A&M Youth
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As of Monday, August 9, all of our spots for the Family Retreat are taken. You are welcome to sign-up on the waitlist and we will try to get additional rooms. We may or may not be able to get additional rooms, however, we won't know to try to get you one unless you let us know you'd like to come.
Join us September 10-12, 2021, for the A&M Church of Christ All-Church Family Retreat
Here are the details about the weekend:
Who: Any family from our church. If we have space available after families have had a chance to sign-up, we'll open the retreat up to everyone from our church.
What: A weekend to be with your family and with others from our church. There will be some planned activities and games during the weekend, but a lot of the weekend will be for you to spend however you wish.
Where: Summers Mill Retreat Center in Belton, Texas.
When: Friday, September 10, through Sunday, September 12. The meals we will be eating together are Saturday breakfast, lunch, and supper, and Sunday breakfast. We are planning a time of worship together on Sunday morning before everyone heads home.
Cost: $250 per family. The cost is per room, not per person. So, a family of 5 will cost the same as a family of 3, etc. This will cover all of your expenses for the weekend. Hopefully this is similar or less than what you would pay for a typical weekend of food/hotel when visiting another town.
How to Sign-Up: Click here to go to the sign-up page
When to Sign-Up: There is no deadline, but we could run out of rooms at anytime...so sign-up as soon as you know you can come.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Why a family retreat?
We’re all busy, right? Why add another weekend to the already busy schedule we keep? Well, truth be told, we’re too busy. We need a chance to take a break. This weekend is intended to help provide a chance for your family to be together for a weekend, and give you an opportunity to spend time with other families from our church. There is value in setting aside time as a family to be together. If you’re like many families, husbands and wives meet each other in the driveway while they pass off one kid for the next activity and try to figure out how to have supper for their family that night. This retreat is a chance to have a break from the crazy schedule many of us keep. Food will be made for you. You’ll have a chance to spend time with your family and time to focus on the Lord. And don’t worry, the practice or game or whatever event you have will likely happen again on the weekend after the retreat. And the weekend after. And the weekend after. So enjoy a weekend to pause and worship and be with your family.
What are the accommodations like?
Your family will have a hotel-type room all to yourself. Some rooms have a queen bed and some rooms
have two double beds. We will try to match everyone so that you have a room which fits your family best.
If you have more than 4 in a room, or if we run out of rooms with two beds, you’ll need to bring sleeping
bags or a cot for your children. We anticipate some families needing to bring sleeping bags for children.
What will the food be like?
From everything we have heard, it will be good. It will be provided by the retreat center.
What are we going to do?
The schedule for the weekend will be very flexible. We’ll have a few devotionals, some short activities to do, and a bunch of optional things you CAN do. Optional things include everything from games (we might have a scheduled game of kickball or volleyball for those who would like to play, and maybe dominoes/board games available in the meeting room, etc.) There are activities which are available at the retreat center (there are trails and some animals to see.) We might have some challenges you can complete together as a family, if you want to. But for those of you worried about not getting to relax or having your schedule filled all weekend, do not be worried.
You’ll get to choose how busy you want or don’t want to be. In addition to your family’s room, our
group will have a meeting room, and there is also a game room and a lot of outdoor activities at
Summer’s Mill.
How do we get there?
Transportation is on your own. Get to Summer’s Mill the same way you get anywhere else.
How many families can go?
Well, we can keep signing people up until all of the rooms are gone. Because other groups will be
at the retreat center the same weekend we are there, the number of rooms available will sell out.
If you want to come, sign-up as soon as you can.
What if you sign-up but then can’t go?
We’ll try to find someone to take your place or try to get some of your money back from Summer’s Mill. Summer’s Mill has a 75% refund policy 30 days before the retreat, 50% refund policy 7 days before the retreat and a 0% refund policy within 7 days of the retreat. If you need to back out, we will try to get as much of your money back as we can.
What if we can only come for part of the weekend?
We can try to get a one-night stay for you, but the contract we have with Summer’s Mill is based on a two-night stay for each family. Let us know if you could only come for part of the weekend and we’ll see what we can do.
What if only part of our family can come?
If someone is working or can't come, it's okay. We will miss them, but you do not have to have your entire family in order to come. (However, if you're thinking about sending your kids and having a weekend off from parenting...well, no. We can't babysit for the weekend. Sorry.)
If the United States wins at least 30 gold medals in the Olympics, do we get free ice cream at the retreat?
No sorry, the free ice cream offer was only good for the 2020 Olympics. Since those did not happen, you have to buy your own ice cream if you want some.
Can we bring our family pet?
No, Fido and Mr. Pickles need to stay at home this time.
Can we bring a corn-dog machine?
Yes, if you have a machine that makes them, bring it. Then you can give everyone a free corn-dog just because you’re a nice person and you’re trying to help others have a better day. The world needs more corn-dogs. And if you give everyone a corn-dog, everyone will be very grateful.
When will most people get there?
Well, we don’t know. We anticipate some people leaving after work on Friday and heading to the retreat. We know some families have Friday night football games, so they’ll be coming late on Friday. And we assume most people will head home after worship on Sunday morning. But again, the schedule for the weekend is up to you, so choose what is best for your family. And just so you know: Check-in time on Friday is 3:00pm. Check-out time on Sunday is 12:00, noon.
Can you tell us about the sign-up deadline again?: There is not one, but once all of the rooms are gone, they are gone.
How do I sign-up: All sign-ups are online. Click the link below to sign-up.
Can we pay by cash? How about check? Or by card?: You can pay with cash, check, or credit/debit card. If you pay by credit/debit, there is a 3% service charge. And if you are unable to pay some or all of the registration fee, let us know. We will try to find some scholarship money to help cover your costs.
