Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope this letter finds you well, filled with faith and anxious to serve the Lord.  To say these are trying times is both obvious and an understatement.  I know there is great uncertainty about the pandemic, vaccines and their distribution, and encumbrances imposed upon us by the various governmental edicts.  It is particularly trying to determine the course of our Community.  Although we are able to gather in small numbers, we cannot safely conduct a Walk with the inherent requirement of bunking in the same dormitory for three days and nights.  Moreover, trying to modify the Walk inhibits the depth of the experience of receiving the Holy Spirit.  To that end, I have convened the Board to address the need to once again postpone the Men’s Walk 2020.

The Board met via Zoom to address this need and we agreed by a vote of 8-0 to postpone the Men’s Walk until September 16-19, 2021 and to postpone the Women’s Walk 2021 until October 21-24, 2021.  We have confirmed these dates with the good folks at Eagle’s Wings Retreat Center. Walk Lay Directors Matt Schuessler and Paula Mays-Hall will remain in place.

We are working to renew our Community Gatherings schedule.  We are currently working to hold a limited attendance gathering to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord.  Our tentative date is March 29^th.  We hope to then conduct limited gatherings every other month beginning in May or June.  Our greatest hope is to be meeting regularly beginning in July so we can work collectively to put on the Men’s Walk in September.

Our service to God remains our greatest commandment.  While we may not be able to fully gather together as a Community, we can continue to meet in our 4^th Day Groups.  I strongly encourage you to do so.  These small groups remain the backbone of the Emmaus Community movement.  If you are comfortable gathering together, please do so.  If you would rather spend time together via Facetime, Zoom or other electronic means, do that as well.  The worst thing to do is to do nothing because that is just the platform the enemy looks for to spread his evil ways.  Trust in our God.  He has control of all that is happening.  Remain vigilant in his service, reach out to those who need help, a kind word, or a favor.  His greatest commandments call on us to Love Him and to Love One Another.  He is with us, ALWAYS! Please be watching for announcements regarding the proposed gathering in March.

May the peace and love of our Lord be with you all during the days to come.  As ever, I remain your humble servant.

De Colores

Tom Ruiz

Community Lay Director

Heartland of Texas Emmaus Community

Men’s Walk to Emmaus 2020m has been postponed until further notice. We hope to reschedule the walk sometime in 2021. We will post the dates as soon as they have been confirmed. Please check back from time to time.
Have a blessed week,
Board of Directors
Heartland of Texas Emmaus Community