The upcoming walks are on the following dates:

Men’s Walk – March 9th to March 12th, 2023

Women’s Walk – March 16th to March 19th, 2023

Request for Reservation form.

SEASIDE EMMAUS HISTORY

In the spring of 1981, Rev. Doug Bowling and his wife Marlene, went to the Upper Room in Nashville to what was known as Cursillo at that time. Doug was pastor of Trinity Methodist in Conway. Doug and Marlene sponsored Whit and Jacque Whitaker and Gary and Betty Kendrick at the next Walks at the Upper Room. Ron and Marva Lackey, Charles and Margaret Jordan and Charlie and Jeanne Sasser were sponsored next. Then Richard and Nancy Anderson and Donald and Sylvia Smith went to Cursillo, followed by Bill and Betsy Thomas. Six of the 9 couples were members of Trinity Methodist. The men would fly to Nashville for their Walk and then the women would fly up. We really had no idea what we were getting into; we just knew that God was at work in what the Upper Room was doing through Cursillo. The first 3 Walks were called Cursillo, which was begun by the Catholic Church. After that, the Upper Room formed the Walk to Emmaus.

Bob Wood of the Upper Room then informed us that we would be starting the first Walk to Emmaus in South Carolina in Conway. He came to Conway, met with us and said the first Walk would be the spring of 1982 and these 9 couples, with the help of the Upper Room, would be the team. Not only were we the team, we had to sponsor all of the Pilgrims that would be a part of the walk. Needless to say, we had no idea how we would do this. Our only experience was the Walk that we had been on in Nashville. With a lot of prayer and relying on the Holy Spirit, the first walk was held in the spring of 1982. God certainly works in mysterious ways to bring about His Kingdom on this earth. Many pilgrims have had their lives changed as the Holy Spirit has continued to work through the Walk to Emmaus for the past 35 years. How blessed we are to have the privilege to participate in God’s work through Emmaus.

Emmaus has its ancestry in the Roman Catholic Cursillo. In Spanish, Cursillo means “little course” something done in a few days rather than weeks or months. Cursillo began on the island of Majorca in the late 1940’s. It was designed to prepare men for leadership and action in the church. In the 1960’s Cursillo grew into the clergy and lay directed movement similar to what it is today.

In 1956 Cursillo was brought to the United States by two Spanish Air Cadets who were studying at an Air Base in Texas.

In 1977 the Upper Room Cursillo began in Nashville, Tennessee.

In 1981, in agreement with the National Secretariat of the Roman Catholic Cursillo movement and the Upper Room, the name of Nashville Protestant Community was changed to Emmaus. The Emmaus movement is ecumenical.

By 1984, 44 Emmaus Communities had been established in the free world.

Seaside has birthed Cape Fear, Emmaus of the Midlands, Rock Hill and Low County Emmaus. Also, we are the parents of a Chrysalis Community based in Conway.

In the fall of 2008 the Seaside Emmaus Community moved the Walk location to the FFA Camp in North Myrtle Beach. The first Walk held there was Women’s Walk 106 in October 2008. In September 2016 the Emmaus Walks returned to Garden City Chapel.

On February 3, 2017 we celebrated 35 years of building Christian Leaders. We pray for God’s continued blessing on this movement.