Tres Dias of North Georgia
Pescadore Pages
July, 2013 |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Come, Holy Spirit, fill our hearts and kindle them in the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth.
|
|
FROM OUR CHAIRMAN'S HEART
| | |
Perspective, Perception and Patience
Blessings, All!
As I write this, TDNG Women's #128 is in progress, and last Sunday, Men's #114 closed. What a blessing it is to be part of this wonderful and thriving community! If my math is correct, TDNG is enjoying our 30th year in this Kingdom Work. Thank You, Father!
We live in a world where most people do not serve, love, respect or even know our loving Savior. Even worse, He - and those who do serve Him - are the subjects of ridicule and persecution. But, we were warned about such things in Scripture, weren't we? Some believers I know have a rather fatalistic attitude that things are not going to get better. They point to Scripture that indicates accelerated evil in the End Times and say, "What's the use? Our destruction is Inevitable; our country will never regain its moral compass, our churches continue to capitulate and compromise; even professing Christians have no problem with involvement with things that are clearly contrary to the will of God;..."
I could not agree more with their "facts", but I have a different interpretation of them. I believe most members of this community do as well. Please forgive me for the following example, if you believe that Science Fiction Shows are evil. Last night I watched an old episode of Star Trek Voyager in which a crew member with advanced ability to access amazing amounts of data came up with 3 erroneous conspiracy theories - all based on the available facts - and caused near tragedy. Here are a couple of thoughts for us to consider along with the facts.
Perspective:
No matter our circumstances, Scripture teaches to live above our circumstances, and it assures us that "...in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28) We fight From a position of Victory, not for a victory. Like Paul, we should have the perspective that "...to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Phil. 1:21 NIV)
Perception:
Perception is our own personal reality. In other words, we react to things based on how we think things ought to be, and we base our opinion of how things ought to be on both facts and prejudices in our experience - our brain's filing cabinet. When dealing with issues of life, especially in matters of ministry, we would do well to remember that "...we have the mind of Christ." (1Cor. 2:16) AND, as my dad used to say, we would do well to be sure that our mind is engaged before our mouth is set into motion.
Patience:
Godly Patience is indeed one evidence of Holy Spirit fruit (Gal. 5:22). I must confess that it seems to be the first place that rottenness shows up is in my fruit. I pray for the grace to be more patient.
These three traits are critical to the unity of the Church and the Unity of our Community. In that Star Trek example I mentioned, disaster was averted by trust between crew members that was based on their history of telling each other the truth. That was the key to having the right perspective on the facts, a willingness to discard a false perception and to be patient with the one who had misinterpreted the "facts".
I thank God for each one of you who is willing to serve in and represent TDNG with excellence by demonstrating these traits and, as a result, show our Candidates what an amazingly diverse group of men and women can do when our eyes are on Jesus and we serve Him first.
DeColores!
In Christ's Lavish Love,
George
|
|
THE WORD
| | |
"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4:2-3
|
|
UPCOMING TDNG WEEKENDS
| | |
2013
Men's #115 - October 10-13
Kenny Watson, Rector
Women's # 129 - October 17-20
Maria Bailey, Rector
2014
Men's #116 - February 6-9
Tim Langston, Rector
Women's #130 - February 13-16
Susan Brown, Rector
Men's #117 - May 1-4
Cole Knight - Rector
Women's #131 - May 15-18
Melanie Prillaman - Rector
Men's #118 - July 10-13
Tom Jennings - Rector
Women's #132 - July 17-20
Carla Cann - Rector
Men's #119 - October 9-12
TBA - Rector
Women's #133 - October 16-19
TBA - Rector
Send-offs are Thursday at 6:00pm
Serenades are Saturday at 6:30pm
Closings are Sunday at 4:30pm
As team information becomes available, it will be posted at www.ngtdteams.org
|
|
SPONSORSHIP (cont'd)
| |
WHO TO SPONSOR
Sponsorship is vital to Tres Dias. When looking for people to sponsor, please consider the following: - Church Leaders - clergy and lay people who bring new visions, commitment, and understanding to their congregations. - Dependable church members - who are the backbone of the church. - Less active members who need their awareness of grace rekindled and their commitments renewed. - Christians - those who are hungry for "something more" and who want to grow spiritually. - Those who desire a closer relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
|
|
REUNION GROUPS
| |
We are pleased to announce that there is interest in starting three new reunion groups for women. The areas involved are East Cobb/Roswell/North Fulton, West Cobb/Paulding, and Calhoun/Dalton. If you are interested in being in a reunion group in one of these areas, please contact postweekend@tdng.org.
|
|
SECUELA NEWS
| |
The next Secuela will be August 10th at North Atlanta Church of Christ. We will start at 6:00!
