DeCorEllis
An Emmaus
Fourth Days Group of the
"To inspire, challenge and equip church members for
Christian action in their homes, churches, places of work and the world
community through the Emmaus experience."
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SPONSORSHIP Responsibilities of, and Hints for,
Sponsors Good
sponsorship is vital to the continuation of the Emmaus Movement. We are faced
with the challenge of educating pilgrims on the role and importance of good
sponsorship. It is the most important part of Emmaus. It is the first act of agape before
the "Walk" even begins. The reason
for sponsoring should not be "to get all my friends to go," to fill
up the weekend, to fix people's problems or to reproduce one's own religious
experience in someone else. Our purpose
should be to bring spiritual renewal to those who will, in turn, bring a new
life and vision back to their church, home, workplace, and community. Emmaus
is right for many people, but not for everyone! Possible candidates for
Emmaus could be: 1. The
backbone of the church, the quiet "behind the scenes" folks. 2. Less
active members who need their awareness of grace rekindled and their
commitment renewed. 3.
Christians who are hungry for "something more" and want to grow
spiritually. 4. Church
leaders (clergy and lay) who will bring new vision and vitality back to the
church and who need the renewal and to experience the grace unique in Emmaus. Some
questionable sponsorship could be: 1.
Non-Christians and persons without connections to the church. 2. Persons
undergoing emotional crisis (recent divorce or severe grief) or who are
psychological unstable. 3. A person
who decides not to attend a walk after being presented the opportunity. Wise
sponsorship is purposeful and prayerful. After
you have prayerfully selected your pilgrim, here are some hints on preparing for
the Walk and responsibilities at the Walk's conclusion. A. Take the
application to your pilgrim and have him/her fill it out in your presence
answering any question he/she may want to ask. Obtain the registration fee.
Take the application to the pilgrim's pastor for his/her signature and then
mail it to the Emmaus Registrar (address on the application). B. After
you have received conformation of the pilgrim's "Walk date," begin
working on letters. Letters are an extremely important part of the weekend,
so spend some time to insure your pilgrim has at least ten letters in your
possession when you take them for their weekend. Some areas to search for
letters besides the spouse are Sunday School classes. work,
family, or other organizations the pilgrim may be involved in and your own
church and Emmaus Community. C. Be sure
your pilgrim knows that you will be delivering and picking them up and remind
them to bring the balance of the money owed for their weekend. D. Take
your pilgrim to send-off if your community has this activity. Make sure there
will be a pastor present to send them prayerfully on their weekend. Remind
community members of send-off time, so they can attend. E. Secure
agape from reunion groups, individuals and local community. Agape can range
from physical gifts, to food and drink, to participating in the 72-hour
prayer vigil. Mark the agape – i.e., how much there is, who it is from,
and if you have a preference when you want it delivered. Perhaps you would
like it delivered after a certain talk, in the dining room or agape to be put
on their pillow before bed, etc. This will help greatly with the agape
distribution during the weekend. Either give the agape to someone on the team
prior to the Walk or discreetly bring it with the pilgrim to the Walk. Seek
advice from a team member as to where the agape needs to be left. F. Be sure
to ask the pilgrim's pastor to write a letter and notify the pilgrim's local
church the week before the Walk so a notice can be put in the newsletter and
the pastor can lift them up during the Sunday pastoral prayers if this is
appropriate within your church. G. Ask your
pilgrim to read Luke 24 several times before the walk. H. Find out
if your pilgrim needs a special diet or medication regimen and pass this
information onto the Lay Director. I. Explain
sleeping arrangements. Sleeping and showers are very personal activities and
pilgrims need to know how to prepare for them. Explain
some of the activities (wearing of agape, table activities) that individuals
will be performing and that they are important even though the importance may
not be revealed until a later time. Some individuals are not always
immediately comfortable with performing skits, other table activities or
wearing of agape, etc. J. Let the
pilgrim know personal participation is expected from the Walk's beginning
until Closing on the last day. K. Explain
to the pilgrim there will be no contact with their family or business except,
of course, in an emergency. L. Remind
the pilgrim to leave at home the following: cell phones, pagers, radios,
clocks, lap tops and cameras. You can ask them to leave their watch at home
or leave it to the Lay Director who asks that their watches be taken off and
put away on Thursday evening. M. Tell the
pilgrim how each weekend is unique and that each person seems to find exactly
what God wants that person to experience. The pilgrim can look forward to
gaining a new enthusiasm for serving God. N. Plan on
three trips during the weekend your pilgrim is on the Walk: (1) Deliver the
pilgrim on on the first evening and attend
Sponsors' Hour after leaving the pilgrim; (2) Candlelight and (3) Closing.
Specific times will be available from the Community Leaders. O. Check on
any Spouse left at home for the weekend, perhaps inviting them for dinner on
an evening during the Walk, with your pilgrim's permission. Let them know
your pilgrim arrived at the Walk and all is well. P. Pray for
your pilgrim, his/her family, the Lay and Spiritual Directors, the team
members, fellow pilgrims and all who will share in your pilgrim's weekend. Q. After
closing on Sunday, offer to take your pilgrim to eat on the way home. This
gives them an opportunity to share the events of the weekend. R.
Encourage your pilgrim to become active in a reunion group and Community /
Mini-Community immediately after their return. If none are convenient for
their schedule, encourage and help form a new group. The Internet and local
Communities /Mini-Communities are excellent sources of reunion group
activities. S. Take or
meet your pilgrim at the first Community Gathering after their Walk. They
need to become a vibrant part of their new Community! T. The
ultimate reason for sponsoring a pilgrim for the "Walk To Emmaus"
is to strengthen and deepen that person's relationship with Jesus and to
create an enthusiastic disciple to do God's work in his/her home, church and
community. The ultimate reason for YOUR wanting to sponsor someone is
Christ's love and your wanting that same love for
the prospective pilgrim. Christ's love fills us up and we want to PASS IT ON! |
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