CTR Announcements - May 10

Register Now for Saturday's Retreat

If you are coming to the retreat on Saturday, please register now so that we can plan for the correct number of people. Here's the link to register:

• https://form.jotform.com/210904131654043

During the retreat, we will continue to explore the theme of Community. Amy will provide a teaching that responds to and extendsThe Accuser of the Brethren, and Caroline will also contribute some further thoughts.

Here are the details:

• Date: Saturday, May 15

• Time: 9:45 am - 2:30 pm

• Location: CTR

• COVID protocols: Masks inside, except for those who are vaccinated (or when eating)

• Cost: $25 / individual, $35 / couple, $5 / child

• Lunch: Taco salad. CTR will provide lettuce, tomatoes, meat, beans, rice and cheese. Please bring a side like chips and salsa (or other dips), guacamole, fruit, desserts, drinks etc.

• Registration: https://form.jotform.com/210904131654043

Re-Listen to Caroline's Teaching This Week

It will be very helpful preparation for Saturday's retreat, if you are able to re-listen (or listen for the first time) to Caroline's teaching from the April retreat. It is available in many ways:

• On the CTR App, under either Teaching of the Week or Series / By Teacher - Phillip & Caroline Owens

• As audio on the website, click here

• On YouTube, see below:

CTR Announcements - Apr 26

What a Joy to be Together!

We gathered for the first time in over a year, on Saturday April 17. We were all hungry for face-to-face fellowship - conversation after the retreat stretched on for over an hour! The children also were glad to be together again for a retreat, and we had some new kids join us.

The time of worship led by Phillip and Sam was powerful. The Holy Spirit drew Thomas to read Psalm 40's opening verses, which were later interpreted with a vision of the Trinity - the Father reaching His Hand (the Holy Spirit) out, through Jesus on the cross, to all of us - who are in the pit, slinging mud at each other. "He lifted me out of the mud, up from the miry clay ... many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord."

Caroline's teaching was profoundly important. The theme of this year is "Community" - and we will not be able to take the next step into community, if we don't wrestle with Caroline's prophetic words. If you have not yet heard this - you need to take the time to hear Caroline and meditate on her words, welcoming the conviction of the Holy Spirit and entering into Godly grief (2 Cor 7:10). If you were there at the retreat ... or have listened since ... consider listening again! And again!

You can find the teaching (audio and video) under thePhillip and Caroline Owens' podcast section of the app / website.

Next Retreat:  May 15, not May 22

We had previously encouraged you to save the date for May 22. However, an unavoidable schedule conflict has had us move this up, to May 15. Hopefully this won't prevent you from attending. We will continue to explore the theme of Community, and how to enter into it. Amy will provide a teaching that responds to and extendsThe Accuser of the Brethren, and Caroline will also contribute some further thoughts.

Here are the details:

• Date: Saturday, May 15

• Time: 9:45 am - 2:30 pm

• Location: CTR

• COVID protocols: Masks inside, except for those who are vaccinated (or when eating)

• Cost: $25 / individual, $35 / couple, $5 / child

• Lunch: A simple lunch will be provided and served safely

• Registration: https://form.jotform.com/210904131654043

In June ... Merisha will Teach!

Save the date for June 19 ... Merisha Janke has agreed to come and teach at CTR. She will address the practices of repentance and forgiveness, so important for any attempt at developing intentional community. Save the date!

CTR Announcements - Apr 1

Merisha preached at San Marcos Community Church on Palm Sunday, and invited Thomas to give a testimony about repentance. Listen here: http://www.christthereconciler.org/teaching-of-the-week/2021/3/31/merisha-janke-the-gift-of-repentance

Happy John 17 Day!

Today is Maundy Thursday, celebrated by most Christian traditions as the day that Jesus gave his "New Commandment" to love one another. The gospels record many important events on this day! Jesus washes the feet of his disciples. Jesus institutes the Eucharist. Judas betrays Jesus. Peter denies Jesus.

But very close to our hearts at CTR should be the fact that on this day, Jesus prayed for his disciples and the all followers of Jesus throughout history - that we would be one, as the Father and the Son are one. So for us, perhaps today would be best commemorated as "John 17 Day"! Let's each take time today to join Jesus in His prayer ...

Lynn on Good Friday

Our own Lynn Cowick is speaking tomorrow at the Hope Chapel Good Friday service! She is one of seven people who have been asked to each reflect personally on one of Christ's seven sayings from the cross. Let's support her with prayer, and also by attending / watching. The Holy Spirit will touch many, many people through her words.

