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Posted: February 26 2025 at 04:05 AM
Author: Stacy Nordengren, Northern Illinois Emmaus, Walk 171 Lay Director
“Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” Luke 24:32 (NIV)
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Have you been thinking of attending Walk to Emmaus? The weekend is a spiritual retreat, overseen by The Upper Room, designed to deepen a person’s faith, strengthen their relationship with Christ, and build a supportive Christian community. This spiritual weekend offers teachings, discussions, and testimonies that can give new insights into your own spiritual journey.
An Emmaus weekend experience is deeply personal and can mean different things to each participant. Many who attend an Emmaus weekend describe it as a life-changing experience. For me, it represented a spiritual renewal, and a deeper understanding of God’s grace and presence in my life. The Emmaus Walk weekend provided me with time to step away from the daily distractions and the busyness of life to help me focus on my faith journey and personal growth.
The Emmaus experience continues on after the weekend retreat as you become an active part of the community in both fellowship and service. Through my Emmaus experience, my passion was renewed for service as a more active and engaged disciple in my church and community. It helped me to build strong relationships and created a sense of belonging and encouragement within a loving, compassionate Christian community.
The Northern Illinois Emmaus community invites you to consider attending a Walk to Emmaus Weekend, held in the spring and fall each year. The spring walks for 2025 are March 27-30 (Men’s Walk) and April 3-6 (Women’s Walk). Both walks are being held at Wesley Woods in Williams Bay, WI. The fall walks for 2025 will be held Sept. 25-28 (Men’s Walk) and October 2-5 (Women’s Walk) at Bishop Lane Retreat Center, Rockford, IL.
An applicant needs a sponsor from the Emmaus community. If you do not know anyone currently in the community, please contact Dave Stiver, sponsor chair (email or [224] 715-8756); Tom Wood, community lay director (email or [312] 406-7324); or Nancy Pitsch, assistant community lay director (email or [815] 499-3802). Applications are needed two weeks prior to the walk so arrangements can be made.
More information is available here.
Walk to Emmaus Ministries is overseen by The Upper Room, a division of United Methodist Discipleship Ministries.