A&M Youth
Quick note: some have asked about towels and bedding. Towels and bed linens are provided for everyone staying in one of the hotel rooms.
The Family Retreat is almost here! We are so glad you can be a part of it. This page will tell you the things you need to know about the weekend.
Where to go:
Pineywoods camp is located at: 6272 East US-287 Woodlake, TX 75865. Click here to see the location on Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/74WKyC1FXTsJqnaW6
When to go:
You can arrive anytime you'd like to starting at around 6pm on Friday night. Supper is on your own on Friday night. You can eat before you leave or on the way.
When You Arrive:
You should be able to go directly to your room. You'll find your room listed below on this webpage, and you can CLICK HERE TO SEE A MAP OF THE CAMP
Notice the camp entrance is at the bottom of the map. Our group is in Myers Lodge, Key Motel, Waterfront Lodge, New Motel (called Future Motel on the map), and the RV Park. The camp is not that big, so if you're worried about being spread out or away from others, do not worry. We'll all be pretty close.
What Are We Doing?:
Great question. We've got some fun things planned, but this is meant to be whatever kind of weekend you need. You can do everything on the schedule or none of the things. Whatever you want is great.
The main part is that we want to give your family a chance to be together, and we want to give you a chance to have a fun weekend with other folks from our church.
You can see the schedule below, and there are some things you can sign-up for as well.
Kayaks at Pineywoods and 9-Square in the air
The zip-lines at Pineywoods. The Adventure Park is in the background.
The Schedule:
(this schedule is subject to change...the camp may need to move our activities around.)
Friday Night
7:00pm – Trail Mix Bar and optional games in meeting room or outside
8:00 and 8:30pm – Hayride (sign-up in advance)
9:00pm – Free time or Games in meeting room and on fields
10:30pm – Head to rooms
Saturday Morning
All of the activities on Saturday are optional activities - you can choose to be involved if you'd like to. You can also watch.
Or you can do anything else you'd like.
8:00am – Breakfast
9:00am – Meeting Room - Everyone together
10:00am – Kickball (on softball fields)
10:45am – Volleyball (on volleyball court)
11:30am – Human foosball (on foosball court)
(other optional activities throughout Saturday –
basketball, soccer, 9-square, dodgeball, gaga ball, fishing, tether ball, playground, in addition to playing kickball/volleyball/foosball before or after scheduled times)
Saturday Afternoon
12:00pm – Lunch
1:30pm – Canoes and kayaks
2:30pm – Amazing Race (primarily in the field and recreation areas)
3:00pm – Zip Lines ($10 a person - available to all - must sign-up) /
Adventure Park (HS/College and adults who sign-up) /
Drift Trikes (MS & younger and any adults)
5:15pm – Meeting Room - Everyone together
5:30pm – Supper
Saturday Evening
7:00pm – Campfire
8:00pm – Movie
9:30pm – Free-time or Games on your own in meeting room and on fields
11:00pm – Head to rooms
Sunday
8:00am – Breakfast
9:00am – Worship
10:00am – Retreat ends. Room checkout is at noon. You can stay longer and play at the camp if you'd like.
Basketball, drift trikes, and gaga ball at Pineywoods.
Things to sign-up for:
Hayride - The hayride is Friday night at 8:00 or 8:30. Only 30 people can go at one time. Click here if you'd like to sign-up for a time.
Zip-Line - this is open to (we think) those who are 8 years old and older. Cost is $10 per person. Click here to sign-up for the Zip-line.
Adventure Park - this is open to HS students, college students, and adults. Adult cost is $20 per person. HS and college students can go at no cost. We assume all HS and college students will want to go unless they tell us otherwise. If you are an adult who would like to go, there is an additional cost of $20. Adults - click here to sign-up.
We need some families to be in charge of some of the games. Can you run the kickball games? Can you run the Human foosball game? Help coordinate the Drift Trikes? It's not hard...and we'll give you the details about what you need to know. Click here if you can help.
Other things to know:
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Pets (other than service animals) are not allowed at the camp.
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You're welcome to bring any sports equipment you'd like. Footballs, frisbees, bicycles, cornhole, etc.
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Because there are optional things to do, but not a set schedule where everyone does everything, feel free to bring some board games or dominoes or cards to play in our meeting room.
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Fishing - the lake is open to fishing anytime. Bring your own gear. There may be a prize for whoever catches the most or the biggest fish.
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If you know of any additional individuals or families who would like to come out for the day, let us know. A few people have mentioned this to us, but no one has told us they are for sure coming. Numbers were due to the camp by Monday, but they can likely add some meals for any families who would like to come for the day.
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If something comes up and you can't go, let us know as soon as possible. We are now under contract to pay the full amount for each family, but if the camp has another use for your room for the weekend (i.e. someone else from our church or another church signs up to come) then we would not have to pay for your family. Unfortunately, camps work different than hotels...so we can't just get our money back the day before.
Things you might want to bring:
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Lawn Chairs and/or blanket for the ground. Our movie on Saturday night may be outside (depending on the weather) so be ready for a outside movie night.
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Drinks or snacks for your family. We will have some, but if you want something specific, you might want to bring it.
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(towels and bed linens are provided for everyone except those staying in RV's)
Worship on Sunday
At our Sunday morning worship, each family is invited to pick a Bible verse and have someone in your family (young or old, boy or girl) read the verse and tell why your family likes it or why you chose it or why it's important. You DO NOT have to do this if you do not want to, but if you're willing, please do. No sign-ups for this. Just have a verse ready for Sunday morning.
Where Are You Staying?
Below is a list of the families who are signed up, your room, and a few additional pieces of info. If you see anything which is incorrect, let us know. These are subject to change, but this is what the camp currently has for us. And if you'd like to see details about your room, you can click here to go to the Pineywoods webpage. The pictures are small, but they will give you an idea. https://www.pineywoodscamp.com/facilities/motelsprivate-accommodations/
As a quick reminder of the costs for this weekend, the info below is copied from the original Family Retreat Webpage. We will email everyone separately about how much they have paid and how much they still owe.
How much will this retreat cost?
The cost varies based on what accommodations you choose.
1) Hotel-type room - $300 per room for the weekend (for up to 4 people, $50 more for additional people)
2) Bunkhouse - $50 per person for the weekend
3) RV site - $40 for the site, plus $30 for meals for each person. (So a family of 4 would be $160.)
A quick word about the costs: We do not want anyone to miss this retreat for financial reasons.
We have full and partial scholarship money available. Also, if your family is doing well financially and can pay more than the costs above, let us know. Retreats like this are costly and we are supplementing a good amount to make the retreat more economical for everyone. We can let you know the actual amount we're paying for your famiy to the retreat center if you'd like to. Absolutely no pressure either way - but we do want you to come and be a part of this weekend.
Again, we're so excited your family can join us this weekend. If you have any questions or thoughts, let us know.
