Sponsorship

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Sponsorship
A Crucial Role in the Emmaus Community
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The Purpose of the Walk to Emmaus
The Walk to Emmaus exists to create Christian
leaders for the local church and the world.

• GOALS
• To strengthen your personal relationship with
  Jesus Christ
• To encourage you to Christianize your
  environment
• To build strong leaders in our area churches

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What is Sponsorship?
Sponsorship is the act of you revisiting The Walk
to Emmaus experience with the person whom God has
laid on your heart.

• The strength of any Emmaus Community is a direct
  result of that communitys recruiting practices.
• Our sole purpose in recruiting new pilgrims
  should be the strengthening of our own
  congregations.
• Sponsorship requires extensive prayer, diligent
  thought, and careful planning and follow-through.
• It is a dynamic partnership between you and God.

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Aspects of Good Sponsorship

• It is the first act of agape before a Walk ever
  begins.
• It supports and strengthens the whole weekend
  with sacrificial love on behalf of each pilgrim.
• It is the foundation for a healthy, effective
  Emmaus Movement, which results in the renewal of
  the church.

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Guidelines for Good Sponsorship
Who should you sponsor?

• PRAY ABOUT IT! God decides who we should
  sponsor and when. We simply need to remain
  attentive to Gods leading and patiently waiton
  the Lord. -Psalm 2714
• Candidates for The Walk to Emmaus
• Individuals
• Couples (Equal Commitment Rule)
• Church leaders (clergy and lay people)
• Church members seeking renewed commitment
• Do not sponsor persons who are not members of a
  church.

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Guidelines for Good Sponsorship
Questions to ask before sponsoring

• Is The Walk to Emmaus right for this person at
  this time?
• Is this person going though any emotional
  distress that would distract them during the
  weekend? i.e. death of a loved one, divorce
  proceedings, work issues, health problems
• Is this person right for the Walk to Emmaus
  experience?
• The person you sponsor is the seed you are
  sowing for the future of Seaside Emmaus and for
  future church leadership.
• Fruit should result from your sponsorship.
  Check out the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians
  522-23.
• Remember, The Walk to Emmaus is not for
  everyone.
• Would this person be physically able to sit in
  the conference room for long periods of time and
  participate comfortably in all the weekend
  activities?

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Guidelines for Good Sponsorship
Responsibilities of the sponsor - ALL are equally
important!

• PRAY about who you should sponsor
• Meet with the potential pilgrim(s)
• PRAY
• Apply for the Walk
• PRAY
• Collect agape letters and make agape gifts
• PRAY
• Be in touch with your pilgrim(s) as the Walk
  approaches
• PRAY
• Attend Walk weekend events
• PRAY
• Follow-up with your pilgrim(s)

Remember each step of sponsorship must include
God!
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Guidelines for Good Sponsorship
Responsibilities of the sponsor - ALL are equally
important!

• PRAY about who you should sponsor
• God knows better than we do who is ready for The
  Walk to Emmaus experience. His timing and ways
  are perfect!
• Prayer is very important before, during and after
  the Walk.
• Before Pray about whom you should sponsor. Then
  pray for them as their Walk approaches.
• During Pray for the pilgrim and their family
  throughout the weekend. Sign up for the 72-hour
  prayer vigil.
• After Continue to pray for the new community
  member following the Walk.

PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!!
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Guidelines for Good Sponsorship
Responsibilities of the sponsor - ALL are equally
important!

• Meet with the potential pilgrim(s)
• Some aspects of the Walk you may want to share
• The Walk is a 72-hour experience. Describe the
  format of the weekend.
• The pilgrim will be in a group of same-gender
  people.
• This experience demonstrates the remarkable love
  of God that binds us together.
• Answer their questions, but try not to give away
  the surprises of the weekend. We are not a
  secret organization.
• NOTE If your potential pilgrim is married, you
  should meet with both parties of the couple
  at the same time even if one spouse says, My
  husband/wife wont ever participate.

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Guidelines for Good Sponsorship
Responsibilities of the sponsor - ALL are equally
important!

