The Thread of Gold
| Ladies' Retreat--Fall 2011 |
God's Purpose, the Cross, and Me
A True Story
- Date Posted: July 11, 2011
Greetings!
We are pleased to announce that this year we are having another
“THREAD OF GOLD” LADIES RETREAT
The 2011 Thread of Gold ladies retreat will be held in McKinney, Texas. We are using the
same facility we have used each year since 2006. (For those who do not know, McKinney
is a few miles north of Dallas, Texas.) Lanell Allen, Karen Johnson, and Jane Anderson
are coordinating the event.
WHEN?
Thursday, September 29 – Sunday, October 2, 2011
We are inviting you well in advance of the time of the retreat, so that you can plan ahead
and keep those dates open. To help you make your decision and to facilitate travel plan-
ning, details about the retreat follow.
WHAT’S THE PLAN?
We plan to spend several days with one another in a restful and relaxing environment
which is conducive to informal fellowship. There will plenty of food and opportunity for rest
and relaxation.
WHY A WOMEN’S RETREAT?
The book, The Thread of Gold, is the common thread that has connected or reconnected
most of those who will attend.
We are offering this time to the Lord to use for His glory and His purposes with each of us.
We had very blessed times together the past five years and are expecting the Lord to be
with us again this year. We hope you can come.
Three years ago we spent some time together discussing a book by Katharine Bushnell
entitled God’s Word to Women. This year I hope to bring out a few things from that
book that I feel are particularly applicable to us as women in the troubled times in which
we are living. Revisiting some of Bushnell’s insights into our role as women has been
particularly inspiring.
Time
The retreat begins at 3:00 p.m. Thursday, September 29th and ends at 3:00 p.m. Sunday,
October 2nd.
Place
The Lord has provided a large facility for us to use in a beautiful country setting just 15
miles north of Plano, Texas. It has:
Thursday, September 29 – Sunday, October 2, 2011
We are inviting you well in advance of the time of the retreat, so that you can plan ahead
and keep those dates open. To help you make your decision and to facilitate travel plan-
ning, details about the retreat follow.
WHAT’S THE PLAN?
We plan to spend several days with one another in a restful and relaxing environment
which is conducive to informal fellowship. There will plenty of food and opportunity for rest
and relaxation.
WHY A WOMEN’S RETREAT?
The book, The Thread of Gold, is the common thread that has connected or reconnected
most of those who will attend.
We are offering this time to the Lord to use for His glory and His purposes with each of us.
We had very blessed times together the past five years and are expecting the Lord to be
with us again this year. We hope you can come.
Three years ago we spent some time together discussing a book by Katharine Bushnell
entitled God’s Word to Women. This year I hope to bring out a few things from that
book that I feel are particularly applicable to us as women in the troubled times in which
we are living. Revisiting some of Bushnell’s insights into our role as women has been
particularly inspiring.
Time
The retreat begins at 3:00 p.m. Thursday, September 29th and ends at 3:00 p.m. Sunday,
October 2nd.
Place
The Lord has provided a large facility for us to use in a beautiful country setting just 15
miles north of Plano, Texas. It has:
- a kitchen and dining area
- an indoor heated swimming pool
- a ½ court gym
- a large game room with a billiard table, ping pong table, and other game tables
- lots of floor space for sleeping (see below for more info)
- bathrooms with showers and washer and dryer
- a large outdoor covered veranda with plenty of comfortable seating and a view of
- some large pastures with horses and cows grazing. If we have enough rain, the large
lawn surrounding the facility and the pastures will be a beautiful green (otherwise,
color them brown!)
- a wonderful sound system where we can play our favorite Christian CDs (bring some
- of yours if you like!)
The Address
The Cherith
680 N. Meandering Way
McKinney, Texas 75069
The venue was named for the brook (the Cherith) where God told Elijah to hide from his
enemies. He then provided food and drink for Elijah, so he could rest and be refreshed.