Here are the details:

• Date: Friday, April 2

• Time: 7pm - 9pm

• Location: Hope Chapel, 6701 Arroyo Seco

• Attending live: Hope Chapel requests that you wear a mask and social distance

• Live streaming: Reply to this email and we will send you a link (will also be available as recording)

• Note that this service is considered "PG-13" so exercise caution with regards to your children. There is no childcare at the service.

Register for April 17 Retreat

We have a new registration form for retreats! Try it out by registering now for the April 17 Retreat.

• https://form.jotform.com/210904131654043

It will be held mostly outdoors here (weather permitting) on Saturday, April 17. We will have COVID protocols appropriate for the situation.

The schedule will be 10 am - 2:30 pm. There will be a program (and, Lord willing, a bouncy house!) for children.

We believe Caroline Owens has an important message, given both the last year and also the community focus for the remainder of this year. She will be speaking aboutThe Accuser of the Brethren.

CTR Announcements - Mar 22

April 17 - Retreat at CTR

Let's gather together at CTR!

It will be held mostly outdoors here (weather permitting) on Saturday, April 17. We will have COVID protocols appropriate for the situation.

The schedule will be 10 am - 2:30 pm. There will be a program for children.

We believe Caroline Owens has an important message, given both the last year and also the community focus for the remainder of this year. She will be speaking aboutThe Accuser of the Brethren.

We are still working on a registration form, stay tuned! Also, if you aren't able to make it but want to participate via Zoom, please contact us and let us know ... if it can be done relatively easy we will try to make at least the teaching portion available online.

Remember what this was like? While we won't be quite this close together indoors, we will be together and that will be wonderful!

Save the Dates for May, June

We are planning to also have retreats in May and June. So save these dates in your calendar!

• Saturday, May 22

• Saturday, June 19

Lord willing, we will be looking together at the next commitment for CTR. Our first commitment is a personal one, the Statement of Personal Devotion. The second commitment builds upon it - a Community Commitment. What does it mean to live out John 17 as a community of followers of Jesus in Central Texas? This is a wonderful question! Let's explore it together.

CTR Announcements - Mar 10

The Theme of 2021

Spring is coming after a hard winter, and a long year of pandemic. With it come hopes of meeting in person and longing of the Lord's renewal. This past year the whole world has been confronted with the human need for community. We know that true love, transparency and unity can only be found in Christ and within His Kingdom, and so we set our faces toward the Kingdom which is at hand.

Community - how it works in God's Kingdom and how the Accuser plots to oppose it - will be a theme of our study this year.

This will include an exploration of the second "rule" for CTR. The first is the Statement of Personal Devotion. Building on that will be the Community Commitment. Woohoo!

But first, there are two upcoming events that will prepare us for the task of defining our Community Commitment.

March 13 - Antioch Network Virtual Gathering

Our first opportunity to explore the subject of community is this Saturday, March 13. The teaching chosen as the keynote for the Antioch Network virtual gathering is ... wait for it ... Danny Malakowsky's teaching entitled "Community is a Sign of the Kingdom"! Coincidence? We think not :-)

CTR is invited to join the Antioch Network Gathering via Zoom, 11:00 am - 1:00 pm. In the gathering, we will spend time in prayer and discussion of Danny's teaching.

If you would like to attend the Gathering,please register here ASAP.

Even if you cannot make the Saturday, we encourage you to listen to Danny's teaching as it will be relevant to other discussions this year.

Here are more details for the upcoming Antioch Network Quarterly Gathering that will be Saturday March 13th.

THEME
The Kingdom of God - Our belonging to God in Christ reveals two core truths about us:

1) We are sent
and
2) We are one.

As we unpack and understand these truths we discover that in the kingdom of God they are not separate and compartmentalized, but held together as interdependent. Thus we find it is in the context of community that we bear visible witness to the unseen, intangible, but profoundly real, kingdom of God. Come explore this with us.

VIRTUAL GATHERING
On Saturday, March 13th*, we will gather virtually for a time of prayer, worship, and breakout groups, as we seek to hear God together.

