Here is a letter from Joe Switzenberg, describing a plan he has on sponsoring new pilgrims following a walk. It is full of great ideas. Let’s join him in sharing the Emmaus experience with people we know and people we meet. If you were blessed, pass it on! Remember that you can join with others to pay the cost for sponsoring, or if you need help, talk to someone in the community! We do have scholarships available, or sometimes a reunion group will be willing to help with the cost. Don’t let that keep you from the joy of sponsoring someone. Read on!
Hi Sheri,
As requested here is the idea I suggested at the last Emmaus board meeting. The goal is to help a pilgrim who has just completed a walk pass on the blessing by sponsoring another person while they are still excited. By the time a new Emmaus member attends their first community meeting and is present for a sponsorship class , (if they get there at all), many have lost much of the fire and feelings they had immediately after their Walk. Many are hesitant to sponsor a new pilgrim because they fear rejection, don’t know where to get the forms, assume they won’t be able to answer the questions, don’t think they have $140, or simply because they’ve never done it before. What I plan to do to combat these fears is the following:
1. On the ride home from the weekend following closing I will ask my new Emmaus member if they can think of someone they would like to see attend the next Emmaus Walk
2. I will then offer to co-sponsor that proposed pilgrim with them and teach them how the process works (I will offer to pay ½ the costs and they can pay the other ½ unless they desire to pay the entire $160)
3. I will book a time to get together with my new Emmaus member to help them call or meet with their proposed pilgrim
4. We will go together to sign up the new pilgrim, (I will bring the forms or if possible we will print them off the website together so they know where to get them in the future)
5. I will allow my new Emmaus member to complete the forms while we are there but I will be there to assist them
6. We will write a check for the $160 right away and I will mail the forms in myself to make sure the process is complete
7. We will orchestrate obtaining the Agape letters together
8. We will book a time to work on pillow Agape together
9. We will coordinate food Agape together
10. We will do dinner and drop-off together
11. We will go to candlelight together
12. We will go to closing together and I will orchestrate them co-sponsoring with their new Emmaus member on the ride home
In short, I will try to walk my new Emmaus member all the way through the sponsorship process correctly so they will be able to duplicate it again in the future. I will then sponsor a new pilgrim again myself and start the process all over again. I believe if each of us employs this strategy we will never have to cancel another walk again and Living Water Emmaus will become a much stronger Emmaus community. The benefits to God’s kingdom are totally worth the efforts of having good follow through in my opinion.
De colores,
Joe Switzenberg