Emmaus Ministries

Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (S. Elisabeth) — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 14:08:00 +0000

From Our Director

Thank you so very much for your support and partnership with Emmaus ministries this year. We are so very grateful for all the things God has done and for the awesome ways in which God is changing the students and seminar participants.

Each year at Christmas, we give every student an ornament that reminds us of something unique about them. We now have over 100 ornaments hanging in our classroom, representing 100+ lives that have been forever impacted by a year of discipleship through God’s Word.

I am humbled as I think about where those students are now and what they’re doing. Some lead churches, bible studies, college groups, home fellowships. Some are teachers, doctors, architects, artists, woodworkers. Over a dozen are married to others who were also here as either students or staff! Most importantly, ALL of them walk with a solid Biblical worldview, understanding their freedom in Christ AND walking into God’s radical invitation to bring His Kingdom on earth.

You have helped make all of this possible. We couldn’t do it without you. Rejoice with us as we take stock of all that God has done and look forward to all we believe he will continue to accomplish. Please pray for the continued fruitfulness of the ministry as we enter 2017, and consider making a special year end contribution to our GENERAL FUND and help us continue to disciple the next generation of Christian leaders.

Thank you for your support and partnership with Emmaus Ministries this year. We are so very grateful for all the things God has done and for the awesome ways in which God is changing the students and seminar participants.

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Stephen Ray: God Has Declared Me, "Not Guilty"

noreply@blogger.com (S. Elisabeth) — Thu, 20 Oct 2016 19:21:00 +0000

2,000 years ago a man stood condemned in the Roman courts. This man claimed to be the living God, sent to earth to save humanity from sin and death. The penalty for his crime: death. The police tape had been taken down, the detectives had gone home, and the case was closed. Had they known the man was truly innocent, that the jury had been paid off from the start, they might have let him live. Unlike most dead men though, this one didn't stay dead. He rose! Suddenly sons and daughters began to prophesy, young men had visions, older men dreamed dreams, and the word of this Jesus Christ spread throughout the whole world.

Now, the case has been reopened, and you are left to answer the question: what happened?

My name is Stephen Ray. I am a recent college graduate with a bachelor’s degree in communication. I have been a student here at Emmaus for 3 months now. As a detective of Scripture it has been an incredible journey to see God’s hand through the pages of Scripture as well as in my own life. I grew up in the small town of Holly, MI. My Father has been a camp pastor of multiple camps all of my life. As a child I grew up traveling the country with my father watching him lead thousands of youth to Christ. As a child, when people would ask me what I wanted to do when I grew up, I would respond with, “what my papa does”.

During the summers I found myself working at Camp Lurecrest in Lake Lure, NC. While working there the assistant camp director, David Butts, took me under his wing as a mentor. Knowing my heart for ministry and leadership, David told me over and over again, “Stephen, you've got to know your bible”. Camp Lurecrest was the current location of ESBS, and over the years I built a relationship with Tom Philips, and I knew years ago that I needed to come to this school.

Here at the school we take on the role of a detective. Using the Inductive Bible Study method, we try to get back into the first century mindset so that we can get a full understanding of the text. We watch the police tape and reopen the case. One of my biggest frustrations was leaving the first few cases, Philemon, Philippians, and Ephesians feeling like I couldn't know every detail. It took a while to realize that I wouldn't leave every case with having memorized every detail. I realized this when one of our teachers told us that this year we are here only to start the investigation, these cases will have to be revisited in the years to come.

While being a detective of the gospel, the most eye opening discovery happened in the case that I’d forgotten about. All throughout the New Testament we see that those who believe in Jesus are called righteous. To be righteous before God means that in the courts of heaven you have been legally declared, “not guilty”. Not only have those who believed in Christ been declared, “not guilty”, but we have been given the very righteousness of Christ. As I have spent more time learning the Bible I see more how God views me.

I thought I was coming here to investigate the case closed 2,000 years ago. I did. But in reality, I came to solve the case of my own heart. As for that one, the verdict is in: Not Guilty.

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Jerry Mitchell

noreply@blogger.com (S. Elisabeth) — Mon, 12 Sep 2016 20:20:00 +0000

Jerry Mitchell is one of our students this year. We are pleased to have him share his story with you of how and why he came to Emmaus. He was the first to apply and be accepted in the Emmaus class of 2017! We are so thankful for his heart to follow where God leads, his humility to listen as God speaks, and his desire to love and serve his fellow students while he's here.

"I ended up coming to the Emmaus School of Biblical Studies (ESBS) through no less than an act of God. I guess you could say that everyone who ends up at a school where all you do is study the Bible for ten months straight is always an act of God, however I completely recognize the work of God in getting me to this school.

I separated from the military during July 2016, where I served for five years. During these five years I was lucky enough to experience traveling the world to many exotic places. During the last of these journeys I ended up being stationed in Okinawa, Japan. Besides the adventure of living in Japan for two years I also had the pleasure of meeting Jon Black, who happened to be the Chaplin of the base chapel. Over the course of many months Jon and I's relationship grew into an amazing friendship and we developed a mentor/mentee connection. One day, during one of our many get-togethers, Jon began to tell me of this really amazing school that he was on the board of and believed I would be a good fit for. That school happened to be ESBS. I took the next couple of months to pray about this school and eventually discerned that was where God was calling me to in the next chapter of my life. That was a year and a half ago and I can happily say that God is faithful and has brought me to this new place called Oviedo, Florida were ESBS is. It has been a month now since classes started and I can honestly say that I have been blown away by the experience thus far.

