Greetings fellow CPM supporters!
(That's Christian Plural Marriage of course if you must "name it" though, our favorite suggestion out of the forums is "in a Biblical family way".)
Retreat News
We are smack dab in between retreats:
4 weeks ago, 20 adults and almost as many children had a great time fellowshipping in the mountains of North Carolina. Author Tom Shipley of Man and Woman in Biblical Law joined us, and friendships were formed that continue on electronically. It rained half the time, but we met and ate together in the same room (a great thing for continuing the fellowship), and our spirits were not dampened. You can check out a few pictures here.
You don't have to take my word for the time we had, here are a few quotes:
"The retreat was a time of prayer and fellowship. Many issues were discussed and our family got clarity and encouragement from many. It was a special time to meet others who are seeking God's will for their lives and that brings unity and love." - Curtis
"The retreat was great for us to see friends we've known a while but don't get to see too often. Whenever we get together it doesn't seem like we've been apart very long, and since others share our beliefs, we can be free to be who we are, knowing that there are others who won't think we are (too) strange. It was also great to meet new people and to meet others in person that we've known by name online for years." - Joe
"IT WAS AWESOME! Tom spoke with a heart of humility, yet without fear. He challenged us to look beyond the issue of plural marriage, and see the bigger picture, and that was cultural change. He shared his vision of challenging the greater society and modern church culture to turn back to Biblical roots of conduct." - Doc
Quite a few who attended are planning on making the next retreat! Now is the time for you to consider it:
Orlando, May 22nd-25th, 2009 (Memorial weekend)
Just 4 more weeks until the "main event"! – our signature retreat for 2009, just north of Disney World. This looks to be well attended, and many are waiting to meet new friends in person. We expect to have a few special sessions, if you are interesting in learning more about, or fellowshipping with other supporters of, Christian plural marriage, now is the time to make your plans and let us know. This is the call to register for this retreat. We will begin meeting on Friday evening at 7pm, and continue all day Saturday, and until Sunday afternoon. At that time, Sunday evening and all day Monday become relaxed fellowship, and "water play" time for those who are able to stick around.
For hotel info, retreat location, and full schedule, you need to drop us an email letting us know your interested – do it today, or next week, but don't forget! Nathan@biblicalfamilies.org
Midwest, June 5-6th, 2009
If you are in the Midwest, or can't make Orlando, you’ll have another opportunity for fellowship 2 weeks later. A cabin-style retreat is being planned for Southwest Oklahoma (not far from Dallas). Several families are already planning to attend, if you are within driving distance, this would be a great opportunity to meet quality folks. PM welltan for more information now.
We are still considering plans for later in the year – you can check the website retreat page (now updated) for more information. Remember that there is no cost for our retreats beyond your travel costs, an offering will be taken to cover food and other expenses.
Women's Ministry update
A number of ladies have already taken advantage of the new Women's ministry to get counsel or share a prayer request more privately. We want to clarify your options for interacting with the ladies of the ministry:
femina@biblicalfamilies.org - Use this address to request counsel or prayer or ask a serious (but private) question. Only the ladies running the ministry (currently Julie and Lissa) will see your email – not the men at staff@biblicalfamilies.org (Guys, you are welcome to use men@biblicalfamilies.org email for now for your needs – only men you can trust will receive that.)
Also, the ladies now have a truly private forum just for them! A place where the guys won't "accidently" read or post in the Ladies Only forum – we'll never see it. To access this forum you have to already be a forum member, already have participated enough (email or forums or retreats) with the ladies that they KNOW you are a woman, and then you have to request access to the forum (we're making sure no guys participate).
To sign up, log in, then go to User Control Panel, Usergroups tab, then under NON-MEMBERSHIPS, select Women, and Submit. Then wait for a moderator to approve you. If you are not known to Lissa or Julie already, then expect an email requesting some communication first – this is really a members-only, non-public, ladies only forum – these posts won't be indexed by search engines or otherwise made publicly viewable.
Your private forum will then show up at the bottom of the forum page ONLY when you are logged in. Ladies, please don't forsake the public forums, when your topic is useful to seekers or men, we'd like to see it there.
That's enough for this month. We will have much more to share with you in the coming months, we look forward to serving you in new ways!
Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,
and the one who gets understanding,
for the gain from her is better than gain from silver
and her profit better than gold.
