To have the newsletter delivered to you through e-mail Please include your name, e-mail address, and home church and send any requests to carebexar@gmail.com .
This space generously provided by the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church. The content of this and all subsequent pages at this site is supervised by the Board of the Care Bexar Emmaus Community in San Antonio, Texas.
09/01/2009
September 1, 2009
Lay Director’s Comments
Friends,
Thank you for the privilege of serving Care Bexar Emmaus this year. Thanks to the 2008-2009 Care Bexar leaders we are well positioned to continue and advance the Emmaus movement in San Antonio. Special appreciation to Jim Kleypas for serving as Lay Director in our year of renewal. Special thanks to Board Rep Sharon Garrison for her persistence in getting three Care Bexar-sponsored Walks scheduled. And thanks to all those who have stepped up in leadership positions for 2009-2010. (See list below.) We do have an opening for the appointed position of Prayer Vigil Coordinator. Jim Baer has moved to Washington, DC. Internet access and e-mail are necessary to function most effectively in this vital position. If you or someone you know feels called to help organize our prayer support for Walks, please contact me. If you are unable to serve in this way, please pray that the right person will volunteer.
In accordance with our revised Bylaws, Care Bexar meets quarterly. Our next Care Bexar Emmaus Gathering is Sunday, September 27 at Alamo Heights UMC. We will consecrate the Team for Women’s Walk #1533 in October. Alessandra Dunbar, a member of the Walk 1533 Team, will be the Fourth Day speaker. There are already 21 women registered for the Walk, with more “in the pipeline.” But it is not too late to sponsor a Pilgrim for that Walk. See details below.
Please share this newsletter with Emmaus friends who may not be receiving it. We are still building our e-mail database. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact me. Also please send me e-mails of persons who should receive the newsletter. Thanks for your continue support of the Walk to Emmaus. Christ is counting on you.
De Colores,
Pat Taylor
Lay Director, Care Bexar Emmaus
Care Bexar Emmaus News
· Care Bexar Fourth Day Group Gathering – September 27 @ 6:00 p.m.
The quarterly Care Bexar Fourth Day Group Gathering will be held on Sunday, September 27, 2009 at Alamo Heights UMC in the Christian Life Center, starting with a Pot Luck Dinner at 6:00 p.m. Please bring a dish to share. Music, Worship & Communion will begin at 6:45 p.m. We will consecrate the team for Women’s Walk #1533, scheduled to begin October 29th at Mt. Wesley. A brief Business Meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. It is open to all. Board Members are especially requested to attend.
· Care Bexar is fully operational
The Care Bexar Fourth Day Group is fully operational. The 2009-2010 Care Bexar Officers have been elected and are serving. Please see list below. We have newly adopted Bylaws. For further information, please go to the Care Bexar Emmaus Web site:
http://www.gbgm-umc.org/carebexar/index.html
We have executed the Upper Room covenant for the coming year and we have three Walks scheduled. Please see the schedule below highlighted in red.
· New Worship Books
The Upper Room has published a new worship book. The Southwest Texas Conference is using the new “purple” book for all Emmaus Walks and Chrysalis Flights. Care Bexar Emmaus Gatherings and Candlelight worship service follow the new worship book. Worship books are available for purchase at Care Bexar Gatherings for $2.00.
· Sponsorship – the Most Important Job in Emmaus
The most important job in Emmaus is sponsorship. You can share with others the joy you experienced on your Walk! Please prayerfully consider sponsoring someone on one of the up-coming Walks.
What
Good sponsorship builds up the body of Christ. Sponsors should recruit strong church members to strengthen the local church.
Who
Please sponsor anyone who is already on a pilgrimage, who is willing to grow and move forward in their journey of faith, who knows God can make and is making a difference in their life.
Please sponsor one who is considerate of others, who listens more than they speak.
Please sponsor one who is well respected among church members, dependable, faithful in attendance, genuine, with a servant-heart.
Please sponsor one who is searching for a place to serve.
How
Take a list of names to God in prayer. Leave them with God. Let God reveal a name. Then ask.
Why
Sponsorship is one of the most important functions in Emmaus.
Good sponsors help prepare Pilgrims for a great Walk experience.
Sponsoring someone on a Walk to Emmaus is a great blessing.