The owner of the Cherith thinks of it as a place where God’s weary and tired people can
come to be refreshed and encouraged by the Lord. Based on our past experiences there,
we think the same thing.
Dress
Dress is extremely informal. Temperatures can reach the upper 90’s in north Texas at
this time of year, but we’re hoping for a cooler time. Informal means shorts or Capri’s
(or whatever you feel comfortable wearing) and T-shirts or other casual shirts. Wrinkles,
etc.—no problem. If you want to swim with a T-shirt or big cover up on, you won’t be
alone! Just think of this time as kind of like being at summer camp. There is one big and
very important difference—the facility is air conditioned.
Note: Closer to the time of the retreat, we will send out a suggested list of things you
might want to remember to bring.
Meals
Thursday Evening through Sunday Noon: Meals will be provided. Depending on the
number coming, we may decide to have breakfast and lunch on-site and at dinner time
we will either eat out, cook on-site, or bring in take-in food. Decisions will be made
about this closer to the time of the retreat and we will inform you of the plan.
The Cherith
680 N. Meandering Way
McKinney, Texas 75069
The venue was named for the brook (the Cherith) where God told Elijah to hide from his
enemies. He then provided food and drink for Elijah, so he could rest and be refreshed.
The owner of the Cherith thinks of it as a place where God’s weary and tired people can
come to be refreshed and encouraged by the Lord. Based on our past experiences there,
we think the same thing.
Dress
Dress is extremely informal. Temperatures can reach the upper 90’s in north Texas at
this time of year, but we’re hoping for a cooler time. Informal means shorts or Capri’s
(or whatever you feel comfortable wearing) and T-shirts or other casual shirts. Wrinkles,
etc.—no problem. If you want to swim with a T-shirt or big cover up on, you won’t be
alone! Just think of this time as kind of like being at summer camp. There is one big and
very important difference—the facility is air conditioned.
Note: Closer to the time of the retreat, we will send out a suggested list of things you
might want to remember to bring.
Meals
Thursday Evening through Sunday Noon: Meals will be provided. Depending on the
number coming, we may decide to have breakfast and lunch on-site and at dinner time
we will either eat out, cook on-site, or bring in take-in food. Decisions will be made
about this closer to the time of the retreat and we will inform you of the plan.
Sleeping Arrangements
Option One
At this facility, we have to provide our own beds, towels, etc. Pause to remember what I
said about summer camp…. There is an abundance of floor space for us to set up our beds.
What you bring to sleep on is up to you, but we recommend bringing an inflatable mat-
tress (preferably not the swimming pool variety). There is compressed air on site for
inflating air mattresses.
Note: If you will be flying, we will make arrangements to provide an air bed and bedding
for you, so that you can avoid the hassle and extra transportation cost involved in bringing
your bedding with you as luggage. We will also provide towels for those who are flying.
The good news is that this sleeping option is free! (If more people register than we are
anticipating, then these sleeping arrangements will be available on a first come, first serve
basis.) There are only two (large) bathrooms. This may influence your decision to use
option two.
Option Two
If you think you would be more comfortable spending the night in a nearby hotel, you will
need to book your own reservations. The following is information and links to websites of
hotels that are near the retreat facility, in order to help you find a place to stay. You can
find more hotels and may find better rates using a travel web site like www.hotels.com.
You’ll have to contact them for their rates.
Nearby Hotels:
Amerihost Inn Allen
407 Central Expressway South, Allen TX 75013 (US 75, Exit 33)
972-396-9494
Distance to The Cherith: 5.1 miles, 13 minutes
http://www.amerihostinn.com/AmerihostInn/control/Booking
www.hotels-rates.com/hotels
Hilton Garden Inn Allen
705 Central Expressway South, Allen, Texas 75013
1-214-547-1700
Distance to The Cherith: 5.5 miles, 8 minutes
http://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com
www.findlocalhotels.com/hotel/11294435/hilton_garden_inn_allen.html
Holiday Inn Express
1300 N Central Expressway, McKinney, TX 75071
1-972-542-9471
Distance to The Cherith: 7.7 miles, 11 minutes
http://www.holidayinn.com
Transportation
For those flying in, please remember that you will also need to make ground transporta-
tion arrangements from the airport to the facility. It is approximately a one hour drive.