TEACHING(s)
The main teaching is Danny's teaching on community. As our breakout groups will be a designated space for us to reflect on this teaching together, we encourage everyone to watch it prior to March 13th. There are also two other supplemental teachings which are recommended but not required to watch:

• George Miley - Submission (Ch. 4 of his new book, Leaders Following)

• Ludwig Benecke - Kingdom Politics (fantastic reflection of the current political environment)

SCHEDULE
10 minute - Intro
15 Minutes - Hearing from the Teachers (Danny Malakowsky, Ludwig Benecke, & George Miley)
30 minutes - Prayer and Worship
05 minutes - Closing corporate time and intro to breakout groups
1 hour - Breakout groups

LIVE GATHERING TIME BY TIME ZONE
California (PST) - 9:00am-11:00am
Arizona (MST) - 10:00am-12:00pm
Texas (CST) - 11:00am-1:00pm
New York (EST) 12:00pm-2:00pm
London (GMT) - 5:00pm-7:00pm
Berlin (CET) - 6:00pm-8:00pm
Istanbul (TRT) - 8:00pm-10:00pm
New Zealand (NZDT) - Sunday, November 8th*, 6:00am-8:00am

Register here to receive the Zoom link

April 17 - Retreat @ CTR

We are (really, really) happy to announce our first in-person retreat at CTR in over a year!

It will be held mostly outdoors here (weather permitting) on Saturday, April 17. We will have special outdoor activities for families. Stay tuned for COVID protocols (we know many of you will be curious).

Caroline Owens will be speaking aboutThe Accuser of the Brethren.

Please mark your calendars! More info will be coming your way soon.

CTR Announcements - Mar 3

Photos: On Saturday Rick Burke helped wire up the CTR well,
then he and Nancy enjoyed a steak dinner cooked by Scott Klehr.
It was their last Elgin meal, they left the next morning to head north.
We will see them again, they were deeply moved by their visit here.

March 4 (Tomorrow!)

Hello friends of Christ the Reconciler --

For the first time we are participating in the central Texas community wide fund raising event Amplify Austin.

It's a great opportunity to support the efforts of Christ the Reconciler, be it at a level where we can more easily maintain the facility or help us further our efforts of building a larger community at the facility.

Please prayerfully consider giving as the event starts tomorrow, March 4. Many employers are providing some level of matching funding. Ask your employer if they will match your gift!

Also, post the link on your social media accounts:
https://www.amplifyatx.org/organizations/christ-the-reconciler

Thank you!

- Jim MacDonald

March 13 - Antioch Network Virtual Gathering

Here are the details for the upcoming Antioch Network Quarterly Gathering that will be Saturday March 13th.

You will need to register by clicking here.

THEME
The Kingdom of God - Our belonging to God in Christ reveals two core truths about us:

1) We are sent
and
2) We are one

As we unpack and understand these truths we discover that in the kingdom of God they are not separate and compartmentalized, but held together as interdependent. Thus we find it is in the context of community that we bear visible witness to the unseen, intangible, but profoundly real, kingdom of God. Come explore this with us.

VIRTUAL GATHERING
On Saturday, March 13th*, we will gather virtually for a time of prayer, worship, and breakout groups, as we seek to hear God together.

TEACHING
The main teaching will be made available online by March 3rd. As our breakout groups will be a designated space for us to reflect on this teaching together, we encourage everyone to watch it prior to March 13th.

SCHEDULE
10 minute - Intro
15 Minutes - Hearing from the Teachers (Danny Malakowsky, Ludwig Benecke, & George Miley)
30 minutes - Prayer and Worship
05 minutes - Closing corporate time and intro to breakout groups
1 hour - Breakout groups

LIVE GATHERING TIME BY TIME ZONE
California (PST) - 9:00am-11:00am
Arizona (MST) - 10:00am-12:00pm
Texas (CST) - 11:00am-1:00pm
New York (EST) 12:00pm-2:00pm
London (GMT) - 5:00pm-7:00pm
Berlin (CET) - 6:00pm-8:00pm
Istanbul (TRT) - 8:00pm-10:00pm
New Zealand (NZDT) - Sunday, November 8th*, 6:00am-8:00am

Register here to receive the Zoom link

April 17 - CTR Retreat (Mark Your Calendar!)

Set aside Saturday, April 17 for the first CTR Retreat of 2021! We believe there is an important message God has given to CTR leaders to share with the community. We want to release it in a face-to-face gathering, rather than a virtual / Zoom setting.

We don't yet have details as to where the retreat will take place. Stay tuned for more details, coming soon!

CTR Announcements - Feb 19

Florence & Eleanora Have a Forever Family!

Many of you know that Mark and Karen Goldapp have been working to finalize their adoption of two young sisters. In January, the process was complete! They are now Forever Parents, and the girls now have a Forever Family!

