Let's have a Texas retreat at Roddy Tree Ranch!

" Dear Roddy Tree, Thank you for this very nice place to stay for our church retreat. This Is about the 10th time I have been here...I think of this place as a little peace(sic) of heaven in Texas!"
Colin, 13 years old, University United Methodist Church, Austin

... I have been deployed in Iraq but finally got the chance to come to our church retreat at Roddy Tree for the first time...now I know what all the talk is about, you have a beautiful place and I will be back.
Captain Donald, U.S. Air Force Oak Hill Church, San Antonio

Planning is everything! We think you will find Roddy Tree Ranch to be a unique and memorable Texas retreat center. As you plan for your retreat, there are many things to keep in mind. You'll find helpful input from your conference camp and retreat ministry leaders - don't hesitate to ask them for ideas that have worked well in the past. We feel very fortunate here at Roddy Tree to be able to share our many years of planning, coordinating, and hosting church retreats with you. As a former Director of Children and Family Ministries, Gretchen Asbury knows how much work goes into planning a retreat and is committed to helping you in any way possible to make sure you have a great experience.

A Christian retreat is an intentional time away to experience a new awareness of the presence of God. It is an opportunity to get some distance and see things in perspective. It requires a pace that is unhurried and conducive to rest and relaxation in order to come back with a renewed sense of living as Disciples of Christ.

Church retreats are very special here at the Ranch. We have hosted many over the years. Logistically, the Ranch offers a rustic campground setting close to major cities, with comfortable beds and many amenities; an affordable church retreat without the bunkhouse and crummy mattresses. Financially, we offer a standard 20% discount to all church groups and depending on the length of the stay, we may offer more. We will also work with you on different payment options to make your church retreat as smooth as possible. Spiritually, there are many places around the Ranch to commune with nature and experience your own spiritual renewal, alone or with your group. Just ask the many church groups that have come here over the years and continue to do so.

A retreat is a chance for encounter with self, with God, with other people, with creation, with issues. A retreat is, literally, a "strategic withdrawal." When we retreat, it is not for the purpose of just getting away and staying away. Everything involved in getting away, and all that is done while away, involves coming back. We go to the mountains not to see mountains, but to see the valleys with a new perspective.

On a retreat, we hope to deepen our relationship with God and to look at our lives by deliberately focusing on issues and questions through reflection and meditation. Discussion and dialogue with others is needed in order to come back with a renewed sense of direction for living. Jesus modeled this pattern of engagement and withdrawal, and it is instructive for contemporary disciples as well.

Retreats deepen the fellowship of a community through shared experiences and can helpfully focus the energy of a group, whether your purpose is to do planning, problem solving, team building, or to tackle a topic of interest or concern. Retreats at Roddy Tree are great, particularly for family and children ministries to allow fellowship outside of the church.

Remember, people attend what they help to plan. So, if you're looking to reach a larger audience than just your established group, invite and involve others to assist in planning for the retreat as well. Don't just invite them once all of the planning is done!

When can we go? Make sure to check school calendars for concerts, big games, tests, etc., that would affect the attendance of your particular audience. Look also at times when in-service days or other days off might allow for a possible new pattern - like a Saturday evening through Monday, for instance, or a Monday through Thursday. Some adult groups have found that creating an alternative of interest to some people while others are involved in a major cultural event (the Super Bowl, Prom night, a big tourist event in your town), is a worthwhile and much appreciated ministry.

Let us share our many years of experience with you on planning church retreats.
Keith and Gretchen Asbury
Helen & Jim Gambrell
Owners/Roddy Tree Ranch