To the greater New Covenant Emmaus and New Covenant Chrysalis Communities:
From Bob Druzynski, NCEC Community Lay Director, Bill Alexander, NCEC Community Spiritual Director, Steph Laster, NCCC Community Lay Director, and Scott Kowerduck NCCC Community Spiritual Director
As you are probably aware, the Upper Room has announced the appointment of a new Director of Emmaus Ministries. This Director oversees the Emmaus, Chrysalis, and Face to Face programs as director and advisor. Based on posts the new Director has made on Facebook, she is a lesbian and is married to another woman.
While leadership changes are not unheard of in an organization as large as Emmaus Ministries, this change is raising concerns throughout the Emmaus community, not just in New Covenant, but across the country. For some of our traditionalist community members and supporting churches, the appointment raises concerns about alignment with their biblical beliefs and denominational teachings.
At this time, the New Covenant boards are approaching it first and foremost with prayerful consideration, while exploring options in order to be ready should the Spirit call us to act. There have been no changes to the doctrine, guidelines, talk outlines, meditations, or format of the Emmaus weekend. The boards are monitoring the situation and have not made a decision to change our affiliation. We ask that community members fervently pray for guidance for the boards, as well as Emmaus, Chrysalis, and Face-to-Face, in general. As one board member reminded us, times of uncertainty can bring spiritual challenges, and we must be careful not to let division distract from the work God is doing through this ministry.
To be proactive, the Emmaus board and Chrysalis board are looking into other three-day organizations based on the Cursillo and Emmaus traditions. This is a precautionary step, not a decision to transition. We would consider a transition only if changes in Upper Room leadership negatively affect our ability to hold Walks and Flights in a manner consistent with our community’s beliefs.
We ask you to pray for God’s guidance and discernment for the four of us and our boards as we work through this issue. We also ask that each member of the community be very careful in our conversations in the coming days. Our community is diverse, with many different backgrounds. We cannot turn this into a “political” issue or try to get others to see the issue exactly as we do. We also cannot pass along secondhand information, which can quickly become inaccurate. Again, be assured that your boards of directors are addressing this issue with prayer and discernment. We humbly request your prayers for us as we seek His leadership.
For questions or concerns please contact board member Rev. Dale Capron at dale.capron@umcna.org
De Colores