FROM THE COMMUNITY LAY DIRECTOR

Transcription

1 FEBRUARY 2014 FROM THE COMMUNITY LAY DIRECTOR I am sitting here in front of my computer drawing a blank. What should this article be about? Its cold outside, its cold inside (to save money on power bill) and I would just as soon curl up in a blanket and watch television. I know there are a lot of things around the house I could be doing but can t seem to get motivated. I get tired of the same routine all the time. I clean the house, mow the yard, clean the pool, get groceries, cook dinner, do laundry, go to work, go to church, go to choir rehearsal,and go bowling, some on a daily basis some on a weekly basis. When the routine is broken it refreshes me and my spirit about life. Is this how we have become with Emmaus? Are we tired of the same routine? We would just as soon stay home rather than get involved? Now is your chance to see things that are changing. The walks will be at Central Baptist Church Camp and the Emmaus Board is very excited about it! Sign up to come out and help on the weekends. I have heard people say they don t feel like they fit in. I didn t either when I first started, but I just kept on volunteering in different areas. The more people I met the more I felt like I belonged. It is hard for us to know you if you don t participate in the activities. YOU BELONG! BECOME REFRESHED! OPTIMIST VS. PESSIMIST

2 Page 2 A family had twin boys whose only resemblance to each other was their looks. If one felt it was too hot, the other thought it was too cold. If one said the TV was too loud, the other claimed the volume needed to be turned up. Opposite in every way, one was an eternal optimist, the other a doom and gloom pessimist. Just to see what would happen, on Christmas day their father loaded the pessimist's room with every imaginable toy and game. The optimist's room he loaded with horse manure. That night the father passed by the pessimist's room and found him sitting amid his new gifts crying bitterly. "Why are you crying?" the father asked. "Because my friends will be jealous, I'll have to read all these instructions before I can do anything with this stuff, I'll constantly need batteries, and my toys will eventually get broken." answered the pessimist twin. Passing the optimist twin's room, the father found him dancing for joy in the pile of manure. "What are you so happy about?" he asked. To which his optimist twin replied, "There's got to be a pony in here somewhere!" - AUTHOR UNKNOWN - Let us look for the pony!!! Decolores, Darla Petty darlap@bellsouth.net

3 Page 3 AGAPE We are a month away from the spring Walks at our new Emmaus site. If you re like me you re feeling excited, nervous, hopeful excited for the pilgrims God has called as you recall your own Walk experience nervous about how everything will work at a new site that s an hour away and hopeful that the Emmaus community will know the joy of anonymous servanthood again as well a time of fellowship. Change is a funny thing. We know the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in our personal lives. We pray for it in fact. Yet, so often we want the things around us to stay the same. What was, from the beginning, meant to be a temporary home for the Florida Sonrise community at UBIC, turned into something we thought of as permanent. Something we not only counted on, like the sun rising in the east, but expected to remain unchanged. Wendell Johnson, a well known communicator in the 70 s, use to say that if we all realized that the sun NEVER rises in the exact same spot each morning we d be at home with change. The rising sun, rather than a lesson in things always being the same is a lesson in things always changing. Psalm 113:3 tells us, From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the Lord is to be praised. So we praise the Lord for the change He is working in our Emmaus community. Just as He worked a mighty change in each of us on our own Walk. While God Himself is unchanging His mercy, His love, His compassion, His holiness, His Personhood He works through change, through transformation, through renewing. Our new Walk site is a reminder of that. God also works through agape in this case, agape for the pilgrims. Sendoff will still take place at UBIC on Thursday nights at the beginning of both the Mens and Womens walks. If you are not going to be able to get to the camp for either walk, Thursday at Sendoff will be a good time for you to drop off your agape at UBIC and we will get it out to the camp. This is also a good time to drop off your letters for your pilgrim if you are sponsoring someone on either/both walks. AGAPE/PILGRIM s LETTERS/SNACKS DROP OFF PLACES & TIMES UBIC THURSDAY (Sendoff) WILL BE THE ONLY NIGHT AND TIME YOU MAY BRING AGAPE AND PILGRIM LETTERS TO UBIC FOR TRANSPORT TO THE CAMP. CENTRAL BAPTIST FRIDAY MORNING AGAPE/PILGRIM LETTERS AND SNACKS MAY BE LEFT IN ADAM S HALL (The door will be open to the hall) ITEMS MUST BE LEFT BEFORE NOON IN ORDER TO BE TAKEN TO THE EMMAUS CAMP. ALL OTHER AGAPE AND LETTERS NEED TO BE BROUGHT TO THE CAMP WHERE THE WALKS ARE BEING HELD. (Central Baptist Youth Camp)

