Bi-Monthly Newsletter of the Nashville Emmaus Community
December 2016
Our Fourth Day DeColores and Merry Christmas from the Nashville Emmaus Community! What a wonderful time of the year it is when we have opportunity to celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ! This is certainly a great time of the year to enhance your 4th days through fellowship with other believers and participation in Advent disciplines and worship services. Last month, I wrote about the importance of sponsors and other members of the community reaching out to our new pilgrims to help them get into a reunion group. Now, with the fall walks complete, we have 42 new pilgrims in our communityand each one should begin, or continue in, an accountability relationship with other believers. Here is our opportunity to continue the momentum and energy we feel by inviting our new pilgrims into the community by attending community activities and adding them to established reunion and accountability groups. In December and in following months the community will hold gatherings to help this effort along. Each of us should lead the way in our local churches to encourage other pilgrims, interested people, and friends to attend the gatherings. This is an important step for establishing a culture of keeping the fire of Christ’s love burning strongly in your congregations and small groups. On a more personal level, invite new pilgrims, new friends, new believers, and others into your groups to help them grow in faith through meaningful relationship. Let’s make this coming year the year of revival in our Emmaus community and in the hearts of everyone we encounter. Let’s begin the work of changing our world! DeColores, Steve Zuercher
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of the bread and prayers” (Acts 2:37) As it happened with the new converts after Peter’s preaching in the book of Acts, our new Emmaus brothers and sisters discovered once again their first love. Through their 72 hours experience they were able to hear from their unknown brothers and sisters, who were by their side, how much God loves them. In the same way we did at the end of our walk, these forty one new members of our Emmaus community committed themselves to “count on Christ” as their Lord and Savior and for that we are thankful. As a Board we praise God for allowing us to be the hands and feet of Christ to them. As we enter this Advent season waiting for the coming of the Holy Child, let’s commit ourselves to continue to pray for our new brothers and sisters. Let’s reach out to them in love and Christian support as it happened with the first converts. Let’s continue to be in fellowship as a community seeking ways to be the hands and feet of Christ for our broken world. We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming December 10 gathering at The Upper Room. For more information please go to our web page. De Colores! Victor Perez Silvestry Community Spiritual Director
And So We Begin, again I write this with deep gratitude to God for the journey I have shared with you during my last 3 years on the Nashville Emmaus Community Board. It has been a true joy to serve and grow and become closer with our community. Old friendships renewed, new friendships begun, current friendships deepened all while serving Christ and together providing others the opportunity to revitalize their walk with Jesus. The Fall Walks were amazing! The 2017 Walks are going to be amazing, as well. Team selection for the Spring Walks are in process and I encourage you to pray for these teams as they are built. If you are asked to be a part of these walks, please prayerfully consider your response. We already have applications in for the upcoming walks. If you are thinking about, talking with or planning to sponsor a Pilgrim, it’s time to be getting those registrations in. So we begin a new cycle in January, the first board meeting will be during a Board Retreat to welcome and train new board members and to thank those rolling off for their service. There will be new walks for the community to have the opportunity to be involved with whether serving on a team, working in the background, participating in the 72-hour prayer vigil, sponsoring a pilgrim and/or participating in Candlelight and Closing. There will be new Gatherings for fellowship and worship, every month! Something for everyone. It has been my honor to serve on the Board and I pray that when your time comes and you are asked to confirm your nomination that you will give it careful consideration and prayer before responding. It is a working board, and it is a commitment; but for me, it has been an experience that has continued my walk with Christ in a deeper way. Who knows what it could be for you? De Colores and Blessings, Sandie Glover, CLD