The thing that has impacted me the most so far about being here is learning how much I didn't know about my Bible. I grew up in the church. I heard all the stories and probably every sermon that you could imagine. But as the days go on here at ESBS the surprises never cease. God is using the instructors to peel back layer after layer of depth that I never knew the Bible contained. Whether it be looking at the historical context that each passage was written under or "color coding" until every page looks like a rainbow exploded onto it, I have been exposed to the beauty that truly is the Bible.

In a way that I believe only a School of Biblical Studies can do, ESBS has taken this thing I thought I knew so much about, the Bible, and has revealed to me the secrets and underlying truths buried beneath its covers. I can't wait to see what the rest of the school year entails."

Up and Running!

noreply@blogger.com (S. Elisabeth) — Wed, 17 Aug 2016 19:36:00 +0000

We are so pleased to announce that this Monday, August 15th, we began the tenth year of the Emmaus School of Biblical Studies!

Staff training & prep for student arrival

This is the tenth year of the school's existence, but the first year that we will be running it at Canterbury Retreat & Conference Center!

Tom teaching the importance of having a Biblical worldview

Things have been busy over the last couple of weeks as we have met, discussed different aspects of the school, bought food, set up dorm rooms, and picked up students from the airport. This week we are introducing them to the Inductive Bible Study method through the book of Philemon. Our students are already doing a fantastic job, and we are thoroughly enjoying getting to know them and having them get to know us. We have already seen them reach out to each other and begin to build a Gospel centered community that seeks to encourage each other in their pursuit of God and His will for their lives.

Classroom setup

Next week we will introduce the students to you. We will be taking individual as well as class pictures, so that you can follow along and put faces to the names of the ESBS class of 2017!

Update on Evan & Upcoming Events

noreply@blogger.com (S. Elisabeth) — Mon, 25 Apr 2016 18:24:00 +0000

We just wanted to catch everyone up on what we've been up to at Emmaus, what we're working towards, and some exciting upcoming events we have planned!

First of all we'd like to thank everyone who has been and continues to pray for Evan Hays and his wife Roz. Evan has been transferred to Craig Hospital in Denver where he'll remain for another couple of weeks in rehab. He's doing well but still needs your prayers and encouragement as rehab is hard and he has a long road ahead of him.

We've been busy over the past couple of weeks running seminars for different churches. Two weeks ago we ran one for Trey's church, Grace Oviedo, and had a fantastic turn out to study the book of Philemon!

This past Saturday we ran another seminar on the book of Titus for Forge, a local men's Bible study group.

Even though we're all looking forward to this fall when we begin running the school again, it has been such a joy to run these seminars this year and form relationships with the churches in and around Central Florida.

On May 7th we'll be running another seminar on the book of Philemon for high school and college students.
May 15th - May 20th, Dan Dunn (a ministry connection with Venezuela) will be coming down to join us to create videos that will help train pastors and lay-people in churches throughout Latin America. Dan has requested that we help supply our Bible Overview as well as an Inductive Bible Study seminar. Please pray for both of these upcoming events, that they will be fruitful and lead others into a greater understanding of God's Word as well as a deeper relationship with Him.

In other news, we have been getting bunk beds ready for the new student dorms!

Once these are completed we'll be looking for more twin mattresses as well as lamps and other practical things needed to create a comfortable home for our students.

Please continue to pray for our students. We have four accepted, three in the process, and lots of interest. We are still hopeful for 10-15 students total.

Thank you to all who are praying with and for us, and for your continued encouragement and support! We could not do any of this without you!

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Please Pray with us for the Hays

noreply@blogger.com (Emmaus Ministries) — Wed, 06 Apr 2016 17:14:00 +0000

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Dear Friends,

Please be in prayer with us for an ESBS alumni who's been hospitalized yesterday with a serious trauma to his brain.

Evan Hays (ESBS 2011-2012) was rock climbing yesterday outside of Colorado Springs when he took a 20+ foot fall to the ground. He was admitted to the hospital and put into a medically induced coma to counteract brain swelling.

Evan's condition was stable overnight and this morning Evan was responsive and awake. This week Evan was in Colorado Springs teaching the books of Kings and Chronicles at the School of Biblical Studies with YWAM Colorado Springs. Evan and Roz own a cabin rental business in South Dakota, and have their winters/early Spring open for teaching and traveling. While Evan was an Emmaus student in 2011-12, Roz was on our Emmaus staff full-time. Since that year they've both spent multiple winters with us on our staff. They're a huge part of our Emmaus community.

Evan is also currently a teaching pastor with Rimrock Church in downtown Rapid City S.D. They need our prayers now! Will you join with us in praying that Evan makes a full recovery. Also pray for Roz, and for their two children Gibson and Eden.

Tom

Kris & Sarah Wise Join Emmaus Ministries!

noreply@blogger.com (Emmaus Ministries) — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 18:02:00 +0000

Tell us a little bit about yourselves?

Kris: My name is Kris Wise. I’m 30. I have a B.A. in Digital Media from the University of Central Florida. I like hiking, camping & gaming. I’m a co-adventurer with my wife Sarah and my son Lincoln.

Sarah: We used to call ourselves monogamous adventurers, but we had to change it when we had Link. My name is Sarah Wise. I have a B.A. in History, B.A. in Public Administration, and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from UCF. I also have an Academic Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary with a course focus in Church History. I like reading to the soothing sounds of a Netflix fireplace, baking random midnight cravings, coloring and journaling. The Wise Family is a hub of self-proclaimed nerds. We enjoy Star Trek marathons, dressing up in period costumes for Civil War reenactments, Role Playing games, and international media (aka anime, manga, K-drama, and foreign films).

How did you meet?

Kris: I first met Sarah on Facebook through the old “You should know this person” feature. This was when you had to have a college email to be on Facebook. I didn’t know her but we had a lot of the same friends. I was invited to be on leadership at the Central Florida Wesley Foundation (a UCF Campus Ministry) and noticed that she was actually asked to come to the same leadership retreat. We hit it off and we’ve been adventuring ever since.

