The Walk to Emmaus is a spiritual
renewal program intended to strengthen the local church
through
the development of
Christian disciples and leaders. The Walk to Emmaus experience
begins with a 72-hour short course in Christianity, comprised
of fifteen talks by lay and clergy on the themes of God's
grace, disciplines of Christian discipleship, and what it
means to be the church. The course is wrapped in prayer and
meditation, special times of worship and daily celebration
of Holy Communion. The "Emmaus community," made up of those
who have attended an Emmaus weekend, support the 72-hour
experience with a prayer vigil, by preparing and serving
meals, and other acts of love and self-giving. The Emmaus
Walk usually begins Thursday evening and concludes Sunday
evening. Men and women attend separate weekends. During and
after the three days, Emmaus leaders encourage participants
to meet regularly in small groups. The members of the small
groups challenge and support one another in faithful living.
Participants seek to Christianize their environments of family,
job, and community through the ministry of their congregations.
The Upper Room of The United Methodist Church sponsors the
Walk to Emmaus and offers it through local Emmaus groups
around the world. The three-day Emmaus experience and the
follow-up groups strengthen and renew Christian people as
disciples of Jesus Christ and as active members of the body
of Christ in mission to the world. Many church leaders acclaim
Emmaus as much more than a program. It is a powerful movement
of spiritual renewal that is making a difference for countless
individuals and many congregations. Between 1978 and 1995,
nearly half a million persons participated in Emmaus. During
this same period, the Emmaus movement has taken hold in 300
sites around the world, including the U.S.A., Australia,
Brazil, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Germany, and India.
Emmaus is an experience in which growing Christians of all
sorts come together in common affirmation of the essentials
of the Christian faith. Bishop Adriel de Souza Maia of Brazil
worked to take Emmaus to his homeland because, as he put
it, "We need a church renewal movement which brings together
the two sides of the Christian life: prayer and action, personal
spiritual growth and social concern. Emmaus holds together
these two sides of the coin."
The difference Emmaus makes
is seen in the sixty-year-old man who, after his weekend,
decides
to give up his antique
business and enter seminary. Or the woman who was inspired
to write a song, praising God in her many local performances.
Another example is the doctor who took to adding Bible verses
to his prescription sheets to reinforce Christ as the "best
medicine." -Laywoman from Ohio The aim of Emmaus is to inspire,
challenge, and equip local church members for Christian action-in
their homes, churches, workplaces, and communities. Several
important components of the Emmaus program work together
to accomplish this aim. The three-day Emmaus course in Christianity
moves church members to new levels of openness and commitment
as disciples of Christ. People reexperience the gift of God's
love and emerge from the Emmaus weekend with a desire to
pass that love on to others. The three-day course strengthens
persons' conscious union with Jesus Christ as the embodiment
of God's grace, truth, and compassion. A layman from Tennessee
wrote, "I learned the importance of a life of piety, study,
and service and their interrelationship in providing a life
in grace. I felt the immense power of God's love and grace
and new insights into ways of sustaining and increasing my
openness to that grace. I developed a new longing to share
my experience of Christ with others with hopes that they
too can feel what I feel. Although my Christian journey started
a long time ago, the progress and growth due to my Emmaus
experience is invaluable to me." The Emmaus weekend gives
participants an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of
their faith in God, to receive the transforming grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ, to relate closely with other persons
who are seeking a deeper faith, and to rededicate their lives
as members of the body of Christ called to ministry in the
world. The Emmaus follow-up groups build on what begins during
the three-day experience. These little discipleship groups
of two to six persons meet weekly for an hour. Members review
their weekly spiritual practices, their awareness of Christ's
presence and call, and their plans for the week to come.
The accountability group's purpose is to provide ongoing
support for one another's commitment to live wholly in the
grace of God and to grow in the self-giving spirit of Jesus
Christ. In addition to undergirding personal Christian growth,
the follow-up groups serve as excellent bases for Christian
action and outreach in the local community. Teams in servanthood
make a difference. Many who participate in Emmaus also grow
in the servant spirit of Jesus Christ through their subsequent
involvement in making Emmaus possible for others. By serving
in the kitchen, setting up the rooms, cleaning the bathrooms,
preparing the worship center, praying for the pilgrims and
teams from behind the scenes, or committing to weeks of team
preparation, these persons learn the joy and discipline of
humble servanthood. By serving as team members and committing
to several weeks of team preparation, persons learn to lead
faith-sharing in small groups, to express their faith and
speak before groups, and to use their unique gifts in concert
with the gifts of others as members of one body. Local church
involvement is an outgrowth of Emmaus. Though involvement
in Emmaus activities can be fun and satisfying, Emmaus achieves
its aim only when local churches gain strength; and people
become active members of the body of Christ, sharing the
love of God in homes, workplaces, and communities around
the world. Participation and service in all aspects of Emmaus-the
three-day short course, follow-up groups, team and background
support-are designed to empower and equip Christians to effectively
be Christ's hands and feet in the world.