4 Page 4 Please remember: Pilgrim letters - 12 for the pilgrim s packets. Any extras will be put in the pilgrim s luggage on Sunday. Please note who the letter is from on the outside of the envelope (Mom, Dad, Pastor, Friend, etc.) and please DO NOT put anything other than a letter in the envelope. If you want to give your pilgrim a special gift, please do so AFTER closing on Sunday. Agape 50 pieces are needed of any agape you make. It may be identified with your Reunion Group s name but no personal names. Leftover agape will be brought to Closing. Any leftover agape not picked up will be donated to organizations that can use it. Finally You are God s hands and feet. One of the ways He has chosen to work in this world is through you. Please call or to find out how and when your service is needed on the Walks, not only to help with organizing, counting and distributing agape but how to serve in other areas. Tracey Remark (386) tremmaus@yahoo.com Emmaus Board 2014 Name Address Cell Phone Darla Petty darlap@bellsouth.net CLD Sue Bramer bramers@bellsouth.net ACLD/Treasurer Karen Bishop JpbkLb63@aol.com Donna Burell donnabacctg@liv e.com Sponsor's Hour/Candlelight Donna Burell donnabacctg@liv e.com Facility Setup/Tear Down Marti Pawloski Pandalov er1974@hotmail.com Gatherings/Cleaning Kimberly Rand drand45@cf l.rr.com Pray er Matt McKeown ubicpastormatt@y ahoo.com Music Floy d Gray f l.rr.com Bob Marshall Bobmars42@aol.com Sue Tomlinson praisegodsbt@hotmail.com Karen Roblenski droblenski1@cf l.rr.com Home Phone Position on Board Secretary /Emerging Ministries Literature Kitchen Sponsorship Registrar Dennis Hartley hartley dennbobbi@bellsouth.net Stev e Borger sborger58@gmail.com Communications John Gill john.gill@f much.org Spiritual Director Tracey Remark Tremmaus@y ahoo.com Agape Jack Hoy t hoy tjohnf _@hotmail.com Team Selection Reunion Groups/Dining Room

5 Page 5 DINING Howdy to all, It's already that time again, the walks are here. The opportunities to serve the Lord now are more abundant than all year. Please join us in this great gift of agape love in showing others the love of Jesus. This year we will need your help especially as we move to another place in continuing the Emmaus walks. As you know, it will be a little further to drive, but well worth it. So please plan now to make plans to show others the love of Christ. New challenges for us in the dining room, and I'm totally up to it with your support. We need dining room coordinators who facilitate the servers and the dining room. We need at least 8 servers for every meal. Surely you can see we need lots of help. You can go on line and sign up, and I will also have sign up sheets at the next gathering. Don't hesitate, make plans to so something. If not in the dining room, help somewhere. Decolores, Dennis Hartley denbobbi@bellsouth.net FACILITY SETUP/TEAR DOWN/SPONSOR'S HOUR/CANDLELIGHT February, is a month of special dates...valentines Day, Presidents Day and of course The Daytona 500. We are celebrating love, wisdom and competitive challenges. We are fast approaching our own challenges with our first set of walks at a new location. I know we all have very busy schedules, but so did many of the biggies in the bible. David was busy with sheep, Peter was busy with his fishing business, and Abraham was 99 years old when God called him -well into retirement age for sure! God always makes time for us...we need to make time for Him by sharing our love with the Pilgrims of Walks #44 & #45. Since this is my first year on the board for Sponsors Hour, Candlelight and Facility Set Up and Tear Down I am seeking experienced help in any of these areas from our servants that I know have the love and wisdom to meet the challenges of change. If anyone with past experience would like to assist in these areas please me at donnabacctg@live.com or call me at You will find as you look back upon your life, that the moments that stand out are the moments when you have done things for others. Henry Drummond Decolores! And be blessed! Donna Burell