• Equal Commitment Rule
• It does NOT mean that the Walk to Emmaus is only
  for married couples.
• After meeting with both husband/wife together, if
  one partner chooses not to attend, suggest that
  the couple think and pray about the decision for
  6-9 months (until the next set of Walks).
• After that time, talk with them again. If the
  one partner is still not interested, then sponsor
  the one who wants to attend being assured that
  the other partner agrees.
• Why does Emmaus have an Equal Commitment Rule?
• Emmaus strongly supports the sanctity of marriage
  and does not want to become a wedge or a divisive
  force in marriage relationships.

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Guidelines for Good Sponsorship
Responsibilities of the sponsor - ALL are equally
important!

• Apply for the Walk
• Assist your pilgrim in filling out their part of
  the application. Be sure to answer any questions
  they have.
• Collect their application and deposit.
• Once you have filled out the sponsor page of the
  application, mail all of the above to the
  Registrar.
• Include a letter to the Seaside Emmaus Board if
  the person is married, but attending without
  their spouse. The letter should include
• A note that the waiting period has occurred and
  that both spouses have been included in the
  entire discussion.
• Why one spouse does not want to attend
• Why the other spouse thinks it is okay to attend
  alone

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Guidelines for Good Sponsorship
Responsibilities of the sponsor - ALL are equally
important!

• Collect agape letters and make agape gifts
• In your confirmation letter from the Registrar,
  you will receive a sample request letter to help
  you collect agape letters.
• A suggestion for who to contact to help you
  collect these letters is the pilgrims emergency
  contact on their application form. This person
  is typically a family member or close friend, who
  can assist you with who to collect letters from.
• You can bring the letters with you to Send-off
  and/or Candlelight.
• Make table agape for the weekend (usually with
  your Reunion Group).
• Remember, this entire process should be kept a
  secret from your pilgrim.

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Guidelines for Good Sponsorship
Responsibilities of the sponsor - ALL are equally
important!

• Be in touch with your pilgrim as the Walk
  approaches
• A few days prior to the Walk, contact your
  pilgrim to remind them about the upcoming
  weekend.
• Offer guidance about what to pack for the weekend
• Decide what time you will be picking up your
  pilgrim on Thursday night. You must be at
  Send-off by 645pm.
• Remind your pilgrim that they will need to eat
  dinner before you pick them up Thursday night.
• If applicable, talk with the spouse of the
  pilgrim to be sure they are taken care of for the
  weekend while the other spouse is away. Perhaps,
  offer to baby-sit to give the spouse a break.
  Give them your phone number in case there is an
  emergency.

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Guidelines for Good Sponsorship
Responsibilities of the sponsor - ALL are equally
important!

• Attend Walk weekend events
• Send-off is on Thursday night at 645pm.
  Following send-off, you will need to attend
  Sponsors Hour.
• Candlelight is on Saturday night at 8pm.
• Closing is on Sunday afternoon at 430pm. Plan
  to be there by 4pm so you can pick up your
  pilgrims luggage and get their extra agape
  letters.
• In between the above, you can sign-up to serve in
  the kitchen!

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Guidelines for Good Sponsorship
Responsibilities of the sponsor - ALL are equally
important!

• Follow-up with your pilgrim
• Call your pilgrim the day after the Walk to see
  how their Fourth Day is going.
• Make plans to attend the Potluck Gathering and
  Follow-Up meeting with your pilgrim.
• Assist your pilgrim in finding/creating a Reunion
  Group.
• Encourage the new member to attend the monthly
  Gatherings. Call and remind them each month!
• Teach the new member how to be a good sponsor!

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Results of Good Sponsorship
Sponsorship is the act of you revisiting The Walk
to Emmaus experience with the person whom God has
laid on your heart.

• Wisely and prayerfully sponsored pilgrims return
  to their family, churches and communities renewed
  in their commitment to be effective disciples for
  Jesus Christ.

This fulfills the purpose for The Walk to Emmaus
and more importantly, the purpose God has set
forth for each of us.