Congratulations, Goldapps! Thank you Lord!

Karen has written a reflection with her thoughts on the adoption process, which you can read by clicking here. It has a lot of wonderful pictures of them, taken at various points in the process.

We are looking forward to the next CTR gathering, where the Goldapps come as an official family of four!

The Big Freeze

Thank you for your prayers! They have sustained us. We have electricity and water back on at CTR. No pipes burst, and the geothermal loop did not freeze. Cielo is beginning to process water again, preparing for deliveries on Saturday and Sunday to thirsty customers. (If you want to come help bottle tomorrow, contact us!). Please pray for the water system to come back fully operational - it's still a little cranky getting started up.

We have been able to provide drinking water to dozens, maybe up to 100 neighbors who don't have it. In fact, 911 in Elgin was giving out my (Thomas') personal phone number to those who called in without water!

It's been a joy to have Rick and Nancy from the Bruderhof trapped with us. Their help, prayers, and cheerful attitude have shown the love of Jesus to us in bright ways.

CTR Announcements - Feb 12

A Letter from Jim MacDonald

We are very privileged that Jim is leading our fundraising team! Jim wrote this letter to the community. Let's honor and support Jim and the work of this team, by taking the time to read it and respond as you feel led. Thank you!

Dear Community,

Re: Amplify Austin is coming and Christ the Reconciler is participating for the first time. Please click here to take a look at the website that describes Christ the Reconciler for Amplify Austin.

Patrick Hamilton, Marty St. Onge, and I with support from Thomas Cogdell have been slowly assembling a fundraising effort for the community’s short and long term needs. We are looking for ways to fund the following:

1. Basic Building Maintenance

2. Air conditioning upgrades

3. Retiring Property debt (to enable further development)

4. New Prayer room and residences

This has involved gathering historical and financial information as well as exploring the best way to communicate the community’s vision to those unfamiliar with us. Despite many personal setbacks and the well known disruptions of 2020 we have made some progress. The first public effort will be with Amplify Austin.

In one day Amplify Austin raises millions of dollars each year for Central Texas charities. This year there will be 650 participating organizations across 7 Central Texas counties representing 19 cause categories.

You may be wondering why CTR would participate in Amplify Austin. For CTR there are three reasons that made me think it might be a good exercise.

1. It helps us get our toes wet in figuring out how to communicate our cause and monetary needs to others outside our usual circle of community members.

2. It potentially puts CTR in front of a much wider audience than ever before. It is expected that 60,000 donors will participate in Amplify Austin in 2021.

3. Many major corporations in Austin provide some degree of matching funds.

Regarding #3, if you work for one it will provide a nice multiplier to your gifts to the community. I checked with my employer and my HR specialist said they will be sending out an email detailing the company’s participation “soon”. So I ask you to check to see if your employer is participating in matching donations this year and prayerfully consider supporting Christ the Reconciler.

Amplify Austin Day officially kicks off at 6 pm on March 4 and ends at 6 pm on March 5, but early giving is already underway on AmplifyATX.org! Gifts made now through March 5 at 6 pm count toward Amplify Austin Day totals, early giving incentives and grand prizes. Please pray about if, when, and how much to give during this campaign.

Best regards,
Jim MacDonald

CTR Announcements - Feb 2

First announcements after the wedding / COVID period …

Unusual clouds behind the Cielo warehouse, through Justus & Abigail’s wedding arch

Rick & Nancy Burke of the Bruderhof

We have visitors coming to CTR! After a long stretch with our hospitality muscle atrophying (think "Be Our Guest" fromBeauty & the Beast), we will be hosting a lovely Bruderhof couple from February 7 - 14 (or so).

Thomas met Rick & Nancy Burke when he visited the Woodcrest Community in New York, in the fall of 2018. Rick & Nancy are taking an RV trip through the US, visiting friends and family. They reached out to us, wanting to visit CTR. It was such a joy to say, "Yes"!

We will provide opportunities for CTR community members and friends to meet and spend time with Rick & Nancy. They are very interested in CTR. And as we (hopefully) take the next step towards intentional community this year, it is a wonderful opportunity for us to learn from them.

If you would like to spend time with Rick & Nancy, reply to this email or contact us and let us know. It would be helpful if you mention days / times while they are here, that would work for you. Thanks!

Be praying for their visit, that God would richly bless them through us, and us through them, and the Kingdom of God would be advanced.

