24 Jan Happenings at Emmaus Church

Briana Nei is the youth and drama leader at Emmaus Church in Berryville, Va. She writes, “Incredible things are happening at Emmaus. We have been meeting for a little over a year and a half. Last Sunday, January 9, was our highest attendance with 114 people. Our youth program is growing quickly. Many have been saved. We are seeing people come out of homosexuality, drugs, alcohol etc.

“The teens put on a Christmas musical called STARS, which I wrote and directed. About 30 people were involved with putting on this 90-minute show about reality TV and the desire of teens to find hope in pop culture. Over 250 people attended the two showings at the middle school auditorium. Many non-Christian teens attended both nights because they loved it so much. It created much unity among the teens involved from different social backgrounds.

“The youth are studying godliness, honor in relationships, and other hot topics during regular youth night. We also are starting Power Groups for teens (short-term four-week small groups that focus on different topics). We are getting ready to begin the Grow in the Word discipleship series with about ten senior high students (many of them new Christians), plus a new believer’s five-week Power Group. God is moving.

“We started a Hispanic ministry, and a mercy ministry to hungry and homeless families. We have a ministry for young boys and a children’s ministry busting out of the seams (about 30-40 on a normal Sunday).

“One family has a ministry called Hope-n-Helps; they serve pastors, orphanages, and leper colonies in India. The church recently raised $2000 to send to churches in India harmed by the Tsunami. The youth did a project on giving in November through this ministry. The teens were given seed money out of the youth budget and, as in the parable of the talents, were given one week to try to increase it as much as possible. The students tripled the money in one week from $100 to $300 dollars by selling brownies, candles, or whatever they wanted to do. All the money was sent to India. They were excited as they received letters back from the pastors and orphanages.”