Sarah: The very first thing he said to me was “hey, are you the girl in the flower pot on Facebook?” (a reference to my profile picture at the time). We eventually bonded over our mutual love of all things nerdy and the fact that we were leading the same small group at CFL Wesley.

What are your faith stories?

Kris: I grew up in the United Methodist Church. Originally from Alabama, my family later moved to Orlando, FL. I continued to go to a United Methodist Church through high school. Through this time I claimed Christianity with my mouth but my heart still didn’t know what that looked like. Everything changed when I joined Wesley Foundation. I met others who acted as if they had found a hidden treasure and were doing everything to keep it close to their heart.

Sarah: I also come from a church-going family, though my story is a little different. While Kris may have struggled with the application of his faith, I outright denied faith for much of my youth. I was a crusader of atheism even while my family continued going to church. It wasn’t until I was college aged that I came to know God as my Savior and Lord. We met at Wesley at precisely the time when God was doing something profound in both of our lives.

How does your faith affect the way you live your lives?

Kris: Our time at Wesley, radically changed how we lived out our faith. It wasn’t about checking off the right boxes. It was about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, listening to the Holy Spirit and living in authentic relationship with those around me.

Sarah: The key that clicked for both of us was a faith with feet within the context of one-on-one discipleship. Meeting with a mentor, getting in the Word, and applying our faith in tangible ways all changed the trajectory of our lives. After spending five years each at Wesley we were equipped with a robust relationship with Christ and a deep desire to serve God’s Kingdom. Kris and I continued to serve in ministry through local churches, nonprofits and seminary even while asking God the “what next” question.

How did you connect with Emmaus?

Kris: I let Sarah take this one.

Sarah: I actually met Tom at Asbury Seminary when I was giving a lecture about the doctrine of the atonement. At the time, Kris and I had been in a season of intentional prayer and discernment about what God wanted from us. We were prepared to move anywhere in the state, country or world. We were more than shocked to even entertain the idea that God could have something for us right here in our home city. Through that initial meeting with Tom, we eventually came to know the vision of Emmaus and the staff. Pieces clicked, and even in the midst of other job opportunities and career paths, God continued to bring Emmaus to the forefront of our prayers.

Why are you excited to be a part of Emmaus?

Sarah: It is exciting to be able to say, with confidence and assurance, that Emmaus is where God wants us. After months of prayer and discernment we feel that God has clearly answered our “what next” prayer. It is a perfect intersection of our gifts: teaching, discipleship, worship, social marketing and engagement.

Kris: We are excited about the community, the students, and discovering what God has for us in this season of our lives. I believe the Spirit led us to Emmaus for a purpose and I am excited to be a part of whatever that looks like.

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Room Renovations

noreply@blogger.com (Emmaus Ministries) — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 13:22:00 +0000

Most of the time being on staff with Emmaus means teaching, grading, and maybe cooking or having a one-on-one with a student. It's full of awesome things and the only reason you would ever do it (in our minds at least) is because you feel called by God, and you love it!

But sometimes being on staff with Emmaus means doing things that aren't in the job description.

The last two weeks we have begun renovating the five rooms that we will be using for this coming fall. By the end of next week 4/5 of the rooms will be complete! We tore out the carpet, scraped the floors, painted the room, and put down brand new flooring and trim!

Take a look!

Before renovations began

It's not every day you get to rip stuff...especially carpet...

Scraping up excess carpet glue...stuff...

Painting, painting, painting...

Caleb putting down matting for the floor

Tom Roberts putting in our new wood flooring for us!

Tom: "This is how it's going to work from now on..."
Trey: "Good deal..."

A special thanks to Kelly for getting us a GREAT deal on the flooring!

Here's the trim...space was a little limited at the time so we had to get creative with where to paint it...

The bad news? We all got a little grumpy throughout the process. Props to Caleb for sticking it out with a migraine one day!
The good news? Nobody died either by accident or by the hands of a fellow staff member...

Just kidding! But seriously, the rooms are looking fantastic and we couldn't have done any of it without Tom Roberts!

We are so excited at the prospect of filling these rooms with new students this August! We will post more pictures of the finished rooms once the new bunk beds are in place!

*Note: If you would like to give to our general fund to help us pay for these gorgeous rooms our students will live in, please visit our website here: http://www.emmausbibleministries.org/donate/

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The Joy of a Teacher

noreply@blogger.com (Emmaus Ministries) — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 16:00:00 +0000

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."
- 3 John 1:4 -

In 3 John, the apostle John was writing to a man named Gaius. He was writing to him because Gaius was having trouble with some other men in his congregation and he needed encouragement and instruction on what to do. What was John's encouragement? He was rejoicing over Gaius, rejoicing because Gaius knew the Gospel of Jesus Christ and he was living it out, holding fast to what he knew was the truth.

John's greatest joy was to hear from other Christians that Gaius was living out his faith, diligently continuing in what John had taught him.

One of the greatest joys you can ever have as a teacher is to hear that your students are doing well, pursuing what they love with a passion, and continuing in what you taught them. At Emmaus we feel this all the time. We get phone calls from students who are leading Bible studies in their churches, going to the mission field, and reaching out to at-risk-youth. We see facebook posts and twitter feeds that tell us our students are passing on what they've learned here at Emmaus, and they're living lives that glorify God in all that they do.

Just recently one of our students from last year, Eric Frid, decided to memorize the book of Galatians. There are no words to describe how excited this makes us as a staff! Not because memorizing Galatians makes him any more spiritual than the next person (after all, isn't that the entire message of Galatians? Salvation and acceptance through Jesus, not works?!), but because it's an intentional attempt of Eric's to stay rooted in God's Word and to allow it to sink deep into his heart and mind. And when the Word sinks deep, it transforms us.