My growing did flourish as
I listened to several talks given by laity and clergy
on such theologically significant
themes as grace, priesthood of all believers, justifying
grace, growth through study, Christian action, discipleship,
body of Christ, changing our world, and others. I learned
from each speaker and concluded that I would be pleased to
have any one of the laity give the Sunday sermon in all of
the churches I have served. -Clergyperson after Walk to Emmaus
In small table groups, we listened, took notes, and discussed
each theme. What an experience it was to listen as my fellow
pilgrims-United Methodists, Presbyterians, Catholics, Lutherans,
and Baptists, wrestled with how to apply each topic to life.
We demonstrated our insights with posters, charts, skits,
songs, and poems. -Clergyman from Indiana The Emmaus Weekend
Schedule that follows is a bare outline of the Walk to Emmaus
weekend. This two-dimensional overview of the weekend, which
lists activities and topics, cannot adequately communicate
what really happens in and among the people as a result of
being together for three days, focused on the love of God.
Nevertheless, this outline gives a picture of what goes on
among the pilgrims in the conference room and chapel. This
outline also shows why we describe the Walk to Emmaus as
a short course in Christianity, not a relaxing retreat. While
the Emmaus Walk is fun and rejuvenating, it is also concentrated
and full. The three days have distinct phases and reflect
a trinitarian framework. The focus of Day One is God and
the relationship God offers. The focus of Day Two is Jesus
Christ and each disciple's response to the grace of God in
the context of Christian community. The focus of Day Three
is the Holy Spirit and the call to live as an active member
of the body of Christ through service in church and community.
All three days point to the Fourth Day-living every day as
a walk with Christ in the company of one another, through
a lifestyle of regular prayer, study, and service. A moment
of silent reflection, then discussion and creative responses
follow each of the fifteen talks. The services of worship
and daily prayer are thematic and are designed especially
for the Emmaus Walk. Each day includes break times and snacks.
The three days as a whole are embraced by prayer and signs
of the sacrificial service on the part of many who help make
each Walk happen.
Emmaus is for church persons.
Emmaus is designed for active church members and their
leaders who want to rekindle their
faith or renew their vision. Less active church members who
are seeking to renew a relationship with God, to grow spiritually,
or to discover firmer foundations for their lives may benefit
from Emmaus also. However, Emmaus is not an evangelistic
outreach to non-Christians. The content of the Walk assumes
a certain familiarity with the basics of the Christian faith
and tries to build on each person's positive relationship
with the church. Emmaus is for people who want to grow spiritually
and mature as disciples of Jesus Christ. Emmaus is for persons
who want to build up the church in love and to contribute
to its ministry. The Emmaus Walk is mainstream in theological
outlook. Emmaus has room for a great variety of Christians
who seek to grow, share, and give themselves to a three-day
walk with Christ. Emmaus is a common meeting ground for the
great diversity of Christians in our churches who celebrate
their unity in Christ and feel they can learn from one another,
be they traditionalists, evangelicals, liberals, conservatives,
activists, charismatics, and especially all those who seek
to follow Christ without regard to labels and camps. Emmaus
is for building faith and discipleship, not for working through
grief or psychological problems. Emmaus teams are not trained
for counseling or group therapy. If you tend toward preoccupation
with working through personal dilemmas, consider waiting
to go to Emmaus when you feel freer to focus on the message
of the Walk. Emmaus is for fostering unity in Christ, not
for theological debate and arguments about denominations.
Emmaus tries to foster appreciation and openness to the different
faith-perspectives of the participants. Bring a spirit of
Christian tolerance and charity toward others, including
members of other denominations. If you cannot affirm your
unity with other kinds of Christians, if you tend to define
Christianity narrowly and legalistically or are intolerant
of those who see things differently, then Emmaus is probably
not for you. Emmaus is a concentrated three-day course in
Christianity, not a relaxing retreat. Don't bring work from
the office or have hopes of taking an afternoon off to read.
Except for break times, Emmaus is a very full experience.
Come with empty hands and open hearts, planning to give yourself
completely to the Emmaus Walk.
