Great Banquet History

To become familiar with the Great Banquet, let’s look first at the history of its counterparts, the Cursillo and the Walk to Emmaus. The Cursillo (3-day course in Christianity) began in Spain in the 1940’s in the Catholic Church. It spread to the United States and evolved for Protestants into the Walk to Emmaus under the auspices of the Upper Room and the United Methodist Church. An Emmaus Movement was started at the First Presbyterian Church in Madisonville, Kentucky in 1982. After a 10-year history of the Walk to Emmaus in Madisonville, the Great Banquet was formed. Governed by an ecumenical board of directors and using the “Cursillo model”, but with a different image, the Great Banquet continues to emphasize personal Christian discipleship.

Image of the Great Banquet

The Gospel of Luke presents the parable of the Great Banquet. Jesus tells of a master who prepared a great banquet and invited many guests, saying, “Come, for everything is now ready.” After so many excuses for not attending by his invited guests, the master became angry and ordered his servants: “Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.”

After this had been done and room still remained, the master told his servants: “Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.” Then, as additional invitations were given, the banquet was presented to his guests. The results of the master’s invitation was to feast and fellowship at a banquet given by God. (Luke 14:15-24)

The parable above provides the picture for the Great Banquet. Like its counterparts, Cursillo, Walk to Emmaus, Via de Cristo and Tres Dias, this movement examines Christianity as a lifestyle. The Great Banquet is an orderly, structured weekend designed to strengthen and renew the faith of Christians. Through a combined effort of laity and clergy, the Great Banquet focuses on the renewal of the church.