WHAT IS SPONSORSHIP?
As sponsors, we need to follow the scriptural principles of
praying, being open to God, and then calling people by name to attend The Walk to Emmaus. Remember, The
Walk to Emmaus is not for everyone. It is NOT a tent revival either. Be certain that the individual
you invite is right for Emmaus and that Emmaus is right for that individual.
Sponsorship is the act of revisiting
The Walk to Emmaus experience with the person whom God has laid on your heart. Sponsorship is one of the most important
aspects of The Walk to Emmaus. Do not take this responsibilities lightly or carry them out casually or haphazardly.
Sponsorship requires extensive prayer, diligent thought, and careful planning and follow-through.
As Sponsor, you are called
to a heavenly task of grace and responsibility. Not only will you need to be praying and sacrficing for your pilgrim,
you MUST be able to attend to their needs PRE-Walk, DURING-the-Walk, and POST-Walk.
WHAT DOES
THIS MEAN?
Pre-Walk -
1)
PRAY PRAY PRAY
2) Help your pilgrim complete the
Pilgrim Application, answer ALL questions they have (doesn't mean you have to give away any of the fun stuff, just answer
THEIR questions), YOU must complete the back side of the Pilgrim App, help them send in the their Pilgrim App making sure
all blanks are filled AND the $25 deposit is included [the deposit is applied to the $100 Pilgrim Fee]. A "complete"
application is an applicataion with no blanks, filled out by the Pilgrim and the Sponsor, signed, mailed in (not faxed), with
the $25 deposit.
3) PRAY PRAY PRAY
4) Make arrangements to take care of the family while your pilgrim is away,
make arrangements to take your pilgrim to send-off and bring them home On Sunday after Closing, and make sure your pilgrim
KNOWS they will need to pay the remaining $75 at registration
5) ATTEND SPONSORS HOUR. As
a sponsor, you must be able to attend this important event. You will also need to make sure you are
able to make your Pilgrims bed after Sponsor's Hour. But please, no personal agape on the beds.
6) Gather 7-10
Agape Letters for your pilgrim BEFORE Saturday Night Candlelight Service
7) Sign up on the
72 Hour Prayer Vigil
During-the-Walk
-
1) PRAY PRAY PRAY
2) Be sure to tell your pilgrims family that you have seen the pilgrim or have heard the pilgrim
is having a nice time and reassure the family YOU will bring them home after Closing on Sunday, and take care of ANY needs
they may have during the weekend
3) Attend Candlelight... again, not an option to
miss. If your Pilgrim's spouse needs a sitter so the spouse can go to Candlelight help them
find a sitter or volunteer to watch the kids. In this instance it is alright if you miss Candlelight.
4)
PRAY PRAY PRAY
5) Help in the Kitchen, Agape Room, Prayer Room. There is always something that needs cleaning.
Be sure to stay out of site so your Pilgrim has no contact with you all weekend.
6) Attend closing, gather your Pilgrims
weekend items, and take them home after the service. LET THEM TALK ABOUT THEIR WEEKEND, try not to ask too
many questions, just listen.
Post-Walk
-
1) PRAY PRAY PRAY
2) Help your Pilgrim find a REUNION GROUP
3) Make sure you get them to 4th Day Gathering
4) Pray for
your Pilgrim and help them sponsor someone else. BE A GOOD MODEL
The Upper Room Handbook on Emmaus (the Model) lists
three aspects of good sponsorship: PRAYER, OPENNESS TO GOD,
CALLING BY NAME
1. Prayer
Praying is the first step in sponsorship. At this time we commit the process
to God. We release to God our control, our desires, and our expectations. As we spend this time in prayer, we need to
empty ourselves of self to be filled with God’s instruction, God’s timing, and God’s person for us to sponsor.
Prayer is
“the first act of agape” before a Walk ever begins.
Prayer undergirds the whole weekend “with sacrificial
love on behalf of each Pilgrim.”
Prayer is the foundation
for a healthy, effective Emmaus Movement, which results in the renewal of the church.
Thus, sponsorship offers an opportunity for
spiritual revitalization to individual Christians who then serve as vessels of renewal in the church, congregation, home,
workplace and community. Wise sponsorship builds up the body of Christ.
The authors of Day Four: The Pilgrim’s Continued Journey
wrote, “The strength of any Emmaus community is a direct result of that community’s recruiting practices".
A sponsor should commit to recruiting strong church leaders in order to strengthen the local church.
For the Walk to Emmaus to be effective,
individual congregations must know how to use the program. Emmaus is not a place where a local church sends its problem
members to get “straightened out,” nor is it an evangelistic tool to “make new Christians.”
Emmaus is meant to strengthen church leaders....the Walk to Emmaus cannot do everything; instead it has narrowed its focus
to the spiritual renewal of church leaders....Our sole purpose in recruiting new Pilgrims should be the strengthening of our
own congregations.
We urge you to remember this focus as you consider sponsorship.
Viewing The Walk to Emmaus as a hospital to cure all the ills will weaken the community. Pray and work to strengthen
and renew the church.
2. Openness to God
Our openness to God enables us to become God’s instruments in furthering
divine will through The Walk to Emmaus. Being open to God includes having our eyes open to see God at work. Being
open to God means we listen. Time and time again, the scriptures admonish us to listen to God and God’s instructions.
Our openness to God allows us to receive God’s instruction - even when the instruction does not conform to our expectations.
Our openness to God sensitizes us as to how God wants to renew and revitalize the church using all the aspects (sponsorship
included) of the Emmaus experience.
3. Calling by Name
Another aspect of sponsorship is calling individuals by name. God called
people by name - Noah, Abram (Abraham), Samuel, Esther, and others. Jesus also called individuals, and he called each
person by name. In the Gospels we read of Jesus’ calling the twelve disciples by name. Nowhere in the Gospels
do we read of Jesus issuing a general call for volunteers.
As sponsors, we need to follow the scriptural principles of praying, being open to
God, and then calling people by name to attend a Walk to Emmaus. Remember, The Walk to Emmaus
is not for everyone. Be certain that the individual you invite is right for Emmaus and that Emmaus is
right for that individual. And, as always, keep in mind... it is not about you.
