Finally! You are a Sponsor! Your friend has agreed to attend a Walk to Emmaus. You have talked about the great time you had on your walk. You have talked about the change it has made in your life and the way you have experienced a closeness to Christ you had not felt before. You have even explained how your participation in church activities and mission work has been enhanced and made more meaningful. And she has finally agreed. (At this point, you’re not sure she has agreed because she is truly wishing to be a part of such a wonderful experience or if she just wants a little peace and quiet!)
Now you get to work. You help her with the registration, getting her signed up is a wonderful feeling. Next, you assure her that her family will be looked after while she is away for the weekend. You’ll probably have to reassure her several times if she has children at home. Then comes the joy of inviting friends and family to write those encouraging and beautiful letters which will mean so much on Sunday afternoon and many days after. Finally comes the day when you drive her to the place where she will spend 72 hours as a pilgrim on the Walk To Emmaus! She is excited! You are excited! It’s going to be a great weekend! And it is truly a wonderful weekend. On Sunday she is thrilled and can’t stop talking about her experience and you think, “Being a Sponsor is great! Can’t wait to do it again!”
Oh, but wait! You aren’t done yet, you know. There is the coming home. The “What do I do now, Coach?” How often do we as sponsors think our work is done as soon as we drop our Pilgrim off at home? When in truth our work has only just begun. Part of sponsorship is taking care that our Pilgrim, this new Babe Chick (do they still call them that?), finds a Reunion Group where she can continue to grow in her journey with Christ and with others. If your group has room, invite her to join you. If it is getting too large, perhaps now is a good time to start a new group. If she is in another part of town or in another city, check the Emmaus website for churches or communities in her area where she might find a Reunion Group. Do as much as you can to help her find this very important circle of Emmaus friends.
Another event is the Community Gathering. Of course you have been active in your Community’s gathering and are excited to introduce her as a new member of the Community. The music, the worship, the fellowship and the food (of course, there is always food!) will go a long way to keeping her involved in the journey that only started on that 72 hour, very special, Walk to Emmaus.
So keep up the good work. Keep talking. Keep listening. Keep inviting. Keep praying.
Keep caring. And do you know what the bonus outcome will be? In all this talking, listening, inviting, praying, and caring for your friend, you will find that your journey with Christ has been enriched and blessed because you have been that most beautiful of all creatures – a SPONSOR WHO CARRIED ON!
[footnote from the author… About the pronoun business: I do realize that everything I wrote about being a sponsor applies to both men and women, and you realize that, too, but I had to choose a pronoun. I had to pick either he or she or do a he/she sort of thing or do something really quirky like use “Pilgrim” or “your friend” every time and that gets tedious. So…I just decided to use “she.” Next time I will use “he,” and then we’ll be even. Won’t we?
From: L Jodie Windbigler