6 Page 6 LITERATURE Psalms 23 In January I attended the funeral of my sister. Having seen her over Christmas, I knew she wasn t healthy but like the positive thinker I am I was also sure she would get better. She died on my son s birthday. It was with a deep sense of sadness and dread that plans were made to attend the funeral. Things changed when we reached the church the day of the funeral. We were greeted by many old friends and family. We shared common experiences and told many stories about my sister. During the service we sang my sister s favorite hymns and heard a sermon from a minister who has known our family for over 40 years. Our family heard words of encouragement including Psalms 23. As we read in the Psalms, our Lord is our shepherd. I know that my sister is in heaven with my parents and the rest of the saints who have gone before us. It is my hope we spend our days here on earth loving each other and bring the Kingdom of God to others. That is our mission in the upcoming Walks. As members of this Emmaus community do volunteer to bring this Kingdom of God to our newest pilgrims. Decolores, Floyd Gray fgray@cfl.rr.com Remember to bring any used books you would like to donate for the Walks to the next Gathering.

7 Page 7 FSE TEAM SELECTIONS Have you ever wondered how members of the Conference Room Team are selected? It starts with your demonstration of your silent servant-hood. We have already selected the team for this Spring's walks, but this is the last set of opportunities to serve the FSE community before the team selection process begins this Fall for next year's walks. Have you signed-up in the Volunteer Data Base which is available at each Gathering? Aside from your contact information, there are places to indicate if you would like to serve on one or more of this communities' committees and whether or not you would like to eventually be considered for a Conference Room Team. Are you a regular attendee at a Reunion group? Have you signed up on one or more of the Sign-up Sheets for the Upcoming Walk volunteers? All of these are opportunities to demonstrate your interest in serving the FSE Community and are factors to be considered when selecting the Conference Room Team. If you have not been able to find an appropriate Reunion Group, let me know and I'll help you find one. Once you have been selected to serve on the Conference Room Team, there is a training process involved so that your contribution will be the most effective. You would probably start by being one of the Assistant Table Leaders. On a following walk, you might be considered to be a Table Leader, and maybe give one of the ten lay Talks. The natural progression after that would be one or more terms as an Assistant Lay Director and eventually perhaps a Lay Director. A really experienced Lay Director may eventually be selected as the 72-hour Coordinator. But, it all starts with you signing up as a volunteer and serving the community wherever you see an opportunity. De Colores, Jack Hoyt hoytjohnf_@hotmail.com

8 Page 8 PRAYER Do you remember how you felt the first time you realized that people you did not know where praying for you? Can you imagine that feeling again? Why does the knowledge of someone praying for you bring such comfort? James 5:17 tells us pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Prayer is asking; it is talking to God. When we pray for others, we are talking to God on behalf of someone, offering them healing, strength, guidance, peace, and so much more. Seventy-two bible verses instruct us to pray without ceasing. I want to encourage everyone to pray without ceasing, especially for the men on walk #44 and the women on walk #45. You can commit to a Prayer Vigil at There is power in prayer. Decolores, Kimberly Rand Drand45@cfl.rr.com (386) A Bible Valentine.. Jacob was full of Love... So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the Love he had for her.. Genesis 29:20

9 Page 9 ASSISTANT lay DIRECTOR / TREASURER All the donation letters were either handed out at the January gathering or mailed. If you believe you should have received one and did not, please contact me. Also, let me know if there are any discrepancies. In the course of my personal study time, I continually got a message about trust. Trust in God, trusting that all is happening as it should, trust that everything is working to God s plan (not necessarily MY plan). This occurred so many times that I stopped thinking about what I felt I needed to do and prayed that God to lead me through my days. It hasn t been easy letting go since I am very used to creating a to do list and marking things off every day. I m still making that to do list only now it s for a week at a time for those things that I signed up to do like Board meetings, etc. And not because I have to mark it off every day, but to help me remember! Do you feel that God is talking to you about something specific? Remember to listen and pray about it. Dear Lord, Help me to focus on what is important in life. I want to know you better. I long to know the power of your Resurrection. Please give me wisdom, knowledge, desire, and power to go forth and live for you to make a difference in the lives of those around me and to glorify you. Please bless my coming and my going and open my mouth to speak words of truth and love. Thank you, God. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. De Colores, Sue Bramer bramers@bellsouth.net (cell) (home rarely there, cell is best) :0) Never Too Young Never Too Old Never Too Late To Pray...

