Minnesota Emmaus Community Organized 1991

October 2004

GOD'S GUIDING HAND

        Have you ever wondered about God's presence in your life? Have you taken God for granted when good things happen to you, simply crediting your good fortune to luck or coincidence? Well, a funny thing happened to me on the way to the funeral home. One evening in August after my wife Shevaun and I had just finished eating dinner, I decided to visit the funeral home where Murray, an old soccer coach friend of mine, was scheduled to have his wake. (Murray had just passed away the previous week, having died from lung cancer.) The newspaper had information regarding the location of his wake, but not the specific date and time. I entered the funeral home, looking for someone in charge to speak with. Waiting for several minutes and still not finding anyone in authority, I decided to leave. As I approached the door I noticed a family that was huddled together in one of the rooms. Out of curiosity I picked up one of the small cards which talked about the deceased. I recognized the last name of this 92-year old woman, and thought to myself "Could this possibly be Jim's mother?" I knew that she had been sick for some time. (Jim is an Emmaus brother who I would occasionally see in my neighborhood.) As I entered the room where this family had gathered and all of the visitors had gone, I saw the back of a man who looked like Jim.  Then when I heard him speak, my curiosities were confirmed. It was Jim, and this was his mother! But why had God brought me to this place tonight, I wondered. As I called Jim's name, he turned around and beamed with happiness to see me (as best he could, given the circumstances). He never asked me how I had found out about his mother's death, but was simply glad that I had showed up to offer my condolences. He repeated to me three times how much it meant to him that I was there that evening. As I was about to leave, Jim asked if I would come to the funeral the following day and I told him that I would be there.

Community Lay Director

        We will soon be heavily involved preparing for Fall and Winter Walks. As a community, we can recall our pilgrim Walks being a tremendous blessing to our hearts and our lives. The primary reason for these blessings was the intercessory prayers of so many people. Because of those prayers for my pilgrim Walk, I experienced God's unconditional love. In the next few weeks the teams will be meeting for talk previews, team building, planning, and prayer in preparation for the upcoming Walks. As an Emmaus community, let us be in prayer for the team members and anonymous servants (Agape people). Let us also pray for the pilgrims who will be participating in the upcoming set of Emmaus weekends, praying that God will

        As one of the spiritual directors on the State board of directors, I am asking you to pray for each of us who are giving leadership to the Minnesota Emmaus Community. With approximately 1700 people in our community, this task is enormous. We love the Emmaus community, and believe in spiritual renewal through the Walks. That is why we serve. The foundational principle that underpins every time of spiritual renewal is prayer. As a community, let us be men and women of prayer!

        The Minnesota Emmaus Community has potential pilgrims (and team members) who are in need of assistance in paying the registration fee to attend a Walk weekend. It has been our community's policy not to turn anyone away because of their inability to pay. However, at the present time, we do not have funds available to assist these individuals. If you would like to give back to the Emmaus community in a way that will enable others to experience God's grace, whether it be monthly, quarterly, or a one-time monetary contribution, we would then be able to establish a scholarship fund for our upcoming Walks in 2005 and beyond. Please pray about this, and if you feel God nudging you to help others attend a Walk and spread the "good news", your contributions can be sent to Jim Rottinger with a notation that they are for the "scholarship fund".

        Hello to all of you pilgrim graduates. As the Agape chairperson, I am just now getting a grip on the concept of being "the hands and feet of Christ". It sounds good, but if we accept a "thank you" or two along the road to Emmaus, then we are not really anonymous, are we? Those of you who have been, or will be, on Agape teams have a very special opportunity. Try to be an anonymous servant of Jesus Christ and avoid recognition. This may be your only opportunity to give yourself away as a gift the way Christ gives grace. Let's start using the word "servant" when referring to those performing in an agape role. It can be a great reminder about being the hands and feet of Christ.

        Some friends of mine are unchurched at the moment. They don't feel comfortable in either of their parent's churches, and are searching for a place of worship that they can call "home". At the same time I also have been struggling, wondering if I have been doing everything that I needed to do to be a Christian. I have been praying, but I felt my prayers were going unanswered. A few days ago, as I was leafing through my bible looking for a scripture reference, the phone rang. It was these same friends, asking me to meet them for coffee. They wanted to talk about their faith, and wondered if I would share some of my experiences in my walk with God. We agreed to get together in a couple of days. When I hung up the phone, I noticed that my bible had fallen open to the Book of Ephesians. I felt moved to read verses 9 and 10 over and over again: God saved you by his special favor when you believed, and you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God's masterpiece.

