From the Desk of the Community Lay Director: 

As we go through our daily routines, there seems to always be opportunities to reflect on those areas of life that are most dear and special to us. Just recently, two passages of scripture garnered my attention.

First, Proverbs 8:10-11: "Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her." 

Secondly, 1 John 3:1-3: "See what great love the father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure."

These passages of scripture are important to us as members of the Emmaus Community. They are incorporated into songs that are sung at sendoff and during communion. It is truly a blessing to share these experiences in fellowship and scripture.

The Pio Party was such a wonderful gathering. There were approximately 130 in attendance, and the new members of our community were welcomed in grand style. The energy and enthusiasm were evident. Let’s keep up the pace going forward.

Keep these two dates in mind:

9/13-17 for the Men’s Walk #35

9/20-23 for the Women’s Walk #36.

Team formation is underway for the Fall Walks. Please be in prayer for Jonetta and Byron as they assemble their teams. If you are called on, please prayerfully consider serving.
 
If you are sponsoring a Pilgrim, send the application to Anne Wojcik as soon as possible. Our goal is to have full walks for both walks.

The next Gathering will be a picnic at Blythe Island Regional Park on May 5. This will be a family affair, and feel free to bring a friend.

Thank you for your love and support of our Emmaus Community.

De Colores,

Phil Scott
ATTENTION MUSICIANS:

If you are interested in sharing your musical gifts at Community Gatherings or Walks, please contact Jim Hitt, the Music Board Rep, at: (912) 614-4701.
Upcoming Events
Community Gatherings:       

Saturday, May 5th-- 10:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m. COMMUNITY PICNIC

Friday, June 1st--7:00 p.m. Kingsland 1st UMC

Friday, July 13th--7:00 p.m. Glynn Baptist

If you would like to offer your church to host a Gathering in the future, or would be interested in sharing a Fourth Day testimony, please contact David DuBois for more information regarding what is required of a host church.
GIWTE COMMUNITY COOKOUT


Music!
Games!
Communion!
Fellowship!

Pavilion #1 Blythe Island Regional Park
10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 5th

Community Members : Bring a side dish or dessert and any outdoor games you might have. Bring your WHOLE family and any friends.

Your Emmaus Board will provide Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Drinks, and ALL the rest!
Reflections from the Heart
Why a Reunion Group?
Trisa Chancey
GIWTE #2
Table of Mary

“Why do I need an Emmaus Reunion Group?”

I can’t really explain why YOU need an Emmaus Reunion Group, but I can tell you why I need my reunion group, and maybe some of the same reasons will apply.
 
First, my heart is connected to the Holy Spirit and to the ladies in my group with the beginning “Prayer to the Holy Spirit,” which reads: “Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and kindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit, and we shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth. O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy your consolations.Through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
 
 
Next, the review of the Group Reunion Card, "Prayer, Study, Action,” forces me to stop and think about how my week has gone. My reunion group expects me to have an answer, and they help keep me accountable.

The “Closest to Christ” section allows me to dwell on the moment during the week where I felt His presence in a special way. There are, sadly, some weeks I don’t have a “Closest to Christ” moment to share. When I first came home from my Walk to Emmaus, I was convinced that my spiritual and emotional highs were going to be parts of my life forever. Even though it was discussed during the Walk that these particular highs wouldn’t last forever, and that life is full of highs and lows, it was discouraging to realize I don’t always feel close to Christ. But my reunion group provides encouragement that the lows won’t last, and the highs will come again. Life is a cycle of highs and lows. The highs wouldn’t be as awe-inspiring if we didn’t have the lows to help us appreciate them.

Also, the “Call to Discipleship” section provides an opportunity to expand on my Christian action, or to bring up things I feel God leading me to do.

The hardest part for me is the “Discipleship Denied” section. Having to share with my reunion group my spiritual failure keeps me humble. Sometimes I neglect to do something I know God was calling me to do (the sin of omission), and sometimes I do something I know God told me not to (the sin of commission). My reunion group is a safe place to share the darkest parts of me. To know these women do not judge me and continue to lift me in prayer is a great comfort.

Another tough sections is, “Your Plan.” My immediate response to this one is often, “I don’t need no stinkin’ plan.” To which members of my reunion group reply, “So make a plan that doesn’t stink!” Truly, I have watched my plans fall apart so many times that making plans is difficult for me. But I take my sister Darcy’s advice to “look for improvement, not perfection,” and that helps.

My response to the “Reunion Group Activities” section is a bit unusual because our group meets on Facebook. Our group consists of people in several different states, some of whom I have never met in real life. So actually, having a “Reunion Group Activity” is a challenge. We have started reading books together that encourage our faith. We discuss the books we read in a different Facebook group, apart from our reunion group. It is interesting to discover how God can speak to us through the books we read, and how each of us has a different outlook on what we are reading that adds interest to the book and depth to our relationship with each other and the God we serve.

The section, “Prayers for Special Needs,” is where I pour my heart out to my reunion group. This is where I give voice to the reasons my heart aches. This is also my opportunity to hear their hearts and to pray for them.
 
Finally, the “Prayer of Thanksgiving” reminds me to be thankful for the precious gifts God has trusted me with…my family and friends, my job, my Emmaus Reunion Group, and so much more. The prayer states, "Almighty God, who lives and reigns forever, we give you thanks for all the gifts you have bestowed upon us. Amen."
  
It is my prayer that you will find an Emmaus Reunion Group, which will encourage you to be the best YOU that you can possibly be, will pray you through life’s storms, and will rejoice with you in life’s blessings.
 
De Colores!
The Reunion Group

Cindy Jones
GIWTE Board   
Board Sponsorship Training Chairperson
As you consider the monthly Gathering a gathering of the larger Emmaus Community, you can consider the reunion group as your own personal, smaller Emmaus Community. The same caution should be given to you about the reunion group that was offered about the Gathering. Reunion groups need perseverance, patience, work and time. Reunion groups do not guarantee instant success. Your first attempts at the reunion may result in frustration and confusion. You may feel self-conscious that you are not achieving the goals that you set for yourself and are overwhelmed by the sharing of others who have been making reunion groups for a longer time. Keep in mind that this is quite natural.

Reunion groups are really the heart of the Emmaus method. One of the most striking statements about the Walk to Emmaus movement is that the three-day experience is held to put people into reunion groups in order that Christ's work may be done. If you want one simple answer as to what is the most important thing that you can get out of your Emmaus weekend in terms of the method, it is that you are blessed with a weekly meeting of friends with whom you can share your life in piety, study, and action. This, essentially, is what the reunion group is.

To insure success in the reunion group, there are at least three important factors involved:
1.     Make it, when possible, with people whom you have a natural and easy friendship.
2.     Give it plenty of time to nurture and grow.
3.     Be open, honest and generous about your life in Christ.
 
It is necessary to re-emphasize the fact that, “It is in giving that you receive.” Reunion groups will give you much, but a Christian is also very much concerned with how he or she can help others. There may be times when you feel that there are other things that you need to do rather than go to a reunion group. Excuses are easy to find --- the job, the children, something to do around the house. But that meeting that you might miss might be the one in which a friend may have needed you the most. What you can give to others in the way of sharing, support and example must be uppermost in your mind.

(Reprinted from Emmaus Materials)
Golden Isles Walk to Emmaus Board Meeting

The next GIE Board Meeting will be held on May 19th at 9 A.M.

E mmaus community members are always welcome at Golden Isles Emmaus Board Meetings, which are normally held the third Saturday of each month in the Open Door Classroom at Brunswick First United Methodist Church. 
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