A year at Emmaus can change your life. You get into a habit of studying and wrestling with God's Word. You grow in your relationship with Christ because the Bible starts to point out which mindsets and habits are good and godly and which ones need work. It's hard to get away with not doing your work and not spending personal time with the Lord outside of your study time. You are dropped fully and completely into the vat of the Bible. You learn a little bit more of what it means to depend on the Holy Spirit for wisdom, guidance, and perseverance.

But leaving can be extremely hard. You don't have the same accountability you once had. You don't have to get up and study God's Word. It gradually becomes easy to forget all that you've learned, to fall back into old habits, and to let Netflix do it's thing.

Eric used to be an atheist, lost in drugs and sin. But God is a good God. He is a God who chooses to save us because He loves us, not because we're worthy. And He chose to save Eric and his wife, Amber.

In coming to Emmaus, Eric (and the other students as well) chose to fight a battle. It's the battle of getting to know God's Word. It's the battle of early mornings and late nights and more information than you feel you can handle. It's the battle of taking baby steps towards living the way God calls us to live. It's a battle of discipline.
In leaving Emmaus, Eric has faced the war of continuing to learn his Bible and live it out in a world that daily rejects the God who created it. Eric desires to love God, to love his wife and children, and become, daily, more of the man he knows God created him to be. And memorizing the book of Galatians is playing a part in all of that.

And it gives us all no greater joy than to hear that our students, like Eric, are walking in the truth. We are so extremely proud of all of them. We're thankful and we rejoice every time we hear or see them making the intentional choice to be transformed by God's Word. It reminds us of how powerful God's Word is, how it can take who we once were and make us into someone entirely different, and how important it is for us to keep reaching out and showing others His Word as well.

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When The Light Goes On

noreply@blogger.com (Emmaus Ministries) — Thu, 04 Feb 2016 16:48:00 +0000

Emmaus Ministries.
In the eyes of the world at large we are very small. In the eyes of the world we are very foolish.

You want to do what? Equip the body of Christ with the Word of God.
You moved from how far away to be here in Florida? From North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, and Colorado.
Why would you do that? Why would you leave family and friends, homes and financial stability to run a school whose average attendance has been nine people every year? Why would you "risk it all"?

Allow me to explain...

There are moments when I truly feel alive. It's not skydiving or driving really fast or bull riding that makes me feel this way (none of which I have any desire to do). For me, the times when I truly "feel alive" are when I open up my Bible, look into tired eyes, and watch the Holy Spirit turn the lights on inside the people facing me.

Those moments make me want to cry and laugh and throw my hands in the air!

But instead I watch quietly in humble awe of what I see the Lord doing. My words are not what turn those lights on, it's God's Word coming alive for the very first time that switches on the light.

Over the past few months we've been teaching Inductive Bible Seminars at different churches in the Orlando area. Last night I wrapped up a study on Titus and at the end I asked the people there how Inductive Bible Study had changed their view of Scripture or their relationship with the Lord or even their view of themselves. One lady, around 80 years old, told me that she'd always read her Bible, but the last few months have been the first time she's ever studied it and understood what she's reading. She continued to tell me that she now feels able to study it on her own. She knows where to start and how to do it.

That's a big deal. Have I told you how those moments make me feel?

Several of the rest of the group echoed the exact same thing. The more I think about it, the more my heart fills up to overflowing.

Ministry is not always fun. It's not always exciting or interesting or easy. Sometimes you wonder if it's all worth it, if the world is maybe, just maybe, right in thinking that we're crazy. But when I look into eyes with lights coming on, and I hear someone tell me they know how to study Scripture and grow in their relationship with the Lord, that's when I know that it really is all worth it. When I think of previous students, remember their stories, and look at where they are now because of a solid understanding of Scripture and a grown relationship with the Lord, that's when I know it's all worth it.

The world may think of success in terms of numbers, low-risk, and security. But with the Gospel those indicators are not always a good measure of success. The Gospel is about relationship with God. It's a call to pick up our cross, to walk as Jesus walked, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. The good news of Jesus is that we are created and loved by an all-powerful God who wants to be in relationship with us, to remove the sin that separates us from him. And it starts with picking up your Bible and getting to know who this God really is.

Small or large, this is the heart of Emmaus Ministries. And I whole-heartedly believe that it's worth it.

God bless,
Ellen

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Peace on Earth

noreply@blogger.com (Emmaus Ministries) — Fri, 25 Dec 2015 05:19:00 +0000

Tonight, like many other people, I attended a Christmas Eve service. The lights were bright and cheerful, the carols were familiar and friendly. People smiled and hugged each other, and for one brief hour we came together to be reminded of what Christmas is all about.

Peace. Peace on earth. Peace among men. Pure and simple: peace.

Within all that the preacher said about Christmas tonight, that one word carried the most weight for me.

The world is at war: Isis, racism, starvation - pick any topic you like. You can think through the state of Nepal or Haiti or the unending debate over Syrian refugees. World peace is not in view. It's not reality. And the more I see of the human heart, the more firmly I hold to the belief that humanity will not be the provider of world peace. Because while I sing at Church, with no fear for my life, others are suffering and dying for the Gospel. While I enjoy a homemade meal and go to bed safely in a warm house, others go to bed hungry, doing their best to stay warm and alive.

But this post is not to guilt myself or others, it is simply to present reality. Why? Because I look around at the faces in Church and I know that while starvation is not an issue, everyone in that room carries a burden. There are battles that every human being faces. I know the struggles my family and friends face. I know the heartache and long-suffering of the woman smiling at me as I enter Church. I know that there are people in that room who hide their anxiety with a smile and their depression with laughter. I know there are those who over-perform so that they won't let on just how insecure they feel. And I know that some can't be there because their battles confine them to their homes.

