The Upper Room
Emmaus
August1998 / of the Greater Fredericksburg Area
8 The Upper Room Emmaus August 1998
From the Lay Director . . .
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
May God's blessing be upon you and fill your hearts with joy!
Do you remember your Emmaus weekend? Do you remember your closing?
Family, friends (old & new), and your sponsor were all there. It was a time of celebration. A celebration of the our rebirth through Jesus Christ. We had a new joy within us, knowing how much God loves us all. There was singing and praising and rejoicing! We were lost but now we are found. Our salvation is a FREE gift from God! Thank you Jesus!
I need everyone's help at the August gathering. It seems to me, the excitement and celebration is missing from our gatherings. What ever happen ed to the loud crowing, clucking, and peeping when we sing De Colores???
What ever happened to the rocking and the dancing. Please don't misunderstand me, I am not pointing a finger at anyone. I have been pretty lifeless myself.
Allow me to ask a question: Are we worshiping the Jesus that arose from the dead, or are we leaving Him on the cross?
"Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions it is by grace that you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by
grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" Ephesians 2:48
Do you remember your Emmaus weekend? Do you remember your closing?
Family, friends (old & new), and your sponsor were all there. It was a celebration. A celebration of the our rebirth through Jesus
Christ. We had a new joy within us, knowing how much God loves us all. There was singing and praising and rejoicing! We were lost but now we
are found. Our salvation is a FREE gift from God! Thank you Jesus!
Let's put the celebration back into our gatherings. Wear your colors, shout out De Colores, make those chicken noises, and praise our risen Lord..
Let's begin the CELEBRATION of our lives through Jesus Christ !
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...
Permit me to introduce myself. My name is Mark Ogren and I have been elected to serve as the Fredericksburg Emmaus Community Spiritual Director for the 1998-99 term. Since I’m new to this community, I wanted to share some of my story in this first article.
8 The Upper Room Emmaus August 1998
I did my pilgrim walk in September of 1990 with the Richmond Emmaus Community on Richmond Mens Walk #7 and I sat at the Table of Love. My first teaming experience was to serve as a Spiritual Director for Kairos #3 held at Buckingham Correctional Center in the Spring of 1991. Since 1991 I’ve played an active role as a Spiritual Director in the Southside Emmaus Community serving both on teams and on the Board of Directors.
In July of 1997, I was appointed to serve as Senior Pastor of Fredericksburg United Methodist Church. My wife is Rev. Margie Turbyfill who is also very active in Emmaus currently serving on our Fredericksburg Chrysalis Board. We have two children, Liz, 15-year old daughter who just did her Chrysalis Flight in May with the Southside Chrysalis #5 and Matthew who is 12 and a rising seventh grader.
During my ten year pastorate at Farmville United Methodist Church (1987-97), I was privileged to be a part of having over 100 adults, young adults and youth go on the Emmaus/ Chrysalis weekends. While Emmaus/Chrysalis is not the only tool for renewal in church today, surely it is one of the most powerful. I have witnessed the transforming, renewing impact that the Emmaus experience can bring to a local church and an entire community.
I’m very pleased now to join with the Fredericksburg Emmaus Community. Part of my motivation is selfish – I want Emmaus to impact Fredericksburg United Methodist Church like it did the church I served in Farmville. I look forward to serving this coming year as the Spiritual Director and I anticipate many years of serving Jesus together with all the Saints of this community.
Let us begin by lifting up our fall walks and especially our Weekend Lay Directors, Dick Barnett and Betty Gray Thompson. Remember that we are blessed...in order to be a blessing (Genesis 12:3).
Grace and peace,
Mark Ogren
The Next Fredericksburg
Gathering
Where: St. Matthias UMC
When: August 8, 1998
Fellowship at 6:00 p.m. Please bring snacks and refreshments to share.
The board will meet at 4:00 p.m. at the church.
Upcoming Gatherings
September 12, 1998 St. Matthias UMC
“The Fredericksburg and Chrysalis Communities do not encourage or sanction the use of Community directories for profit use.”
8 The Upper Room Emmaus August 1998
_ Thanks for safe passage
_ Transplant for Jim
_ Healing for Lori
_ Sarah Olds - decisions in her
life
_ Prayer life
_ Healing for Pat
_ For young couples
_ Youth involvement in Chrysalis
_ Kay Cooper - cancer treatment
_ People to make good decisions
_ For Robert & Sara Fulkerson
_ Prayer for granddaughter just beginning
married life
_ Pray for Emmaus #29 & #30
_ Thank you for sister Carolyn Jenkins
FREDERICKSBURG EMMAUS
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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 Saathoff, Brent
Olds, David Tessier, Patti
"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 5403727535. If you want to help but are ‘sewing impaired,’ you may donate rainbow-hued fabric (Walmart has a terrific selection) and cording."
HELP DRESS CHILDREN FROM NEEDY FAMILIES FOR SCHOOL
Enlist the participation of your church in SCHOOL DRESSING DAYS, held at St. George’s Episcopal Church, downtown Fredericksburg, August 10-14, 1998. You can help by volunteering during the day that week or by donating school supplies.
Call St. George’s Episcopal Church (540-373-4133) or contact Diana Farrar (540-372-7535) to get a list of supplies needed or to arrange to get things to her to take to St. George’s.
