If your reunion group would like to serve on this team let me know. Teams are required to stay on site and serve from Thursday night through Sunday closing. The team registration fee is the same $ per team member to serve in this capacity. Please know it's hard work...but it's very rewarding serving "love on a plate." DeColores, Carolyn Cherry

10 10 Pastor s Corner Currently we are discerning the clergy teams for our Fall walks in 2015: Women s Walk 91, September 24-27, and Men s Walk 92, October Please be in prayer for those positions, and if you are interested in service opportunities, please get in touch with me! I will also be scheduling clergy to preside and assist with Candlelight for 91 & 92, and for gatherings if the Church Pastor at our site for the month is unable to do so in those remaining for All I need for you to do is: 1. Download an Emmaus clergy application from the website. (If it won t load on the Texoma site, then go to The UpperRoom and look under the Emmaus Resources.) 2. Complete the form and either send it as an attachment to me at: parson.sam88@yahoo.com - or snail mail it to me at 201 N. Parvin St., Prosper, TX Be aware of our clergy expectations as good and faithful stewards: Emmaus Clergy Training will be held in conjunction with the Team Meetings that are so vital in building unity, relationship, and trust; at least 3 of the 5 clergy will need to stay the full weekend; and in partnership with the whole community and Team, budget accordingly for the weekend fee of $150.** 4. PRAY!! Pray, pray, pray that the Spirit will fall afresh in North Texas, that Emmaus will be an instrument of grace in our midst, that our churches will indeed grow up into the maturity of our only Lord and Savior. I look forward to working with you as we all strive to build-up the Body of Christ in love. Be encouraged! Rev. Samantha Parson, Pastor, Cottage Hill UMC, , parson.sam88@yahoo.com **This is not intended as a restriction for serving on a team partial or full scholarships are available just let me know if that is needed when I contact you for service.

11 11 Congratulations to the newest Texoma Emmaus Community members: TEXOMA EMMAUS COMMUNITY Women's Walk # 89 March 26-29, 2015 Pilgrim Name Church Sponsor Vanessa Doan Higher Trails Cowboy Church Steve Welborn Nita Welborn Highland Terrace Baptist Church Steve Welborn Molly Norton Kings Trail Cowboy Church Andre Saxton Shannon Saxton Kings Trail Cowboy Church Andre Saxton Bailey Saxton Kings Trail Cowboy Church Andre Saxton Stacey Cowling Calvary Baptist Church Steven Cowling Marcia Seeber First Christian Church - Gainesville Kaye Campbell Shelia Patton FUMC Blue Ridge Correnda Cantrell Anne Pfeiffer Stonebridge UMC Tina Ripperger Roxanne Carreathers New Hope Christian Church Fellowship New Hope Christian Church Amy Gulseth Wylie UMC Steve Lowes Debbie Smith Community Bible Fellowship Julie Henry Cheryl Stringer Cowboy Church of Collin County Dennis Stringer Sally Eason The Harvest Michelle Dunaway Patti Hanni Kings Trail Cowboy Church Kelly Crouse Janice Oliver Cowboy Church of Collin County Barbara & Michael Hansen Anne Cano The Bridge Community Church Ryan Neshyba Patti Gilmore Kings Trail Cowboy Church Misty Neshyba Lynn Dugle Stonebridge UMC Colleen Reilly Babette Booe Fusion Bible Kim Wright Jaime Wilson Lakeway UMC Erica Sweetin Kylie Welborn FUMC Blue Ridge Tammy Welborn Suzanne Goodfriend First Presbyterian of Whitewright Rachel Clouse Trina Young Kings Trail Cowboy Church Jennifer Boon Lisa Pullum Redemption Road Fellowship Denine Chron

12 12 Congratulations to the newest Texoma Emmaus Community members: TEXOMA EMMAUS COMMUNITY Men's Walk #90 April 23-26, 2015 Pilgrim Name Church Sponsor Jason Norton Kings Trail Cowboy Church Andre Saxton Thomas Taylor Our Savior Lutheran Church Charlie Philips B. J. Koonce Kings Trail Cowboy Church Tracy Koonce Peter Hampton Kings Trail Cowboy Church Jeff Krouse David Crim Kings Trail Cowboy Church Andre Saxton Michael Peterman Fusion Bible Christy Peterman Ernest Hanni Kings Trail Cowboy Church Bobby Adams David Doan Higher Trails Cowboy Church Vanessa Doan Shelton McGill Cowboy Church of Collin County Mike Boon Gordy Newert Kings Trail Cowboy Church Ryan Neshyba Ron Ellis First Christian Church Beverly Ellis Lee Baker Cowboy Church of Collin County Dennis Stringer Nate Stringer Cowboy Church of Collin County Dennis Stringer Ron Bell New Community Church Lisa Pullum Derrick Lumpkin First Christian Gainesville Tracie Lumpkin Josh Wallace Savoy FBC Glen Spradling Tim Hamel Elmore City FBC Dustin Turner