1. What is Emmaus?

    The Walk to Emmaus is a spiritual renewal program intended to strengthen the local church through the development of Christian disciples and leaders. The program's approach seriously considers the model of Christ's servanthood and encourages Christ's disciples to act in ways appropriate to being "a servant of all."

    The Walk to Emmaus experience begins with a 72-hour short course in Christianity, comprised of fifteen talks by lay and clergy on the themes of God's grace, disciplines of Christian discipleship, and what it means to be the church. The course is wrapped in prayer and meditation, special times of worship and daily celebration of Holy Communion. The "Emmaus community," made up of those who have attended an Emmaus weekend, support the 72-hour experience with a prayer vigil, by preparing and serving meals, and other acts of love and self-giving. The Emmaus Walk typically begins Thursday evening and concludes Sunday evening. Men and women attend separate weekends.

    During and after the three days, Emmaus leaders encourage participants to meet regularly in small groups. The members of the small groups challenge and support one another in faithful living. Participants seek to Christianize their environments of family, job, and community through the ministry of their congregations. The three-day Emmaus experience and follow-up groups strengthen and renew Christian people as disciples of Jesus Christ and as active members of the body of Christ in mission to the world.

    from What Is Emmaus?
    Copyright The Upper Room.

  2. What is the history of The Walk to Emmaus and Chrysalis?

    The Walk to Emmaus is an adaptation of the Roman Catholic Cursillo (pronounced cur-SEE-o) Movement, which originated in Spain in 1949. Cursillo de Cristianidad means "little course in Christianity." The original Cursillo leaders designed the program to empower persons to transform their living and working environments into Christian environments. During the 1960s and 1970s, the Episcopalians and Lutherans, along with several nondenominational groups, such as Tres Dias, began to offer Cursillo. In 1978, The Upper Room adapted the program for a primarily Protestant audience and began to offer it under the name The Upper Room Cursillo. In 1981, The Upper Room made further adaptations and changed the name of the program to The Upper Room Walk to Emmaus. In 1984, The Upper Room developed a youth expression of Emmaus called Chrysalis.

    from What Is Emmaus?
    Copyright The Upper Room.

  3. What is the meaning behind the name "Walk to Emmaus?"

    The Walk to Emmaus® gets its name from the story in Luke 24:13-35, which provides the central image for the three-day experience and follow-up. Luke tells the story of that first Easter afternoon when the risen Christ appeared to the two disciples who were walking together along the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Like Christians and churches who are blinded by preoccupation with their own immediate difficulties, these two disciples' sadness and hopelessness seemed to prevent them from seeing God's redemptive purpose in things that had happened.

    And yet, the risen Christ "came near and went with them," opening the disciples' eyes to his presence and lighting the fire of God's love in their hearts. As they walked to Emmaus, Jesus explained to them the meaning of all the scriptures concerning himself. When they arrived in Emmaus, Jesus "took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them," and their eyes were opened. They recognized him as Jesus, the risen Lord, and they remembered how their hearts had burned within them as they talked with him on the road. Within the hour, the two disciples left Emmaus and returned immediately to their friends in Jerusalem. As they told stories about their encounters with the risen Lord, Jesus visited them again with a fresh awareness of his living presence.

    However, the story of Jesus' resurrection does not conclude with the disciples' personal spiritual experiences. Jesus ascended to the Father, and the disciples became the body of the risen Christ through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. The disciples were sent forth by the Spirit to bear witness to the good news of God in Jesus Christ. They learned to walk in the spirit of Jesus, to proclaim the gospel to a disbelieving world, and to persevere in grace through spiritual companionship with one another.

    The Walk to Emmaus offers today's disciples a parallel opportunity to rediscover Christ's presence in their lives, to gain fresh understanding of God's transforming grace, and to form friendships that foster faith and support spiritual maturity. While Emmaus provides a pathway to the mountaintop of God's love, it also supports pilgrims' return to the world in the power of the Spirit to share the love they have received with a hurtful and hurting world.

    from What Is Emmaus?
    Copyright The Upper Room.

  4. What is the structure and organization of The Walk to Emmaus and Chrysalis?

    The Walk to Emmaus® is grounded theologically and institutionally in The Upper Room ministry unit of Discipleship Ministries of The United Methodist Church.

    However, The Walk to Emmaus is ecumenical. The program invites and involves the participation of Christians of many denominations. Emmaus is ecumenical not only because members of many denominations participate, but because Emmaus seeks to foster Christian unity and to reinforce the whole Christian community. This is one of the great strengths and joys of the Emmaus movement.

    The fact that Emmaus is ecumenical does not mean it is theologically indifferent. On the contrary, The Walk to Emmaus is designed to communicate with confidence and depth the essentials of the Christian life, while accentuating those features that Christians have traditionally held in common.