Contact Catherine Hicks (540-898-1586) or Gayle Lea (540-898-2462) for more information, to ask questions or to sign up to volunteer.
for the September newsletter is August 15. 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 . For the timely delivery of our newsletter, it is important to get those articles in on time!
8 The Upper Room Emmaus August 1998
A Note from Angel. . .
Hello Community
Sing unto the Lord a new song!
I often take time in the morning to go out into my yard and wonder around, looking and listening. The birds always have a song to sing and I like to add words of praise to God, along with their melody. There is always something happening in my yard that makes me just want to thank the Lord for loving me so much. I have taken other people out in my yard and they don't see or hear the things I do until I begin pointing them out. We all need to slow down just a bit...see seeds begin to pop their leafy heads up out of the ground...see flowers turn into fruit or vegetables...see a red headed woodpecker eating ants instead of pecking at the tree...see the blue jay sun bathing (at a glance you may think he is just an old blue piece of paper left on the ground)... Listen to the sounds that express the mood of the yard... You may have time to read a book or watch a movie but to read life, to watch life, it is wondrous to see the great things God has given us.
This morning was different though. The birds songs had an urgent crying sound. As I looked around, I noticed that all the various birds were congregating together rather than spread out in their own little sections. I investigated closer to find that a cat had gotten hold of a bird, a robin, and was tormenting it. The blue jay was swooping down to attack, hollering at him, but the cat paid no attention. Some smaller birds were flying in to attack with the bluejay but mostly the squealed intensely. Different birds were sitting around the situation, kind of like some people sitting around a wrestling ring yelling and screaming. I suppose the birds that were trying to help were like a tag team member...but the cat was winning, pushing the robin around in the grass, swatting it causing it to roll but he would jump right back up and try to hop away. The scene I observed took place in seconds and I hated watching so I clapped my hands together loudly which caused the cat to run away and the bird escaped to some underbrush.
God had me look a little deeper at this situation in comparison to our family of God, like the family of birds. We are made up of various
churches and denominations, but we are one family and should be there for one another at all times, especially when someone is being attacked. We all need help, correction, care and love at one time or another but are we the bystanders excited about the fight, maybe just not wanting to get involved or are we jumping in the ring to make right wrongs being done possibly saving a life...
I am sure that I have gotten your imagination stirring concerning this scene and so I ask that you pray and have God share with you as He did with me. Anyone can hear from God, if you will talk with Him...Do you know the song: "And He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own..."
Have a wonderful month!
Love in Jesus,
Angel
TIDEWATER EMMAUS 10TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
The Tidewater Emmaus Community will be holding a 10th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, September 19, 1998, 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Aldersgate in Portsmouth, Virginia.
The celebration will begin with a Chrysalis Social at 3:00 p.m. Dinner will be served from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Tickets are $4.00 per person. For more information, please contact Charlie Tisdale at
757-496-0061 (home) or 757-855-9230 (work).
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Chrysalis
Corner
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
What an awesome God we serve! Although you have not seen the physical presence of our Chrysalis community, God is very much aware that we are here and has given us many blessings! We are continuing the process of bringing our By-Laws into compliance with the Upper Room Chrysalis in Nashville, a task that is tedious but necessary.
Our goal is to have a girls Chrysalis weekend by Spring 1999 and the boys weekend Fall 1999! If God has placed it on your heart to serve him through Chrysalis, come into His light and let it shine on us! We are in need of TEAM applications for both weekends.
As recommended by the Upper Room Chrysalis in Nashville, we have scheduled our area advisor, Helen Kerrigan, to conduct a Chrysalis training. This will be September 11 for the board members and September 12, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for anyone who may be interested in serving the Lord through this movement. The September 12 session is a “run through” of a Chrysalis weekend. If you are interested, please let us know. The only requirement is that you have experienced a Chrysalis or Emmaus weekend.
Our elections will take place at our September Gathering. We will have four positions to fill as terms are expiring. Positions to be filled will be one male and one female for both youth and adult and one Spiritual Director. PRAISE GOD to those who have answered God’s call to serve Him through Fredericksburg Chrysalis! (We still need more!) If God has placed this ministry on your heart, we need you!!! Please let one of the board members know so we can get your name on the ballot.
God has blessed us with an opportunity to bring our youth together for fun, fellowship and music! We have scheduled a Chrysalis Reunion in conjunction with Bethel’s Coffeehouse on August 28, 8:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. at Bethel UMC in Woodbridge. The band “Fear of Isaac” will be furnishing the awesome Word of God through their music! A flyer is in the newsletter!!!
Thank you for your fervent prayers and continued support to make our Chrysalis community ALIVE WITH CHRIST!!
Fly With Christ!!
Gena Edsall
FREDERICKSBURG CHRYSALIS
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Edsall, Gena - Adult Lay Director
- Youth Lay Director
Landweer, Phil - Secretary
Dunn, Mike - Treasurer
Turbyfill, Margie - Spiritual Director
Benefield, Jamie Fulkerson, Robert Sr.
Boyette, Keith Morrow, Nathan
Edsall, Christa Olds, Barbara
Farrar, Jeremy Ritter, Jim
Fulkerson, Angel Williams, Melanie
The Chrysalis Board will meet at 3 p.m. the day of the Gathering at St. Matthias United Methodist Church.
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