KOINONIA COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER

Transcription

1 KOINONIA COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER December 2015 As part of our 4 th Day we need to remain focused on the things that played such a big part of our Walk. Prayer, meditation, worship, and reading the scriptures are all part of our Christian walk and need to remain so throughout the holiday season. It is my prayer that each of us not lose sight of these things and that Christ will not only be a part of Christmas but of every aspect of our daily walk. De Colores and God s blessing to all!!! Upcoming EMMAUS Gatherings: December, 2015 No Gathering in December January 8, 2016 (7:30 p.m.) Lytle United Methodist Church S Somerset Street From Your Newsletter Coordinator: As we enter the holiday season it becomes very easy to become preoccupied with family, friends, and all the commercial things that go with it. Koinonia 2015 Gathering Calendar December No Gathering Koinonia 2016 Gathering Calendar January Lytle UMC February Hondo 1 st UMC March 1 st UMC Devine April New Fountain UMC May St. Paul Lutheran Hondo June W.H. Cowboy Church July Somerset UMC August Lakehills UMC September St. Paul Lutheran Hondo October Lytle UMC November New Fountain UMC December No Gathering

2 2016 Walk to Emmaus Schedule As you hold out the word of life--in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. Date Walk Gender FDG Location 02/18/ M Greater Austin Young Judaea 02/18/ M Uvalde Alto Frio 02/18/ M Valley Camp Thicket 02/25/ M Springs of Life TX Tech Junction 02/25/ M Hays Praise Young Judaea 03/03/ M Living Water Eagle s Wings 03/03/ M Concho Country Christ the King 03/10/ M Solid Rock Young Judaea 03/17/ W NWSA Mt. Wesley 04/07/ M New Life Blue Print Min. 04/07/ M Windmill Camp Zephyr TBA 1833 M Rivercreek TBA 04/14/ M Care Bexar Mt. Wesley 04/14/ M Crossroads SRC 04/21/ M BOeRNe Again Omega 04/21/ M Hill Country Mt. Wesley 04/28/ M Koinonia Mt. Wesley But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me. Philippians 2: Paul is rejoicing in what God has done for the Philippians. It makes Paul feel accomplished in his work. We all should rejoice when God works in somebody's life. It is great glory when someone comes to Christ. 05/05/ W Greater Austin Young Judaea 05/12/ W Hays Praise Young Judaea 06/23/ W Coastal Bend Our Lady of CC Don Krumrey St. Paul Lutheran Church Hondo, Texas

3 Prayer Vigil Needs We are trying out a new process for filling prayer vigils. We are trying an online service called VolunteerSpot to fill our assigned times for prayer vigils. It has some nice benefits, such as making it less complicated for people that don t attend a gathering to get signed up for prayer vigils, and automatically sending a reminder two days before the prayer vigil time. You can also sign up using an iphone or ipad app, which is inexpensive, but not free. For the Prayer Vigil Coordinator it also provides some easy reporting capabilities. We have set up a group page at The prayer vigils for the first half of 2015 (through May) have been loaded into this group page for us to get them filled quickly and easily. Please take a look and let us know what you think about it! Here's how it works in 4 easy steps: 1. Click this link to go to our group page on VolunteerSpot: 2. Select a weekend that you are available to sign up for a prayer vigil. 3. Enter your address: (You will NOT need to register an account on VolunteerSpot) 4. Sign up! Choose your spots - VolunteerSpot will send you an automated confirmation and reminders. It s easy! ***NOTE*** VolunteerSpot does not share your address with anyone. Putting your address in allows the system to send you a confirmation that you have signed up, and a reminder two days before the event. If you prefer not to use your address, please contact Connie Norton (cnortonaggie@yahoo.com) and she can sign you up manually.

4 CANON OF THE EMMAUS TEAM As a member of an Emmaus team I am only one part of a complete being! As an imperfect earthen vessel my position is to be a servant. The Holy Spirit calls for my love, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control in all things. Therefore, I will serve in humility and gratitude. My prayer is to submit to the Holy Spirit in every area of my life. The Holy Spirit, as my Counselor, reminds me that God works through committed, obedient, and yielded people as instruments to renew God s Church. By God s grace I am confident that God will work God s mighty acts through me not because of me. I will pray for team members and pilgrims, asking our Lord to strengthen them and to reveal himself to them in new and wondrous ways. My position is to be a servant in word and deed not glorifying myself or any other team member and not emphasizing self-importance. Other people are the main reason for my presence and my prayers; therefore, I must be used as little as possible during these three days. This team is more important than me. In all things I will accept and be obedient to the authority and discipline under which I serve. My responsibility is to be obedient to the church and totally responsive to the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Whatever passions and excitement seize me, I will express through joyful praise of the Father, my Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. I will give God all the glory for anything and everything that occurs on this Walk. I will raise my voice only in praise of God and will bow my head in reverence and submission to Jesus Christ. God can use me more powerfully as a servant than in any position of my own choosing. As a member of an Emmaus team, in all things during this weekend, I shall pray, Not me, but Christ.