2020 Giving Statements

Those of you who gave financially last year (thank you!) should have received an automated giving statement on Sunday. We sent them out from our new PushPay giving platform, so please let us know if you can't find them. We can re-send, and even mail yours via snail mail if you prefer.

You can also access your giving statement using the CTR app! Try it out!

One thing to be aware of for tax purposes, is that even if you take the standard deduction, you can add a special $300 tax deductible amount on top of the standard deduction. This was part of the PPP / CARES act passed by Congress. Read more about this here.

We continue to be amazed and grateful at the Lord's provision for our community. Thank you!

CTR Announcements - Jan 5

Thank You All!

The end-of-the-year donations totaled $6,907!!! Wow! You all never cease to amaze us with your generosity. Our Father always provides our daily bread, exactly what we need!

These gifts will enable us to make a good start on fixing the leaking wall at CTR. This will be good stewardship of the property that belongs to God, which He has entrusted into our care.

Thank you!!

CTR Announcements - Dec 31

It's Raining in CTR!

As the winter rains come down, the water is coming in through the windows and doors on the west wall of CTR.

We have a quote to fix these problems, the total is $10,625. This is one of the two major areas where we are asking for end-of-year giving. The other is to continue the good progress on air-conditioning for our summertime gatherings ... which will happen again, Lord willing!

Today is the last day for a 2020 donation, either by check (must be postmarked today), or through the website or in the CTR app. Choose "End of the Year Gift" as your target, and it will go to help us fix the leaking wall!

In case you hadn't heard, part of the coronavirus relief legislation is that you can take up to $300 donation as tax-deductible, even if you take the standard deduction. You generous people have probably long exceeded this, but if not today's the day!

CTR Announcements - Dec 9

Advent Prayer Zoom #2

The Advent Prayer time last Thursday was beautiful. Please consider attending tomorrow @ 7pm. The details will be sent out tomorrow.

Christmas Shop Thanks

Much gratitude to those of you who placed orders in the Christmas Shop, many of them accompanied by generous donations. Thank you! We recognize that this represents your heart - "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Marty helped us mail out an End-of-Year letter, which should be arriving in your mailbox soon. Next week we'll also put out an end-of-year newsletter. Thank you for considering generous end-of-the-year gifts!

New Mark Kinzer Teaching

The last 3 days, Sandi & the Cogdells have been on a Zoom meeting with the Achana group. This is Fr. Peter's prayer group, that has continued since his death. You will see friends of CTR, including Sr. Mary Paul, the Langs, Mark Kinzer, Gaby Schubert, and Marianna Gol!

The new Teaching of the Week is from Mark Kinzer's talk yesterday.

CTR Announcements - Dec 1

Advent Prayer Thursday Night

We will have our first CTR Advent Prayer Zoom on Thursday night. Here are the details:

• 20-25 minutes

• Kid-friendly (including the not-to-be-missed ending)

• We will pray through a simplified Bridge Prayer of the day

• We encourage you to have an Advent wreath with candles, we'll be lighting one candle this Thursday

The Zoom info and PDF of the prayer will be sent Thursday morning.

We're looking forward to praying together!

Make Your Selection from the CTR Christmas Shop

Click here to view the gifts! The shop closes on Saturday, December 5.

Here’s a picture of a CTR youth enjoying the humor of Gift #2 ...

CTR Announcements - Nov 12

Litany for the Coming of the Lord in Glory 

Terri Celmer, who knew Fr. Peter well, has sensed the Holy Spirit encouraging her to draw attention to a litany that Fr. Peter created, focused on preparing the way for the return of the Lord. (For the Protestants among us, a litany is a prayer that has a repeated theme.) She especially would like to see individuals, groups, churches, and communities praying it on the Feast Day of Christ the King, which is Sunday November 22 ... and then of course throughout the Advent season when the theme is expectation for Christ's coming.

We at CTR are privileged to be assisting in a small way, as we create a video of praying the litany together, as an example for others. The MacDonalds are taking the lead on this effort - thanks Jim & Ginny!

If you have volunteered to create a video of praying the Litany, please plan on doing so by Saturday. You will receive instructions for how to upload it to Dropbox, so that Jim can edit it into the final video.

Getting Ready

A wonderful new song has just been released on YouTube, which fits so well with the themes of Fr. Peter’s Litany. Click below to listen.

Getting Ready, by Maverick City Music X UPPERROOM

CTR Announcements - Nov 4

Unoffendable

The response to the offer of a CTR book club was overwhelmingly ... meh! So, no book club.

