Welcome to the
Heart of Florida
Walk to Emmaus

Empowering leaders to be the hands and feet of Christ.

About Equal Commitment:

 

Emmaus is for both married and single persons. Both are equally welcomed.

 

In the case of married persons, the Upper Room provides guidance known as “The Equal Commitment Rule” designed to reflect the hope for marriages and families. The concern is that the Walk is not meant to be a divisive influence, but rather an opportunity for new spiritual bonds for couples and families.

 

It is not unusual for husbands and wives to be the motivation for one another to participate in the Walk and to come away from the experience with a deeper commitment to one another, to their family, to their church and to the Emmaus community.

 

There are instances in which spouses must take their Walks at different times or places. There are also instances when one spouse truly wants to attend and the other continues to be unwilling to participate. In those cases, a request can be made of the Board with explanation of the circumstances. The Board will review and pray about the situation for six months as they consider the request for single participation.

 

Emmaus is for both married and single persons. Both are equally welcomed.

 

In the case of married persons, the Upper Room provides guidance known as “The Equal Commitment Rule” designed to reflect the hope for marriages and families. The concern is that the Walk is not meant to be a divisive influence, but rather an opportunity for new spiritual bonds for couples and families.

 

It is not unusual for husbands and wives to be the motivation for one another to participate in the Walk and to come away from the experience with a deeper commitment to one another, to their family, to their church and to the Emmaus community.

 

There are instances in which spouses must take their Walks at different times or places. There are also instances when one spouse truly wants to attend and the other continues to be unwilling to participate. In those cases, a request can be made of the Board with explanation of the circumstances. The Board will review and pray about the situation for six months as they consider the request for single participation.

 

While a “build it and they will come” attitude may work in some situations, for the Walk to Emmaus this method of participation would probably not work. “Getting all my friends to go” is also not the right approach.

 

Sponsorship is an integral and vital component of the success of the Walks. The aim of sponsorship is to build up the body of Christ. Sponsorship is an opportunity to be a disciple – to be relational and to reach out to others in order to share the Emmaus experience and to “make a friend, be a friend, and bring a friend to Christ”.

 

Sponsorship is an example of Fourth Day agape – an act of sacrificial love. Sponsorship is the most important job in Emmaus. Good sponsorship involves much more than simply signing up people – it is about creating a healthy, effective Emmaus community able to fulfill its mission of developing Christian leaders and renewing the local churches.

 

Good sponsors are discerning in who they recruit, and informed about their own commitment in regards to sponsoring a pilgrim.

 

Guidelines for sponsorship can be found by clicking on the attachment below. You can download a sponsorship form by clicking on Sponsorship Forms in the menu under the Sponsorship tab. You can also get a sample of a request for agape letters there.

“Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them;”