1. The objective of Walk to Emmaus is to inspire, challenge, and equip local church members for Christian action in their homes, churches, and places of work. It does not seek to compete with local churches, but rather to energize members in their local church.
2. The Atlanta South Walk to Emmaus (ASWTE) community sponsors 4-6 weekend retreats a year. The Atlanta South Chrysalis community sponsors 2 weekend retreats per year. The Emmaus retreats are held from Thursday evening thru Sunday evening at the Camp Fortson Retreat Center. The Chrysalis retreats vary based on school schedule.
3. Individuals who attend the weekend retreat for the first time are called "pilgrims". After their weekend, pilgrims become members of the ASWTE community, and are eligible to sponsor pilgrims for upcoming weekends and to work as team members on future retreats. There are approximately 1000 active participants in the ASWTE/ASCF community.
4. Retreats are conducted in a cloistered environment, and are separated by gender (all male or all female).
5. There is also a teenager retreat program (age 15-18) called a Chrysalis Flight, and a program for College-aged participants (age 19-24) called a Chrysalis Journey. For more information about these youth ministries, visit the following website:
6. An ordained spiritual director is present on the retreat. There is a standard agenda for all weekends consisting of a series of talks given by both lay members and clergy. Each local community tailors unique aspects of their program, but keeps the same basic agenda. There are no secrets on weekend retreats, however the agenda is usually shared with the team members only. This is designed so that pilgrims "participate" in the current event rather than "anticipating" the coming events.
7. The ASWTE/ASCF Community holds monthly gatherings at supporting churches on the second Friday of each month at 7:00 PM. The purpose of the gatherings is to fellowship, worship, share prayer concerns, and plan for upcoming weekend retreats. Members of the community may bring guests to the gatherings to introduce them to Walk to Emmaus.
8. The Walk to Emmaus encourages brothers and sisters to hold each other accountable, and to share each others joys and sorrows, by participating routinely in small "reunion" groups.
