The Emmaus Movement in the United Methodist Church has its ancestry in the Roman Catholic Cursillo. In Spanish, "Cursillo" is a very common word, derived from "Curso", which means "little Course", something that is done in a few days rather than in weeks or months. The term Cursillo connotes the idea of intensity, of doing a great deal in very little time.

Cursillo began on the island of Majorca, some 170 miles southwest of the mainland of Spain, sometimes in the late 1940's. During the period of 1936-1939, Spain had been involved in a bitter Civil War, followed by the World War II years of unsettled conditions. The desire for the Church renewal and inspiration for the life of the Apostolate grew out of these nine years of much stress within the country. Throughout Spain, and in the twenty Republics of Latin America, the "Young Men's Branch of the Catholic Action," similar to the Episcopal Youth Organization, Catholic Youth Organization, and the United Methodist Youth Fellowship, planned a pilgrimage to the Shrine of St. James de Compostela at Santiago Spain. To prepare for this, the Catholic Action leaders on Majorca formed Leader's School in which they gave short courses to prepare for this pilgrimage.

The leaders of the Catholic Action group called the course Cursillo, in part because this term is not essentially a religious one, and in Spain and Majorca there was a strong laity, of militant independence almost to the point of being anti-clerical. Therefore, these courses were designed not to be overly "pious."

In 1956, Cursillo was brought to the United States by two Spanish Air Cadets who were studying at Lackland Air Force Base at San Antonio, Texas. The format of the three days and the talks were translated into English in Texas in the late 1950's and early 60's. The Roman Catholic English Cursillos started the Cursillo with their brothers and sisters in Christ--Episcopal, Lutheran, and with the United Methodist Church in Peoria, Illinois, and Nashville, Tennessee. The United Methodist Church began its expression of Cursillo in about 1977 and called it The Upper Room Cursillo.

In 1981, by mutual agreement between the National Secretariat of the Roman Catholic Cursillo Movement and the Upper Room, the Emmaus Movement was given its name. By 1984, the Upper Room Emmaus Movement had established communities in forty-four "free world" communities and in nine correctional institutions.

The Upper Room philosophically is committed to ecumenical efforts. Therefore, although Emmaus is under the jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church, it is supported and attended by persons of all denominations. The over-all content and techniques are the same as those in the Cursillo communities, and Roman Catholic, Episcopal, and Lutheran churches have continued their strong and loving support.

The goal of Emmaus is to make Christian communities possible in neighborhoods, churches, work situations, and all other places where people live the greater part of their lives.