The first Saturday of the school-year months, men of the First United Methodist Church meet for breakfast at 7:15 AM.

This first day of the Labor Day holiday, United Methodist Men President Jim Nelson explained that he had finished the book “Why Men Hate Church.” (For some reasons, click here.)

Explaining that United Methodist Men was a starting point in the church, which should be more project-oriented, he solicited suggestions.

The subject of the day was the men’s retreat called “Walk to Emmaus.”

“It’s not a cult,” Pete Kottra emphasized.

Kottra started to go from head to heart in a 1997 Disciple Class.

Friends had been suggesting that he attend a Walk for a while, but he was wrapped up in coaching, his passion.

“Mildred Fanter asked me to go in 1998,” he continued, and, having retired from coaching, he decided to go.

“I wouldn’t say Emmaus was a turning point, but Disciple Class was.

“They ask you to take your watch off, turn your cell phone off and shut yourself off from the rest of the world,” he said.

The next such retreat is at Resurrection Center between Crystal Lake and Woodstock from Thursday night, September 28th through Sunday afternoon on October 1st.

Kottra is serving on the team putting it together.

“This is my fifth team.

“If you don’t experience this Walk, you are really missing something,” he told the men, about half of which have not.

“We have all ages from young people to old people.

“Some people whom you view as a really strong Christian may not always have been like that.

He did emphasize that “Emmaus is not a sharing experience.”

There are some elements of the Walk that are best not known ahead of time. It really diminishes the experience.

But, since husbands and wives are encouraged to attend their separate walks in the same cycle, with the husbands going first, the wives are sometimes a bit pushy to learn what is going to happen.

“I only wanted to tell her so much, so it wouldn’t ruin her weekend,” Kottra said of his wife Judy. “She was really upset when she left. She didn’t get over it until Saturday.

“I don’t know what else I could say to recommend it.”

Kottra was preceded by Tim Pontius.

“You will be changed in some way. God does that individually,” Pontius began.

“You do change when you go to a Walk to Emmaus.

“It can be very small or very big.

“With me it was inside. The important change for me was inside.

“I suffer from depression.

“I think I hide it reasonably well.

“I used to have a lot of back pain and, while I was suffering, that would be when I’d get depressed.

I’d wonder why.

“I have everything going for me.

‘I was praying, ‘Please take this back pain, this leg pain away.

“Then, I realized I was only going to God when I needed Him.

“I was doing only those fake prayers—the ones you say at mealtime when you want others to hear you.

“I didn’t fell worthy of God’s love.

“Unrelated to depression, I went to Emmaus. (I wouldn’t recommend you attend for a specific problem.)

“I was one of those people who resisted forever.

“The more people who urged me to go, the more I resisted.

“Finally, people stopped asking and that was a good thing.

“During the weekend, I had one of those real life changing experiences.

”I had an intellectual experience with God. I knew God from up here,” he said, pointing to his head.

“I was always the me that was part of a big corporate group.

“During my Walk to Emmaus, I really realized that Jesus died for me personally.

“Even though up to that point I didn’t like me…it really had an impact.

“I now like me.

“I still take medicine for depression. It’s something chemical in my brain.

“I don’t advertise it. I don’t wear a sign, but I’m not ashamed.

“It changed my relationship with god from a mental one to one in my heart.

“You may not have the super life changing experience I had,” Pontius cautioned.

He added that he would be teaching a Monday night Disciple I class starting September 18th. Just call the church office at 815-459-0785 and sign up. There is also a sign-up sheet in the Narthex.

(I would highly recommend taking such a class. It is a major commitment—over 30 weeks. In retrospect, it was like speed-reading the Bible. During that time, however, you will read 80% of the Bible and, if you are like me, you will put what you have learned in context for the first time. Again, if you are like me, you may need outside motivation to read the Bible. It is hard to underemphasize the peer pressure you have to get your reading done each week. If you don’t, you’ll feel embarrassed when your turn to answer a question comes around.)

After Pontius’ talk, the first question was, “What is it?”

“It’s a 3-day class on being a Christian,” he answered. (I’d call it a short course in Christianity.)

“You hear 15 talks about various subjects…5 by pastors. The other 10 are given by lay people like us.

“It’s really what it means to be a Christian.

“From this (description), it sounds like more of a mental thing,” Pontius observed, assuring the men that it was more than that.

“The speakers put their owner experiences in them,” Ken Poling, another Emmaus alumnus explained.

“You’re not going to be out there walking,” he quipped.

“You do not starve. There’s no fasting.”

“It’s ecumenical,” Don Rosborough added.

“I think you’ll say, ‘It was time well spent when you leave,’” he added.

Rosborough is seen pointing from Wesley Hall to the front of the Methodist Church where the names of members who have been on the Walk are listed.

Those who want to attend need a sponsor. If readers of McHenry County Blog would like to attend, please email me at calskinner2@gmail.com.

There is a $200 cost for the room and board. But, no one should consider that a barrier. If someone would like to attend but cannot afford it, the room and board money will be found somewhere. You can print out an application here.