Sponsorship
28) Sponsors
Sponsorship is an act of love for God, pilgrims, and the
Emmaus Community. Good sponsorship is vital to the Emmaus movement in every
community. In fact sponsorship is the most important role in Emmaus. It is so
much more than “signing people up”. The quality of sponsorship influences the
pilgrims/butterfly’s, the Emmaus/ Chrysalis movement, and the churches and
communities affected by the movement. The purpose of sponsorship should be to
bring spiritual renewal to those who will in return, bring a new life and
vision back to their church, home, workplace, schools and community.
Emmaus/ Chrysalis is right for many people but not for
everyone!
Possible candidates could be:
*The backbone of the local church
*Less active members who need their awareness of grace rekindled and their
commitment renewed
*Christians who are hungry for “something more” and want to
grow spiritually
*Church leaders (clergy and lay) who will bring new vision
and vitality back to the church and who need the renewal and to experience the
grace unique in Emmaus
Questionable candidates could be:
* Non- Christians and persons without
connections to the church. The Emmaus walk is designed for those who already have a relationship with Jesus.
* Persons undergoing an emotional crisis (recent
divorce, severe grief, etc.)
*People whose theology and/ or practice is
notably different with the traditional theology and practice represented by The
Walk to Emmaus.
*“Church hoppers”, members who always have an axe to grind
against the church. People who will use Emmaus as a tool to divide the body, or
create an “Emmaus Church”. Emmaus can not be your church. Emmaus is designed to strengthen the local church.
* Persons fighting substance abuse or who are
psychologically unstable. The Emmaus walk is not designed to "fix" anyone
How do we sponsor?
Before the walk
1. The
first part of sponsorship is to pray and seek guidance from the Holy Spirit.
2.
Make an appointment with the person or couple for the purpose of discussing
participation in Emmaus/ Chrysalis. Have them pray on it 3. The equal
commitment rule: when at all possible when a husband and wife are both possible
candidates and are both willing to participate then they both should be
sponsored and both should attend the same set of walks.
4. In Chrysalis, it is important to talk with
the parent/guardian of the candidate before sponsoring.
5. Extend an invitation. Invite the prospective
pilgrim/caterpillar to attend for the sake of a more intimate relationship with
Jesus Christ. Explain the basic elements of the Walk/Flight, its purpose and
follow-up dimensions.
6. Take the application to the prospective
pilgrim/caterpillar and have them fill it out in your presence answering any
questions that the prospective pilgrim/caterpillar might have. You do not have
to tell them in detail of everything that is going to happen in the three days,
but answer honestly any questions they ask
7. Pilgrim/Caterpillar applications
can be downloaded from our website: http://www.lcemmaus.org
8. Be forthright in
explaining the sleeping and bathing arrangements, as well as there will be no
contact with their family and businesses (except emergencies).
9. Mail in the
completed application with fees to the Emmaus Registrar whose address is on the
application.
10. Make sure the Registrar
is aware and passes the information on to the Weekend Lay director of any
special needs that the pilgrim/caterpillar might have. This includes but is not
limited to any special dietary needs, or special medical needs.
11. After you have received confirmation of the
pilgrims/caterpillars “Walk date” begin working on the 12 agape letters.
Letters are an extremely important part of the weekend, so spend some time and
effort in getting the 12 people closest to the pilgrim/caterpillar to write a
letter. (a sample request letter is provided in the appendix)
12.
Give the pilgrim/caterpillar a suggested “packing list” of the things
that they will need to take with them on the mountain. This list should include
things like pillows, bath towels, Bibles, flashlights, etc.
13. Remind pilgrims to take money if they wish to
buy a t-shirt or sweatshirt at the book table after Saturday’s lunch.
14. Remind the pilgrim/caterpillar to leave
watches, cell phones, cameras, laptops etc. at home during the walk
15. You should be the one to take your
pilgrim/caterpillar to the sendoff. Help them find their cabin and help them
get situated.
16. Please do not leave
any special agape gifts for the pilgrim/caterpillar to find that night or later
during the walk. It is imperative that all pilgrims/caterpillars feel the same
and special gifts for one or a few will undermine this. Any special gifts will
be collected by the agape team and given to the sponsor after the closing
ceremony. If you feel led to give your pilgrim/caterpillar a special gift
please do so before you bring them to the Mountain or after you pick them up
after Sunday’s closing service.
17. Register the pilgrim/caterpillar at the
sign in table, getting their name button and giving it to them.