We're all at war with something or someone.

But then...Jesus.

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

- Luke 2:11-14 -

With the birth of a baby, the perfect Son of God, the impossible was accomplished. Peace was given, good will was granted toward men. Peace between us and God. Peace between believers.

No more striving, no more unrighteous anger or hurt or jealousy. No more greed or lust or bitterness. Here on earth we taste it, but one day we will fully possess the peace we all long for. In Jesus we find what humanity has been searching for from the moment Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. In Jesus we find hope for what is to come, and peace in the midst of what is. And all because he loved us beyond anything we can imagine, and chose to come to earth as a tiny little baby to live and to die for us.

So as 2015 comes to an end I offer you peace. And in 2016 when the world decides to crumble over and over and over again, remember that peace is found in the midst of Harod slaughtering Jewish baby boys. Peace is found even though you may be living in exile. Peace is found in a manger, with the lowest of low shepherds looking on, and a teenage mother wondering at what God has done.

And one day peace will be made complete at the return of our victorious Savior Jesus. He is our peace and comfort, and in him we place our hope.

Merry Christmas all, and to all a good night!

Ellen

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Fall Ministry Update

noreply@blogger.com (Emmaus Ministries) — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 16:35:00 +0000

CLICK HERE to check out our fall ministry update!

http://www.emmausbibleministries.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Fall-2015.pdf

A new place to call home

noreply@blogger.com (Emmaus Ministries) — Sat, 12 Sep 2015 03:15:00 +0000

Florida. So new. So beautiful. So different. Three families and one single woman: the sum total of staff working with Emmaus Ministries. All of us one big family. And like one big family we laugh, we cry, we bicker, get sick, and laugh again. And it’s been good for us to remind ourselves, and each other, of why we’re here. We didn’t move here because we had to. We didn’t join this ministry because we had nothing else to do.

We’re all here because we feel called. We love Emmaus Ministries. We love our goal, “To equip the body of Christ with the Word of God.” We love our own experiences as students in the Emmaus School of Biblical Studies. We love each and every student that comes through our doors. We love watching the lights go on, and giving people the tools they need to study and understand their Bibles. We love watching them grow and fall more in love with the God who saved them. Ultimately we’re here because we love the Lord, we love His Word, and we want others to feel the same.
And this is where the Lord has called each and every one of us.

It has been far from easy, and yet so extremely wonderful. We have been welcomed in a way we never could have hoped for by people who want and believe in what we do: teach the Bible. Our hearts can hurt when we think about the friends and family we’ve left behind, but to have found such wonderful new friends has been a comfort only God could have given us.

We have all found housing, the kids have started school, and we’ve finished our first official week of work with Emmaus Ministries! The kids miss their old homes, but they’re quickly finding things that they love about Florida, and slowly making new friends.

As staff we’ve been re-grouping and have been making decisions about what this year will look like. We will be running a Bible study, speaking to groups and churches, running seminars, and getting ready for when we re-launch the 10-month school next fall. This year will be a year for growth both as individuals as well as teachers. This year will give us time to recruit students, form new partnerships, and get our facilities ready for next fall.

Next week we will meet with the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida. His desire is to care for us and send us people from within the Episcopal Church to learn their Bibles. He believes that what we’re doing is greatly needed within the Church as a whole and he has been very encouraging. Our hope is that other churches from all denominations would also desire to learn and know their Bibles, and that they’d send their youth, youth pastors, and anyone else involved in ministry, to us.

We continue to be so thankful for all of you who have partnered with us in any and every way imaginable. Your prayer and support means so much to each and every one of us. Please keep praying as we push into a season of new connections and continue to settle into our new home.

For current updates and info visit us at: EmmausBibleMinistries.org

Written by Ellen Stark

ESBS RELOCATES TO FLORIDA!

noreply@blogger.com (Emmaus Ministries) — Sat, 13 Jun 2015 15:50:00 +0000

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-->THIS IS A LONG ONE...HANG IN THERE..(Tom and Julia)

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When we moved to Lake Lure, Tom was concerned that the mountains there were too small and the temperature too hot (yes, insert chuckle/scoff/snarl here). Yet, over the course of 9 years, our hearts filled with love for this place and its people. Lake Lure became a home we never thought we’d leave as we discovered just what these mountains had to offer. I (Julia) birthed 2 new lives here and figured my hair would grey and face would wrinkle watching our children forge friendships with families at the small church and hometown school we love. We lived alongside ESBS students, saw them come and learn and grow, and saw God grow a wonderful staff community around the school. We grew too, as ESBS flourished where God planted us.

Over the past two years, God has continued to grow the ESBS community, as He's made our hearts ready to respond to the next adventure ahead...a move...a rebirth for the school...and a call to leave this wonderful mountain town, for the place He’s taking us next.

We’re moving the school to a community called Oviedo, just outside of Orlando, to plant it at a thriving and exciting conference center there. Here's how this all came about:

In November 2014, Tom and Caleb met for lunch in Lake Lure with Jon Davis, the Executive Director of Canterbury Conference Center in Oviedo, Florida. He happened to be in Lake Lure and Caleb knew him, partly because Canterbury was the place Caleb first heard about ESBS and made the decision to come and be a student here. As Tom and Caleb shared about our search for a new location, Jon was instantly excited and invited us to come check out Canterbury. Our program was a perfect match for his vision of seeing a long-term discipleship community form at Canterbury.