Together you and the Pilgrim complete a Pilgrim Application. Please see link below. For more information on sponsorship, please go to:
http://www.umcswtx.org/instancefiles/44613146/WE%20-%20Sponsorship%20Information.pdf
Please do not let cost keep someone from attending a Walk to Emmaus. Care Bexar can assist with the registration fee for anyone needing financial assistance.
· New Emmaus & Chrysalis Crosses
The International Emmaus and Chrysalis Office recently announced the introduction of a new Walk to Emmaus and a new Chrysalis cross. Both crosses are made of Alderwood, a hardwood which grows in the Northern Hemisphere. The present pewter neck crosses require molds, thirteen of them for all the languages. Those molds wear out and need to be replaced from time to time. In addition to the molds, The Upper Room does not own the rights to the design or the rights to the molds. The new wooden crosses are an Upper Room design and are laser-cut, eliminating the expensive molds for casting the pewter crosses currently in use. There is still a supply of the pewter crosses (Item# E8 for Emmaus and C21 for Chrysalis). They can be ordered WHILE THEY LAST. The item numbers for the new wooden neck crosses are E80 for the Emmaus crosses and C210 for the Chrysalis crosses. The Upper Room will sell both until the pewter cross supply is exhausted. While over 90% of all Emmaus and Chrysalis communities use the neck cross that the Upper Room provides, it is not a requirement.
· Team Members Wanted
With the three Care Bexar Walks scheduled and other Walks sponsored by Fourth Day Groups in the Greater San Antonio area, NOW is the time to apply to serve on a Walk to Emmaus Team. The first step is to complete the Team Service Application. See link below. Please forward it to the Care Bexar Team Selection Committee Chair Sharon Garrison at: yaya1030@earthlink.net
Board Rep. Report
Greetings members of the Care Bexar Fourth Day Community! I would like to share some updated information with you. For the last year or so, there really hasn’t been too much to report. However, here are some changes that will take place effective January 2010:
· Costs at our Walk sites are going up across the board. The price at Mt. Wesley will now be $205. This price is for Pilgrims and Team members (outside team will be slightly less). Contact the Emmaus Registrar’s office for the price at other facilities.
· Just a reminder that alcoholic beverages are not permitted on a Walk, whether by Pilgrims, Conference Room Team, or Outside Team. It was discussed at the SWTX Conference Emmaus Board meeting that there have been some reports of alcoholic consumption on Walks. While this was not directed at any Care Bexar-sponsored Walks, we were asked to remind everyone of church policy.
There was a Walk Leadership training class in Johnson City a couple of weeks ago. I would encourage everyone to attend one of these SWTX Conference sponsored training classes. They are a great refresher course, and you just might learn something new.
While at this class, there was some information relayed regarding the Outside Support Team. We were told that the OST should not wear matching shirts nor wear any agape during the weekend. Here is my true confession: During a break, I approached the Chrysalis Spiritual Director and the Chrysalis Assiatant Lay Director and discussed with them the fact that I did not agree with their statements. On Monday morning, I sent an email to Carleen Alderman, trainer for the Upper Room. I was sure she would give me the Upper Room’s position on this subject. Here is the result:
Question…We were told that the OST cannot wear the same shirts… Are you aware of any reason the OST should not wear the matching shirts? If so, please let me know the rationale.
Answer: First off, this is very much a tradition. So, there will be nothing written to deal with it. So, you have to examine it against those 4 questions that we talk about in training.
1. Does it glorify God? (probably the answer here is ‘no’).
2. Does it move the pilgrims closer to God? (again the answer is ‘no’)
3. Does it call attention to someone on the team or in the community? (the answer is a possible ‘yes’ depending on who sees them throughout the weekend. If they are ever seen by the pilgrims it would be a clear sign that they are doing the servants’ work. And then you have to ask yourself: how does this support anonymous servanthood?
4. Does it distract the pilgrims from receiving the intended message of the weekend. (the answer would be ‘no’ as long as the pilgrims never see this group of people.
My first thought was why would you do this? And secondly, who pays for the shirts? If the individuals have to pay for the shirts, then is that keeping someone from participating that possibly cannot afford that along with the walk costs that usually servant folks have to pay? I know the Upper Room has always felt that we should do nothing to make the cost of serving on a walk more money.
