One's awareness of, and commitment to, the purpose of Emmaus influences who is sponsored and how they are sponsored. Emmaus is for active Christians and members of churches whose own renewal will mean new energy, commitment, and vision in the church and everyday environments for Christ's sake. There are several qualities a prospective pilgrim should possess.

• The person should already be on a pilgrimage, willing to grow and move forward in their journey of faith.
• The person should have a Christian passion. The pilgrim knows God can make and has made a difference in their life.
• The person isn’t so consumed by life’s circumstances that they are unable to give full attention to the message and experience of Emmaus.

Those sponsored could include the following:

• Church leaders (pastors and laypersons) who will bring new vision, commitment, and understanding back to their congregations and who need the renewal and grace Emmaus channels;
• Dependable church members who are the quiet backbone of the church;
• Less active members who need their awareness of grace rekindled and their commitments renewed;
• Christians who are hungry for “something more” and who want to grow spiritually;
• Respected laypersons and clergypersons whose participation, support, and leadership will encourage others to attend the Walk and will build a sound, balanced leadership base for the movement in the community; and
• Members of diverse congregations, denominations, and ethnic groups.

Emmaus is right for many people - but not for everyone. The religious background or emotional condition of some people may make Emmaus an improper discipleship tool for them. Others may be unsuitable for sponsorship because of the negative effect they might have on an Emmaus weekend or the divisive influence they might bring to the church. Sponsorship requires sensitivity to these factors.

Some examples of questionable sponsorship are as follows:

• Non-Christians
• Christians whose theology and/or practice is notably different or incompatible with the traditional theology and practice represented by The Walk to Emmaus;
• persons undergoing an emotional crisis (for example, family breakup, job loss, severe grief) or who are psychologically unstable;
• persons who decide not to attend a Walk after being presented the opportunity. A potential sponsor need not feel like a failure if a prospect says no. Perhaps the timing is not right. Perhaps God will renew the person in another way. Remember, The Walk to Emmaus is not the way to renewal for every Christian.

Wise sponsorship is purposeful and prayerful; unwise sponsorship is haphazard and undiscerning. Wise sponsorship eventually will produce a balanced, theologically centered movement of the Holy Spirit. Unwise sponsorship eventually will produce a harvest that becomes more of a burden than a blessing for the church.

1. Pray for the person's openness to God's call to discipleship, not for how to get him or her to go on a Walk.
2. Extend an invitation. Invite the person to attend for the sake of a more vital relationship with Jesus Christ, not just an event to go to. Share your faith; explain the basic elements of the Walk, its purpose, and follow-up dimensions, which help us live in grace for the rest of our lives. Take the attitude that you are offering the person a wonderful gift rather than that they need to go.
3. Ask the person to make a commitment by filling out the registration form. If the person is married, speak with both partners and encourage an equal commitment by both. ALL parts of the application must be completed and signed.
4. Continue to pray for your prospective pilgrim. Once the pilgrim has been assigned to a Walk, begin to prepare agape letters. Do not send personal agape for the pilgrim to be delivered during the weekend. Pilgrims are not allowed to receive individual agape during the weekend.
5. Support the Walk through your participation in the 72-Hour Prayer Vigil and your presence at Sendoff, Candlelight and Closing. Support the pilgrim's family by house-sitting, baby-sitting, feeding pets, watering plants, or just checking in with a spouse to see if any help is needed. For this reason it is best not to sponsor more than one pilgrim or couple at a time.
6. Encourage the pilgrim in his or her Fourth Day involvement. Talk to them about their weekend experience. Help the pilgrim find or start a reunion group. Take the pilgrim to the first Gathering after their Walk. You could even offer to baby-sit so your pilgrim can attend a Candlelight.
7. Help the pilgrim re-enter their church and consider ways to engage with new commitment and enthusiasm.
8. Inform the pilgrim about ways to serve the Emmaus community on future Walks, creating agape and writing letters to other pilgrims.
9. Help the pilgrim understand how to sponsor others.