18. Bring the 12
letters to registration at sendoff and make sure that the first and last name
is on the envelope otherwise there is a chance of miss delivery. Letters from
family should have “family”, “spouse”, or “child” etc. on the envelope. Other
letters should have “friend”, “Sunday school teacher”, etc. on the outside of
those envelopes. The pastor of the church should be ask to write a letter to be
included in the top 12.
19. Eat with
your pilgrim/caterpillar during sendoff
20.
Pray throughout the 72-hour prayer vigil for your pilgrim/caterpillar
and the walk/flight in general.
21.
Check on the pilgrim’s family throughout the weekend helping out in any
areas of need (babysitting, feeding pets, providing a meal, yard work
etc.) while the pilgrim is on his Walk.
Let the family know they have arrived and all is well.
22. Be present at the candle light service.
(remember this service is only open to 4th day members of those who have
attended a 3-day event sponsored by the Upper Room)
23. Be present at the closing ceremony. (this
service is open to all, so it is ok to bring family members who are not 4th day
members)
24. Help the
pilgrim/caterpillar pack and take them home. Offer to take the
pilgrim/caterpillar out to dinner that evening to give them an opportunity to
share the events of the weekend.
After the walk
25.Continue to pray for the pilgrim/butterfly
26.Take the
pilgrim/butterfly to the follow-up gathering
27.Invite the pilgrim/butterfly to
the first few monthly gatherings.
28.Help the pilgrim/butterfly find a reunion group or start a group with
him or her
29.Help and encourage the pilgrim/butterfly in their commitment to
their church, family, workplace and community
30. Inform and guide the
pilgrim/butterfly in ways of serving the Emmaus/Chrysalis Community on future
Walks/Flights.
31.Help the pilgrim/butterfly sponsor others Who can sponsor?
Any 4th day member who has completed a three-day event
sponsored by the Upper Room can sponsor as long as they understand the aim and
responsibilities of sponsorship, and be willing and able to fulfill the
responsibility requirements.
It is best practice that sponsors should not serve as team
members on Walks/Flights with persons they are sponsoring. If persons choose to
work on Walks/Flights they should be behind the scenes and arrange for other
co-sponsors to carry out the duties (such as checking on families) that they
cannot attend to while working.
Pilgrims/Caterpillars
1. Pilgrims/caterpillars must be sponsored by a 4th day
member
2. Pilgrims/caterpillars applications must be turned in by the sponsor
before the deadline (two weeks prior to the walk/flight) however the registrar
at his or her discretion can add a pilgrim/caterpillar after the deadline.
3.
Under no circumstances should a person bring a pilgrim/caterpillar to sendoff
who hasn’t been registered. In this event the pilgrim/caterpillar will not be
allowed to Walk and will be sent home from the mountain.
4.
Pilgrims/Caterpillars will be selected on a first come-first served basis, from
the applications received by the registrar.
5. Pilgrims/Caterpillars should meet the requirements of possible
candidates listed above (Section 28 Sponsors)
6. If a pilgrim/caterpillar has to leave the walk due to sickness or any
other reason, the sponsor shall be notified. Anyone who leaves the walk/flight
after candlelight will be considered to have completed the walk/flight and will
become a full member of the Community.
7. Any pilgrim/caterpillar that has to
leave before the candlelight service will not be considered to have completed
the 3-day experience and will not be considered 4th day members of the
community. However, they are eligible to return again as a pilgrim/caterpillar.
8. Pilgrims/Caterpillars are expected to cooperate and follow rules. If a
pilgrim/caterpillar becomes disruptive defiant or in other ways a deterrent to
those around them, then after meeting in private with the Weekend Spiritual
Director, Weekend Lay Director and advisory from the Board Representative, if
the situation cannot be resolved then the sponsor should be called to pick up
the pilgrim/caterpillar.
9. Pilgrims/caterpillars should never be taken to the
72-hour prayer chapel. If they need prayer, then the spiritual team should pray
with them and the prayer request delivered to the prayer chapel.
10.Pilgrims/Caterpillars should not be
allowed into the back of the kitchen. If an emergency occurs and a phone is
required, the phone should be taken to them on the porch area.
11.Pilgrims/Caterpillars on a walk/flight
should all feel as if they are treated equally, therefore no special gifts
should be given to a pilgrim/caterpillar during the walk/flight.
Other questions? Please review the Policy/Procedure manual. Many answers can be found there for our community.