“Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again” is a clear and concise affirmation of the Christian faith contained within the standard communion liturgy of the Emmaus Community. Specifically, these three short phrases, along with the well-known scripture, John 3:16, which asserts “For God so loved the world that He gave his only son…” [E.S.V. Bible] form the circumference of God’s redemptive activity in Jesus Christ. This redemptive action motivated out of love for a broken world — out of love for us — begins with the cross, culminates in the Resurrection, and is finalized with the earthly return of Jesus in triumph.
The good news is that we are called as co-participants in the saving activity of Jesus. The bad news, yes bad news, is that as the old hymn so boldly states that “untold millions are still untold, untold millions are still outside the fold.” As Christians, we are called to tell others about Jesus Christ — to witness to his limitless love as demonstrated at the cross. While Emmaus is designed for Christians, specifically church leaders, it is designed to draw folks into an experiential love of Christ. My name is Chris Allen. I attended Dallas Emmaus Men’s Walk Number 10 and sat at the Table of Mark.
I mentioned that Emmaus is directed at church leaders and I personally believe for those who show potential for church leadership. When I attended my walk I was definitely a church leader — a pastor for approximately 6 years. I had first experienced Christ at the age of 15 when I had, what has been described by some, as a heart-warming experience and others as my salvation experience or the moment in which I was saved. Yet, by the time I went on my walk, my heart had grown cold. I felt beat up by the difficulties of ministry. Being responsible for the needs of others — a church flock — can be exhausting work. I began to question if this Christianity stuff was real. After experiencing the send off, Holy Communion and visiting with one of the spiritual directors in the evening, I experienced a rekindling of the love which had grown cold — yes, the redemptive love of Jesus Christ.
In this day in which we are overwhelmed with human experiences, we need to experience the saving, limitless love of God in Jesus Christ. The Emmaus Walk offers such an experience.
In Christ,
Rev. Chris Allen, Spiritual Director
Dallas Emmaus Community
Message from the Board Rep
Where have we seen God?
We all know the story about the Road to Emmaus. Here is the beginning of that story:
Luke 22:13-18
Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him.
He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
How many times (one might ask, how many times per day) have we seen God, or someone demonstrating God’s love, where we were kept from recognizing Him? The call is to love and serve one another. The Great Commission is for us to go forth and make disciples and teach those disciples to obey everything Jesus has commanded us. The main teaching of Jesus is about love, compassion and service.
Do we see people showing love and compassion while performing acts of service? And when we do, do we recognize God in that person?
Healthcare frontline workers: the doctors, nurses and staff that work tirelessly in hospitals and clinics to see, diagnose, and treat patients are often asked to work double shifts because medical facilities are understaffed and there are more patients that can be seen in a regular work shift. It is often thankless work, because people are never at their best when they are sick, and the frontline workers often bear the brunt of the anger, frustration, anxiety, confusion, and fear.
Safety frontline workers: fire men and women and police men and women. They often see members of society at their worst. But they continue to protect and serve.
Members of the military. People often join the military service in order to be part of something bigger than themselves. Each one signs on the dotted line to give everything, up to their very lives, defending this country against all enemies.
Teachers: They sacrifice many hours and work so very hard to help their students learn and grow, often giving of themselves for the advancement of others.
There are many, many more examples that we can all add here.
This topic reminds me of two bible verses:
Mark 10:45 - For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many
1 Peter 4:10 - Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
I point all of this out to ask the question: What are YOU doing to live like Christ so that people are NOT kept from recognizing Him in you?
De Colores,
Larry Naeyaert
DEC Mens Walk 169, May 2003
Table of John
Next Men's Walk
The Next Men's Walk to Emmaus:
February 24-27, 2022
Sabine Creek Ranch, Texas
The deadline for accepting applications is February 11, 2022
The Follow-up for this walk will be Saturday, March 5th, 2022,
Starting at noon including an Emmaus Gathering
At FUMC Rowlett
4405 Main St, Rowlett, TX 75088
We look forward to seeing you there!
Next Women's Walk
The Next Women's Walk to Emmaus:
April 21-24, 2022
Sabine Creek Ranch, Texas
The Follow-up for this walk will be Saturday, April 30th, 2022,
Starting at noon including an Emmaus Gathering
Location Details to follow
We look forward to seeing you there!
Save the Date! 4/25/2022
2nd Annual DEC Golf Fundraising Event
The Dallas Emmaus Community will be hosting our 2nd Annual Golf Fundraising Event this coming Spring! The golf tournament will be at the Buffalo Creek Golf Club in Rockwall, TX. We’ll enjoy an afternoon of golf followed by an awards dinner in the golf club’s open-air pavilion. Additional exciting events will be a raffle and a silent online auction. All of this will provide great fun, fellowship and raise funds to reduce costs for pilgrims to attend the Walk to Emmaus in DEC.
Everyone will have an opportunity to participate in this wonderful cause!
Play golf
Purchase a $20 raffle ticket for a chance to win a $500 gift card to the store of your choice
Bid on awesome online silent auction items
Donate items for the auction
Participate in the awards dinner
Volunteer!!! Serve on the event team to insure a successful event.
Sponsor a hole
Be on the lookout for more information coming soon.
We look forward to seeing you all there!
DeColores!
Help Us Update our Database
As we begin to come out of the recent pandemic, we are working to invigorate the Dallas Emmaus Community and jump start the next several Walks to Emmaus. With that in mind, we would like to collect some information to help us understand the community we serve and all of its members.
Dallas Emmaus Community T-shirts available on the DEC website. Shirts come in black and blue. Click here to purchase yours today!
You can easily donate money to the Dallas Emmaus Community at any time by clicking here. PayPal is a secured donations system which directly deposits all funds into the Dallas Emmaus Community account. This is a great way to make payment for a pilgrim you are sponsoring or to keep the cost affordable for others who may not otherwise have means to sponsor a friend or loved one.
Next time you are on Facebook, search for the Dallas Emmaus Community, then select the "Like" button to be updated on the latest news and events including Candlelights, Gatherings, prayer requests and more. "Share" or "Suggest" the page to your Emmaus friends so they can stay easily connected to the Dallas Emmaus Community too.
The Dallas Emmaus Community has fully converted to Ministry Manager as our database for all community members' information. If you have not already done so please take a moment to log in to verify or possibly update your information. This database is used for team selection so it's important your information is up to date!
4th Day Help Needed! Working on a Fourth Day Team is a rewarding way to participate in the Emmaus weekend as the hands and feet of Christ, and the easiest way to stay connected with the Community. To sign up, view the Walk Schedule to get in touch with the 4th Day Director for the walk on which you want to serve.
Looking for a Reunion Group?
Did you know that you can attend any Tuesday Follow-up and find a Reunion Group?
Walk Follow-ups happen on the Tuesday following every walk and include both sharing time for the recent pilgrims and a time for them to try to form Reunion Groups. If you are in need of a Reunion group, this would be a great place to start. If you're interested in attending a Follow-up meeting, send an email to the Lay Director or Head TA of the walk for the meeting location. Contact information can be found on the Dallas Emmaus website atDallasEmmaus.org
Looking for an opportunity to serve in a powerful ministry? Visit Kairos of Texas online to find out about the units and areas of ministries near you.
Kairos is a prison ministry whose success is dependent on the community of faith support in providing agape such as prayer chain signatures, cookies, and financial donations. If you are interested in knowing more about how you can participate, or to find out how to attend a Kairos closing, email the editors for information.
"... whatever you did for the least of my brothers, you did for me."
~ Matthew 24:40