Please be sure to check on the cost of the round trip ground transportation ahead of time.
If you arrive at the airport around rush hour, it will take longer.
If you would like us to put you in touch with others who have similar flight schedules,
please e-mail your flight information as soon as possible to TOGRetreat@verizon.net. This
may make it possible for some of you to make arrangements to rent a car together.
Here are some helpful links to transportation websites:
Airports
Dallas Fort Worth Airport (DFW)
www.dfwairport.com
Dallas Love Field Airport
http://www.dallas-lovefield.com
Ground Transportation to The Cherith From DFW or Dallas Love Field
Shared-Ride Authorized Service Providers:
Super Shuttle
City Shuttle
Yellowcheckers Shuttle
Car Rentals:
From DFW Airport:
http://www.dfwairport.com/rac/
From Dallas Love Field:
http://www.dallas-lovefield.com/parkingtransportation/parkingtransportation.html
For maps, search online. Here are addresses:
DFW Airport: 3200 East Airfield Drive, DFW Airport, TX 75261
Dallas Love Field: 1625 Regal Row, Dallas, TX 75247
The Cherith: 680 N. Meandering Way, 75069
From DFW, approximately 36 miles northeast
From Dallas Love, approximately 32 miles north
Option One
At this facility, we have to provide our own beds, towels, etc. Pause to remember what I
said about summer camp…. There is an abundance of floor space for us to set up our beds.
What you bring to sleep on is up to you, but we recommend bringing an inflatable mat-
tress (preferably not the swimming pool variety). There is compressed air on site for
inflating air mattresses.
Note: If you will be flying, we will make arrangements to provide an air bed and bedding
for you, so that you can avoid the hassle and extra transportation cost involved in bringing
your bedding with you as luggage. We will also provide towels for those who are flying.
The good news is that this sleeping option is free! (If more people register than we are
anticipating, then these sleeping arrangements will be available on a first come, first serve
basis.) There are only two (large) bathrooms. This may influence your decision to use
option two.
Option Two
If you think you would be more comfortable spending the night in a nearby hotel, you will
need to book your own reservations. The following is information and links to websites of
hotels that are near the retreat facility, in order to help you find a place to stay. You can
find more hotels and may find better rates using a travel web site like www.hotels.com.
You’ll have to contact them for their rates.
Nearby Hotels:
Amerihost Inn Allen
407 Central Expressway South, Allen TX 75013 (US 75, Exit 33)
972-396-9494
Distance to The Cherith: 5.1 miles, 13 minutes
http://www.amerihostinn.com/AmerihostInn/control/Booking
www.hotels-rates.com/hotels
Hilton Garden Inn Allen
705 Central Expressway South, Allen, Texas 75013
1-214-547-1700
Distance to The Cherith: 5.5 miles, 8 minutes
http://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com
www.findlocalhotels.com/hotel/11294435/hilton_garden_inn_allen.html
Holiday Inn Express
1300 N Central Expressway, McKinney, TX 75071
1-972-542-9471
Distance to The Cherith: 7.7 miles, 11 minutes
http://www.holidayinn.com
Transportation
For those flying in, please remember that you will also need to make ground transporta-
tion arrangements from the airport to the facility. It is approximately a one hour drive.
Please be sure to check on the cost of the round trip ground transportation ahead of time.
If you arrive at the airport around rush hour, it will take longer.
