Bi-Monthly Newsletter of the Nashville Emmaus Community July 2015

We sometimes have the opportunity to talk about ourEmmaus Walks and what they meant to us, what fun we had, howit has impacted our lives. This recollection has been brought tomy mind over the past 18 months and again just recently. It seemed strange to me at first, “why am I thinking about my Emmaus weekend?” Two life happenings have pulled me into acouple of difficult life situations: first one becoming the “parent” ofmy 96 year old mother who lives in Ohio. The second one is thispast week beginning the long walk through cancer with my bestfriend. She has no family here but me – we have kind of adoptedeach other as sisters and have been through a lot together. Canceris something new to us both.

Probably all of you have had some times of long walksthrough problems of health, aging parents, children trying to growup, etc. How did you make it through those times? How are youmaking it through these times? My walks through these troubledtimes are made easier with my faith. This is where my Emmauswalk comes in – it helped me to deepen that faith and helps it continue to grow deeper and deeper with my group and attendance on the weekends.

Actually, my walk was not a wonderful experience, amountain top, or even a mid-mountain climb! I had a lousy time,didn’t want to be there and didn’t participate – a problem for some, I know. My husband then, had just been in a motorcycleaccident and was home by himself. I wanted to be there to takecare of him. Not away on an event! Thus, the ingredients for amiserable time.

How could such a miserable time like that have deepenedmy faith? It was through the seeds thatwere planted. The seeds of trusting God, following God, and growing withGod. A little seed planted with the perseverance of the women on thatteam allowing God to work and helpthem plant the seeds of faith, trust and love. A deepening of my faithand Christian perseverance continues to grow within me – thanks to that miserable Emmaus weekend☺!

Grace, peace and DeColores,

Edna Vaughan

While they were talking and discussing,

Jesus himself came near and

began walking with them...

Luke 24:15

In This IssueIt’s a Choice.....................................................................................2Words Do Matter..........................................................................3Service ................................................................................................4Face to Face .....................................................................................5Karios Update.................................................................................5Gathering ..........................................................................................6Events .................................................................................................6Board Members & Assignments...........................................7

Miserableness to………

It occurs to me as I ponder howThe Walk to Emmaus experience haschanged my life that it has not changed mylife, it is changing my life, still today. It’s notan experience I had all those years ago, itis an on-going experience, it is a return tomy Walk of Life.

Now I purposely choose to noticethe beauty of the trees outside my window.When I walk to the mailbox, I listen for thesongs of birds and take time to watch abutterfly tease my puppy. I find I actuallytake time to smell the rain, to stomp puddles and look at the clouds. I chooseto appreciate the God’s handiwork. I’vealways noticed people and things, but nowI also respond in ways I’m not sure I wouldhave before I Walked to Emmaus, I make achoice. I strike up conversations withstrangers, offer to help when someoneseems to need an extra hand, look into theeyes of the forgotten and let them knowthat they are not invisible. Such small thingsand yet I feel an enormous sense of belonging and love when I choose to payattention.

God gave us a choice, a choice inwhere we place our priorities, a choice inhow we see what is right in front of us ,achoice in loving ourselves and loving others. Our choice, my choice, your choiceis how we walk this road of life, is how wedefine ourselves and our world, is the relationship we have with God and eachother. We make choices every moment of

every day whether we are paying attention to what we choose or not. It’samazing the choices I’ve made by simplydeciding not to make a choice, becausethat in itself is a choice. Choice by defaulthas not often been the wisest choice forme. My renewal on the Walk to Emmausgave me the courage to live less by default and more by intention.

