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October 2005 Newsletter
Greetings in the name of
Christ Jesus our Lord,
My name is Bryan Faggart and it is a privilege to be your Spiritual
Director for the Heart of Carolina Emmaus Community.
I am the husband of Judy, a public Montessori school teacher and
father of Meredith, a sixteen year old raring to get her drivers license.
As I experienced my first board meeting a few weeks ago I witnessed
a group of people whose chief aim is to be faithful to Christ’s commands
of loving God and loving others. I
know that this is not something that “just happens.”
This kind of Christian behavior is only discovered in the midst of
a faithful community, for it is in community that our spirituality is
nurtured, honed, and matured.
Whenever I take part in a Walk, I like to look at the t-shirts from
the Short Journey Center and occasionally I will purchase one.
The last one that I purchased had written on the back a quote from
Stephen Covey: “We
are not human being on a spiritual journey. We are spiritual beings on
a human journey.” Now
if Covey is not “spiritual” enough for you, Dietrich Bonhoffer wrote,
“Because Christian community is founded solely on Jesus Christ, it is a
spiritual and not a psychic reality.”
All of this is to say, my prayer for our Emmaus Community is that
we all remain centered and grounded in the author of our faith, Christ
Jesus our Lord. I invite you to call upon me as your spiritual director if
I can be of prayerful and spiritual support to you.
Peace, Greetings
in Christ,
The September HOC Board of Directors Meeting provided the
transition for newly elected members to begin their service and for other
members to rotate off the Board. Retiring
members-Ray & Melissa Broadwell, William Green, Lee & Jan Edmonds,
Mark & Cynthia Johnson, David & Kim King, David & Patti
McAnally,and Becky Stafford-provided us all with a glimpse of what
servanthood can be. Special thanks for all each of you has done in Christ’s
name as you faithfully served the Heart of Carolina Community.
Newly elected board members include:
Jim & Ruthie Borrell, Randy & Alice Brunk, Danny & Faye
Cress, Fred & Debbie Gossert, and Roy & Paula Pittard.
We ask your continued prayers for the Heart of Carolina Emmaus
Community and for the Board of Directors-especially that we may keep
Christ at the center of ALL we do in this ministry.
As we listen to Fourth Day speakers at Gatherings and speakers,
both lay and clergy, on Walks, it is apparent that the Holy Spirit has
used the Walk to Emmaus to touch lives deeply.
Your generous support is what makes this possible-through prayers,
servanthood behind the scenes, gifts of agape, sponsorship, attendance at
Walk events, donations, and so much more. God
has used your warm hearts and willing hands in mighty ways!
Men’s Walk # 82 (October 13-16) and Women’s Walk #83 (October
27-30) provide continued opportunities
for service. Work area coordinators are listed on the back of this
newsletter. Please
contact any one of us if you have questions or are interested in serving.
May God richly bless all you do in His name.
DeColores,
Greetings in
Christ!
It is hard for us to believe that a year has passed since we began
serving as the editors to your community newsletter!
We have enjoyed serving in this capacity tremendously and we hope
to improve the newsletter and to serve this community in any way we can.
The fall is always a special time of year-cooler weather, football,
marching band (that is a major project for our family!), the beautiful
leaves, and of course, the fall Walks.
As we bring these new pilgrims into this wonderful fellowship,
thank you all for your service.
This year’s hurricane season has brought tragedy and loss to our
brothers and sisters who live on the Gulf Coast.
In our prayers and service, let us not forget those in need. Please
continue to give generously of your time and resources to all of the
relief efforts. Also, please
remember the ministries of UMCOR and the MERCI Center, who coordinate the
relief efforts of the United Methodist Church.
Please support the efforts of other faith-based relief agencies as
well.
Once again, it is our joy and privilege to serve you and the HOC
Community. If you have any
feedback for the newsletter or if you have any needs or questions, we are
at your service.
Grace and Peace, Thank you so much for all the books
that have been donated for the Agape Book Table at each of the recent
Walks. Some have even
donated new books while others have donated used ones in good condition. Both kinds of donations are welcome and appreciated!
You, as members of the HOC Community, have made this special gift
of agape possible. If you
have good used or new books that are appropriate for the Agape Book Table
(inspirational, study etc.) like the ones on the Book Table on Saturday
morning, bring them to Send-off, Closing, or Gatherings and place them in
the red crate. At Short
Journey, the crate will be in the Agape Room.
If you have questions, please call Danny
& Faye Cress at 919.552.0713.. Luggage and Transportation If you would like to help, please contact Jim & Ruthie Borrell at 910.692.9597 to sign up for a future walk. Any individuals or groups that would be willing to sponsor a youth on a Chrysalis Flight or Journey (no more than once a year) please fill out a Scholarship Form (available at gatherings) and mail to: HoC Chrysalis Registrar, c/o Frank & Ann White, 2004 Buckskin Dr., Clayton, NC 27520 or you can e-mail the information to: frankwhite2@nc.rr.com
Deuteronomy 4:7 says, “What other nation is so great as to have
their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we
pray to him?”
