What is the walk to Emmaus?
"The Walk to Emmaus" is a 72-hour spiritual retreat offered to committed, church-going Christians who have a personal relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ.
In this area it is held at the Epworth Forest in North Webster, Indiana.
The Walk weekend begins on Thursday night and lasts through early Sunday evening.
The focus of an Emmaus Walk weekend is to strengthen our faith as Christians through education, worship and renewal of our commitment to do the work that Christ asks of us.
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Emmaus is World Wide
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Here in the Michiana area (St. Joseph County, Elkhart County, and portions of adjoining counties, including southwest Michigan), The Walk To Emmaus is conducted by the Michiana Emmaus Community. This group provides logistical support for the Walks - cooking, setup assistance, etc., and is governed by an elected Board of Directors, that includes lay and clergy members, with an ordained pastor serving as Spiritual Director.
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The Walk To Emmaus is conducted by hundreds of communities like ours around the world.
The parent organization of the Emmaus movement, the Upper Room Ministries has written, thoughtful guidelines that apply to every " Emmaus event. Our local group, the Michiana Emmaus Community, has signed a covenant to abide by these guidelines. This ensures the experience of our participants can be as fulfilling and rewarding as possible.
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EMmaus is for all christians -
Non denominational
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The International Walk To Emmaus has offices and staff support in Nashville, Tennessee, as a part of Upper Room Ministries, the outreach/publishing arm of the United Methodist Church. While The Upper Room and the Methodist Church provide support to the work of the Emmaus movement, it is entirely ecumenical and non-denominational, welcoming committed Christians of all denominations.
The Walk To Emmaus has also made a covenant with other, similar three-day spiritual retreats, which have committed to maintain the integrity, quality, and consistency of the programs. The organizatons compatible with the Walk to Emmaus are: The Catholic Cursillo, the Kairos Prison Ministry, the Episcopal Cursillo, Presbyterian Cursillo, Tres Dias and Via de Christo. Because of this bond of faith, individuals who have attended these specific three-day spiritual retreats or their youth (late-teen) aged counterparts (Torch, Chrysalis, TECH-Teens Encounter Christ) can sponsor Emmaus participants, and support The Walk to Emmaus weekends as volunteers.