Our Community
Everything you wanted to know about sponsoring…
…but Were Afraid to Ask
The purpose of The Walk to Emmaus is to produce leaders for the church. Leadership is developed in serving the Emmaus community and through one’s service to the pilgrims one sponsors. Building up the body of Christ and bringing spiritual revitalization to Christians who will in turn bring new life and vision to their churches, homes, workplaces and communities is the aim of sponsorship. The Walk to Emmaus is not meant to convert others to Christ, to fix people’s problems or to reproduce one’s own religious experience. With that in mind, one needs to prayerfully consider who to sponsor. This would include church leaders, active Christians whose own renewal will mean new energy, commitment, and vision to their churches, those who are the quiet backbone of the church they attend, who desire to renew their commitment, who are hungry for “something more”, who want to grow spiritually, who will keep the Emmaus movement theologically sound and those who will help build a sound, balanced leadership base for their communities.
The first rule of sponsoring is pray, pray, pray. When the Holy Spirit leads you to ask a friend about going on the Walk to Emmaus, show how important it is to you by making an appointment. If you are talking to a married couple, be sure to present the offer to both husband and wife. Emmaus involvement is not meant to cause any kind of resentment between spouses. Oftentimes a reluctant spouse will attend in order to be supportive of their husband or wife who is eager to attend a Walk. When you meet with your prospective pilgrim, share your personal experience. Remember there are no secrets in the Walk to Emmaus, only surprises, which are indescribable anyway. Answer any questions you are asked honestly.
No one’s name can be added to a Walk list until the entire application is complete. This includes the name of the church your pilgrim attends and his or her pastor’s signature. The cost of the Walk to Emmaus is $180. Scholarships for pilgrims are available at up to 1/3 the fee. Applications with a check for the fee made out to Cross Bayou Community must be submitted one week prior to the walk. Don’t delay your pilgrim’s placement by failing to complete the process.
Gathering the agape letters is another responsibility of the sponsor. As sponsors, one of the most perplexing situations arises when we try to explain to someone what kind of letter we want from them for the pilgrims. You may want to use this example letter as a pattern for your requests for agape letters. Ask a good friend or a relative of your pilgrim to help you with names and addresses of other family members and close friends. Aim for quality rather than quantity. Each pilgrim will be given 8 to 12 letters to read. Any letters above 12 are placed in the pilgrims’ closing packets.
It is important for you to pick up your pilgrim, make sure they have eaten, and deliver them to Camp Bethany between 6:30pm and 7pm on the Thursday of the walk. At Send Off stay with your pilgrim and help your pilgrim meet others who are attending the same Walk. Bring your agape (letters, food, drinks, pillow and dining room agape) with you to Send Off. After the pilgrims go to the conference room, sponsors go to Sponsor’s Hour. You will have the opportunity to hold your pilgrim’s lanyard and cross and pray for them specifically. Be sure to be at Candlelight and Closing.
As a sponsor you also have the opportunity to serve your pilgrim’s family during the Walk weekend. Your may help with their family, pets or even their business. Another way the sponsor serves a pilgrim is after the Walk. Take them to their first 4th Day activities, including the follow up meeting, 1st Gathering, 1st Candlelight, etc. Help your pilgrim get into a reunion group.
FAQs:
How many pilgrims should I sponsor on one Walk?
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- Since sponsoring is a big commitment, it is best to only sponsor 1 pilgrim at a time.
Should I sponsor a pilgrim when serving on the team?
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- You can, however, you need to make arrangements for someone to take them to supper and then bring them to Camp Bethany on Thursday. If your are a member of the Conference team have someone go to Sponsor’s hour to pray over the lanyards. Sponsor need to stay for Sponsors hour.
How soon should I sponsor a pilgrim after my own Walk to Emmaus?
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- You can sponsor a pilgrim for the next walk if God has placed that person on your heart to sponsor.
Why are the Walks for men and women separate?
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- It encourages freer discussion and allows single people to feel more included.
I need an example of how to write an agape request letter?
Click here for the template.