Greetings!

 The opening of the 33rd Annual Assembly of Tres Dias Secretariats in Seoul this September will mark a new phase in the history of Tres Dias. We will be returning to that place, almost 30 years ago, where the Lord first used Tres Dias to reach out across national borders to change people's lives. Even if you are not able to attend, you will want to read our feature article, which tells the incredible story of why the Lord is having us travel way around the world to hold an Assembly.

      The editors and I were delighted with the number of readers who sent us e-mails in response to our first issue. Many of you chose to forward the issue to others in your communities, affirming that Tres Dias is much, much larger than any local organization, and that we are all united, by Christ, in one community, one mission.

     In Christ,

     Paul Weis

     President, Tres Dias International Secretariat

Again, we welcome your comments, either to me at president@tresdias.org or our newsletter editor (newsletter@tresdias.org).

The Story Behind the Korean Assembly     

When the Korean communities proposed the idea of an Assembly in that country, two questions came to mind. Would it even be possible to transport this event halfway around the world? And if it could be done, why Korea? 

The answer to the first question is a resounding Yes.

Earlier this week, VP of Membership, Richard Thornhill, returned from Seoul, having met with the Korean leaders to firm up major details of schedules, housing, and tour offerings.

Answering the second requires reflection on history and geography.

Tres Dias (the movement) and Korea (the nation) have a very special relationship. It was in Korea that Tres Dias began its international expansion, when graduates of the West Point Military Academy helped to establish the first community in that country in 1985.  

     The 1980s saw a Christian revival sweep across the nation, and the number of Tres Dias communities grew in partnership with the growth in church attendance, helping to focus and channel the spirit of lay leadership and personal witness that has become the hallmark of Korean Christianity.

     Today, Korean Christianity is often described in superlatives. This is a country with dozens of mega-churches, many with more than 10,000 members. (The largest, the Pentecostal Yoido Full Gospel Church, now claims a membership of one million). Widely cited is the statistic that Korea is second only to the US in the number of missionaries sent abroad. It is the country with the largest per capita percentage of Christians among nations on the Pacific Rim. In fact, Christians outnumber Buddhists: 29 percent of the population, vs. 23 percent, according to the 2005 Census.

     Most Christians (almost 80 percent) attend church at least once a week, a study by the Pew Research Center found. Moreover, approximately one in three said they share their faith with nonbelievers at least once a year.

Tres Dias is, of course, only one light among many drawing people closer to Christ. Still, the Assembly is an acknowledgement, from the Korean communities, that Tres Dias has changed many lives and glorified God, as well as an invitation to celebrate a ministry that has united Christians from very different cultures.

    More importantly, Tres Dias in Korea will continue, and even strengthen, as an instrument of faith as a result of the 2012 Assembly. Here's why...

     Along with the growth in chartered Korean Tres Dias Communities came dozens of "shadow" communities. Operating half way around the world and on the other side of a language barrier, these groups used Tres Dias materials, but freely modified the Essentials. (Some estimates put the number of such communities at close to 100.)

      In December of 2008, seven chartered communities signed a document creating the Tres Dias Korean Region Committee (TDKR). This subcommittee of the International Secretariat will host the Assembly. Representatives from Korean-speaking communities in New York and California are helping to coordinate planning, an experience that is injecting new vitality into their own programs.

     Speaking at the 32nd Annual Assembly in Belmont, NC, H.B. Park, president of TDKR, expressed the hope that the 2012 Assembly and the media coverage it generates will unify Tres Dias in Korea by helping the "shadow" communities see the benefits of seeking charters.

  Mr. Park went on to recall that Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, was once known as the "Jerusalem of Korea." When Korea was divided into two nations following World War II, many of the Christians in the north fled southward, forming the nucleus for the rapid growth in the Christian faith that followed some three decades later in the south, but left a small remnant behind in the north. Mr. Park sees the Assembly as adding to the dialogue with Christians in the North who are praying for unification of two Koreas.

     Given the evangelistic spirit and missionary zeal among Koreans, as well as Korea's strategic position on the Pacific Rim, we only begin to imagine how the Lord will continue to use Tres Dias in that part of the world.

     Finally, there is one compelling reason why Tres Dias should hold its Assembly in Korea...    

                       The Lord would have us there.                 

Best Practices 

Why all Rollos--Even those from Spiritual Directors--Need to Be Critiqued

 By Judy LeMasurier 

I've been blessed to serve on many Tres Dias teams, in the US as well as internationally, and I also teach the Essentials of Tres Dias in our community. I've heard from other communities that spiritual directors sometimes use the same talk for more than one weekend, and this is also true for several of our spiritual directors. Furthermore, team members in our community (and probably in other communities, too) hold back when it comes to critiquing a spiritual director's rollo. And in some cases, there is no critique of the spiritual director's rollo! After all, they're professionals. And the same courtesy continues even when a pastor, inspired by the Word, lets the rollo run well past the time limit.

     On one particular weekend, God clearly showed me why spiritual directors need to be critiqued. I knew the spiritual director personally. The presentation of her rollo (one I had heard before) was very effective. However, it just didn't fit for this weekend, and everyone knew it. Another sister in Christ on the team expressed her appreciation for the time and effort that was put into the rollo, but went on to say it just didn't line up with the talks given thus far.

     You could hear the sound of people sucking in their breath; you could have heard a pin drop. I went into prayer mode, recalling how many times I had been told not to correct a spiritual director.

     The kind sister suggested different examples from scripture, and from life. She presented her concerns with a humble, loving grace that brought tears to my eyes.

     The pastor sat quiet for a few minutes in thought. After thanking her for her concerns, she asked for a hug. She volunteered to write a new rollo and said she would welcome another critique.

    The new Rollo was phenomenal; it blessed the team and candidates. Yes, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, spiritual directors' rollos do need to be critiqued. I no longer hesitate, and I use that same loving spirit I learned from my fellow team member. I have yet to find a spiritual director who wasn't grateful.

     Judy LeMasurier is a member of Central Connecticut Tres Dias. She has served  for more than eight years on the Tres Dias International Secretariat, where she has held various positions including  Vice President Administration.

How Do We Explain Tres Dias to Others?

For those communities that include a session on explaining Tres Dias as a supplement to Essentials training, two articles by Pastor Mike Pennington (one on talking to pastors) have proved to be quite useful as handouts. Written in a commonsense, colloquial style, these essays first appeared in the old-style international newsletter. The newsletter's reincarnation into the current email format makes it possible for us to offer Rev. Mike's articles to readers in a way that can be more easily downloaded and copied. Simply click this link: How to Share

     Tres Dias of Fairfield County uses a creative, professionally produced video, "What Is Tres Dias All About?" to tell about the Tres Dias experience. The quotations in the video are from a 2009 survey asking community pescadores to describe how their lives were changed as a result of the weekend. Click the image at right to see the video. 

   Many communities include succinct descriptions of Tres Dias on their website home pages. To see examples, go to Tres Dias.org, click the LOCATIONS tab, and browse. Also, the Tresdias.org website has a section called What Is Tres Dias?