From the Community Lay Director
I guess that our food preferences are somehow born in our very early years by some mysterious process. Although, I am quite certain about why my brothers and I would not eat spinach. That was back in the day when Popeye was in the afternoon TV cartoons every day. (You youngsters may need to Google Popeye to find out who that was.) My brothers and I were very concerned that if we ate spinach, we would get strong like Popeye and have to do all the work around the house. That was not a chance we were willing to take. Finally realized in my fifties that I was doing all the work around the house anyway, so I might as well eat spinach. Turned out I like spinach, but have never gotten strong like Popeye. So, my brothers and I were apparently worried about nothing. There are many things I eat now that I would not have considered eating 50 years ago. Just recently started adding radishes to my salads.
Like our food preferences, lots of other things also change over time. We tried some new things with the Spring Walks. Some worked, like using Richmond First United Methodist Church for the Men's Walk and using different spaces at Asbury Seminary for the Women's Walk. We will continue to use Richmond First United Methodist Church for the Men's Walk. We will again use most of the new Asbury Seminary spaces for the Women's Walk. Some did not work, like having the pilgrims and team for the Women's Walk eat their Friday breakfast at the Asbury Inn. Future breakfasts will always be at the Wilmore Presbyterian Church. Your Board of Directors is exploring additional changes that could be made in conducting the Women's Walk at Asbury Seminary. These proposed changes are directed towards reducing costs of the Women's Walk at Asbury Seminary. We will keep you posted on these changes. We are not expecting these changes to have an adverse impact on the pilgrim experience.
The kickoff meeting for Walk team training is scheduled for August 16. With God leading, it is up to us to become part of an Emmaus Walk team, to recruit pilgrims, to provide Agape love during the Walks, to support pilgrims through their Fourth Days at Gatherings and in reunion groups. The October Walks will be here before we know it. It's time to get to work.
As noted in the June newsletter, your Board of Directors has decided that we will not be setting a minimum number of pilgrims to hold a Walk anymore. We have come to understand that the uncertainty over whether a Walk will happen or not undermines the willingness for potential pilgrims and potential team members to commit to the Walk. So get those applications ready soon! As I write this, we have still only have received one application for the Men's Walk and three applications for the Women's Walk.
DeColores!
Michael Watts
Community Lay Director
Lexington Emmaus Community
Mission Statement
Renewing Christian Disciples,
Strengthening Local Churches
Rejoice, Rejoice, and again I say Rejoice!