This verse allows us to realize how fortunate we are that the Lord
our God is always with us. In the Heart of Carolina community, our “nation” is brought into the presence
of God as prayer continually blesses us and sustains the Emmaus pilgrims,
teams and clergy on each walk. If
you have never worked in the Prayer Chapel, you are missing a wonderful
experience. You are encouraged to sign up and work the Prayer Chapel
on an individual basis or as a reunion group. Sign up and experience the
closeness of a Heart of Carolina community as God
brings us near when we pray. If
you are interested in working in the Prayer Chapel, please call Deb & Ray Murphy at 919.697.0494.
PLEASE help
us with clean-up for the upcoming walks. It’s easy work and when
we have plenty of help, it doesn’t take long! Volunteers need to
arrive at Short Journey at 2:30 PM on Sunday before closing starts.
If you are willing and able to help, please contact
Buddy & Charlotte West at 919.469.3402. Once again, this is a wonderful way to give behind the scenes service during a walk weekend.
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As you may have found during your
walk weekend, it is easier living the Christian life when surrounded by
supportive and loving believers. Reunion Groups can help us keep in touch with fellow
Christians and make us accountable in our daily walk with Christ.
It’s through this intentional act of meeting with other
believers that we can keep focused on continually giving our hearts,
hands, and minds to God.
Listed on the HOC website are the reunion groups in our
community. This list needs
updating, therefore, please check to see if your listing is correct or
if there is inaccurate information.
Contact the web-servant through the link on the website to
request any changes.
Please note the following reunion group update: *He
Knows Our Name-Millbrook UMC-now full-closed for new members until
further notice.
Please contact us if you have updated reunion group news. If
you need help finding or starting a group, contact us and we will assist
you.
Peace,
We
need help in the break room for the upcoming walks!
You can sign up to help for part of a day, or you can sign up for
the whole weekend. There
are detailed instructions available. If you are interested in helping, please contact Fred & Debbie Gossert at 919.844.4701.
Remember
the good food and good fellowship you enjoyed in the break room on your
walk? Well, it takes many
of us to keep this going. So please do your part!
Members of the Emmaus community from the following churches are
asked to furnish these items as needed:
Sponsors
- Please bring a snack and
a drink.
We
are especially in need of more fruit, vegetable trays, and homemade
baked goods. Be advised that cash donations are welcome if you
don’t have time to shop or bake.
We can use the funds to purchase snacks as needed.
Heart of Carolina Gatherings are a wonderful opportunity for worship,
fellowship, and the renewal of friendships. Gatherings
take place on the 4th Friday of every month (unless there is
a Walk weekend) from 7:30 to 9:00 PM at White Plains United Methodist
Church in Cary, NC.
At every Heart of Carolina gathering, we have people working in
front and behind the scenes. In
addition to the Moderator, 4th Day Speaker, Clergy, and Music
leaders, we have people helping with set-up/ clean-up, babysitters, and
refreshments.
It is
a quick and easy way to serve the community and worship the Lord-and we
need your help! You might
even consider having the Emmaus Community from your church cover all the
leadership roles for a gathering.
To sign up to help, contact Randy
& Alice Brunk at 919.387.2061.
Come and join the fun in worship and fellowship!
Please let us know if you are interested in sharing your musical gifts
and talents with our Community. As
the team selection committee chairpersons, we
need to know of those who can serve as music leaders and assistant
music leaders on the Walks. If
you or someone you know are able and willing, please drop us a e-mail at
mcghs.aug72@earthlink.net.
. We’ll be sure to pass
along your information to those who schedule Gatherings, Send-offs, and
Candlelights (music leaders are needed at these functions as well.)
Also, please let us know if and when you have served on a
Chrysalis flight or Kairos weekend.
Our team selection database does not include information on
Chrysalis or Kairos service, yet we need to consider such service in
team selection.
Thanks for your willingness to serve! News
from Kairos: Prison
Ministry is Expanding!
Kairos is getting ready to begin the
ministry in another institution. Representatives
of Kairos have met with the administration of the Eastern Correctional
Institution in Maury, NC and plans are in the works to begin KAIROS there.
Maury is located on NC 903 between Snow Hill and Winterville.
We anticipate the first Kairos weekend may be held in February or
March of 2006. If you are
interested in participating in this ministry, contact
the following individuals:
Agape that
is brought for a walk should NOT have
anyone’s personal name on it, but instead should be from a reunion
group, “sister or brother in Christ” or it can be given anonymously.
Agape that is distributed is done so as an act of love and is never done as an act to glorify oneself. Also, please remember that due to the addition of the board representative to the team, your agape amounts in the future should include 61 pieces for each walk.
Agape
letters are a very important part of every Emmaus Walk.
The following guide-lines should help sponsors as they collect
letters for their pilgrim.
Each pilgrim should receive 12 letters on Sunday afternoon.
These are the letters that the SPONSOR has asked family and
friends to write. After
collecting the 12 letters, the sponsor should write Sponsor or S #1
through # 12 in the postage stamp area of the envelopes.