Instead we've written a review on the website, here's the first paragraph:

As the United States awakes to an uncertain result of a bitterly contested election, we seem more divided than any time in recent memory. Have the followers of Jesus succeeded in remaining united in love in the midst of the partisan division? The answer is “No” - Christians are publicly divided. Even more grievously, this division is marked by pride, anger, and contempt on both sides.

• Click here to read the rest of the review
  (which includes the phrase, "bert and ernie stoner shtick"!)

• Click here to buy the book

• Click here to buy the audio book, read by the author
  (highly recommended by Caroline!)
  
  

Antioch Gathering November 7

On Saturday, November 7, there will be a virtual Antioch Network gathering. You are invited to join in! Here are the details:

• Time: 11 am - 1 pm

• Registration: Click here to register

• Prep: Beforehand you should watch / listen to George Miley's teaching, The Reality Jesus Knew

• Zoom: Link will be sent to you when you register

• Cost: Free, but donations accepted to help offset costs and benefit Antioch Network

If you have any more questions about the gathering, you can read the information on the registration form, which also has links to contact Ryan & Danny directly.

CTR Announcements - Oct 28

Camp Tejas Report

It was so wonderful to be together again! Even with the social distancing, and masks when needed - what a joy to see each other in the flesh, worship God together, watch the children playing, and cheer each one who braved the zipline!

First, if you weren't there - here is a link to Amy's teaching, we encourage you to take some time, listen, and journal in response. (Many apologies for those of you who were on Zoom ... which apparently had video but no audio!)

Antioch Gathering November 7

On Saturday, November 7, there will be a virtual Antioch Network gathering. You are invited to join in! Here are the details:

• Time: 11 am - 1 pm

• Registration: Click here to register

• Prep: Beforehand you should watch / listen to George Miley's teaching, The Reality Jesus Knew

• Zoom: Link will be sent to you when you register

• Cost: Free, but donations accepted to help offset costs and benefit Antioch Network

If you have any more questions about the gathering, you can read the information on the registration form, which also has links to contact Ryan & Danny directly.

CTR Book Club - Any Interest?

Caroline Owens recommended that we review the book Unoffendable for our Book of the Month. My thought - why not read it together? November is setting up to be a month of turmoil in our nation. The enemy would like nothing better than to divide the body of Christ along partisan political lines. How can we avoid falling into this trap?

Let's read this book together! The author is a Christian radio talk show host, which provided him with a window into the anger, contempt, and bitterness consuming Christians in our country. He was convicted, and the book is the story of his journey into becoming "unoffendable" (from 1 Cor 13 - love is not easily offended).

If you are interested in reading about 6 (short) chapters a week in November, and discussing them with others, please contact me. We've never tried this before, but I'd love to do it if others will join me. Thanks!

CTR Announcements - Oct 20

Camp Tejas - Starting at 10:30, not 9:30!

We're looking forward to Saturday ... together again, at last!  And the weather looks like it will cooperate, too - praise the Lord.

We realized that our proposed schedule required way-too-early departure from Austin.  So we've adjusted the schedule to make it easier for families departing from A-town.  Here's the new schedule:

10:30 am - Arrival, orientation, gathering
11:00 am - Worship (with kids present)
11:25 am - Teaching (separate kids activity)
12 noon - Lunch (inside or outside)
12:50 pm - Bridge Prayer (with kids present)
1:15 pm - Group discussion (separate kids activities)
2:15 pm - Free time w/ Camp Tejas activities (parents must be with kids)
5:00 pm - Dinner (inside / outside)
6:00 pm - Departure (except for any who are staying overnight)

If you have not registered, please contact us via email and let us know you'd like to come.  We need to know how many adults, how many children, and any dietary restrictions.

If you have dietary restrictions and you have not yet informed us of those, we need to know immediately.  Email us or call to let us know.

Don't hesitate to contact us with any other questions or thought.

See you on Saturday!

Dramatic exit from the Camp Tejas water slide

CTR Announcements - Oct 16

---

Camp Tejas - Still Room for You

We had enough registrations by Friday last week, to be able to make the downpayment and reserve space at Camp Tejas.  Thank you to all those who registered and paid quickly!

They have graciously said that they will allow more people to register, who weren't on the list a week ago.  If you would like to come, please contact us and let us know and we'll add you to the list. 