Effective Prayer I Timothy 2:1-7 (This is adapted from my Candlelight devotional November 5, 2016) Several weeks ago I was not sure why I was drawn to this passage of scripture; but, now I know why. God is calling me to pray. God is calling all Christians to pray. God is calling for you and me to pray for a better world. A world where Christian faith will grow and prosper. A world where peace reigns and love for one another prevails. In this passage Paul goes back to the basics of faith. He has already acknowledged the primacy of God’s Grace in our lives and now he is teaching how to expand God’s work to all people. Paul teaches that Kingdom work must be bathed in prayer. Paul makes this known from the beginning as he mentors Timothy. Look at Paul’s advice to Timothy. Verse 1–First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, First of all, pray! Pray for everyone! Why should we pray so fervently? Prayer prepares the way. Prayer opens doors. Prayer changes people, situations, and circumstances. Prayer changes the world. Paul instructs Timothy to pray for all persons – all persons. Now Paul begins to make his call to prayer specific and emphasizes the need to pray for persons in leadership positions. Verses 2 – for kings and all who are in high positions, … Paul addresses the “why”. Pray so that leaders will make it possible for Christianity to thrive. If the Gospel is to be spread to the whole world, it needs people in power to allow that to happen. Paul concludes with a statement that is one of the greatest truths of the Christians faith. I invite you to read verses 5-7 from I Timothy 2 for yourself. Meditate on these words. Paul proclaims that there is one God. There is one mediator between God and humankind. That is Jesus. Christ Jesus himself. Jesus is the one who gave himself for all. Jesus paid the ransom so our debts could be paid in full. Through Jesus we have forgiveness and the promise of eternal life. The events and circumstances of recent weeks and months have lead me to the realization that I have not been as diligent as I should in praying the spread of the Gospel to our country and the world. What about you? I invite you to ask yourself these questions. • Am I loving and kind to all persons I encounter? • Am I treating all people with respect and dignity? • Am I praying for God to open doors that I may share God’s love? • Am I living my life in such a way that others can see God at work in me and through me? When we received our crosses we heard these words, “Christ is counting on you”. Each of us responded with these words, “I am counting on Him”. Jesus always does his part. Are we doing ours? I end with these simple questions. Are you praying so God can use you? Are you living so God can use you? De Colores! Loyd Mabry P. S. If you want a song that reinforces this point, go to YouTube and bring up “I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me”. I hope and pray the song stick with you. I can’t get it out of my head. Pray, Work, and Live so God can use you!
Upcoming Gatherings January 14, 2017 6:00 p.m. Franklin 1st UMC Franklin, February 11, 2017 6:00 p.m. Springfield
Hello Emmaus Community The Nashville Chrysalis Community is excited about our upcoming flights. The girls' flight is January 14 - 16th and the boys' flight is February 18 - 20th. Please consider sponsoring youth from your church so that we can share the love of Christ with our wonderful teens. We are taking applications now!! For more information, please check out our website www.nashvillechyrsalis.org. Fly with Christ, Jay Campbell Community Lay Director
We welcome to the Nashville Emmaus Community the following New Members: Pilgrims of Walk 193
Pilgrims of Walk 194
John Baker
Terry Bell
Debra Allen
Denna Hornby
Jerry Bowman
Scott Canfield
Yolanda Coates
Chelsea LeRoy
Mike Chesson
Robert Coates
Lynn Braseel
LaChiel Thompson
Becky Grimm
Emily Ragland
George Dannibale
Keith Deaton Kathy Johnson
Carol Triggs
Mike Dugan
Randy Gerry
Linda Whitley
Kayla Eastman
Evan Hammond
Joe Holland
Jackie Barnes
Julie Crawford
Jeff Hurt
Carl Neill
Deb Hayden
Cynthia O’Toole
Kevin Ragland
Darrell Spicer
Joyce Spicer
Ashli Russell
Dave Stout
Jay Tyler
Teddy Wilson
Paula Strauss
Louise Cole
Kim Akins
Chastity Vida
Crista Bell
Carol Dover
Meredith Yoes
Jill Lyle
Jill Durbin
Lexi Rickett
Judy Petitt
Lindsey Hill
Pam Vandever
Jason Watson
Men's Walk #194 at Hermitage UMC March 16 - 19 2017 Women's Walk #195 at Hermitage UMC March 30 - April 2 2017 Send Off - Thursday - Registration and Reception in Gym 7:00 pm Send Off in Sanctuary 7:45 pm - Sponsor’s Hour 8:00 pm Candlelight - Saturday - 8:15 pm Closing - Sunday - 4:30 pm Fourth Day Meeting - Tuesday - 7:00 pm
What Part Can I Play? • Pray for the walk, the team, the pilgrims • Pray during the weekend by joining the online prayer chart. • Sponsor a pilgrim • Make table agape. 75 items. • Bring snack agape • Work in the kitchen • Attend Send-off • Attend Candlelight • Attend Closing
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!