I’ve served in leadership roles thatI once would have declined. I’ve spokenup where I once would have been silent.I’ve stepped in where I once would haveshied away. I’ve chosen to live life, not just pass through. I’m more confident because I know I’m not walking aloneand because I know if I ask for help witha choice I will receive it. It’s a continualWalk of Life, of Love, of Emmaus. Itwarms my soul and brings tears of joy tomy eyes to see past the world we humanscreate and to see the world God has created. No life is not always easy or fun,but it is always an adventure of love; if you so choose. After all, what betterway to walk this Life than with Christ bymy side, God as my guide and the HolySpirit whispering in my ear? The Walk toEmmaus was the choice I made thatbrought to my attention how my everyday choices matter and really do make adifference in this world.

DeColores!Sandie Glover

Have you ever heard of a “savant”? This is a person with an extraordinary memory. I read a storyonce of Kim Peek who was a savant. He memorizedall of Shakespeare’s plays and once night attended aperformance of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. As theperformance went on he noticed the actor had skippeda word from one of the lines. Peek suddenly stood upand shouted, “Stop!” The actor apologized and saidhe didn’t think anyone would mind. Peek shouted out,“Shakespeare would!”

Words do matter.Words especially matter toGod. Anyone who has attended an Emmaus Walkor Face to Face has beenintroduced to the follow-ing words, “Come HolySpirit fill the hearts of yourfaithful and kindle in themthe fire of your love. Sendforth your Holy Spirit and they shall be recreated andYou shall renew the face of the earth…” These wordsare from the Prayer to the Holy Spirit that we haveprayed several times while attending a Walk.

As God looks at our lives today, months, oryears after we have been on our walk does God say,“Well done, good and faithful servant!” or do we hearGod yelling at us, “Stop! You have forgotten what youprayed for when you prayed the prayer to the Holy

Spirit several times on your walk!” God has alwaysstressed the importance of obedience to God’s commands in the lives of God’s people for the goodof God’s people. Every command and response to ourprayers matters to God. God is able to determine thevalue we, His people, place on God’s Word by the waywe live out those words in our day to day life.

When we prayed that prayer on our Walk, Godwas faithful to respond and “fill the hearts of His

faithful” and Godwas faithful to “kindle in us the fireof God’s love” andGod was to “recreateus”. All this, God didwith hopes that wewould go from ourWalk and through usGod would “renewthe face of the

earth.” We have no doubts about God’s faithfulness tous to do all these things. The question becomes “Howare we doing on our Fourth Day allowing God to continue God’s work in our churches, in our homesand in our workplaces through us?”

God is calling us to value God’s Word, handleit with great care, and obey what it ways and live outour Fourth Day as we promisedGod on our Walk we would. Inthis way we give God the reverence He truly deserves.How are you doing? I wonderif on an Emmaus Walk or aFace to Face Encounter God’sgoal is to “recreate” peopleinto “savants” of God’sWord?

De Colores

Allen WellerNashville Emmaus Community Spiritual Director

Words Do Matter

Come Holy Spirit fill the hearts of yourfaithful and kindle in them the fire ofyour love. Send forth your Holy Spiritand they shall be recreated and

You shall renew the face of the earth…”

Eleven years ago this November I went on my Walk toEmmaus. I was back in Nashvilleafter being away for 10 years. I hadlost contact with most of my friends,newly back in a spiritual walk andtrying to build some roots in achurch and a community I hardlyknew. I was told about the walk andat first very skeptical. But, the HolySpirit would not leave me alone untilI said yes. After my walk I felt Godwas calling me to discipleship andtelling me to get involved in churchand with the Emmaus community.The best way to do that was to volunteer behind the scenes, so I chose the kitchen. I am NOT acook!!! But, I can set a table, chopveggies, make drinks and serve during meals. I served in the kitchenmy first time in the spring of 2005and I was hooked!!! In the last 10 years I have made an enormous

amount of Christian friends throughserving in the kitchen, and even better I have been witness to many life changing stories. To be able to see theenergy in the dining room and witnessthe Holy Spirit at work behind thescenes is powerful. The fellowship in thekitchen is wonderful and rewarding. To know that those in the kitchen aremaking a difference and showing thepilgrims love through service is a humbling experience. I would not know the vast numbers of the Emmaus community if not for serving in thekitchen.