The planned schedule will be:

9:30 am - Arrival & orientation

10 am - Morning worship & teaching (outdoors, weather permitting) with separate kids activities

• We will try to make the teaching time available via Zoom for those who won't be able to come

• Kids will have their own activities during the morning session

12 noon - Lunch

Afternoon - Free time, family fun, hanging out together

5:30 pm - Dinner

The pricing is $45/adult, $40/child.  This includes lunch and dinner*, a meeting room, and all activities for everyone.  Please don't let price prevent you from coming, contact us if this is a problem.  (If you would like to provide a scholarship for someone else to come, we will provide that opportunity.)

* Note that you can bring your own food if you are worried about having food prepared by someone else, but the price will be the same.  If you have any food sensitivities (gluten-free, or allergies etc.) let us know and the Camp Tejas kitchen can work with you to prepare a special meal.

There is no registration form (like we had in the past for CTR retreats).  You need to calculate your own total cost and pay using the CTR website (click here), choose Give One Time then Retreat Registration:

... or you may find it much more convenient to pay using THE APP!!!!

If you have any dietary restrictions that need to be passed along to the Camp Tejas staff, please contact us and let us know what these are.

Finally, there are also rooms onsite that can be rented if you would like to stay overnight on Saturday night.  To see the rooms and prices, click this link and then click the "private rooms" button.  If you reserve, be sure to use the discount code TENPERCENT to get 10% off the price of an overnight room, since we are coming out for the day.

Don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions or concerns about our first retreat back together during the pandemic.  We're really looking forward to seeing some of you "live" on the 24th, and perhaps others of you via Zoom for the teaching time. 

Update on the CTR App

We have had 11 CTR Community members download the new app.  This will be an increasingly important method of CTR communication going forward.  If you have not yet, please download and install the app today ... thank you!

Here's what to do:

• Text the message “ctrapp” to the phone number 77977 ... you should get back a link that will take you to the download page
  ... or alternatively ...

• Search for "Christ the Reconciler" in the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store

Once you download it, you'll have a short setup to choose your notifications and create a profile.

• If you want help, click here for detailed, step-by-step instructions for the app setup

Once it's installed, explore away!  

CTR Announcements - Oct 6

Camp Tejas on Oct 24!  Pay by Friday!!

We just heard from Camp Tejas that we need people to pay by this Friday in order to reserve our spot for Saturday Oct 24.  Sorry for the late notification, but ... pay now to reserve your spot!

• Pay using the CTR payment page or the CTR App (choose Retreat Registration as the designation)

• See below for the prices and much more detail

We are ON for Camp Tejas on Saturday, October 24!  We should be able to have an outdoor meeting space (like the one pictured above).  Everyone will have the option of eating outdoors, or indoors in a large dining room.  The Camp Tejas staff are very careful with their health protocols, and they can handle all dietary restrictions (allergies, gluten free, etc.).

Children (in the morning) and families (all day) will have access to the various fun activities, which will be manned by Camp Tejas staff to ensure safety.  These include an Adventure Tower, playground, pool, and lakefront water slides & swing.

The planned schedule will be:

9:30 am - Arrival & orientation

10 am - Morning worship & teaching (outdoors, weather permitting)

• We will try to make the teaching time available via Zoom for those who won't be able to come

• Kids will have their own activities during the morning session

12 noon - Lunch

Afternoon - Free time, family fun, hanging out together

5:30 pm - Dinner

The pricing is $45/adult, $40/child.  This includes lunch and dinner*, a meeting room, and all activities for everyone.  Please don't let price prevent you from coming, contact us if this is a problem.  (If you would like to provide a scholarship for someone else to come, we will provide that opportunity.)

* Note that you can bring your own food if you are worried about having food prepared by someone else, but the price will be the same.

There is no registration form (like we had in the past for CTR retreats).  You need to calculate your own total cost and pay using the CTR website (click here), choose Give One Time then Retreat Registration:



... or you may find it much more convenient to pay using THE APP!!!!

If you have any dietary restrictions that need to be passed along to the Camp Tejas staff, please contact us and let us know what these are.

Finally, there are also rooms onsite that can be rented if you would like to stay overnight on Saturday night.  To see the rooms and prices, click this link and then click the "private rooms" button.  If you reserve, be sure to use the discount code TENPERCENT to get 10% off the price of an overnight room, since we are coming out for the day.

Don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions or concerns about our first retreat back together during the pandemic.  We're really looking forward to seeing some of you "live" on the 24th, and perhaps others of you via Zoom for the teaching time. 
 

