The Dakotas Walk To Emmaus weekends number 53 and 54 happened the first two weekends in April at Inspiration Hills Retreat Center. There were 18 pilgrims who attended the men’s walk and 26 pilgrims that attended the women's walk.

“The reports given by all that I heard were very positive and confirmed that the Lord truly was at work in the lives of all who attended the walks, said Betty Janke, Dakotas Walk to Emmaus secretary. “ Many were inspired to dig deeper into God's Word and make changes in their personal and spiritual lives.

These clergy and laity who attended are now back at their home churches, prepared to be the hands and feet of Jesus in their homes, communities, and churches.  “If your church is fortunate enough to have one of these spiritually renewed people, it would be so great if you would welcome them with their desire to love the Lord and serve your congregation,” said Janke.

The next Dakotas Walk To Emmaus weekends will be March 23-26, 2017 for men and March 30-April 2, 2017 for women.  More information may be obtained from the website: DakotasWalk.Org as well as from the Upper Room website.  The walks are for clergy and laity with a primary purpose of developing better church workers.

The Walk to Emmaus is named so because the experience is very similar to the Bible story in Luke 24:13-34 in which the risen Christ joins the two disciples who were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus. By walking with Jesus, reflecting on the scriptures, breaking bread together and sharing their resurrection stories, the disciples experienced Christ’s presence and their hearts burned within them.

The program, Walk to Emmaus, is a 72-hour experience starting Thursday evening at 7:00 pm and ending around 7:00 pm on Sunday. Participants are asked to separate themselves from their daily activities for this time period. There is no “physical walking distance”, but rather a “walk” with others in fellowship, learning and fun.

The structure of the Walk centers on 15 talks, which are discussed by the participants. Clergy present five talks and ten are presented by laypersons. The Walk will include the talks, which focus on God’s grace, special times of worship, daily celebration of Holy Communion, and the prayers and acts of anonymous service offered by the Emmaus community.

The program is ecumenical in all aspects and a Board of Directors governs each local community. Clergy are eligible for 3 continuing education units for being a pilgrim on the Walk to Emmaus.