I hope if you have not ever served inthe kitchen you will consider it this Fall.If only for a meal or a day, please comeand see the Holy Spirit at work.

DeColores,

Carla Hunt

The question we are all asked at the close of ourEmmaus weekend. My particular walk was way back in1991. I don’t remember how I responded to the questionthen but I do know how I have answered it thought out myfourth days. When called to serve on a team, I always said“yes”. Here’s why, I believe the Holy Spirit is in charge ofthe team selection process and I’m not about to say no tothe Holy Spirit! I learned this firsthand. I was blessed toserve as the Lay Leader of a walk and was invited to sit inon the team selection committee meeting. I came preparedto that meeting with my list of people “I” wanted on “my”team. The meeting was opened in prayer during which theHoly Spirit was invited into our hearts and minds as we selected people to serve. The group considered those persons in the community who were available. We also

considered the people on “my” list and I was given permission to call them as well. Here’s what I discovered –the people I was absolutely sure would serve on my teamsaid no. I had always heard that the Holy Spirit selects theteams. And, oh what an amazing team we had! We hadteam members talk about their particular brokenness ANDwe had pilgrims who had had that same issue in their lives.Only the Holy Spirit would have known. So, if you receivea call this fall serve to serve in the conference room, prayerchapel or the kitchen, I hope you will consider these wordsand “JUST SAY YES!”

DeColores!

Cathy Wedekind

Upcoming Fall Walks – Prayerfully consider serving onteams, working in the kitchen, making agape, bringingsnack agape, help with set-up and take-down, attendSend-off, Candlelight, Closing,

S E R V I C E

SERVICEOPPORTUNITIES

“What has this walk meant to me? And, what am I going to do about it?”

Face to Face is what excites me! As its Board Representative I am part of this growing ministry to our Senior Adults, men andwomen 60+ who have never been able to experience the Walk to Emmaus before maybe for health or age related restraints. This year

marked the 5th Encounter and we have been in a different part of ourarea each year. That in itself is exciting as we are able to take the Emmausexperience to the Pilgrims as opposed to them having to travel to theevent. This year we were in Clarksville and hopefully next year we willbe in the Nashville area. Watch this newsletter for the spring dates andhopefully invite someone you know to enjoy what you enjoyed on yourWalk. I am so thrilled to see our Community coming together to supportFace to Face either on the Team or in the background serving as onlyEmmaus people can serve.

DeColores!

Pat Mishler

Riverbend Maximum Security Institutions (RMSI) Kairos #3 was a tremendoussuccess with 26 team members, 24 residents and the Holy Spirit spending 72 hours discovering Christianity inside the walls. On behalf of the entire team for RMSI Kairos #3I wanted to thank the Emmaus Community for your support and prayers. That being said,Kairos is moving forward very quickly in the Middle Tennessee region and we have twoopportunities for everyone to explore their call to prison ministry. On Thursday November5 through Sunday November 8, RMSI Kairos #4 will take place. We need team members,volunteers to help with food logistics and outside support and especially clergy to serveon the team. Team meetings will start in September and if you have ANY interest pleasecontact Weekend Leader Mike Provine at miknsan@ bellsouth.net or Jim Melrose at melrosejm@aol.com. Either Mike or Jim will be happy to talk with you about the ministryand the blessings you can receive from your service. Our goal is to have 1/3 (approximately8-9) new team members for each Weekend so we can rotate team members and keepeveryone fresh.

We are extremely excited to have Tennessee Prison For Women (TPFW) as partof the region and want to make sure everyone is aware that they are forming the teamand getting ready to start team meetings in the next few weeks. Since Kairos is genderspecific there is a need for female team members and clergy to be part of TPFW Kairos#1. If you have any interest you can contact Lisa Smith at matakakidogo@icloud.com.The Weekend is scheduled for Thursday October 29 through Sunday November 1 andpromises to have its own exciting blessings.

