|
Secuela Dates |
|
|
Secuela dates set for rest of year
Mark your calendars for the following dates:
November 7
December 5
All Secuelas will be at Piedmont Baptist Church. Watch future newsletters for more information.
|
|
Upcoming Tres Dias of North Georgia Weekends |
|
|
Men's #99 - October 15-18
Buddy Patrick - Rector
Women's #112 - October 22-25 Tracey Scharoun - Rector |
|
Upcoming Vida Nueva Weekends |
|
|
Young Women's #39 - September 18-20
Amy Wade - Director
Katelin Bradford - Youth Director
Young Men's #39 - September 22-25
David Moyer - Director
Peter Rockhill - Youth Director
Vida Nueva is a weekend for young people ages 15 to 20. Applications and more information are available at www.ngvn.org |
|
From our Chairman's Heart |
|
|
Blended Giftedness
1 Peter 4:10-11, "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." God has given you capabilities, personality, opportunities, and spiritual gifts. All of these are for you to use to share God's grace in people's lives and here's where your trust in Him comes in. The Bible says, "If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength the Lord provides." The words you need, the strength you need, everything you need to be effective flows through His life within you.
And this is all, according to this passage, "so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ." Exciting things happening because you're trusting God and God's trusting you. Every weekend we watch as God puts the team together and raises leaders who trust Him for every facet of the experience. Lives are dramatically changed, empowered and refreshed because individuals choose to allow God to blend their gifts and talents, together with other like-minded believers, and bless the candidates with a unique instrument of grace that transcends the knowledge of His love with the spiritual and emotional reality of His love. And that my friends is a remarkable thing to behold!
From this reality we discover several inescapable truths:
We need each other deeply.
Together we are stronger and more effective than alone. Everyone's life experience can be used by God to His glory. Trust Him to let your life enrich His kingdom and bless His people. You have been blessed to be a blessing!
De Colores,
Bill
|
|
Sponsorship |
|
|
Sponsorship and the Responsibilities of a Sponsor
This is the second article in a series about the joys and responsibilities of being a sponsor.
Sponsoring candidates is only one of the many joys we have as members of the TD community. However, sponsorship brings with it several serious responsibilities to the candidates, to the community, and ultimately, to God.
It has been said that the most important part of Tres Dias is sponsorship.
Sponsorship Is Vital
Tres Dias operates on sponsorship. Personal sponsorship insures the personal care and commitment of God to each Candidate/Pescadore, and provides personal acts of love such as prayer and palanca. Every Tres Dias Community should be educating new Pescadores about sponsorship by actively discussing it in Reunion Groups, at Secuelas, and in its newsletters.
Practical application - Sponsoring is more than just taking a person to the campground and picking them up. It includes a commitment to pray, provide palanca, attend to their families and take them to the first Secuela after their weekend |
|
Message Board |
|
Don't forget to use the message board, http://ngtd.activeboard.com for prayer requests, praise reports and other community member announcements. |
|
Tres Dias Essentials |
|
|
There are come components of the weekend that are "essential", some are "optional", some are "accidental", and some are "divinely orchestrated". The essentials are proscribed by Tres Dias International. Here are more. (continued from previous newsletters):
3.2 The essentials of the weekend phase
1. That the weekend have the following characteristics:
E. It includes a period of silent introspection, but is not a retreat.
F. It is a renewal experience for Christians and is not necessarily a conversion experience.
G. It asks for basic faith, openness and a seeking attitude on the part of the candidate, but involves a great amount of dedication, prayer, and careful planning on the part of the team.
H. It is an encounter with the Holy Spirit. However, Tres Dias is not a "charismatic" movement.
I. The weekend is a tool of God, not an end in itself. The weekend will not produce a permanent effect without Fourth Day activities.
(continued next issue) |
|
Secretriat Information |
|
| The Secretariat exists to serve the community. For list of current Secretariat Members, see www.ngtd.org
There are several Secretariat positions open, or coming open soon, If you would be interested in the blessing of serving the community, contact any of the Secretariat members for more information. |
|
Weekend Fees Changing |
|
|
Effective January 1, 2010, Fees will be $125.00
The expenses for our weekends continue to rise and, after much prayer and consideraton, we find it necessary after many years to raise the weekend fee to $125.00. This will apply to team and candidates. |
|
Mike McCrum (TD 28) Joins Secretariat as Spiritual Director |
|
|
We are most grateful that Pastor Mike McCrum has agreed to be our new Secretariat Spiritual Director.
Mike and Debbie have been very supportive of the Tres Dias community since 1994.
Mike is a graduate of Tennessee Temple University and Dallas Theological Seminary. He is currently working on his doctorate of ministry degree with Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Mike has been the Senior Pastor of East Cherokee Community Church in Woodstock since 1999. He has ministered literally all over the world in Malaysia, Romania, West Indies, Mexico, Belgium, Hungary and Russia.
Mike has a multitude of gifts and is motivated to see people revitalize their relationships and strengthen families through the Grace of God.
Please keep Mike in your prayers as he provides spiritual guidance for our community.
|
|
Secretariat Reminders |
|
|
The Secretariat would like to remind you that it is inappropriate to bring children to send-off, closing, serenade or other Tres Dias functions that are not "family affairs"
Further, only those that have attended a recognized 3-day weekend my attend Tres Dias functions.
We appreciate your understanding and compliance with these Tres Dias requirements.
