From the Lay Director . . s4

The Upper Room Emmaus

September 1998 of the Greater Fredericksburg Area

From the Lay Director . . . I have seen and felt the power of two or more Christians coming together sharing their courage, strength, and hope as they have experienced God's love Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, in their lives. I feel that there is no limit to what I can share and discuss God is so good! He works in us through His with my brothers in Christ. Praise God, I thank Him for Holy Spirit to bring us closer to His likeness. In the freedom! Romans 8:28, Paul wrote, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, There was a young man that I knew that kept all of who have been called according to His purpose." life's problems bottled up inside. He continued to stack Those who are called are those the and pack all of his pain and heartaches, carefully Holy Spirit convinces and enables to receive Christ. guarding their escape. He suffered with painful Such people have a new perspective, a new mind-set on crippling physical and emotional problems. He met an life. They trust in God, not in older man who took the time to share with him many of life's treasures. They look for their security in heaven, the things he had done in his lifetime that he had been not on earth. They learn to accept, not resent pain and ashamed of. The younger man soon felt release persecution because God is with and freedom knowing that there was someone else that them. had suffered like him and was now willing to share with another person. Suddenly How has your fourth day been? Are you life's problems didn't seem so overwhelming. The grouping? Would it help you in your daily walk with younger man found new hope in knowing that someone Christ to meet weekly with other Christians else had overcome the same problems that plagued that would support, affirm, and love you? himself. They both learned that they were messengers of God to each other.

You can start a reunion group by calling up a friend or friends, setting a place, time, and day to meet each week, gradually bringing in new members as you are ready. There are several reunion groups meeting every week in this area that are accepting new members. If you are a member of a reunion group open to new members, we would like to publish it in the newsletter. Please send information about the place, time, day of the week that your group is meeting along with a point of contact and phone number to email address [email protected].

May the love and joy we share through Jesus Christ bring us together in Christian love and fellowship.

Your Brother in Christ,

Dennis Perkins

1998 Weekends

Men’s October 8-11 WLD: Dick Barnett

Women’s November 5-8 WLD: Betty Gray Thompson From the Spiritual Director...

Dear Friends,

Last week I got to relax at the beach and recharge my batteries. Upon returning to Fredericksburg, I quickly exhausted those batteries within the first 48 hours. It has focused my attention once again on the need to turn to God each day for rest and direction.

For some people summer is a time for slowing down and taking things a little easier. The “lazy, crazy, hazy days” of summer can be a time for planning on things to come. I often hear of people say that they use the summer to “fill back up.” How did your summer go?

Recently, I came across some words by a seventeenth century boy at the age of sixteen dazzled Europe with his sophisticated mathematical equations and a few years later began to write about God. From Blaise Pascal’s writings I read, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every person. And it can never be filled by any created thing. It can only be filled by God, made known through Jesus Christ.”

If we are not careful, we can spend energy, time, and money trying to fill our hearts with created things. Think of the things that feed your heart. Does your heart seem empty at times? Pascal was right in that only God and the love of Jesus can fill our hearts. I pray that your hearts are filled with the joy of knowing Jesus and that your vacuum-shaped heart will want more and more and more of that joy!

Regardless of how your summer has gone, it is my prayer that you will approach this Fall with a deeper hunger for what God can give you through the reconciling and redeeming love of Christ. Seek God each day for rest and direction.

Keep our upcoming walks for Fredericksburg #29 & 30 in your daily prayers.

Grace and peace, Mark Ogren The Next Fredericksburg Upcoming Gatherings Gathering October 3, 1998First Christian Church November 14, 1998 First Christian Church Where: St. Matthias UMC December 12, 1998 Chancellor Christian When: September 12, 1998 January 16, 1999 Chancellor Christian

A local Christian group “Set Free” will be providing our music at the Gathering. We will be blessed with a mixture of hymns and contemporary songs. Please plan to attend.

