What is Tres Dias?
Tres Dias is best described as a spiritual encounter with Christ. While the weekend structure is the same throughout the country, everyone's experience is quite different. Yet most will tell you it had a great impact on them and they came away with a stronger sense of Christ's love and a renewed passion for living in relationship with Him.
Northern California Tres Dias began in 2010 and was sponsored by Birmingham Tres Dias, which has been hosting weekends in Alabama since 1999.
Tres Dias is made up of people of all ages from various churches and denominations with a heart to bring other believers into a closer and more personal walk with God, and to be a part of something bigger than themselves.
What does Tres Dias mean?
The Spanish words "Tres Dias" mean "Three Days".
The Tres Dias weekend has its roots through "Cursillo", a movement that began amid the turmoil and destruction of the Spanish Civil War which left Spain with empty churches, ineffective and without life. But, late in the 1940's, a sense of revival stirred in the Catholic Church when small groups began to meet together to share and deepen their faith.
Weekly meetings grew into pilgrimages and retreats where people could rededicate their lives toward Christian ideals. The church became revitalized and the movement spread to the United States. Protestants who attended the Cursillo weekends felt a strong need to make the experience interdenominational and Tres Dias was born in 1972.
Tres Dias is a lay-led movement, though clergy play an active role. Individual weekends are sponsored by local chapters which are chartered by the national Tres Dias organization. In 1985, Tres Dias became international, and now tens of thousands of people worldwide have gone through weekends and found themselves more committed to the Lord Jesus with more zest for serving him.
The Tres Dias weekend is not a retreat. It's best described as an encounter with the living Christ. The Holy Spirit is invited and present, but it is not a charismatic movement. Tres Dias isn't a secret society or a substitute for church, rather it encourages Christians to serve in their home congregations
What happens at Tres Dias?
The weekend begins on Thursday night and ends Sunday afternoon. In three days the basics of the Christian life are presented with practical reminders of how to apply them to life. The weekend is a combination of carefully prepared activities and teachings, all intended to lead to a fuller personal commitment to Christ and a renewed sense of his unconditional love.
Each day is centered on lay and clergy talks followed by table-group discussions which make Christ's teachings come alive. There is time for introspection and hearing from God, time for sharing with others, some singing, laughter, and opportunities for deep personal worship.
Tres Dias is not a revival meeting or group therapy. It's a "renewal" experience, not a conversion experience. It is designed for believers who desire something deeper, something more, and want to come away revived and re-focused.
The main emphasis of Tres Dias is God's unqualified love for each of us through grace. To attend you must be sponsored by a person who commits to support and pray for your experience and has attended a Tres Dias or one of the Cursillo-type three day weekends.
All that is required of you is a sincere faith, openness and a willing heart to receive whatever God has for you.