Bring your favorite covered dish and help us welcome our newest Pescadores, reunite with old friends, enjoy Praise and Worship, a meditation, and communion.
Secuelas are a wonderful way to stay connected to your Tres Dias community. Please make them a priority! For the address and more information you can go to the community website, www.tdng.org.
The Secuela dates for the remainder of the year are:
November 2
December 7
All Secuelas begin at 6:00pm
North Atlanta Church of Christ
5676 Roberts Dr.
Dunwoody, GA 30038
Mark your calendars and plan to join us for an evening of praise, fun, fellowship and seeing old (and young) friends. You may contact Joan Kiger at joan4given@yahoo.com if you have questions or need more info.
We hope to see you there!
Tim and Joan Kiger
Alpha couple for Post Weekend/Fourth Day
|
|
CAMP OF COLORS
| |
New carpet has been installed in the Rollo Room and Storeroom  
...and the leak in Dorm E has been fixed!!!!!
We are working on reducing the noise from the exhaust fans in the bathrooms and will be putting an exhaust fan in the Rector's room.
We appreciate your patience as we continue to investigate and prioritize the work that needs to be done. If you have any comments or suggestions concerning the Camp of Colors, contact your COC Representatives, Ray Skibba at ray.skibba@comcast.net and/or Hank Gravitt at gravitt1218@gmail.com.
The Camp of Colors exists as a place for Three Day Movements to hold weekends. The Board is comprised of members from each community that holds weekends at the Camp as well as "at large" positions. For information about the Board of Directors, the history of the Camp, weekend schedules, etc., visit www.campofcolors.org
|
| TRES DIAS INTERNATIONAL ASSEMBLY | |
Each year, the Tres Dias International Secretariat holds an Assembly. At this Assembly, TD Executives and delegates from the local communities conduct the business of Tres Dias and have training sessions on a variety of topics. Each year, a local community hosts the Assembly. The 2013 Assembly was hosted by Birmingham Tres Dias in Birmingham, Alabama on July, 12-14.
The next year, 2014, the Assembly will be in Atlanta!!! The Secretariat of Tres Dias of North Georgia has agreed to host the Assembly and has approved a core group to plan and organize the meeting.
This group consists of:
- Jim (LCUR 9) and Cathy (LCUR 7) Brooks
- Dan (TDNG 5) and Gayle (TDNG 5) Moss
- Anson (TDNG 6)and Becki (TDNG 8) Fields
Beau (TDNG 29) Bruce is our liason with Tres Dias International. We need your help!!! We want this Assembly to be one of excellence. (Work as unto the Lord). If a lot of people all do a little, we can show southern hospitality, unity in the Spirit, and do a job that reflects positively on TDNG. If you have any questions, or would like to be involved in helping with this meeting, email us at 2014assembly@tdng.org |
|
UPDATE ON THE 34TH ANNUAL TRES DIAS ASSEMBLY
| |
Anson and I were blessed to be able to attend the 34th Annual TDI Assembly in Birmingham on July 12-14. This is the second time we have attended an Assembly; the first one was in New Jersey about 10 years ago where Anson conducted a workshop on Vida Nueva.
Aside from the business of the Assembly - motions, votes, delegates and secretariat members elected - there is pageantry in the parade of banners from around the world, worship and inspiration, fellowship and camaraderie with Pescadores from far and near, and some interesting workshops or breakout sessions which we attended.
I attended one workshop and two breakout sessions. I attended the workshop on the "Tres Dias Essentials", where I learned exactly what constitutes a Tres Dias weekend and what does not. Did you know that palanca as we know it is never mentioned in the Essentials? Serenade is not an Essential, although I cannot imagine a weekend without either one of those two elements. When you have time, read through the Essentials and familiarize yourself with our foundational document: http://www.tresdias.org/hp.htm. I also attended two breakout sessions: "Making Weekends Exciting" and "Avoiding Tres Dias Becoming a 'Cult'". Our community doesn't have any problems making weekends exciting for the candidates and team that attend, or for those who support the weekends with their prayer, palanca and time. In the second workshop, I learned that some of the things we do and say about Tres Dias have helped contribute to the idea in the general public that our beloved weekends are introductions to the 'cult' of Tres Dias. When we tell people that there are "secrets" and things we "cannot tell them" about the weekends, we are contributing to the 'cult" idea. When we tell people to "bring a roll of quarters for the vending machines" or ask them if they "know how to ride goats", what we consider as "good fun" is actually contributing to the 'cult' idea and also scaring our candidates into not wanting to attend!
