WHAT DOES THE ‘RETURN TO NORMALCY’ FOLLOWING COVID MEAN FOR YOUR COMMUNITY? Or more importantly:  WHERE ARE YOUR PRIORITIES?

 Most of our communities have actively returned to conducting weekends and other activities, and the rest are scheduled for 2023. This is wonderful news since many of us had concerns about how post-COVID weekends and other activities would look like, and what form they would take.

Although it is early to make a lot of predictions, barring further government-directed disruptions, it seems that the communities who continued to focus on their 4th Day activities during the pandemic are having the most success in resuming and supporting weekends. And which communities focused on 4th Day activities during COVID? They were the ones who focused on them BEFORE the pandemic.

MORAL OF THE STORY:  Many communities focus on their weekends, which is natural since the Weekend is where all the excitement is. However, as long as the weekends are functioning according to the Essentials, I would like to suggest that you invest more of your resources into the Pre-Weekend and 4th Day phases.

PRE-WEEKEND:  Active sponsorship training will go a long way to resolving many of the issues our communities face. What are your priorities in sponsoring?

• Is it to get as many candidates as possible to fill the weekends, or is it to focus on the specific needs of each candidate to make certain they are an appropriate fit for a weekend? Remember that Tres Dias is NOT for everyone! Smaller weekends consisting of appropriately selected candidates are far better than large weekends with candidates who have not been adequately evaluated.
  • Is your potential candidate a Christian as defined in the Essentials (“Someone who desires a closer relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior”)? Or is it someone who is not a Christian, who you hope will find the Lord on the Weekend? The Essentials tell us that Tres Dias is a discipleship program for Christians, not an evangelistic program for non-believers.

4th DAY ACTIVITIES:  Everything we do in Tres Dias ultimately points to the creation of small accountability groups. What this means is that successful weekends should result in active Reunion Groups and Secuelas.

• QUESTION:  Are you really in a Reunion Group or a Bible Study? Keep in mind that Reunion Groups may choose to include a Bible Study as part of their meetings, but Bible Studies on their own do not qualify as a Reunion Group. The primary focus must be the development of accountability to each other through the personal sharing of Piety, Study, and Action. This accountability results in a powerful tool in helping to direct our Christian walk.

When I look at a community to determine its health, I am far less concerned about the number of candidates that attend weekends, or how blessed they were. After all, they are spending an extended weekend seeking the Lord under the guidance of the Holy Spirit – and that, is exciting! I am far more concerned about the ratio of Reunion Groups to the size of the community, the regular scheduling of Secuelas, and the level of community participation in those Secuelas. How often are the Essentials being taught within the community?

Those numbers speak volumes – and are far more important in determining a community’s health than simply the number of candidates on a weekend.

MY QUESTION:  How is your community doing? If you are a community leader and need some ideas or someone to do a review with you, contact your Liaison. The Liaisons have a lot of experience in seeing how other communities manage their resources and they will be happy to share their knowledge. They can also bring in other people and resources as needed. They are available, so use them.

If you are not a formal leader in your community, be sure to share your thoughts and ideas with the leadership. Do not hesitate to attend Secretariat meetings so you can share your thoughts and to get involved. And if you are not in a Reunion Group, find one to join or start one of your own!

Thank you for your commitment to Tres Dias, and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or comments.

¡De Colores!

President
Tres Dias, Inc.
Tel:  800-347-1581
Email:  president@tresdias.org