A week after meeting Jon, Tom and I were in Hawaii. He was teaching at a YWAM school and we were also celebrating our 10 year anniversary. On our first morning there we stepped out onto the streets of Kona at 5:30 a.m. and the first person we ran into "randomly" was a man named Dave Behring, someone we’d never met, but who happens to be on the Board of Directors for Canterbury, and who was the one who initially encouraged Caleb Ives to apply for ESBS (while they were at Canterbury together 4 years ago). He and his wife were in Kona for an art show. We were surprised to meet him like that, and we chatted about what had just happened at Canterbury. He had already heard about it. He prayed for us right there on the sidewalk. It was a wonderfully weird experience!

As we've searched for a new location over the past year we’ve sensed the Lord saying that He’s going to provide the place and when He does, it will be like a sailboat whose sails become full of wind blowing and pushing it. It will be like the sun rising and where there was darkness, there will all of the sudden be illumination. It will be like opening a present on Christmas morning. We feel like now the Lord is bringing these words to fulfillment by providing Canterbury Conference Center as the new home for the ESBS.

In December 2014 six of us from the ESBS community flew to Canterbury to officially explore a partnership. After several great days of meetings we said “no” to the partnership and decided to continue to pursue a location in Lake Lure. In may ways Tom led that decision, keeping the school in Lake Lure was something he’d always wanted to do, and we had an open door with a property there at the time. We announced the decision to stay in Lake Lure in January 2015.

In April plans to remain in Lake Lure began to deteriorate. Our ministry model had already outgrown the facility we were moving into. As we began to move in, it became clear to us all that we couldn’t do what God was asking us to do there. The property couldn't facilitate growth. After discussions with the owners, we chose to discontinue the planned rental agreement.

A partnership with Canterbury was obviously an open door we needed to re-investigate.

By early May we had been back down to Oviedo once more, for three more days of meetings with Canterbury, and we’d achieved a working partnership. By May 11^th both boards had approved the move, and by June 3 all of our ministry supplies had been relocated to Florida. When God moves…sometimes you just have to hold on tight.

Our first morning at Canterbury in May, before the meetings began, Julia and I participated in morning prayer on the campus. There were two scripture readings for the day. We were asked to read them both. The first one was from Deuteronomy 8. “Remember the long way that the Lord your God has lead you these 40 years in the wilderness, in order to humble you, to test you to see what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commandments….for the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land…where you will lack nothing…you will bless the Lord your God for the good land he is bringing you into…(Deut 8:2-10 parts omitted). Julia was asked to read that scripture, and I saw the tears well up in her eyes as we both felt those words impacting our hearts. Next I (Tom) was asked to read from Luke 9:18-27 “If any want to become my followers, let them take up their cross and follow me, for those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it.”

God was speaking. The meetings were a huge success, and a strong partnership was created.

Emmaus Ministries will operate in partnership with Canterbury much like it did with Lurecrest. We will maintain our own 501(c)3 status. Our curriculum, calendar, costs and staff will not change. What WILL change is that we will be integrating ourselves into a campus that has deep connections in Central Florida, and where the school will have a much higher visibility than it ever did in Lake Lure. College groups and ecumenical ministry fellowships meet on Canterbury’s campus on a weekly basis. Youth ministry training, and church leadership training also happen there regularly. Additionally Canterbury operates in partnership with the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida, which is the most conservative and orthodox Episcopal diocese we’ve ever seen. The diocese has been very receptive to the partnership we’ve created, and we’re so excited to see all the ways that God will plug us into what He’s doing there.

So, we’re excited about this new season for Emmaus, and for our community of staff members. Currently we have three families and two singles transitioning out of Lake Lure and towards Oviedo. The past month has been a wild ride for all of us, but we’re so confident that God is up to something good. After 9 years at Lurecrest, we are THRILLED to follow God into this new adventure. We all feel like Emmaus Ministries is positioned to really grow and thrive in Florida. This partnership is replete with signs of God’s providence. We stand in awe of His provision, and with heart of faith we say “yes” to the leading of God towards the “Good land” he is calling us into.

Tom and Julia

New exciting changes coming to the ESBS!

noreply@blogger.com (Emmaus Ministries) — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 16:35:00 +0000

With the new non-profit (Emmaus Ministries) and a new property, we're also implementing new programs to expand our impact! We really want to see our training programs reach the broadest audience possible.

We feel God leading us to open up new entry points into the Biblical studies opportunities we offer.

We will continue to run the same 10 month ESBS as the backbone of our ministry, but now we are also offering other opportunities for others to come and learn their Bible.

Here's what's NEW:

- 3 week seminar on how to study your Bible

- an audit track for commuters that want to come sit in on live-classroom lectures

- 5 month study of the Old Testament

Take a look below at these new ways to engage with the school and for more info visit us at:

ESBSonline.org

The Book of Joshua

noreply@blogger.com (Emmaus Ministries) — Thu, 05 Feb 2015 15:32:00 +0000

This week we've had the privilege of hearing from Dr. David Hansen about the book of Joshua!
Each day we've continued to unpack the text from an archeological prospective, and it's always amazing to look at the conquest and promise land from a new lens.

We as a school have also tried to make a greater impact in the community around us, and this week we had a number of visitors from surrounding local churches! There were 29 students in our classroom this morning, enjoying the Joshua lectures.

Our heart is that every person would be transformed by the Word of God, and it's always great to see people's eyes opened to the Scriptures.

We also wanted to highlight our wonderful staff Ellen Stark!
She is currently in Venesula teaching Ephesians & Philippians.
For those of you that don't know, Ellen grew up in Mexico and is fluent in Spanish. It's so incredible to see how God is using her to further the Kingdom!
For more pictures of her journey, check out her FACEBOOK page!

