What Happens at Emmaus?
The “Walk to Emmaus“ is a 72-hour experience which takes a New Testament view on Christianity as a lifestyle. The weekend begins at 7:00 pm Thursday and ends in the late afternoon on Sunday. At Emmaus you will spend three busy but very enjoyable days, usually at a retreat center. You will study and celebrate together in song, prayer, worship and discussion.
Discussions center around fifteen talks given by lay people and clergy. These talks present the theme of God's grace, and how that grace comes alive in the Christian community and expresses itself in the world. You'll also discover how grace is real in your life, and how you can express it to others. You will have the opportunity to participate in the daily celebration of Holy Communion, and to begin to understand more fully the presence of Christ in your life. You will experience God's grace and love personally through the prayers and service of the support community.
Emmaus is a highly structured weekend designed to strengthen and renew your faith in Christ, and through you, your families, congregations and the world in which you live.
The Walk to Emmaus is ecumenical. This means it does not belong to any one Christian denomination. The program invites and involves the participation of Christians of many denominations. Emmaus is ecumenical not only because members of many denominations participate, but because Emmaus seeks to foster Christian unity and to reinforce the whole Christian community. This is one of the great strengths and joys of the Emmaus movement.
The fact that Emmaus is ecumenical does not mean it is theologically indifferent. On the contrary, The Walk to Emmaus is designed to communicate with confidence and depth the essentials of the Christian life, while accentuating those features that Christians have traditionally held in common.
The Upper Room Walk to Emmaus is a tightly designed event that is conducted with discipline according to a manual that is universally standard. Emmaus is offered only with the permission and under the guidelines of international organization. This ensures a proven format and a common experience that should be trustworthy from weekend to weekend wherever Emmaus is being offered.