He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. The footnotes in my bible say: "We become Christians through God's unmerited favor, not as the result of any effort, ability, intelligent choice, or act of service on our part. However, out of gratitude for this free gift, we will seek to help and serve others with kindness, love and gentleness, and not merely to please ourselves. While no action or work we do can help us obtain salvation, God's intention is that our salvation will result in acts of service. Wow! And what a better time to serve others than right now with two Walks approaching. The conference room teams and on-site Agape servants may have already been selected, but what about Sponsor's Hour? How about coming for a few hours or a whole day to help with the various agape functions, or to be present in the speakers' prayer chapel? Or how about coming to help fill the chapel for the Candlelight and Closing ceremonies? These are all selfless acts of a servant. Let's try to find the time to serve as we have been served.

        I'm sure that most of you remember the impact that the Candlelight service had on you, seeing all of those lit candles held high as you entered the song-filled chapel on Saturday evening. Once the community had paraded in front of you and exited the building, you were extended the invitation to remain in the chapel for a time of prayer and recommitment. You were offered the opportunity to use this time to express yourself in prayer in whatever manner you chose as you responded to the impulse of God's love in your heart. You could pray alone in your seat, find a Spiritual Director to speak with, or seek out the spiritual support of one another. It was not unusual to see individuals or groups of people heading up to the altar, looking for a comfortable place to pray. It has been our Community's practice to provide floor pillows for those who feel called to kneel at the altar. Through the years our supply of pillows has dwindled, forcing us to search the respective facility for other cushions that could be used. Therefore, we are putting out a call to you, our Community, to help replenish our supply of "pillow agape". How awesome a gift it would be to know that you were providing comfort for fellow Christians as they get down on their knees and pray during this time of recommitment, and possibly even a conversion experience! (Please contact Nancy Sjoquist at (612) 825-3576 or by e-mail at nsjoquist@sjoquist.com if you have any floor pillows to donate).

        Former Lay Directors possess a great deal of knowledge and wisdom in the ways of Emmaus and how a Walk weekend is to be conducted. They can be valuable resources for training table leaders and assistants at future team meetings. They can also provide mentoring to future ALD's and LD's. And in those occasions where our pool of Lay Director candidates has been exhausted, or an emergency situation arises, you may even see a former Lay Director serving in the conference room again. In a more practical sense, these individuals are now free to serve the Community in so many other ways, using their leadership capabilities for on-site agape service, praying with speakers in the prayer chapel, encouraging people to come to Candlelight, and most importantly, becoming a sponsor. They are truly role models, ones that the Minnesota Emmaus Community can be proud of and look up to for leadership and direction. We thank them for their past participation and for their continued service in the life of our Community.

Mark Amundson          Chris Jackson
Paul Anderson               William Johnson
Pete Anderson               Pat Maloney
Tracy Brown                   Bob Minks
Bob Bulau                      Bob Nelson
Jeff Bulau                       Ken Nelson
Tom Clontz                   Dennis Ortner
Gil Gilbert                      Larry Schedin
Roger Hart                     Ken Sundquist
Joe Hibberd                   Dan Zei

Shelby Battleson                      Betty Dietz                           Kay Pederson
Barbara Bolz                            Shirley Duncanson              Marj Ramgren
Arlene Braithwaite                   Martha Harris                       Bernice Rohde
Linda Bright                            Nelda Hart                           Sherry Ann Rose
Kim Brooks                            Dianne Hennes                    Darlene Sage
Sherilyn Brown                        Marlene Krippner                Sharon Schultz
Nadine Cable                           Tammy Kriz                        Judy Sonstegard
Jil Clarkson                              Julie Larson                          Evie Swanson
Phyllis Colt                              Cindy McKittrick                 Julie Ufkes
Ruth Dahlgren                        Amy Numson                     Rose Marie Van Winkle
Sherry Ann Dahlman              Debi Pack                             Ann Vanvick
Donna Dempewolf                                                             

        The Fourth Day meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 9^th at 7:00 PM at Richfield United Methodist Church, located at 5835 Lyndale Ave South. Let's have a big crowd in attendance to welcome

        Any individual or reunion group wishing to make agape items should make a total of 60 pieces of agape for each Walk to include everyone in the conference room. We can also use snack items for the weekend, especially bottled water and breakfast foods. And don't forget that we need an ample supply of food for the reception following the Closing ceremony on Sunday afternoon. Anything you can contribute will be a blessing to all of those participating on the weekend.

