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Summer 2022 family retreat - Knoxville area, Aug 18-21st - details are ready!

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nathan said:
Hey guys, so our summer retreat is a go, but we have a dilemma and we need your help early.

We are returning to the great Tennessee location (45 min east of Knoxville) we used in 2012, 2014, and 2017. They know us and they are OK with us, and that's hard to beat. The dates are Thursday Aug 4th to Sunday Aug 7th. (3 nights, we are hoping people can get away for Thursday and Friday). We will be doing most meals at the retreat and charging break-even prices. Those of you who remember these retreats, remember what a great time it was, with outdoor activities, and non-stop fellowship. Maybe a surprise or two this year.

So here's the dilemma: They have 2 buildings, one has 16 hotel rooms (some 2 queens, some 2 doubles), and a meeting room and small kitchen, and the other has 8 bunkbed rooms that sleep 6 each - that building also has the better kitchen and meeting space. But they charge a flat rate for each building per-night (then we charge you per-room), prices are up, and we are not sure we have enough people coming to justify both buildings, which would give us a much better setup, and a separate room for kids. We really need at least 80% of each building to be filled. Prices TBD, but you can expect the hotel rooms to be less than $100/night, and bunk-rooms to be a little over.

So... I know it's early to plan, but can you either drop @julieb or @nathan a DM, or feel free to response here if you like, and let us know how likely it is you are coming, which one of those types of rooms would best suit you (this is not a reservation). And if you are likely to be able to make Thursday night as well. We will be getting started in the afternoon on Thursday, and wrap up with breakfast on Sunday morning - we have to be out by noon that weekend.
We won't hold you to it, we just need to gauge interest to make this building decision.

Thanks!, Nathan

Did you know all our retreats from the past are listed online? https://www.biblicalfamilies.org/events/retreats
So I've kinda slacked at putting info with each one. We used to take group pictures even! I should at least link each retreat thread from the forum to this page.
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Our family is considering attending, however it falls right during sabbath days. For those who keep sabbath, ( no business, can't buy or sell) my question is are the retreats done in a way where sabbath keepers can come around without violating sabbath and still engage.
 
Raw Truth said:
Our family is considering attending, however it falls right during sabbath days. For those who keep sabbath, ( no business, can't buy or sell) my question is are the retreats done in a way where sabbath keepers can come around without violating sabbath and still engage.
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If you mean specifically can you pay for your room and meals at the beginning (before Fri night) or on Sunday, the answer is 'absolutely'. If you need to pay before you arrive even, or after, we can work that out. Plenty of sabbath-keepers have attended retreats, and they can let you know if they had any issues with anything else. We are a diverse crowd (practice-wise) just like here on the forum and try to respect that. We won't put any pepperoni on your pizza either.
 
Raw Truth said:
Our family is considering attending, however it falls right during sabbath days. For those who keep sabbath, ( no business, can't buy or sell) my question is are the retreats done in a way where sabbath keepers can come around without violating sabbath and still engage.
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Good Sabbath Brother, what we do is make sure we get there WELL BEFORE Sabbath and pay for EVERYTHING, room, food for Sabbath (as they go out for lunch), and whatever else we need. Getting a Hotel is really no different than renting and or buying a house, you don't pay for or clean your house on the Sabbath, so don't have your room cleaned on the Sabbath, put the "do not disturb sign" on the door for Sabbath. I hope that helps.
 
Raw Truth said:
Our family is considering attending, however it falls right during sabbath days. For those who keep sabbath, ( no business, can't buy or sell) my question is are the retreats done in a way where sabbath keepers can come around without violating sabbath and still engage.
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Shalom, achi.

BibFam is 'non-denom' and has been very accommodating to those of us who keep Shabbat. Pay in advance and have a plan (BYO) for Shabbat lunch. Likely, a bunch of us who keep Shabbat will gather for fellowship. Would love to meet you and get connected! Brachot b'shem Yeshua!
 
Oh, this is a reminder that for our summer retreat, you'l pay us directly for rooms, and that we are cooking and doing meals together. Will be TO friendly. We are trying to work out pricing for meals, will have to be more than last time we did this in 2019, just as your meals at home are! If you need to opt out on meals for other reasons, you'll be able to, but we hope you can participate with us, it's great for meal-time fellowship in the same building.
 
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I appreciate all the responses. We keep Sabbath according to the moon, and that week it actually falls on a Friday night and not a Saturday night as I originally thought. This means will will be one day ahead of the Saturday sabbath keepers. I'm interested to know if there any other torah observant lunar sabbath keepers on this platform?
 
The retreat details, along with a signup form link, just went out by email to a bunch of folks!

If you don't have the email (search for retreats@biblicalfamilies.org), then you either didn't ask for info by email or DM, or maybe we missed you (or have the wrong email), or maybe a Spam filter got it. Go ahead and drop @julieb or @nathan a DM and include the email you want us to use, and we'll send it out to you soon. (If this is your first contact with us and you haven't been to a retreat before, please tell us just a bit about yourself, in your DM - thanks.)

Just 3.5 months away!
 
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Joe Harrison said:
I am interested don't know if I can make it or not yet there is 11 of us eight kids my wife and our nanny.
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Hi Joe, if you would like the information details just in case you can make it, please message me at retreats@biblicalfamilies.org and I will make sure you get it. Hope it works out for your family to come.
 
Is there a list of topics and presentations? Or is it more informal?
 
We’re registered! The money is set aside, including to rent a van so there won’t be any non-Divine obstacles.

I haven’t run this by leadership yet so it might not happen, but I would love to do a video, or even a series of videos for my channel that weekend. It can be completely flexible how it’s done. If anyone is interested let me know. I envision an almost mockumentary style. It could be quite fun.
 
The Revolting Man said:
We’re registered! The money is set aside, including to rent a van so there won’t be any non-Divine obstacles.

I haven’t run this by leadership yet so it might not happen, but I would love to do a video, or even a series of videos for my channel that weekend. It can be completely flexible how it’s done. If anyone is interested let me know. I envision an almost mockumentary style. It could be quite fun.
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I'm game.
 
The Revolting Man said:
We’re registered! The money is set aside, including to rent a van so there won’t be any non-Divine obstacles.

I haven’t run this by leadership yet so it might not happen, but I would love to do a video, or even a series of videos for my channel that weekend. It can be completely flexible how it’s done. If anyone is interested let me know. I envision an almost mockumentary style. It could be quite fun.
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I'm in.
 
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