May Gathering! Saturday, May 7, 2011 at St John s UMC 321 S Oakland Ave., Rock Hill, SC, 29730

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1 News From the Central Carolinas Emmaus Community Volume 27 Issue 5 May 2011 May Gathering! Saturday, May 7, 2011 at St John s UMC 321 S Oakland Ave., Rock Hill, SC, Food & Fellowship 6:00 PM Worship and Prayer Service 7:00 PM Next month s GATHERING is June 4th at Sharon UMC, Charlotte, NC CALLING ALL MUSICIANS!! Our list of musical people is woefully out of date, which makes it challenging for the Lay Directors to invite new people to be a part of a music team on a weekend. If you play an instrument (especially keyboard and/or guitar) or sing we need to know who you are! Can you please shoot a note to Laura Shirey at lshirey@carolina.rr.com and tell her what your musical talents are? Thanks

2 You may want to write this down! Notes from April s Gathering! Forth Day Talk: Tom Coleman (CCEC Walk #112, Table of Paul, Weddington UMC) presented the fourth day talk. Tom spoke of how much the Walk to Emmaus meant to him, but acknowledged that he couldn t really put his finger on why, at least not at first. It was 18 months after his walk, in trying to explain the experience to his sister, that it all made sense. At the age of 8, Tom s mother committed suicide. While Tom had accepted Christ before his Walk to Emmaus, he had lived most of his life with a lingering sense of being unloved and abandoned even after accepting Christ. It was through his Emmaus experience that he finally understood what it felt like to be loved unconditionally, and there was One who had loved him all along and never abandoned him. Once Tom was able to feel the overwhelming, unmatched, agape love of Christ, it became his mission to share it with others. Tom is now a Stephen Minister at Weddington UMC and active in his reunion group. Weddington UMC Pastor Erin Yow gave the pastoral response. Reunion Group Talk: Lisa Poole (WNC Via De Cristo #57) talked about the importance of reunion groups in keeping the Emmaus experience alive. Lisa s story reminds us that it won t always be easy to sustain a group, but that being in community with your sisters (or brothers ) is invaluable. Lisa s reunion group has changed over the years (in size and in members) and the frequency of meetings has changed to accommodate schedules and life changes, but the important thing is that they kept getting together on a regular schedule even when their numbers dwindled to just 2 or 3. Lisa concluded with a great God story. Her reunion group had prayed for Lisa s sister to go on a Cursillo weekend. When her sister did go, she ended up being placed at a table with one of Lisa s reunion sisters.

3 SPONSOR S SPOTLIGHT As a sponsor of a pilgrim we have a responsibility to make certain that person has a good Emmaus experience and it begins with preparation, this is the second in a four part series of good sponsorship. Responsibilities of the Sponsor Before the Walk: Spend concentrated time in prayer in an effort to discern whom God wants you to sponsor. The whole weekend experience leads pilgrims to desire a reordering of priorities, to understand and experience God s grace within a community of believers and to be drawn into deeper discipleship by the Holy Spirit. Make an appointment and meet with the potential pilgrim(s) maybe over lunch or dinner to make the occasion less formal, and share your experiences and some of the aspects of the walk: This may be an appropriate time to address the aspect of secrecy. One of the worst mistakes made by those who have attended the Emmaus Walk is to be too secretive about what happens on the Walk. The Upper Room Handbook on Emmaus states, There is nothing secretive about the Emmaus Walk. When your prospective pilgrim asks you a specific question, you should always give an honest and truthful answer. Avoid telling anyone that they need to go on the Walk to Emmaus. God sets the timetable, not us; it is up to Him. Invite your prospective pilgrim to monthly gatherings, all monthly gatherings are open to everyone. Tell your pilgrim about the format for the weekend: Explain how the weekend works (do this together if sponsoring a couple), tell them of the purpose of the Walk to Emmaus, explain the schedule and their commitment of time. Make sure they know they will be away from the world for 72 hours. Remind them there will be no phones, no smart phones, laptops, pagers, watches, messages or cameras. In case of a family emergency, there is a process in place for them to be contacted. If only one spouse wants to go explain the six-months waiting rule. It is never the intent of Emmaus to cause strife in a relationship. If only one spouse desires to go at this time, the willing spouse should wait six months to allow for the reluctant spouse to change their mind. If after six months they are still unwilling, the single spouse can resubmit their application Go over the application form together, make certain that items on questions are covered, and the potential pilgrim is knowledgeable enough to answer any of the above questions as yes. Make certain that the sponsors form is complete. Include any special needs the applicant may have: Special diet (diabetic, vegetarian, lactose intolerance, etc.); Transportation difficulties (needs golf cart at camp, etc.); medications; sleep machines. Stay in touch with the applicant and inform registrar of any changes such as change of address, phone number or desire to attend the Walk. Other changes such as illnesses, death in family, marital status, relatives applying for same Walk, etc. Explain to them that there will be fifteen talks, group discussions, and time for fellowship. Its fine to tell them about the type of food served, communion and sleeping accommodations and what to expect so they can prepare. They will be with people they don t know, but in a short time they ll become a close knit community. This experience will demonstrate the love of God and being in Christian fellowship. Hopefully, this will help set their mind at ease. Continued on next page..

