The Upper Room
Emmaus
October 2001 / of the Greater Fredericksburg Area
3 Upper Room Emmaus October 2001
From the Lay Director . . .
“Freely ye have received, freely give.”
Recently I was finishing dinner at a local restaurant with my husband, Bill. We decided to share an apple dumpling, a dessert my husband loves. Soon our waiter appeared at our table and placed a bowl of peach cobbler before us and apologized. He said he was sorry there weren’t any apple dumplings left, so to not disappoint us, he was giving us the peach cobbler for free. He said it had been an incredibly busy day and he had been working for over 13 hours. As he started to leave, he paused, obviously weary, and said that our table was a special table. Earlier in the evening a woman had been dining there alone. At the table next to her was a family with four young children. She told him that she had watched this family as they said grace together before their meal. She whispered to the waiter that she wanted to anonymously pay for the family’s meal because she had enjoyed seeing their faith and their obvious joy with each other. She gave him the money and left. As we thanked him for sharing that story and for our free dessert, he replied he had been blessed that busy day to see the goodness of God shining through the actions of others.
There is a wonderful power in the gift of anonymous giving and Jesus asks us only to give freely what we have received from God. There have been certain times in my life when I was just like that lady at the restaurant, I did something quietly for someone else out of love. And the feeling of peace filled me each time - a peace that had nothing to do with my actions - and everything to do with God’s gift.
Our Fredericksburg Emmaus community has two walks coming up in October and November. We all have the chance to support the pilgrims and teams as we give anonymously in so many ways. Think of the gifts of agape that you can give - food, prayer, and by making a donation. The first time I teamed, I was overwhelmed by all the work that went on behind the scenes to support the weekend. I now know that all this anonymous, unconditional giving and love that surrounds the weekend is our response to . . . “freely, freely give as you have received.”
Dr. Bernie Siegal says that the way to be happy for the rest of your life . . . is to do something for someone else out of love. This next month, see if there is some person or place where you could do something anonymously. Think about it . . . in your thankful heart and your gratitude to God, can you think of ways to “pass it on?”
In Christian Love,
Barbara Simpson
Community Lay Director
Fredericksburg UMC, National Capital #36
The Next Fredericksburg
Gathering
When: October 13, 2001
Where: Wright’s Chapel UMC
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Fellowship begins at 6:00 p.m.
The board will meet at 4:30 p.m.
3 Upper Room Emmaus October 2001
Agape. . .
The following are the October Walks and Flights to whom we have sent Agape. Please keep these Walks and Flights in your prayers.
October 4 - 7 Men # 22 Central Georgia
Men # 94 Emmaus of the Rockies
Women # 939 Llano Uplift Em TX
Men Kalamazoo MI
Men #44 South Georgia
Women #45 SE Florida Emmaus
Men # 11 Port Elizabeth South Africa
Women Spanish Women Cursillo-Allentown PA
Women # 35 Melbourne Emmaus Australia 6 - 8 Girl's Chrysalis Seaside Chrysalis NJ 11- 14 Women # 95 Emmaus of the Rockies CO
Women # 97 Maryland Em.
Men # 37 Reynoldsburg OH
Men # 73 Southwest VA
Women # 16 Hong Kong Em.
Men # 115 Southern CA
Men # 103 Mountain Top Em
Women Kalamazoo MI
Women # 51 Heart of Georgia
Men #61 Bread of Life KS
Women Seaside Emmaus NJ
Girl's # 44 Blue Lake Chrysalis AL
Women # 12 Port Elizabeth SAfrica
Men # 20 Queensland Sunshine St. Australia
Women Kalamazoo MI
Men # 9 Midwest Crossroads IL/IN
Women # 42 Koinonia County of Jamestown NY 18 - 21 Women # 22 Central Georgia Tres Dias
Women # 35 Kairos of the Rockies
Men # 18 Kairos of the Rockies
Men # 96 Emmaus of the Rockies
2001 Weekends
Men’s October 4 - 7
WLD: Dennis Perkins
Women’s November 15 - 18
WLD: Christine Schroth
Women Cleveland Emmaus TN
Women # 74 Southwest Em. VA
Men # 88 North Georgia
Women # 116 Southern California Em
Men # 149 Northern IN
Women # 28 Cross Bayou LA
Women # 45 South Georgia
Women # 62 Bread of Life KS
Men # 23 Drakensburg Em SAfrica
Women # 21 Queensland Sunshine Em SAfrica
Women # 10 Midwest Crossroads IL/IN
Men High Desert Emmaus West 20 - 22 Boy's Seaside Chrysalis NJ 25 - 28 Women # 97 Emmaus of the Rockies CO
Women # 98 Maryland Emmaus
Men # 82 Heart of Georgia
Men # 107 North Georgia
Women # 150 Northern IN
Men # 21 New York Annual Conf. Emmaus
Women # 24 Drakensburg Em SAfrica
Women High Desert Emmaus West
Men # 66 English Men Cursillo Allentown PA 26 - 28 Young Women # 12 Western Ohio Em.
Upcoming Gatherings
November 10, 2001 Chancellor Christian
December 8, 2001 Chancellor Christian
FREDERICKSBURG EMMAUS
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Simpson, Barbara - Lay Director
Prewitt, Paul - Asst. Lay Director
Philipp, Gene - Secretary
Fortune, Maria - Treasurer
DeJong, John - Spiritual Director
Brock, Millie Pryce, Wes
Curry, Bowie Schroth, Christine
Lewis, Brian Throckmorton, Barry
McCaslin, Hank Tubbs, Larry
Weinhardt, Pat
Men Southern Nevada
4 Upper Room Emmaus October 2001
Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ,
"Mama, what was your life like when you were a little girl?" I asked as a nine-year old little boy. "Well, life was much harder back in the forties. I had to work on the farm in the hot, sticky tobacco fields. I was really young at the time, but I pulled tobacco, helped tie the leaves onto sticks, and helped stack them in the barn to be cured. The work was dusty & dirty. It seemed like everything I touched stuck to my skin. It wasn't an option for me to work, and I wasn't paid; but I was well taken care of."