    The Upper Room Walk to Emmaus is a tightly designed event that is conducted with discipline according to a manual that is universally standard. Emmaus is offered only with the permission and under the guidelines of The Upper Room. This ensures a proven format and a common experience that should be trustworthy from weekend to weekend wherever Emmaus is being offered.

    Each community is administered locally through its local Board of Directors. The program is administered globally through the International Emmaus office in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

    from What Is Emmaus?
    Copyright The Upper Room.

  5. How can I attend an Emmaus or Chrysalis weekend?

    To get involved in Emmaus, each person must have a sponsor who has already attended Emmaus him- or herself. If you have a friend who has been to Emmaus, ask your friend to tell you about his or her experience with the program. Your friend can help you decide whether or not you would find an Emmaus experience helpful.

    If you don't know anyone who has been to Emmaus, use the Emmaus Finder & Community Map to locate an Emmaus community in your area. You may search for an Emmaus community by name or location. Once you have found a nearby community, contact one of the community's representatives and ask him or her to help you consider attending Emmaus and finding a sponsor. 

  6. May we reprint articles from the Emmaus eNews?

    You can reprint articles from the Emmaus eNews as needed. We are always glad that you find the articles helpful. Simply acknowledge with this permission line: "Reprinted from the Emmaus® eNews, [date of newsletter]. Used with permission."

  7. May we link our Emmaus/Chrysalis community's site to The Upper Room's site?

    It is no problem for communities to link with us and even to use our graphics to facilitate their link.

  8. May we use the Emmaus/Chrysalis logo in a printed piece?

    Remember that the logo is copyrighted and should not be used on products designed for resale. Your community board members can download a variety of logo art formats from The Walk to Emmaus Boardroom site (your board members should already have received their username and password from the International Walk to Emmaus Office).

  9. May we use the Emmaus/Chrysalis logo on our web site?

    Users have permission to download these images for noncommercial use on web pages. The Emmaus and Chrysalis logos are available in the online boardroom for community board members.

  10. Where can I buy Emmaus products?

    Approved Vendors

    The following organizations sell Emmaus and Chrysalis products and donate part of their proceeds to the International Offices.

    • Nite Owl Promotions, Inc.
      niteowlpromotions.com

      Nite Owl is a family-owned business located in west-central Indiana. We have been in the screen-printing and embroidery business for over 25 years. Several members of our ownership, sales and production teams are active in our local Emmaus community. Visit our website and click on the Upper Room link and give us the opportunity to provide you with the latest in licensed Upper Room apparel.

    • Dove Inc.
      270-789-6974
      www.doveinc.com

      Allow Dove Inc. the opportunity to print or embroider your community logo, customize a design, or add a name on an official Walk to Emmaus tee shirt, fleece or other garment. Contact us today for a quote.

  11. Does The Upper Room help Emmaus/Chrysalis communities set up web pages?

    No, we here at The Upper Room are not able to give technical support for setting up web pages.

  12. What can I buy here?

    Emmaus and Chrysalis products needed for Walks and Fourth Day. These products include the Emmaus/Chrysalis specific material along with the Emmaus Library Series and other related products.

  13. What about shipping?

    The Upper Room will use the most economical shipping method unless the customer requests rush delivery. Rush shipping charges will be applied using UPS calculations. Please allow 7 to 10 business days for delivery.

  14. Need help with your order?

    Call 1-800-972-0433 for our Call Center or email [email protected]

  15. How do I pay?

    Your community’s account number will be charged for the order. Once an order has been placed, your community treasurer will receive an invoice.

  16. Forgotten account number?

    Please contact the Lay Director or the Treasurer of your community. The community’s account number is required for all Emmaus /Chrysalis specific material and to place orders through this website.

  17. I have more questions. Who can I ask?

    Email your question to the staff at the International Emmaus Ministries Office: [email protected]

Contact the International Emmaus Ministries Staff



Rev. Stéphane Brooks,
International Spiritual Director 

[email protected]

615-340-7189

Hess B. "Doc" Hall, Jr.
Associate Director, Emmaus Ministries

[email protected]

615-340-7288

Rev. Lilia Ramirez,
Administrative Program Manager

[email protected]

615-340-7113



Office Hours:

The Emmaus Office is open between 7:30 AM and 4:30 PM Central Time, Monday-Friday. 
The Upper Room's toll-free number: 1-877-899-2780, ext. 7113
(For Residents of the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico)

Postal Address: 

The Upper Room Walk to Emmaus and Chrysalis 
P. 0. Box 340004 
Nashville, TN 37203-0004