4 .Continued Also tell them about monthly gatherings (if they haven t already attended one) and tell them about Reunion Groups and how they can help encourage further growth. After you have answered all questions, give your prospect an application. (Registration forms can be downloaded from the website). Be sure to answer any further questions about the application. Give the pilgrim a pamphlet pertaining to the Walk or the booklet What is Emmaus? which can be purchased at the Cokesbury Bookstore for about $3.00. Give them time to read and understand the information. Begin the preparations to request the personal agape letters Several days before the Walk is to begin, contact your pilgrim as a reminder about the upcoming Walk. Offer guidance about what to pack for the weekend. Be sure to tell them to pack bed linens, blankets, pillows, bed clothes, towels and bath supplies, along with enough everyday clothing appropriate for the weather. Practical outerwear and comfortable shoes are desirable (layering is good). Remind them that they should furnish all personal items, but if something is missing when they arrive at Bethelwoods, it will be furnished. There is a packing list included in the pilgrim s confirmation letter. Be available to pilgrims prior to WTE to answer further questions. Make sure pilgrims know that you are NOT going to be with them. Make certain that the registrar is informed again of any special needs, diets, medications, etc. Make certain that the pilgrim knows that the balance due payment needs to be made prior to send off. Pray, Pray, Pray for the pilgrim and their families. More next month DeColores Dave LeGrande Fourth Day Coordinator We, C.C.E.C., have new mugs that are used on our weekends. Good news is we don t have to wait to serve on a walk to get one! The new mugs are available for purchase at our Gatherings. Cost is $5 each.

5 Don't Miss The 4th Day Retreat!! This year's 4th Day Retreat is going to be August 11-13, This is a wonderful 2-day retreat for anyone who has been on an Emmaus weekend. It's for couples as well as singles. The retreat takes place at the Caraway Conference Center in Asheboro, NC - a beautiful retreat center surrounded by nature. The format is similar to that of Emmaus but with only 5 talks. It's a wonderful opportunity to spend some quality time with your Emmaus friends and it's always a lot of fun. The cost is $ per person with a $90.00 non-refundable deposit. Registrations will be accepted until May 2, 2011, but you'd best get it in early because we have a limited number of rooms. For additional information please refer to the registration form on the next page or on the CCEC website.

6 21st Annual nua CCEC C Fourth Day Retreat e Caraway a Conference Center Asheboro, NC Begins : 5:30 PM on Thursday, August 11, 2011 w ith dinner r Ends : After lunch on Saturday, August 13, 2011 Fun, Fellowship lows and Food!!!! This event, sponsored by the Central Carolinas Emmaus Community, is planned by past CCEC Lay Directors. It includes talks, topic related activities, worship, music and times of fellowship. The 2011 Retreat Director is Joyce Ruth and the Spiritual Director will be the Rev. Bruce Jones of River Hills Community Church in Lake Wylie, South Carolina. Joyce and the Committee are working very hard to make this retreat a great one! The book Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit by Francis Chan will be the focus of the 2011 retreat. It's very important that you get your reservations in early as we have a limited number of rooms! The cost for this year's Fourth Day Retreat will be $ per person, with a $90.00 non-refundable deposit per person due by May 2, 2011 to guarantee our rooms! The cost includes six meals and two nights lodging. All rooms have A/C, 2 double beds and private baths. If you have to cancel after this date, we cannot refund any money back to you. Make checks payable to CCEC and mail your deposit and registration form to: Linda Wujciak 501 Boyce Road Charlotte, NC If you have any questions, you may contact Linda by , lindawujciak@gmail.com or by phone, Closer to the time of the retreat, you will be sent a map to Caraway Center and a list of what you will need to bring with you. Check the CCEC newsletter for more information on the retreat. For those who have attended in the past, you know what a wonderful retreat this is and for CCEC newcomers...don't anticipate...enjoy! Registration Form Print Name(s): Address: Phone: Number in Party: Address: Deposit Amount: $ Room With: MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO CCEC & MAIL TO: Linda Wujciak 501 Boyce Road Charlotte, NC

7 2011 CALENDAR OF EVENTS May 7 May 12 June 4 June 9 CCEC Gathering, Saturday; 6 PM; St. Johns UMC Rock Hill CCEC Board Meeting, 7 PM; Central Steele Creek Pres. CCEC Gathering, Saturday; 6 PM; Servanthood Training 6 PM; Sharon UMC CCEC Board Meeting, 7 PM; Central Steele Creek Pres. July 9 CCEC Gathering, Saturday; 6 PM; Sponsorship Training 5 PM; Location TBD July 14 CCEC Board Meeting, 7 PM; Central Steele Creek Pres. Elaine Claiborne Community Lay Director / Chairperson elaine@perigee.net Michelle Jones Vice Chair / Worship Chair mlj86@juno.com Ginger Alden Secretary aldens@carolina rr.com Doug Morgan Treasurer the bootery@bellsouth.net Rev. Scott Ireland Community Spiritual Director sireland@umfwnc.org Rev. Gayle Montgomery Ass't Community SD gayle.montgomery@harrisonumc.org Laura Shirey Community Records / Team Selection lshirey@carolina.rr.com Angie Lord Agape angielord@blairroadumc.org Dave LeGrande Fourth Day Activities dlegrande@comporium.net David Suddreth Housing david@carolinagc.com Jace Stowe Literature jacestowe@earthlink net Mike Raynor Newsletter / Communications mandbraynor@yahoo.com Clara Horton Transportation clarashorton@gmail.com Kathy Hazelrigg Registrar kathryn.merk@gmail.com Dan Meyer Weekend Volunteer/Coord. Vice Chair dan@charlotteflyer.com Steve Adams Weekend Volunteer/Coord. Chair sadams@carolinacat.com David Osborne Worship Committee Vice Chair david.osborne@siemens.com