- - -
We are looking for more candidates, especially male candidates. For applications and more information see www.ngtd.org.
- - -
Also a reminder to sponsors - Please urge your candidates to leave all cell phones & electronic devices at home so that they can block out the outside world & spend 3 days focusing totally on God & what He has in store for them.
- - -
The Secretariat is looking for a couple to fill the pre-weekend position that will be vacant at the end of this year. If anyone has any questions about the pre-weekend position, contact any Secretariat member.
|
|
What is "Cloistered", Anyway?
|
|
Please, prayerfully read these thoughts and consider what it is that we, especially Team Members and Sponsors, should be saying and doing to prepare our Candidates for the unique environment that Tres Dias offers.
Tres Dias is a time when we build a cloistered, or "closed", environment so that the Candidates can be separated from the world and guaranteed a safe place where they can be open to the work of Holy Spirit as He floods His light and fresh fire into their lives.
Our TDNG Secretariat sees the cloistered nature of our Weekends as a sacred trust that we must insure as much as humanly possible. Policies and Procedures given to the Rectors and teams list specific things that should or should not be done to insure cloister. These are not arbitrary rules; they are carefully thought out and prayed over conclusions about appropriate conduct. A couple of the most difficult issues we have to deal with that threaten or break that cloister on almost every Weekend are children and communication devices.
All of us, whether we are team members, sponsors, or other members of the community who attend events surrounding the Weekends, can help in the following specific ways:
NO CHILDREN at Send Off, Serenade, Closing or Secuelas. This is not because we have hard hearts or just want to be legalistic. We have (or should have) gone to great lengths to provide an atmosphere free of worldly distractions. A Candidate who has had to leave a child and is told not to worry about job or HOME, can be very easily distracted by seeing a child. This has caused several Candidates in the past to want to leave the Weekend; it can even trigger separation anxiety. Even among members of the community, where grace is our hallmark, one who has made special and sometimes costly arrangements for child care in order to attend an event in compliance with this rule can become upset when they see someone else breaking this rule. Exceptions truly only cause confusion and even cause our integrity as a community to be questioned.
Cameras & Communication Devices. These have become so common-place in our lives that we often do not think about the fact that they are invasive and distracting. Please inform your Candidates that the focus of the Weekend is uninterrupted time with our Father. NO CAMERAS including cameras in phones are to be used unless specifically authorized by the Secretariat (e.g. The Weekend Photo or for Training ). Candidates are to bring NO PHONES or TEXTING DEVICES on the weekend. Sponsors should ask Candidates to leave phones and other devices at home, or ask for them before send off. Team members must keep their devices out of sight of Candidates on the Weekend.
The second issue can be dealt with more easily and effectively with Candidates by the Sponsor clearly communicating the reason that outside communication is limited to emergencies. Let them know that YOU, as their Sponsor, are their families' point of contact for emergencies. YOU, then, can call the Camp of Colors to contact the Assistant Head Cha for the Weekend in case of an emergency.
The first issue is one that requires pre-planning and some sacrifice on the part of Pescadores with children to care for. We all have a responsibility to guard what has made Tres Dias the powerful instrument of God that we know it to be. Please be considerate! Continue to live the 4th Day offering the same spirit of Idealism, Cooperation and Love that we were asked to have when we began our Tres Dias.
DeColores!
In Christ's Lavish Love,
George Flury
Vice Chairman, TDNG
|
|
The Word |
|
|
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness."
Genesis 1:1-4 |
|
Planning for Kairos #33 at Hancock State Prison Underway |
|
| Planning for Kairos weekend #33 at Hancock State Prison to be held November 19th through November 22nd is well underway. The Kairos team is inviting our fellow brothers in Christ to consider serving as a member of the Kairos team for this weekend.
The mission of Kairos is to bring Christ's love and forgiveness to incarcerated individuals, their families and those who work with them, and to assist in them in the transition of becoming productive citizens. Like Emmaus, Cursillo, Tres Dias, and Via De Cristo weekends, the initial Kairos weekend consists of carefully coordinated talks, discussions, chapel meditations, and music led by the Kairos team.
Even though I felt God tugging at me pretty hard to be a part of this ministry, I must confess that no ministry opportunity I've ever considered has felt more unnatural than this one. But after making the decision to join Christ in this ministry, nothing I've ever done has felt as natural, nor has been more personally rewarding or spiritually enriching than Kairos. Through the privilege I've had to take part in Kairos weekends, I've witnessed how this experience creates the desire to become a Christian for many participants while many others are offered phenomenal encouragement and given powerful tools to continue their personal Christian growth. Words can never describe how blessed I am to be a part of this powerfully transforming ministry and I've shared with many friends that I almost feel guilty about how deep the blessings are that I receive from the time I spend at Hancock State Prison. The faith and hope that some of these men possess, despite the incomprehensible mistakes they've made and the environment and the circumstances in which these mistakes have landed > them, is truly inspiring and can only be explained by their coming to experience God's unconditional love and by how the Holy Spirit is working in their lives. If you or someone you know is feeling the call to work a Kairos weekend, please contact me via phone (706-206-8080) or email at rnesbit@uga.edu so that I can answer any questions you may have and provide you with additional details. You can also find more information about this ministry by visiting http://www.kairoshsp.com/index.htm.
Whether you are feeling called to work a Kairos weekend or not, please continue to keep this extraordinary ministry in your prayers.
In Him,
Ryan Nesbit
Athens Area Walk to Emmaus #20
| |