Both Weekends need commitments on Kairos Cookies and prayer strips soplease be talking to your churches and friends and let us know how many dozen youcan provide. The RMSI Kairos will need over 1,400 dozen and the TPFW Kairos willprobably need a minimum of 800 dozen. We have very specific recipes that have beenapproved so please check with us to get a recipe list. We know that everyone has their“special” cookies but we have very strict guidelines that we must follow so let us know if you want to help.

Lastly, please let us know if you have a church or civic organization that we can approach to talk to. We have a 30-45 minutepresentation to introduce Kairos and a team of trained presenters that are happy to make the contact if you can provide a name andphone number. Please send any contact info to Jim Melrose at melrosejm@aol.com.

DeColores!

Jim Melrose

Face to Face

KAIROS UPDATE

Time again for our Nashville Emmaus CommunityGathering! The next community gathering is scheduled forSaturday, August 1st at 6:00 pm at Dickson First UnitedMethodist Church. The address is 215 North Main Street,Dickson. The meal will be a barbeque plate, desserts anddrinks, and the cost is $8.

No cooking for you! Just bring yourself and a friendand be prepared to meet new Emmaus friends and/or renewfriendships from past walks. If there are any questions, pleaseJeanne Bell 931-267-6291 or Cheryl Paulus 615-446-2917(Church), 615-406-4818 (cell).

See you there!

Aug 1 Gathering Dickson UMC 6 pm

Oct 1-4 Men’s Walk #191 Hermitage UMC

Oct 15-18 Women’s Walk #192 Hermitage UMC

Mar 31-Apr 3 Men’s Walk #193 Hermitage UMC

Apr 14-17 Women’s Walk #194 Hermitage UMC

A t t e n t i o n ! ! ! ! !

Help!!!! Our Website NashvilleEmmaus.org is in great need of a facelift.If you have the skills and some extra time – we would really appreciate

your assistance. Please contact Cathy Wedekind atCathy.wedekind@comcast.net.

If you need to update your email address in order to receive the bi-monthly Candlelight Newsletter, go to nashvilleemmaus.org, click on

the drop down menu of “Contact Us”, then scroll down to “Request Address Change to the Community Database for

Newsletter”—then follow the instructions.

Emmaus Board Members & Job Assignments:Name Email Job Description

Ball, Doug Dabball42@gmail.com Set up/take down

Bell, Jeanne jonbell0213@gmail.com Prayer/Gathering

Bell, Jon jonbell0213@gmail.com Treasurer/ASD

Bill Owen, Rev. revwowen@gmail.com ASD

Chavis, John David Johnchavis7@gmail.com Team Selection

Glover, Sandie sandie.glover@comcast.net Co Chair/Prayer

Grayson, Steve sdgrayson@vbhcs.org Secretary

Griggs, Sandra, Rev sandragriggs@comcast.net ASD

Hunt, Carla CF.Hunt@comast.net Kitchen

Mabry, Loyd, Rev loyd.mabry@gmail.com ASD

Mason, Hughmason hugh543@tds.netSat. Entertainment

Melrose, Jane jane.melrose@suntrust.com Agape

Mishler, Pat pmish5@comcast.net Face 2 Face

Perez, Victor, Rev visaperez@bellsouth.net ASD

Snodgrass, Carla carla@preventchildabuse.org Registrar

Street, Wilda wjstreet@att.net Kitchen

Trott, Sam Jtrott0409@gmail.com Set Up/take down

Vaughan, Edna evaughan@gbod.org and evaughan@tds.net CLD

Wedekind, Cathy cathy.wedekind@comcast.net Newsletter/Com.

Weller, Allen, Rev wellerrev@comcast.net CSD

Williams, Randy rwilliams@covenantservicesTN.com CLD ChrysalisEx-officio