Fellowship at 6:00 p.m. Please bring snacks and refreshments to share.

The board will meet at 5:00 p.m. at the church. If you enjoyed the colorful placemats on your Walk, why not pass on the joy to others? Help is needed to prepare placemats for the upcoming weekends. Approximately 65 placemats are used at each mealtime. If you would like to help decorate, etc., please contact Tina Cooper at 540-310-0865.

Reunion Groups...

We would like to list the Reunion Groups active in the Fredericksburg Emmaus Community. If you are a member of a reunion group, please send the information to Barbara Olds, Editor. Please provide the name, meeting time, place, and contact with phone number.

Great Is Thy Faithfulness Emmaus Reunion Group Meets 7:30 PM Tuesdays Prince Of Peace United Methodist Church 6299 Token Forest Drive Manassas, Virginia Contact: Lloyd Biller (703) 590-1512

Rainbow Reunion Group Meets 8:15 PM Tuesdays Hope Lutheran Church Waldorf, Maryland Contact: Phil Landweer (301) 374-9333 "Would you like to sew agape bags for upcoming walks? They are simple to sew! I have directions, fabric and cording. Call Diana Farrar at 540-372-7535. If you want to help but are ‘sewing impaired,’ you may donate rainbow-hued fabric (Walmart has a terrific selection) and cording."

for the October newsletter is September 16.

Please send your articles to editor, Barbara Olds. Mail to 343 Longwood Drive, Stafford, VA 22554; fax to 540-286-0639; or e-mail to [email protected]. For the timely delivery of our newsletter, it is important to get those articles in on time!

FREDERICKSBURGBOARD OF DIRECTORS EMMAUS

Perkins, Dennis - Lay Director Barnett, Dick - Asst. Lay Director Larson, Barbara - Secretary Libby, Pat - Treasurer Ogren, Mark - Spiritual Director

Cooper, Joe Perkins, Susan Garfield, Cathy Rice, Kim Mottley, Keith Roark, Ken Olds, Barbara Tessier, Patti A Note from Angel. . . Hello Community! God, our Heavenly Father, is forever loving, Have a great month renewing your intimate forever faithful! relationship with the Most High, our Heavenly Father. BUT... HE is a Jealous God and does not neglect to let us Love in Jesus, know this about Himself Angel BUT... Do we neglect to hear Him when He shares with us???

Two things have been on my heart to share with you this month and I struggle sometimes with hard TH messages that I feel led to write but apparently God TIDEWATER EMMAUS 10 wants it written so please bear with me and pray about what God may be trying to speak to you and I in this. ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION First of all I looked the two words up in the Webster Dictionary: The Tidewater Emmaus Community will be holding a 10th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, September (1) Jealous - very watchful or careful in guarding or 19, 1998, 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Aldersgate in keeping. Resentfully suspicious of a rival or a rival's Portsmouth, Virginia. influence. Resentfully envious. (Now Rare) Requiring exclusive loyalty. (The Lord is a jealous God) Yes, The celebration will begin with a Chrysalis Social at this is in my dictionary! 3:00 p.m. Dinner will be served from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. (2) Adultery - voluntary sexual intercourse between a Tickets are $4.00 per person. For more information, married man and a woman not his wife, or between a please contact Charlie Tisdale at married woman and a man not 757-496-0061 (home) or 757-855-9230 (work). her husband. See also fornication. So I did...

(3) Fornication - Voluntary sexual intercourse engaged in by a man, especially an unmarried man with an unmarried woman. Voluntary sexual intercourse engaged in by an unmarried person: if the “The Fredericksburg and Chrysalis Communities other person is married, the act is sometimes considered do not encourage or sanction the use of Community adultery. This next part was also written in my directories for profit use.” Webster’s. (Bible) Any unlawful sexual intercourse, including adultery. Worship of idols.