Our President of Tres Dias International, Bruce Cato, said tell them anything they want to know. If they ask if people will come to sing to them, tell them yes - they will still be blessed. We need to be careful not to present the idea in the world that Tres Dias is special, that our community or we are more special because we have attended a weekend. People don't NEED Tres Dias, they DESERVE it.
We also learned if you want to encourage sponsorship, start with the pastor of your own church. Many pastors feel unsure about Tres Dias because they do not understand that our mission is to build leaders for the church!
Our own community - TDNG - will host next year's Annual Tres Dias International Assembly - the 35th. The dates of next year's Assembly will be July 25 - 27, 2014, and we will need lots of help to host it! Jim and Cathy Brooks are Co-chairs of the General Planning Committee, which includes Dan and Gayle Moss and Anson and myself. Some of your fellow Pescadores may be calling you to help serve on one of the many section committees which will welcome Tres Dias International to Atlanta!
De Colores!
Becki Fields
TDNG Secretary
|
|
DID YOU KNOW?
| | |
There are 91 chartered Tres Dias communities around the world and 12 "emerging" communities.
|
PURPOSE AND VISION OF TRES DIAS
| | |
The purpose of Tres Dias is:
1. To develop Christian leaders and help them sustain their commitment to Jesus Christ as they pursue Christian Apostolic Action in their environments.
2. To foster and guide the growth of the Tres Dias movement, and;
3. To assure continued adherence to "The Essentials of Tres Dias".
The vision of Tres Dias is:
-To identify, train and equip Christian leaders;
who will spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ in their environments,
who will grow in their spiritual life, and,
who will demonstrate their love toward one another.
Also, to encourage these leaders to assist their churches in carrying out the mission of their churches both locally and throughout the world for the glory of God the Father.
|
|
TDNG SECRETARIAT RESOLUTION
| |
The TDNG By-laws call for the publishing of any proposed changes at least 30 days in advance of their becoming effective. The below is published in accordance with that requirement:
TRES DIAS OF NORTH GEORGIA, INC.
SECRETARIAT RESOLUTION
RESOLVED, that the bylaws of this corporation shall be amended by adding the following paragraph to 6.5.1 Qualifications: All Secretariat members must possess the following qualifications:
A li fes tyle co mmensur ate with Bib li cal lea de rsh ip,
- Must be living a life that is not in a state of rebellion against God. A state of rebellion against God can best be described as an unrepentant, open and active participation in or advocacy of activities contrary to the commands (for example, "The Ten Commandments") and guidelines in Scripture* for holy living and Christian leadership. Some examples (although not limited to these areas) are:
- Dependence upon alcohol or illegal drugs;
- Involvement in illegal activities, whereby such involvement knowingly violates federal, state or local laws, statutes or ordinances;
- Involvement in lustful, immoral, or perverted activities, such as, but not limited to pornography and/or any sexual relationship outside of a lawful marriage between a man and a woman;
- Involvement in the occult or Satanic worship;
- Openly professes allegiance to any non-Christian religion or organization which denies the deity of Jesus Christ.
- Must have additional qualifications approved by the Secretariat and the Assembly.
*Note: for purposes of standards and principles, Tres Dias ascribes to those stated in the "Authorized King James Version" of the Bible of 1611 (KJV).
|
|
CHECK US OUT ON FACEBOOK
| | |
Tres Dias of North Georgia has a Facebook page. Stay in touch with other community members at "Tres Dias of North Georgia". This is an excellent place to share news with your community, especially "Needs and Seeds", such as job openings, help and/or employment needed, etc.
It is a closed group and you must ask permission to join.
There is also an "unofficial" prayer and praise group for Tres Dias and Vida Nueva. Share your praise reports and prayer requests at "TD/VN Prayer & Praise".
|
|
TDNG APPLICATION
| | |
The TDNG Sponsorship Application is available online at: www.tdng.org or by clicking here.
|
|
UPCOMING VIDA NUEVA WEEKENDS
| | |
The next North Georgia Vida Nueva Weekends are:
Young Women's #47
Jodi Elzey, Director
TBA, Youth Director
Nov. 8-10, 2013
Young Men's #47
Robert Arnold, Director
TBA, Youth Director
Nov. 15-17, 2013
Young Women's #48
Scott McDonnell, Director
TBA, Youth Director
March 7-9, 2014
Young Men's #48
Erin Linne, Director
TBA, Youth Director
March 14-16, 2014
For more information go to http://www.ngvn.org
and click on Upcoming Weekends. If you are considering sponsoring a young person to VN, you can also view a short informational video by clicking here .