Just as a reminder, continue to stay connected with us on:
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM
STUDENT BLOG
ESBSONLINE.ORG

For further info email us at: info@esbsonline.org

PO BOX 228

Lake Lure, NC 28746

noreply@blogger.com (Emmaus Ministries) — Thu, 29 Jan 2015 16:41:00 +0000

We continue to have a great year at the ESBS. Next week we'll enjoy having David and Carolyn Hansen with us as we study the geography and culture of the promised land. We've opened the week up to the community and we've been overwhelmed with the response. Our classroom is going to be very full, and Im so excited! There are over 500 retirees in Lake Lure, and Ive often wanted to do more to open our curriculum up to those interested right in our community. This coming week is a trial run in that direction, and Im excited about how God may use the ESBS in this new way in the future.

In other news, we just returned from our annual retreat to the beach. We had a great time, and the weather was amazing. We have such an amazing group of students this year...but none of them can seem to beat Caleb at tennis!

Alongside all the activity with this year's school, we still continue to move forward with exciting plans for our new location this fall. We'll be announcing specifics soon. We're so excited about our new place, its a beautiful property, with amazing views and charming buildings. A perfect place to spend 9 months studying the Bible!

more details coming soon!

Tom

Staying in Lake Lure

noreply@blogger.com (Emmaus Ministries) — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 17:09:00 +0000

Thank you so much for joining us in prayer about the future location of the ESBS. After much consideration we're happy to announce that the ESBS is staying right in Lake Lure! We've looked at new properties in lots of new places, and over and over my heart keeps beating to the rhythm of this quiet mountain town we've all grown to love as home. It's right where God wants us to be, and its a perfect place to run our school.

Recently we've begun forming a rental agreement with a property owner in Lake Lure, and we couldn't be more excited! It's a fantastic new location, in a fantastic town!

We'll be announcing specifics early in 2015, until then, rejoice with us that God is making a way for the ESBS to stay right in the town where it began!

Tom

Join us in PRAYER!

noreply@blogger.com (Emmaus Ministries) — Tue, 09 Dec 2014 15:35:00 +0000

So, I've been a full-time Bible teacher for 9 years, and admittedly I still function some days like an atheist when it comes to prayer. I can tell you all the Bible passages about prayer, its effectiveness, and the priority it should have in our life, however when it comes time to do it...I'd rather sit on Facebook.

Where's God in that? Nowhere...like I said...functional atheism...

So, I'm challenged for a change to act like I actually do have a God who hears prayers, and a
God who's totally geeked out with a tangible expression of ruthless trust and irrational dependence...aka serious prayer.

Most of you know that after nine years at our current property the ESBS is leaving Camp Lurecrest, but only God knows where it's going. For a year now my everyday life has been consumed with planning for moving the school. In the past year we've started a new non-profit, totally re-organized how we administer the school, and how we function as a staff. We've spent hundreds of hours, thousands of dollars and lots of road miles meeting with all kinds of property owners and non-profits, hoping to identify a new location for the ESBS. We've gotten a lot done, but in my heart I can't say that I'm a whole lot better at trusting God with what still remains uncertain.

For a leader, uncertainty about the future is hard to admit. It sounds like poor planning. It makes me think things like: "Oh don't admit that, because some potential student may read it and decide "oh man I shouldn't sign up for that program, because it sounds a little tenuous." Well, my response to that thought is "when you say yes to Jesus, you say yes to something that goes way beyond tenuous. You say yes to the biggest, scariest, most gloriously uncomfortable adventure possible, where the only guaranteed certainty is the eternal love of Christ. You say yes to unmet expectations, unforeseen suffering, and unlikely joys. You say yes to peace, but not certainty."

So with that, I admit that the future still remains a little uncertain. We really don't yet know where the ESBS will be next fall. We have some strong ideas, and we're in some really exciting dialogues, but we're not home yet.

We need God to lead the way to our new home. We need God to make His way known. We need to hear and obey.

We need your prayers!

So we've committed as an ESBS community to prayer over this Christmas break. We're committing to asking God to show us clearly the way forward, and to give us renewed faith to continue on the journey.

We're asking you to PARTNER WITH THIS PROCESS!! If you could, we'd love for you to set aside a few minutes a day asking God to lead and direct the ESBS to it's new location.

As a community, lets spend some time telling God we believe that he's still in the business of miracle making, and that we want to see it happen with the ESBS!

What's new at the ESBS!

noreply@blogger.com (Emmaus Ministries) — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 15:28:00 +0000

Hey Everyone,

We hope you're having a great week!

It's that time of year again here in Lake Lure as the leaves have fallen, and each day it's getting a little colder.

The school is still going strong and our students are doing an amazing job. Each week it's amazing to see how the Lord is speaking to them, and as staff we count it such a privilege to be a part of this amazing ministry!

Last week we had Kaari Speer from YWAM Asheville teach the book of James, and this week we have our very own Ellen Stark teaching 1 John.

Next week we have 2&3 John, and then we break for Thanksgiving!

I also wanted to take a minute and remind you about our student blog.

Each week our students take some time and blog about how the Lord is speaking to them through a particular book.

Here's a exert from one of our students Jordan as she writes about 1 Peter:

"Peter knew the deal. He suffered for Christ. He witnessed Jesus' betrayal and crucifixion. He saw the example that he would be called to live by. Jesus is our standard of living. If Jesus is our standard, what do we think our lives will look like? A life of ease and luxury? I'm sorry but the image of a Roman cross doesn't exactly scream ease and luxury to me. This is reality and I think Christians need to know what following Jesus is about."

If you'd like to read more check it out here:

http://esbsblog.com

Once again we want to thank each one of you for your continued prayer and support. It's so amazing to teach the word of God, and to see him move in our lives.

We hope you have a wondeful Thanksgiving!