"Did you have to go to school?" I inquired. "Of course" she said. "I had to walk about a mile or more through the woods in all types of weather to a one-room school house on the main road."
"Why didn't your daddy drive you to school when it rained?" I questioned. My Mom hesitated for a few minutes before she answered, "Well Dennis, I think you're old enough to know about my family! I had seven brothers and sisters, of which I was the youngest. Yes, I was the baby. When I was only three years old, my father left home suddenly. I never saw him again. When I was five years old, my mama asked another family to take care of me. She was sick and couldn't provide for me any longer." Mom continued, "This family had a small farm in Charlotte County, Virginia at a little intersection call Bethel. On one corner stood the Bethel School and across the road stood the Bethel Methodist Church where I worshiped. I lived with this family until I was old enough to leave home and take care of myself." "What was the family like?" I asked. "Mom continued, "They took care of me, but life was hard for them, too. There were four children, two boys and two girls. "I helped the two girls (Janie the oldest and Louise) in the kitchen and learned how to cook, I learned how to can blackberries, and tomatoes and make jelly." I know Louise!" I exclaimed. "Of course you do!" My Mom reassured.
Until my Mom explained her story to me, I never understood who Louise was. I knew she was a nice lady that always greeted me with a great big smile, a warm hug, and a quick peck of a kiss on my cheek. She had gray hair and when I saw her together with her husband, they reminded me of the picture of the farm couple that used to be on the front of a cereal box. Do you remember, "New Country Corn Flakes?" A very plain farm couple stood together with a barn and a freshly plowed field in the background. The man held a pitchfork as they sang about the corn flakes. They stood perfectly still until the man would tap the ground with the pitchfork handle at the close of the commercial.
Louise and her husband, Herbert, would visit us regularly on Saturday or Sunday afternoons. She seemed to really care how my life was going. She would ask me about my schoolwork, my teachers, and my friends. She smiled constantly. I do not remember seeing her unhappy. She was always content with what she had and wherever she was. She had a presence about her. Whenever she was around, people were happy. I guess you could say she had a contagious love.
Louise had finished schooling, but she chose to cook for the school cafeteria. At home, she would make her own beautiful clothes and handcrafted quilts. I can still see her rush to the front door, standing on the front porch as our car would pull into her driveway. She would still have her checkered red and white apron covering her dress. As soon as the car would come to a stop, Louise was crossing the yard, welcoming us and inviting us inside.
My father, Mom, sister and I would visit often. It was a long ride in the country, but we never seemed to mind. My sister Sandra and I would play outside after we received our usual hugs and kisses. Louise's house was the first one where Sandra and I experienced an outhouse. We agonized over the possibility and necessity of having to visit that facility. There were spiders, lots of spiders, lurking on the sides, ceiling and floor, waiting for us when we entered. At least that was the way I remembered it. Once, we visited Louise on the way to the mountains for vacation. As we were leaving her home, my father uttered the traditional county departure, "Why don't y'all come and go with us?" In no time at all, just a flash, they had suitcases packed and were sitting in the backseat of our car. Surprised, shocked, and maybe stunned my father smiled; and a wonderful adventure was under way.
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I later moved away from home and no longer visited, but that never stopped Louise from keeping in touch with me. She wrote to me regularly. Sometimes, I would send a note to her; and my Mom would later tell me how special that was to Louise. Not too many years ago, Mom sent me some old negatives of when Sandra and I were children. I had them developed, and I mailed one to Louise. I later saw that photo framed and displayed proudly on her living room wall.
That was the last time that we corresponded. I wanted to visit her, but I never made the time to drive down to visit. I would ask my Mom how Louise was each time I called, but I procrastinated and didn't visit her. One night, Mom said she went to see Louise at the hospital, and Louise was in such poor condition she didn't recognize Mom. Soon after that visit, Louise went to be with Jesus. I went to her funeral, but I didn't know much about her life outside of my childhood visits. During her funeral, several members of her church (Bethel Baptist) stood up and shared how she had touched the lives of everyone that she knew. She had cooked and cared for them when they were sick, visited them, and taught them the joy of being a Christian.
My only regret is not visiting Louise when I became an adult. In James 4:13-15, Jesus' brother James, being inspired by God wrote, "Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."
I guess I always thought the ones that I loved would live forever (on earth). I never got to tell Louise that I loved her and how special she was to me. I never got to tell her how much I enjoyed our visits to her home when I was young. I never got to tell her how special her letters were to me. I wonder if she ever knew that she was like a grandmother to me? Do you have an aging friend or relative that you have been putting off going to visit? Have you called them lately? Have you told them just how much they have meant to you in your life and that you love them? May God bless you as you live for Him today.
Your brother in Christ still learning a hard lesson, Dennis Perkins Fredericksburg Emmaus 11
AGAPE BAGS -
SEW BEAUTIFUL!
If you can sew a straight seam, you can be a part of a pilgrim’s Emmaus weekend by sewing agape bags. Please adhere to these parameters - finished bag dimensions - 12" wide and 15" tall. If you don’t sew and still want to help, check out the fabric selections at your local WalMart. When you see wonderful, brightly colored shoelaces, rainbow fabric, or cording, buy it and donate it! Chrysalis themes (Fly with Christ): butterflies, hot air balloons, and bright primary colors. Call Diana Farrar 540-372-7535 or email