Dear Garden State Walk to Emmaus, Chrysalis, & Face to Face Community,
For many of us now journeying through the 7th week of staying at home we find ourselves anxious for the future only God knows past the COVID-19 pandemic. It is in times like these, that we must remember our walks and stay as connected as much as possible with each other. Hold true to the scripture from Luke 24:13-35 which The Walk to Emmaus is founded on. It is in Luke 24:30-32 we are reminded that “When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” Whether we attended a Walk, Encounter, or a Flight we each can recall that God is always walking by our side even in these unprecedented times. We can get through this together, God is calling us to continue to persevere in the days and months ahead, as a strong faith community steeped in prayer.
Amidst the pandemic, God is still ever present in new and innovative ways here in The Garden State Walk to Emmaus Movement. A governing board has been established and has begun the large task of evaluating our Past, Present, & Future. Prior to the pandemic with much excitement we welcomed 9 new Pilgrims into the community from the Face to Face Encounter. However, more recently the governing board has had to make some difficult decisions and has decided to cancel the Flights this spring, as well as the Walks in the fall of 2020. This decision didn’t come easy and was done with much prayer. The Garden State Walk to Emmaus governing board coupled with directives from The Upper Room in Nashville, TN came to the decision that our number one priority is for the community’s safety and well-being.
All is not lost for 2020, we are encouraged and will be hard at work choosing dates for Flights, Walks, & Encounters for 2021. Once a decision has been made, we will promptly send out the information, we all have work to do! If you are interested in serving on team or if you have a pilgrim or caterpillar you would like to sponsor, please reach out.
As you can imagine this is a busy time for all pastors and churches alike as we are all worshipping virtually. We would encourage you all to join us for our next gathering (via zoom) on June 20th @ 3pm. A link will be sent out and posted on our Facebook page as we get closer to the day. Don’t forget to share this communication with others in our community of faith. We love and miss you all, go out into the world (virtually for now) to share the news of Christ.
Sincerely,
The Governing Board of Directors