Garden State Emmaus

Greetings from the Northeast Regional Leadership Team for the Walk to Emmaus and Chrysalis!
    As you know, the Team is sponsoring a Leadership Development event for our region on August 17th, at Blacksburg UMC, in Blacksburg, VA.  We hope to see many of you, along with members of your Communities, at this important training and networking event.  We will open registration at 8:30, and the program for the day will begin at 9:00.  There will be an opportunity for praise and worship, for sharing best practices with your colleagues from other Communities in our region, and presentations by the Team on key elements of the Upper Room Walk to Emmaus and Chrysalis.  We’ll be wrapping up between 4:30 and 5:00.  It will be very helpful to us–and to our hosts, the New River Valley Community–if we have an idea of how many people will be coming.  Please send a list of attendees from your Communities to me–or have people make direct contact with me–at mcrane1@cox.net to register. 
   Blacksburg UMC is located at 111 Church Street SE, Blacksburg, VA  24060.  The church recommends that we enter through the back of the church, from Penn and Lee Streets, because there are parking lots located there–a small one behind the church, and a larger one, next door.  The New River Valley Community is providing a sub sandwich lunch, with a suggested donation of $5.00 (that head count will help them plan!).  Please ask your folks to bring their name tags, a pen/pencil, and something to write on.  They should bring the purple worship book as well, if they have it.  A reminder to your clergy attendees: clergy training will go on throughout the day, joined with the lay people and in separate sessions.  
   Finally, I want to call your attention to “The Gift.”  As I’m sure you’re aware, this is the means by which The Upper Room Walk to Emmaus is able to sponsor new communities outside the United States.  The Walk to Emmaus is an international movement, dedicated to building up the worldwide body of Christ.  This can’t happen without our financial support–and every Community is asked to contribute annually to this vital ministry.  We also use the Leadership Development events as an opportunity to support this cause, and we’ll be taking up a collection at Blacksburg.  Right now, we are focusing an effort to bring the Walk to Chile.  Church leaders in Chile have been praying for ten years about bringing the Walk there, but the nearest Spanish-speaking Community that could support the new pilgrims that would be the seed of a Chilean Community is in Mexico, over 4,000 miles away.  The cost to send a pilgrim from Chile to Mexico is $1,000 US dollars–more than a month’s wages in the area of Chile where the pilgrims will come from.  The Upper Room has set a goal of sending as many as 20 pilgrims to the fall 2013 and spring 2014 Walks in Mexico.  Please ask your Community members–especially those who will attend this Leadership Development event in Blacksburg–to consider giving generously.  This is a golden opportunity for Christian action–action that will change our world!
   I look forward to seeing you in Blacksburg!
De Colores and Fly With Christ!