This will ensure that the main 12 letters are included in the
packet. All other letters
received will be given to the sponsor to give to the pilgrim after
closing.
Non-sponsor letters are those written by church friends, team
members, etc. that were not requested by the sponsor.
If the sponsor does not collect 12 letters, enough non-sponsor
letters will be included in the packet to insure that each pilgrim gets
12 letters.
During send-off and throughout the weekend, boxes marked sponsor
and non-sponsor will be in the Agape room.
The boxes will also be at the church during the Apostolic Hour.
Please deposit your letters in the appropriate box.
Everyone please note:
there are a lot of moms, dads, Uncle Mikes, and grandpas on each
Walk, so make sure that the pilgrim’s first and last names are on each
envelope. If the recipient
cannot be identified, there is no way to
get the letter to the intended pilgrim.
If
you have any questions or are unsure about anything, please contact us.
DeColores!
HOC Financial Aid (formerly known as Scholarships)
Those of us who experienced God’s love in a powerful way on the
Walk to Emmaus want everyone to have the opportunity to attend.
Lack of funds should never keep anyone from being able to
participate.
A few years ago, the Heart of Carolina
received a generous contribution for our scholarship/ financial aid
fund. Due to MANY requests
for financial assistance since this donation, the fund is almost
completely depleted.
If you are sponsoring a candidate, please ask for financial
assistance ONLY if a financial
need exists. Some sponsors
pay the entire cost of their pilgrim; many pay at least the application
fee. If you, as sponsor,
are unable to do this, please check with your church since many churches
have funds available for this purpose.
Please consider donating to our Financial Aid Fund. If you, as sponsor, received financial assistance when you went
on your Walk, can you help someone else now? Contributions can be made at our Gatherings, Apostolic Hours,
Send-offs, and Closings or by mailing to our treasurer, Faye
Cress at 919.552.0713. We
will also gladly accept donations mailed with applications. In
Service,
An
Important Reminder from our Registrars
The registration/application form for the Walk to Emmaus changed in
October, 2004, by the addition of a third page. Please remember to
enclose all three completed pages of the form.
All registration forms
should be mailed to us at: 3300 Heritage Place, Raleigh, NC 27604
In Service,
A
man died and as he approached the pearly gates, he was greeted by St.
Peter, who was looking in the Book for this man’s name.
“I hate to tell you this, but I can’t locate your name,” said
the good Saint.
The man said, “Well maybe it hasn’t had time to get here yet.
How often do you update it?”
St. Peter replied, “I get a download about every 10 minutes or
so, so you may be right. While
we’re waiting, why don’t you tell me why you think you deserve to
inherit the Kingdom of God.” The man sheepishly stated, “I never was a very nice man. In fact, I was downright mean and ornery. But-there was a time I did something really selfless and noble.” St. Peter said, “Why don’t you sit down and tell me about it.” “Well,” began the gentleman, “I was driving down the interstate and right off an exit I saw a motorcycle gang who had surrounded a young woman, taunting and threatening her. I thought to myself ‘If I don’t do something, they’re going to harm that poor girl.’
So I pulled over and got a lug
wrench out of my trunk. I walked toward the gang leader.
He was a mean looking rascal, weighing 300 pounds and he had an
earring and a nose-ring with a chain running from one to the other.
I told him and the gang, ‘You boys need to leave this girl alone
and go on home!’ They told
me to get lost or I’d get worse than her.
So I reached out and grabbed the gang leader’s nose and ear chain
and ripped it out and I bashed him over the head with the lug wrench.
Then I turned to the others and said, ‘I told you boys to go on
home! Or do you want a piece of this wrench? Huh?! You wanna
piece of me?! Do ‘ya?!’
“Whoa,” replied St. Peter.
“That’s pretty impressive.
Um-When did all this happen?”
DeColores
Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 package Confetti white cake mix
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In
large bowl, combine cake mix, oats, butter and eggs; mix well.
Fold in chips gradually. If
the dough is toohard to work, add a bit of water.
However, if it becomes too loose, add a bit of all-purpose flour.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet or you
may lay dough in a 9x13 Pyrex platter for bar cookies.
For cookies-bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned.
Cool on cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes; then cool cookies completely
on wire racks. Have any good news or bright ideas? If you have any good news or
story ideas for this news-letter, we would love to hear from you!
Please contact us at rrains1@nc.rr.com
and we will try to include your story in an upcoming newsletter.
We reserve the right to edit content and/or length, but we promise
to try and do your story justice! Rusty & Renee
This
is Rusty when he gets excited about an inspired, creative idea (according
to Renee).
Next Walks: Men
#84 & Women #85-Dates TBA-Short Journey Center
Luke 24:32
Got a new address? Want every newsletter mailed? Let us know! Send a postcard to Rusty & Renee Rains, 605 S. Fayetteville St. Clayton NC 27520 or e-mail us at rrains1@nc.rr.com. These are your Board of Directors
and
their areas of responsibility.
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