CUMC Walk to Emmaus

Christ United Methodist Church is actively involved in the Walk to Emmaus program, which centers on a 3-day spiritual renewal weekend. Minnesota Walks occur in the fall, winter, and spring, with men and women attending separate weekends. Typically, CUMC supports the Walks that are held at Ironwood Springs near Stewartville, Minnesota.

CUMC also supports an active Walk to Emmaus Reunion Group, called Streams of Grace. Although designed for those who have participated in a Walk weekend, the group is open to anyone. The group actively supports the Walk to Emmaus weekends through prayer, working Walks, and gifts of money and needed items. Streams of Grace meets the fourth Sunday of every month at 6:30 p.m. These meetings usually involve fellowship, Bible study, and discussion of upcoming weekends.

What Is Walk To Emmaus?

The Walk to Emmaus is a spiritual renewal program intended to strengthen the local church through the development of Christian disciples and leaders. The program's approach seriously considers the model of Christ's servanthood and encourages Christ's disciples to act in ways appropriate to being "a servant of all."

The Walk to Emmaus experience begins with a 72-hour short course in Christianity, comprised of fifteen talks by lay and clergy on the themes of God's grace, disciplines of Christian discipleship, and what it means to be the church. The course is wrapped in prayer and meditation, special times of worship and daily celebration of Holy Communion. The "Emmaus community," made up of those who have attended an Emmaus weekend, support the 72-hour experience with a prayer vigil, by preparing and serving meals, and other acts of love and self-giving. The Emmaus Walk typically begins Thursday evening and concludes Sunday evening. Men and women attend separate weekends.

During and after the three days, Emmaus leaders encourage participants to meet regularly in small groups. The members of the small groups challenge and support one another in faithful living. Participants seek to Christianize their environments of family, job, and community through the ministry of their congregations. The three-day Emmaus experience and follow-up groups strengthen and renew Christian people as disciples of Jesus Christ and as active members of the body of Christ in mission to the world

The Upper Room, a ministry unit of the General Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church, sponsors the Walk to Emmaus and offers it through local Emmaus groups around the world. Although connected through The Upper Room to The United Methodist Church, The Walk to Emmaus is ecumenical

For more information, visit the official United Methodist Walk to Emmaus web site.