For information, contacts, etc., for other VN Communities, visit www.vidanueva.net
|
|
VIDA NUEVA ALL COMMUNITY MEETING
| |
North Georgia Vida Nueva and Georgia Mountains Vida Nueva are co-hosting a meeting for all Vida Nueva communities. The meeting will be held at the Camp of Colors this August 16-18. This will be an opportunity for representatives of all Vida Nueva communities to get together and share their experiences and goals for this ministry. If you would like to be involved with helping host this event, let us know at info@vidanueva.net. If you would like to sign up for Prayer Palanca for the meeting, click here. A file will open, just type in your name and close the browser. (You don't have to limit yourself to one hour). |
|
TRES DIAS GUIDE FOR TEAM MEMBERS
| | |
The following continues a series of excerpts from The Tres Dias Guide for Team Members.
THE TALKS OF THE THREE DAYS
Each day begins with a meditation, given by clergy, which presents the direction of the day. All rollos for the remainder of the day pursue that direction. The final rollo is given by a lay member who has made the message of that day a personal living testimony of living the Christian faith. This rollista demonstrates that the message is worthy and workable.
THE LAST TALK OF THE SECOND DAY
LEADERS
The final rollo of the second day is LEADERS, an expression of our Baptism into Christ. The rollista exemplifies the message of the day. The rollista is familiar with Scripture, and actively involved in living a holy life (Col. 3:1-5). The speaker testifies of a living faith and reveals that each person who accepts God's call is a leader. We are ALL called to be leaders for Christ. Each bears witness to the presence of Christ in their life. The rollo discusses the qualities of a Christian leader. PIETY, and the whole of the first day, focused on one's relationship to God. LEADERS, and the second day, develops this relationship and stresses how the candidates can come to know Christ better- - and then share Him with others.
Next issue - The talks of the Third Day
|
|
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 may attend Tres Dias functions.
We appreciate your understanding and compliance with these Tres Dias requirements.
- - -
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 and what He has in store for them.
- - -
There has been a growing issue with sponsors bringing candidates to send-off that have not been called for the weekend by the Secretariat. We would ask that, to avoid embarrassment to yourselves and your candidate, that you NOT bring anyone to attend a weekend that has not been called by the Secretariat. If you have a candidate that can attend at the last minute, write "last minute" on the top of the application and the application will be handled accordingly. For questions about this, or any area of sponsorship, contact the appropriate Secretariat member.
- - -
We would like to remind everyone in the community that names and addresses from weekend rosters, team lists, and or the TDNG database are for TDNG use only. This information should not be used for solicitation, or any other purpose not related to TDNG business.
- - - Each Rector who serves the community agrees to be responsible for the collection of the team fees for their weekend. In some cases, it has been interpreted that they would have to pay for any fees that were not paid by team members. This is not the intent. It is the Rector's responsibility to ensure that a full weekend fee is collected and paid to the Secretariat, but the fee is not his/her personal liability. Any shortfall should be taken care of by scholarships and remaining incidental fees. - - -
If you have a need to inform the community of a ministry, prayer need, employment opportunity or need, we encourage you to use the Facebook page mentioned elsewhere in this newsletter.
|
|
TDNG SECRETARIAT MEMBERS
| | |
The Secretariat is pleased and blessed to add several new members who have joined us recently. But first, we want to thank those who have served so faithfully and gone above and beyond the call of duty to make sure our community runs smoothly and efficiently and that decisions are made "decently and in order" according to God's Word.
Thank you to Dan and Gayle Moss, Pre-weekend Alpha, and Tim and Debbie Lunde, Food Management Alpha for your service to our community.
Welcome to Bob and Carolyn Arsenault, Pre-weekend Alpha and Doug and Jackie Weaver, Food Management Alpha, who have stepped up to fill these positions.
In the coming months, Roger Frater will be transitioning into the Treasurer position replacing Bob Bartoldus on January 1, 2014, and Susan Wing will be transitioning into the Women's Leader Alpha position replacing Dale Marlowe also on January 1, 2014.
Thank you!
The current Secretariat members are:
|
|
JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
|  |
|
|