If you would like us to put you in touch with others who have similar flight schedules,
please e-mail your flight information as soon as possible to TOGRetreat@verizon.net. This
may make it possible for some of you to make arrangements to rent a car together.
Here are some helpful links to transportation websites:
Airports
Dallas Fort Worth Airport (DFW)
www.dfwairport.com
Dallas Love Field Airport
http://www.dallas-lovefield.com
Ground Transportation to The Cherith From DFW or Dallas Love Field
Shared-Ride Authorized Service Providers:
Super Shuttle
City Shuttle
Yellowcheckers Shuttle
Car Rentals:
From DFW Airport:
http://www.dfwairport.com/rac/
From Dallas Love Field:
http://www.dallas-lovefield.com/parkingtransportation/parkingtransportation.html
For maps, search online. Here are addresses:
DFW Airport: 3200 East Airfield Drive, DFW Airport, TX 75261
Dallas Love Field: 1625 Regal Row, Dallas, TX 75247
The Cherith: 680 N. Meandering Way, 75069
From DFW, approximately 36 miles northeast
From Dallas Love, approximately 32 miles north
Cost
There is no charge for use of the facility (the Lord works in mysterious ways). There will
be a registration fee of $25.00 to help with other expenses, such as food.
PLEASE SIGN UP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!
Remember that sleeping spaces at The Cherith will be available on a first-come-first-serve
basis. The last date to sign up is September 1, 2011, although the sooner you can sign up,
the better because this will make planning much easier. If sleeping space at The Cherith
has filled before you get your registration in, you will need to make arrangements to
sleep in a nearby hotel.
How to Sign Up
Send all the following information in an e-mail to TOGRetreat@verizon.net. Here's an easy
way: copy the following information and paste it into the email which will be created when
you click this link: TOGRetreat@verizon.net Please put “SIGN UP” on the subject line.
Name:
Address:
Home phone:
Cell Phone (if you have one):
Days you are coming:
(Thursday Friday Saturday and/or Sunday)
Sleeping Arrangements:
(The Cherith or Other)
Transportation:
If you are flying and will be staying at the Cherith, would you like us to contact
you about providing an air mattress for you?
Dietary or Other Special Needs:
Feel free to invite others you know who might wish to attend!
We are looking forward to a wonderful time with as many of you as can come and also
waiting to see what the Lord will do with this time we’re giving to Him. Can’t wait to see you!
Your sister in Christ,
Jane Carole Anderson
P.S. Please feel free to e-mail any questions to TOGRetreat@verizon.net.
* * * * * * * *
There is no charge for use of the facility (the Lord works in mysterious ways). There will
be a registration fee of $25.00 to help with other expenses, such as food.
PLEASE SIGN UP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!
Remember that sleeping spaces at The Cherith will be available on a first-come-first-serve
basis. The last date to sign up is September 1, 2011, although the sooner you can sign up,
the better because this will make planning much easier. If sleeping space at The Cherith
has filled before you get your registration in, you will need to make arrangements to
sleep in a nearby hotel.
How to Sign Up
Send all the following information in an e-mail to TOGRetreat@verizon.net. Here's an easy
way: copy the following information and paste it into the email which will be created when
you click this link: TOGRetreat@verizon.net Please put “SIGN UP” on the subject line.
Name:
Address:
Home phone:
Cell Phone (if you have one):
Days you are coming:
(Thursday Friday Saturday and/or Sunday)
Sleeping Arrangements:
(The Cherith or Other)
Transportation:
If you are flying and will be staying at the Cherith, would you like us to contact
you about providing an air mattress for you?
Dietary or Other Special Needs:
Feel free to invite others you know who might wish to attend!
We are looking forward to a wonderful time with as many of you as can come and also
waiting to see what the Lord will do with this time we’re giving to Him. Can’t wait to see you!
Your sister in Christ,
Jane Carole Anderson
P.S. Please feel free to e-mail any questions to TOGRetreat@verizon.net.
* * * * * * * *