Question…we were told that it was not OK for the OST to be wearing agape, for instance, at Candlelight…
Answer: The Upper Room would tell you that agape is not for the OST. However, if there is extra agape then it probably does not matter too much if the OST takes it home with them. But, in the spirit of anonymous servanthood they should not be wearing agape – especially at Candlelight. This just points out to the community who they are and that is something that is not encouraged in the definition of anonymous servanthood.
Well, there you have it. ‘Anonymous Servanthood.’ And isn’t that the essence of the OST? Let the four questions mentioned above be your guidelines. I stand corrected. Carleen does it to me every time … and I thank her!
Thanks to EVERYONE for their continued support and participation in Emmaus and in the Care Bexar Community. We really are doing a Fabulous job, both in Emmaus worship and in Walk participation. We are being recognized as a community with integrity and the desire to serve. I appreciate the opportunity to serve this community.
DeColores,
Sharon Garrison
Care Bexar Calendar
Sunday, September 27th Care Bexar Gathering @ Alamo Heights UMC @ 6:00 pm
Business meeting @ 5:30 p.m.
Sunday, January 24, 2010 Care Bexar Gathering @ 6:00 p.m. – Please SAVE the date.
Sunday, May 16, 2010 Care Bexar Gathering @ 6:00 p.m. – Please SAVE the date.
(Election of Officers and Consecration of Team for Walk 1564)
Walk to Emmaus Schedule
Date # Gender FDG Location Lay Director Spiritual Director
9/17/09 1516 F Koinonia Mt. Wesley Bonnie Werner Jean Reardon
9/24/09 1520 F BOeRNe Again Omega Judy Martin Sue White
10/8/09 1524 M New Life CTI Joe Amend Al Adams
10/22/09 1531 M Solid Rock Mt. Wesley David Houston Sid Spiller
10/29/09 1533 F Care Bexar Mt. Wesley Donna Nicolson Dinah Shelly
2/11/10 1543 F NWSA Mt. Wesley Marilyn Moczygemba Tamara Strehli
4/29/10 1559 M BOeRNe Again Omega Frank Ritchie Paul Evans
5/6/10 1561 M Koinonia Mt. Wesley Don Krumrey Scott Martin
06/24/10 1564 M Care Bexar Mt. Wesley Erwin Keller Mike Cave
8/5/10 1569 M NWSA Mt. Wesley
10/21/10 1589 F Care Bexar Mt. Wesley
Care Bexar Officers 2009-2012
Position
Person
Church
Term ends
Lay Director
Pat Taylor
Coker UMC
2010
Assistant Lay Director
Jay Lewallen
Alamo Heights UMC
2010
Spiritual Director
Claus H. Rohlfs, Jr
Travis Park UMC
2010
Assistant S.D.
Harold Burkhardt
Alamo Heights UMC
2010
Board Representative
Sharon Garrison
Coker UMC
2011
Treasurer
Carolyn Smith
Coker UMC
2011
Secretary
Donna Nicolson
Alamo Heights UMC
2010
Agape Coordinator
Susan Montesi
Windcrest UMC
2010
Kairos Coordinator
John Estes
Coker UMC
2010
Prayer Vigil Coordinator
Vacant
Team Selection Committee:
Sharon Garrison
Board Representative
2011
Claus H. Rohlfs, Jr.
Spiritual Director
2010
(+ six lay persons,
each from a different church)
Jay Lewallen
Alamo Heights UMC
2011
Deb Foster
Riverside Community Church
2011
Julie Mazel
Laurel Heights UMC
2010
Rich Drady
Alamo Heights Christian
2010
David Smith
Coker UMC
2012
Eddie Pinchback
East St. Paul UMC
2012
Music Coordinator
Avis F. Moore
Coker UMC
2010
Web Master
Charles L. Mims
Coker UMC
2009
Important Links
Care Bexar Emmaus Web Site
http://www.gbgm-umc.org/carebexar/index.html
Schedule of Walks for 2009
http://www.umcswtx.org/instancefiles/44613146/WE%20-%20Emmaus%2009%20schedule%208-28-09.pdf
Pilgrim Application Form
http://www.umcswtx.org/instancefiles/44613146/WE%20-%20Pilgrim%20Application.pdf
Team Service Application Form
http://www.umcswtx.org/instancefiles/44613146/WE%20-%20ECLAC%20-%20Lay%20Team%20Service%20Form.pdf
Chrysalis Flight Butterfly Application Form
http://www.umcswtx.org/instancefiles/44613146/Chry-Chrysalis%20Application%202009.pdf