10 Page 10 COMUNICATIONS Temptations They happen when you least expect them. You hear it, feel it, see it, even taste it... Then in the back of your mind you scream out NO. Then a Thank you Lord... An hour later, BAMM, tempted again. And now you cringe. You might say to your self to the temptation, Go Away, Go Away, Go Away... Does anybody else have this happen to them? Sometimes it goes on for days. Sometimes, nothing for weeks...and then, BAMM... Something I learned through all these agonizing temptations. Lessons I learned from God by studying the Word...and intently listening to the preaching of the Word... Remember the Star Trek episodes, The Borg, (Those that don't know the Borg, they are an alien race that takes over your body and mixes it with technology which makes you half human and half machine, not to mention a slave to their cause. And they always say: Resistance is Futile.) For Christians, sometimes resisting the devil can seem to be futile as well... But resistance is not futile if certain condition are met... James 4:6 New Living Translation But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say, "God opposes the proud but favors the humble." So if you're humble, he gives you more Grace to fight off the devil... Being Humble takes another condition to be met... ὑποτάγητε is the Greek word that says: Submit. The answer is clear in: James 4:7 New International Version Submit Yourself then, to GOD. Resist the devil and he will flee... But, how do we actually Submit to God? Romans 8:7 New International Version The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Romans 12:2 New Living Translation Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. So to summarize: This is how I overcome temptations that won't give up. By humbling myself by submitting to God's will by changing the way I think and then God gives me more Grace to resist the devil causing him to Flee...Can I get an AMEN! Steve Borger faith112233@yahoo.com PRINT THE NEXT PAGE TO HANG ON YOUR FRIDGE

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12 Page 12 SECRETARY / EMERGING MINISTRIES An emerging ministry is always daunting! Moving our Walks to the Central Baptist Camp in DeLand seems like a daunting task, yet it must be done, and it will be done! It will be a learning process, and everything may not be done as everyone thinks it should be done the first Walk, the second Walk, or even the third Walk. I have an emerging ministry that I am developing for our church s after-school program, and it seems very daunting to me! I am the liaison between our church and the after-school program, and I am in the midst of starting a tutoring program. A year ago we sent out letters offering tutoring, and not one parent responded. This year was very different--i never dreamed that we d have 25 children requesting help in math and reading! Recruiting, scheduling, and matching the tutors with the students seems like a daunting task to me, and we plan to start the first week in February. As an emerging ministry, it won t be perfect, and it will be a learning process for all of us the tutors, the students, and me. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, Philippians 4:13 This has always been my favorite verse in the Bible! During the most difficult year in my teaching career I even cross-stitched it into a wall-hanging which has hung on our living room wall ever since. Yet in the past few weeks I ve felt so overwhelmed by this task that needs to be done in a short period of time that I have forgotten to play this verse over and over in my mind. I have prayed and prayed about the after-school tutoring program, and yet I seem to continue hitting the same mental wall How can I do this? How can I plan this correctly? Therein lies the problem I can t do it alone! I can only do it with Christ s help through the Holy Spirit. I need to continue to pray for His help, keep saying to myself, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, and most of all believe those precious words! Karen Bishop (386) jpbklb63@aol.com I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me... No matter what the Odds of Success..

13 Page 13 REGISTRAR DeColores, As of 01/25/14 all the letters have been sent out to the pilgrims and sponsors. I am now waiting on confirmation. Here are the numbers We have a total of 20 applications for women-9 women have confirmed We have a total of 5 applications for men-3 of the men have confirmed. If you have receive a letter that your pilgrim has been accepted then you need to call to confirm. IT IS NOT TO LATE TO SPONSOR...But time is running out...hurry!!!!!!! Don't forget we are having a work party out at the new location on Feb. 8th and 9th. Feel free to call any board member if you have any questions Karen Roblenski / Florida Sonrise Emmaus Registrar (Home) / (Cell) / droblenski1@cfl.rr.com <://>< <://>< <://><