5 Men s Walk #1838 The team selection for Walk #1838 was finalized and approved at the November gathering. Team members have been notified and preparation is underway for the monthly team planning meetings. The team meetings will take place at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Hondo. Please check out the Wants and Needs list to see if there is an opportunity for you to assist with walk #1838. Also, begin to give thought to possible opportunities to provide Agape for the walk. Please be in prayer that everything that is being done in conjunction with this walk is for the purpose of bringing glory and praise to our God and Lord. Pray also that those who have been selected to serve as members of this team will do so with a total focus on Service. And.finally, begin praying for those pilgrims who are to attend this upcoming walk. Pray that they will do so with open and receptive hearts that they will be receptive to God s will in their lives. Pilgrim Applications may be submitted via to Jim Rhoades at: jrhoades68@gmail.com Or by mail to: Jim Rhoades 240 CR 2731 Mico, Texas 78056

6 A Message From Our Spiritual Director Eastern Shore Emmaus "But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Galatians 6:14 Paul, near the end of his letter to the Galatians, noted that there were those who would try to make a "good showing" in their outward spiritual expressions. He would argue that the focus was taken off the cross of Christ and centered upon the works of the flesh, i.e. circumcision. However, Paul would quickly put the right perspective back where it belonged. The only boasting that could be done would be in the, "...cross of our Lord Jesus Christ..." It would be time well spent for us also to consider the depth of the cross of Christ. We have nothing to boast in that would gain us anymore favor with God than that which is already present: God's Grace. God's unmerited favor towards us that sees us as we are; un-done, lost, hurting, and in need of redemption. The weight and penalty of our sin hung on the cross of Christ. It was there that God, "...made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:21 With such thoughts in mind, Isaac Watts rightly penned the words: Alas! and did my Savior bleed? And did my Sov'reign die? Would He devote that sacred head For such a worm as I? At the cross, at the cross, Where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away - It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day. Dear friends, the cross of Christ has never failed and never will! Let it be our boast as well! Steve Willing Assistant Community SD Eastern Shore Emmaus P. O. Box 91 Franktown, Virginia 23354

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8 Reunion Group Opportunity Koinonia Reunion Groups (MEN) Lytle UMC Wednesday Mornings 6:30 AM Scott Martin Lytle UMC Living Dust Mondays 6 PM Scott Martin St. Paul, Hondo Early Birds Mondays 6:30 AM Don Krumrey St. Paul, Hondo Night Owls Wednesdays 7 PM Pat Cleary Hondo First UMC Tuesday 8 AM Fred Meyer Yancey UMC Sam Dubberly Lytle UMC O dark 30 boys Wednesdays 6:00 AM Kyle Jackson Currey Creek Boerne, TX Tuesdays 5:30 PM Steve Balthrop

9 \ Reunion Group Opportunity Koinonia Reunion Groups (WOMEN) Lytle Morning Doves Irma Bayne s Thursdays 6:30 AM Connie Norton Lytle Dusk Angels Linda Bahlmann s Thursdays 6:30 PM Linda Bahlmann The Town Criers Quihi (varies) Thursdays 7:30 AM Tara Lewis Lytle Friday Mid-mornings Debbie Pruett BOA s for Christ St. Paul, Hondo 2/4 Mondays 5:30 PM Deb Cleary St. Paul, Hondo Tuesday Afternoons 5:45 PM Helen Witte Hearts for Him St. Paul, Hondo Wednesdays 12 PM Johnette Dixon Castroville Various places and times Jan Warner Lake Hills UMC Tuesdays 10:30 AM Jackie Blakemore Wednesdays 7 AM Sandy Trenkelbach Please submit any corrections to the above listed reunion groups to your newsletter coordinator at jrhoades68@gmail.com.

10 The Purpose of Emmaus The purpose of Emmaus is the renewal of the Church as the body of the risen Christ in the world through the renewal of church members as faithful and committed disciples of Jesus Christ. Emmaus expands participants' spiritual lives, deepens their discipleship, and rekindles their gifts as Christian leaders in their churches and communities. Pastors and Church Family Please print several copies of this new newsletter and place in your church foyer or lobby for those folks who do not have . Thanks, De Colores!! Newsletter Coordinator: Jim Rhoades 240 CR 2731 Mico, Texas (210)