History of the Walk to Emmaus
The Walk to Emmaus® is a beautiful spiritual formation event sponsored by the Upper Room for all Christians. It is an intensive weekend of study, fellowship, singing and worship designed to promote personal spiritual renewal and leadership development for the local church.
The Walk to Emmaus® movement can trace its roots to the Cursillo. Short for Cursillo de Christiandad ("Short course of Christianity"), the Cursillo had its beginnings in Spain in the 1940's when a group of Catholic men dedicated themselves to bringing the young men of their city of Mallorca, Spain to know Christ better. The Cursillo movement grew until it became a function of the Catholic Church and was brought to the United States in 1957.
Cursillo
History
In 1974, The Reverend Robert R. Wood, then serving as an Associate Minister at First United Methodist Church in Peoria, Illinois, attended a Cursillo. His experience caused him to become an active participant in the Peoria Cursillo movement, helping Christians of every expression find renewal and a deepening of their spiritual nature. In 1977, he was instrumental in developing the Protestant Upper Room® Cursillo, which became Walk to Emmaus® in 1981.
Emmaus
History
The Walk to Emmaus® came to Blue Lake in 1985. The following article was printed in the 1985 Journal of the Alabama-West Florida Conference:
The Emmaus Walk Comes to Blue Lake
The Emmaus Walk has now come to Blue Lake. The First men's weekend was held Feb 21-24, at Pinewood with thirty-five men to complete the program. Mar 21-24, fifty-two women attended and completed the program. This was the fulfillment of a dream for many of our people who had experienced the Emmaus Walk at Camp Sumatanga in North Alabama who wanted to share the experience with persons in the Alabama-West Florida Conference.
The Walk to Emmaus is a beautiful spiritual formation event sponsored by the Upper Room for all United Methodism. It is now held in forty-five Annual Conferences across the country. It is an intensive weekend of study, fellowship, singing and worship designed to promote personal spiritual renewal and leadership development for the local church.
We are deeply grateful for guidance and leadership from North Alabama clergy and laity who continue to help us develop the program in our Conference. Bill Miles, who serves as Spiritual Director of the movement in North Alabama, and his staff have been of invaluable assistance. They continue to encourage us with their prayers and participation.
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