Any persons who have participated in Emmaus can sponsor another person to Emmaus so long as they understand the aim and responsibilities of sponsorship and can fulfill them for the person they would sponsor. Persons who have participated in Chrysalis can also sponsor adults to Emmaus under the same conditions.

While a pilgrim may not know what questions to ask, you do not need to tell them everything that will occur during the three days. However, keep in mind there are no secrets! Saying to a pilgrim that you can’t tell them anything about the Walk potentially creates unnecessary suspicion and anxiety. And for clergy and staff leadership, this posture builds a wall of division resulting in an “us vs. them” mentality against the Emmaus community. There is no reason to shroud the event in secrecy. This practice has probably done more harm to the movement than people realize. You can share many things about Emmaus without revealing some of the unique and meaningful experiences.

Here are some suggested items to cover with a pilgrim.

• There are fifteen presentations (five each day) dealing with subjects like setting priorities, serving God in everyday situations, how to be a disciple, and how to persevere in faith. Encourage note taking.
• There is time spent in discussing these presentations.
• Time is spent in prayer and meditation.
• Communion is observed each day.
• There is plenty of good food and fellowship.
• Discuss sleeping and showering arrangements with your pilgrim. A list of suggested items to bring is included with the pilgrim’s welcome and acceptance letter.
• No contact with the outside world except, of course, for emergencies.
• Tell how each weekend is unique, but each person seems to find exactly what God wants that person to experience. Don’t try to pre-judge what a person’s needs are or what someone will get out of the Walk to Emmaus. Simply tell your own story. There are no expected results other than experiencing God’s love.

Special dietary needs have increased over the past years. These guidelines are for medical diets. All other diets which, are a participant’s choice, are theirs to monitor per our standard menu.

1. For special dietary needs, the participant (Emmaus, Chrysalis, or team member) will need to bring their own meals (3 breakfast, 3 lunch, 2 supper) with additional instructions if necessary. We also think it will be best if the Kitchen Coordinator can go over this with the participant and their sponsor when they arrive for the event. We would prefer that the meals be already prepared and in separate containers marked for each meal (breakfast, lunch, supper), but if they bring items in bulk we can prepare their meals per their instructions.
2. If a participant (Emmaus, Chrysalis, team member) is a Thursday last minute addition, we realize that they will not have sufficient time to prepare their meals if they have a special dietary need. We will need to talk with the participant (Emmaus, Chrysalis, team member) and their sponsor to see what their dietary need is so we can do our best to meet that need.
3. A Quick Menu Guide is available here. This will allow the participant to view our standard menu so that they will be able to adjust their diet as needed.
4. The Monday before the Walk or Flight begins, we request that the Lay Director and/or Board Advisor contact Bev Shepherd to advise the number of participants with special diets, their name and dietary concern.

The Christian Camp of North Mississippi wants each participant to be at ease with their dietary restrictions which will enable them to fully enjoy their 72 hours with Christ. The kitchen crew will also be more at ease and confident that they will be able to meet the needs of the participant.

A copy of the Request for Pilgrim Reservation and the Sponsor Sheet can be found in the “Blue Book” given to all pilgrims and team members at the end of each walk. The most current copies of these forms can be found by clicking below.

ALL parts of both forms must be completed and signed. Please consider each item on the Sponsor Sheet carefully and prayerfully consider your responsibility before signing your name. Also, make certain the the sponsor’s contact information on the Pilgrim Reservation form is accurate. Incomplete applications cannot be processed.

Both forms should be mailed to the Registrar by the sponsor. All communications with the Registrar should be from the sponsor unless circumstances dictate otherwise.

View Applications

Much of the material contained in this document is written and excerpted from the following two resources that are available throughThe Upper Room website.

Day Four: The Pilgrim's Continued Journey by Robert Wood & Marie Livingston Roy

The Upper Room Handbook on Emmaus, 2nd Edition by Stephen Bryant & Richard Gilmore

Also consider these excellent resources (also available through The Upper Room website):

Sponsorship by Richard & Janine Gilmore – The Emmaus Library series

What is Emmaus? by Stephen Bryant – The Emmaus Library series