God Bless,

Trey Rogers

STAY CONNECTED:

Emmaus School of Biblical Studies

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noreply@blogger.com (Emmaus Ministries) — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 14:16:00 +0000

Well... We're back from fall break and ready to study the Bible some more!
It's always good to go home and see friends and family, but man did we miss these beautiful mountains!
If any of you read this and live near Lake Lure, I would totally recommend coming over for the day and seeing all the trees! We also have a ton of apple orchards near by that are great to visit.
Needless to say, this is a great place to study the Word of God and we're so thankful for the last nine years God has allowed us to be here!
Continue to stay tuned with further updates about where the ESBS will be moving next year!

This morning we took some time to worship and pray.

As a Gospel-centered community that is dedicated to walking out this life together as the body of Christ, we are constantly trying to be more intentional about bringing our needs before the community and praying for them together, just as we see the early church in Acts Ch. 2, 4, & 6.

This morning in particular, we are seeking the Lord for some of our students 2nd quarter tuition.

If you would, please pray with us! We are hopeful and have see many times before the Lord's faithfulness in this area!

Below is a picture of how much our students still need.

Thank you once again for your continued prayers and support! Please feel free to share this blog with anyone that you feel may be interested in what we're doing up here in good ole Lake Lure, North Carolina!

God Bless you all!

Trey

www.esbsonline.org

Staying Connected...

noreply@blogger.com (Emmaus Ministries) — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 15:39:00 +0000

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Hey everyone,
We're almost done with our first quarter!
Next week we have FALL BREAK!
This week we have the privilege of hearing from Judy Smith as she teaches 1 Corinthians.
Her and Ron have been such a blessing to our community, and we can't thank them enough for the heritage they've set before us.

We also wanted to take some time to remind everyone about all our social media accounts.
We're trying to stay connected this year and keep everyone up to date about the school and everything we're up to.
This year we have a great group of students that are hungry to know more of the Scriptures, and it has been such a blessing to walk along side them during this season.

Take a minute and connect with us on these sites:

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

There are big changes to come for our ministry, and we'd love for you to stay connected as we see where the Lord takes us on this journey.
Trey Rogers

Keep up with the students on our STUDENT BLOG

noreply@blogger.com (Emmaus Ministries) — Tue, 16 Sep 2014 14:03:00 +0000

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We're now in our 5th week of ESBS, and its exciting to see the students encountering fresh and new understandings of who God is as they begin to see books come alive in their original historical context.

Each week, as students turn in their book assignment, we ask them to write a short blog post about what they saw in the book they've just finished, and how that book impacted their heart.

In my view, reading these blog posts is the best way to keep up with what God is doing in the hearts of our students. It's a great way to connect with the every-day changes that God is making in each student's heart.

Check out the blog at esbsblog.com

Meet the ESBS class of 2015!

noreply@blogger.com (Emmaus Ministries) — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 14:02:00 +0000

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(from left to right: Jordan, Amber Josiah and Eric, Melinda, Nikki, Abby, Hamp, Bre, Aubrey Claire, Isaac)

We're back from a great summer and we're rolling through our first week of ESBS 2014-15. We have 9 students, and so far we're really enjoying digging into the book of Philemon, learning how to plumb the depths of the book using the Inductive Bible Study Method.

This year most of our students are from right here in North Carolina. In fact, 5 are former Camp Lurecrest summer staff members (Jordan, Abby, Aubrey Claire, Bre, Hamp). One students this year came to us after hearing about the program through YWAM, and deciding to do this program instead of a YWAM DTS (Nikki). One student met us at UNC Asheville last year when we spoke at a Campus Crusade meeting (Eric, his wife Amber and their newborn Josiah). Another student heard about us while she was on staff with YWAM Australia, staffing a 3 month Bible Core Course (Melinda). And last but not least...Isaac heard about us when we visited a ministry in Western NC this summer (The Inn…Franklin NC).

Stay tuned for updates as we begin this amazing Bible journey together!

Tom

ESBS 2013-14 graduates

noreply@blogger.com (Emmaus Ministries) — Sat, 14 Jun 2014 17:51:00 +0000

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ESBS 2013-14 staff and students

ESBS 2013-14 is done, and it was a great year. We had 9 wonderful students study with us this year, and I once again am so thankful to have had this amazing opportunity to journey through the Bible with such a fantastic group of people. As we debriefed the year as a community, I was blessed again to hear so many people say that they loved the gospel focus of our community, and that they understand the gospel (the radical and lavish love of Jesus) in a deep way that they didn't anticipate coming into the program. As we discussed the year, several students said that when they think about the gospel now they think about entire chunks of Old Testament Narrative (yes you read that right…Old Testament!), as they see the love of God not just in a verse or two here and there in the New Testament, but in the way God dealt with Israel all through their history.

Thats pretty cool I think, and it makes me even more sure that THE BEST way to transform someone's life forever is to take them through the journey of the entire Bible in a community setting. God's character becomes so clear, and the community living demands an immediate response to what we're seeing in the Scripture.

As we head into summer (all of us but Greg…who headed back home to winter...wa wa wa…in New Zealand) we have students and staff scattered all over the country: Florida, Seattle, Colorado, Mississippi, Michigan, and 4 who chose to stay right at Lurecrest and work the summer camp program (very cool, and something I always love to see).

Additionally, Caleb Ives (ESBS staff) and Tom will be speaking for the Lurecrest's summer camps this summer. Caleb will also head to Nigeria with Heart Cry, and Tom is heading to Montana for a week to speak for a DTS.

Excitingly, we've also filed articles of incorporation and our IRS 501c3 application to carve out the ESBS as it's own non-profit entity (Emmaus Ministries). With that process now complete, we're beginning our search for a new location to host the 2015-16 ESBS, and we're excited to see where God takes the program next.

We're also excited about another great ESBS starting this August right at Camp Lurecrest!

Tom