Okay, so where am I going with this? To the ten commandments in Exodus 20. When was the last time you read them? They all intertwine with one another in an awesome way. If you are someone who really reads the Bible, and does some in depth studying...where would this lead you? I wonder...are you the bride of Christ? If yes, who is your husband? Is Christ Jesus? Another question: With whom or with what are you spending your quality times of intimacy (sexual intercourse)?

Ahhh! Just some things I felt led to share that I pray are thought provoking. Thank God for His love, His forgiveness, His grace and most of all, His Son, Jesus... In closing, I will leave this saying I happened across.. "One hundred years from now it will not matter how much money my bank account held, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove, But the Chrysalis world may be different because I was important in the LIFE of a CHILD. Corner Fly With Christ!! Gena Edsall Dear Brothers and Sisters,

God is so good! Our successful board meeting in August brought us closer to the awakening of a Fredericksburg Chrysalis weekend! We are so excited to finally be walking out of the valley and taking steps Please Join Us ... to the mountian top!! Although we still have a multitude of walking to do, we have our eyes upon Just a reminder that Chrysalis will be holding a reunion Jesus, walking in His Glory and Grace!! on Friday, August 28, at Bethel United Methodist Church Coffeehouse. The band, Fear of Isaac, will be We are anxiously awaiting Helen Kerrigan's playing. arrival on Friday, September 11th for our Board training. This meeting will begin at ***7:30 at St. See the enclosed flyer for directions to the Church. Matthias UMC. Helen will continue with an all- day Please plan to be there!! training session on Saturday, September 12th, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Both meetings are open to anyone who has experienced a Chrysalis or Emmaus weekend. If you are interested, PLEASE let a board member know as soon as possible! FREDERICKSBURGBOARD OF DIRECTORS CHRYSALIS

Do you remember when you were a teenager? Maybe there was an adult that was important in your Edsall, Gena - Adult Lay Director life, someone who you looked up to? Maybe it was a school teacher, Sunday school teacher, a relative or - Youth Lay Director even a neighbor? Our youth need us. It is so easy these Landweer, Phil - Secretary days to judge our youth instead of guide them. Prayerfully consider serving our Lord through Dunn, Mike - Treasurer Chrysalis. We need adult board members as well as Turbyfill, Margie - Spiritual Director team members for our future weekends. Our elections will take place at September’s gathering, with the new board to begin their term October 1. Benefield, Jamie Fulkerson, Robert Sr. Boyette, Keith Morrow, Nathan Edsall, Christa Olds, Barbara Farrar, Jeremy Ritter, Jim The Chrysalis Board will meet at 5p.m. the day of the Gathering at St. Matthias United Methodist Church. Ballot for the Fredericksburg Chrysalis Board of Directors

1. Certification of membership. I am a member of Fredericksburg Emmaus/ Chrysalis, eligible to vote by virtue of attending a Walk to Emmaus/Chrysalis Flight sponsored by the Fredericksburg Emmaus Community, or a Walk to Emmaus, Chrysalis, or other Cursillo based weekend in another area.

2. Adult Male (vote for one) (write in) ( ) (write in) (write in) ( ) ( ) (write in) ( ) (write in) 6. Clergy (vote for one) ( ) Margie Turbyfill (write in) ( ) ( ) (write in) 4. Adult Female (vote for one) ( )

(write in) ( ) (write in) ( ) (write in) 3. Youth Male (vote for two) ( ) Warren Wooten ( ) (write in) ( ) (write in) ( ) (write in) ( ) (write in) ( )

5. Youth Female (vote for two) Kristy Seiden

( ) (write in) ( ) (write in) ( ) (write in) ( ) (write in) ( )

7. Each member of an Emmaus family who has attended an Emmaus, Chrysalis or other Cursillo based weekend is entitled to a separate ballot. To be counted, proxy ballot(s) must be submitted at the September Gathering or mailed to Fredericksburg Emmaus P.O. Box 42094 Fredericksburg, VA 22404

All mail-in entries must be received prior th to the September 12 Gathering.