The CTR App - Feedback Requested

Just a reminder to please provide us feedback and suggestions regarding improving the CTR app.  These can be as simple as a typo; or perhaps "I was looking for X and couldn't find it"; or even a suggestion for a completely new feature you'd like to see added (someday).

And ... if you haven't downloaded the app - there's no time like the present.  (For example, try it out to pay your registration fee for Camp Tejas!)

Here's what to do:

• Text the message “ctrapp” to the phone number 77977 ... you should get back a link that will take you to the download page
  ... or alternatively ...

• Search for "Christ the Reconciler" in the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store

Once you download it, you'll have a short setup to choose your notifications and create a profile.

• If you want help, click here for detailed, step-by-step instructions for the app setup

Once it's installed, explore away!  

CTR Announcements - Oct 1

The CTR App!  The CTR App!

Don’t you want this on your home screen?

We have been working all this year on the CTR App ... and now it's ready for the wider community to try out and test.  Please download the app and begin to use it - it's important for us to find any problems before we release it to a wider community on October 31 (which happens to be the third anniversary of Wittenberg 2017).

Here's what to do:

• Text the message “ctrapp” to the phone number 77977 ... you should get back a link that will take you to the download page
  ... or alternatively ...

• Search for "Christ the Reconciler" in the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store

Once you download it, you'll have a short setup to choose your notifications and create a profile.

• If you want help, click here for detailed, step-by-step instructions for the app setup

Once it's installed, explore away!  Here's a quick tour.

Stuff That Changes Daily!

The menu at the bottom of the screen is content that changes every day:

• Featured = Door of the Day
  A quick encouraging / challenging quotation about reconciliation & unity
   

• Pray = Bridge Prayer for that day
  A modified version of Bridge Prayer that's easy for an individual or couple to pray as part of a daily rhythm of devotional life
   

• Stories = Reconciliation story of the day
  A short (usually) snippet of a story about a person or event, that gives a picture of what our Father is doing to answer His Son's prayer
   

• Blog = Amy's blog
  Does not change daily ... but when it does, it's always powerful!

Lots and Lots to Read, Listen To, Watch, and Enjoy!

Then there is the "..." menu, which opens up a true treasure trove!

To see everything that's in these menus, you'll have to poke around.  Just as one example, the 56:7 videos to encourage enjoyable prayer, that Michael and others created a decade ago, are all there!

Special Section for the CTR Community

The CTR Community menu has the contents of this newsletter, the Calendar, the weekly prayer points - all at your fingertips!  On your phone!

We will be (slowly) moving our community communications from primarily email, to primarily through the app.  The app gives the ability to push notifications out to the community, and have them pop up on your phone.  (Configuration of notifications is covered in the detailed installation instructions.)

So in the future, you'll have a message pop up on your phone:  "New CTR Newsletter!" - and you can simply click it to read the newsletter!  How cool is that?

Then, when you are out at the park and begin to wonder, "When is the next retreat?" - you can just pull up the CTR calendar on your phone.

Finally, you can make donations to CTR through the app as well.  Try it out today :-)  Further, under your profile is your giving history, so you can track it yourself whenever you want.

Images Curated by Abigail Trantham

Throughout the app are wonderful photographs.  They introduce the various topics, and add beauty that reflects the glory of God.  How did they get there?  Abigail Trantham!  Abigail is serving as the curator of images for the CTR app.  She has chosen the images and uploaded them to the app.  And she plans to rotate them every few months, so that there is new beauty.  There is even a web page that describes each image.  Thank you Abigail!

In Summary

The app is going to become more and more a communication centerpiece to our community.  So you will want to install it today and start seeing how it works.  But ... we've primarily designed the app not for our community, but for the body of Christ!  Everything in the app (except for the CTR Community menu), is applicable to all followers of Jesus - to encourage them to begin living out John 17, too.  This will be the focus of our major app release on October 31.  So please let us know if you find errors, or confusion, etc. when you are using the app this month.  Thank you!

 

Camp Tejas - October 24

Several of you have filled out the survey from the last newsletter - thank you!

Our conclusion is that there is enough interest to go ahead and schedule Camp Tejas for a CTR Family Retreat on October 24.  Yee haw!

We are working with Camp Tejas on what activities will be available for the children (and adults with childlike hearts), what the pricing will be, etc.  Stay tuned in the next newsletter for more details.

But for now ... mark your calendar!