Men's Walk #63                October 28 - 31, 2004            Lake Koronis (Paynesville)
Women's Walk #64          November 4 - 7, 2004           Lake Koronis (Paynesville)
 
Men's Walk #65                January 20 - 23, 2005             Ironwood Springs (Stewartville)
Women's Walk #66          January 27 - 30, 2005             Ironwood Springs (Stewartville)
 
Men's Walk #67                April 21 - 24, 2005                 Lake Shetek (Slayton)
Women's Walk #68          April 28 - May 1, 2005           Lake Shetek (Slayton)
 
Men's Walk #69                July 21 - 24, 2005                   Luther Point (Grantsburg, WI)
Women's Walk #70          July 28 - 31, 2005                   Luther Point (Grantsburg, WI)
 
Men's Walk #71                October 27 - 30, 2005            Lake Koronis (Paynesville)
Women's Walk #72          November 3 - 6, 2005           Lake Koronis (Paynesville)

        We are looking for a few good men and women to assist with the set-up and/or teardown functions for the upcoming Walks. The on-site Agape servants certainly have enough work to do themselves during the three-day weekend. If you could spare a few hours on the Thursday afternoon of the Walk or some time during/after Closing late Sunday afternoon, it would be extremely appreciated! If you are able to help or have any questions, please contact Rodney Beckman at (507)-634-7972 or via e-mail at rgb@kmtel.com.

 
Jim Rottinger                       Community Lay Director                                  952-892-6199
Michael Stelck                       Secretary                                                              507-282-4069
Jim Rottinger                       Treasurer (Temporary)                                      952-892-6199
 
Jeff Adams                           Former Community Lay Director                    507-344-0324
Ginger Amos                       Outreach                                                             715-294-2995
Rodney Beckman                 Set-up / Tear-down                                          507-634-7972
Rev. Don Budd                   Clergy                                                                  507-452-3351
Bonnie Chant                      Communications                                              651-686-6480
Rev Jim Crecelius                 Community Spiritual Director                         507-532-4024
Cathy Hamblin                    Clergy                                                                  715-824-2201
Sue Lehrer                            Registrar                                                             763-755-7331
Shawn Mickschl                   Entertainment / Child Care                             952-250-5581
Nick Nickerson                    Nominations                                                     763-780-4957
Rick Phillips                         4^th Day Gatherings/Reunion Groups             507-289-3466
Maggie Rein                         Education/Training                                          651-405-0698
Molly Reko                           Team Selection                                                   651-454-2208
Nancy Sjoquist                     Agape                                                                 612-825-3576
 

        It gives me great joy to inform you that last month I had the honor of accepting two beautiful banners from a representative from one of the South Africa Emmaus communities. The banners were hand-made and were signed by many of the community members. What an amazing way to show just how far and wide God's love and grace extends.

Austin
1st Friday - 7:00 p.m. - First UMC
Elliot Larson  507-433-6437
 
Blaine
3rd Friday - 6:00 p.m. - Blaine UMC
Beth Tomlinson  763-755-8366
 
Lake City
Lake City UMC
Constance Anderson  507-289-3419
 

Mankato
1st Thursday - 7:00 p.m. - alternating
Hilltop UMC or Belgrade UMC
Craig & Diane Zimmerman  507-385-0250
Jeff Adams  507-344-0324
Don Putzier  507-345-1553
 
Marshall
Wesley UMC
Jean Metcalf  507-537-0932
 
Rochester
4th Friday - 7:00 p.m. - Bethany UMC
Rick Phillips  507-289-3466
 

This Minnesota Emmaus newsletter is published for the Minnesota Emmaus Community© 2004
 
To submit ideas and information
please contact:   Bonnie Chant
                          1656 Hickory Lane
                          Eagan, MN  55122
                          651-686-6480
 
e-mail: bchant@larkinhoffman.com
 

        On the other side of your cross is the ancient Christian symbol called the monogram of Christ. The letters "X" (chi) and "P" (rho) are the first two letters of the Greek word for Christ (XPIETOE). The use of these letters was the shorthand version for making reference to Jesus. The symbol first came into prominence during the reign of Constantine I, the first Roman emperor who converted to Christianity in 312 AD. While preparing for a battle, Constantine saw Christ in a dream and was told to paint this symbol on his army's shields. He ordered his troops to do so, and they won the battle. In 318 AD Constantine declared Christianity to be the state religion of Rome. Since that time, it has become a commonly recognized symbol by Christians around the world.