- Proverbs 3:13,14
(That's Christian Plural Marriage of course if you must "name it" though, our favorite suggestion out of the forums is "in a Biblical family way".)
Retreat News
We are smack dab in between retreats:
4 weeks ago, 20 adults and almost as many children had a great time fellowshipping in the mountains of North Carolina. Author Tom Shipley of Man and Woman in Biblical Law joined us, and friendships were formed that continue on electronically. It rained half the time, but we met and ate together in the same room (a great thing for continuing the fellowship), and our spirits were not dampened. You can check out a few pictures here.
You don't have to take my word for the time we had, here are a few quotes:
"The retreat was a time of prayer and fellowship. Many issues were discussed and our family got clarity and encouragement from many. It was a special time to meet others who are seeking God's will for their lives and that brings unity and love." - Curtis
"The retreat was great for us to see friends we've known a while but don't get to see too often. Whenever we get together it doesn't seem like we've been apart very long, and since others share our beliefs, we can be free to be who we are, knowing that there are others who won't think we are (too) strange. It was also great to meet new people and to meet others in person that we've known by name online for years." - Joe
"IT WAS AWESOME! Tom spoke with a heart of humility, yet without fear. He challenged us to look beyond the issue of plural marriage, and see the bigger picture, and that was cultural change. He shared his vision of challenging the greater society and modern church culture to turn back to Biblical roots of conduct." - Doc
Quite a few who attended are planning on making the next retreat! Now is the time for you to consider it:
Orlando, May 22nd-25th, 2009 (Memorial weekend)
Just 4 more weeks until the "main event"! – our signature retreat for 2009, just north of Disney World. This looks to be well attended, and many are waiting to meet new friends in person. We expect to have a few special sessions, if you are interesting in learning more about, or fellowshipping with other supporters of, Christian plural marriage, now is the time to make your plans and let us know. This is the call to register for this retreat. We will begin meeting on Friday evening at 7pm, and continue all day Saturday, and until Sunday afternoon. At that time, Sunday evening and all day Monday become relaxed fellowship, and "water play" time for those who are able to stick around.
For hotel info, retreat location, and full schedule, you need to drop us an email letting us know your interested – do it today, or next week, but don't forget! Nathan@biblicalfamilies.org
Midwest, June 5-6th, 2009
If you are in the Midwest, or can't make Orlando, you’ll have another opportunity for fellowship 2 weeks later. A cabin-style retreat is being planned for Southwest Oklahoma (not far from Dallas). Several families are already planning to attend, if you are within driving distance, this would be a great opportunity to meet quality folks. PM welltan for more information now.
We are still considering plans for later in the year – you can check the website retreat page (now updated) for more information. Remember that there is no cost for our retreats beyond your travel costs, an offering will be taken to cover food and other expenses.
Women's Ministry update
A number of ladies have already taken advantage of the new Women's ministry to get counsel or share a prayer request more privately. We want to clarify your options for interacting with the ladies of the ministry:
femina@biblicalfamilies.org - Use this address to request counsel or prayer or ask a serious (but private) question. Only the ladies running the ministry (currently Julie and Lissa) will see your email – not the men at staff@biblicalfamilies.org (Guys, you are welcome to use men@biblicalfamilies.org email for now for your needs – only men you can trust will receive that.)
Also, the ladies now have a truly private forum just for them! A place where the guys won't "accidently" read or post in the Ladies Only forum – we'll never see it. To access this forum you have to already be a forum member, already have participated enough (email or forums or retreats) with the ladies that they KNOW you are a woman, and then you have to request access to the forum (we're making sure no guys participate).
To sign up, log in, then go to User Control Panel, Usergroups tab, then under NON-MEMBERSHIPS, select Women, and Submit. Then wait for a moderator to approve you. If you are not known to Lissa or Julie already, then expect an email requesting some communication first – this is really a members-only, non-public, ladies only forum – these posts won't be indexed by search engines or otherwise made publicly viewable.
Your private forum will then show up at the bottom of the forum page ONLY when you are logged in. Ladies, please don't forsake the public forums, when your topic is useful to seekers or men, we'd like to see it there.
That's enough for this month. We will have much more to share with you in the coming months, we look forward to serving you in new ways!
Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,
and the one who gets understanding,
for the gain from her is better than gain from silver
and her profit better than gold.
- Proverbs 3:13,14