Hello All!
We would like to encourage any who might be interested, to consider spending the Feast of Unleavened Bread 2015 (April 3rd-12th) with fellow brethren at beautiful Gull Lake Ministeries, located North West of Battle Creek Michigan. Through the interactive map in the link below, you will be able to see the grounds, facilities, housing and some activities, that Gull Lake Ministries has to offer.
http://www.gulllake.org/retreats/interactive-map
Shortly after the past fall Feast days, some of us started talking about the upcoming Spring Holy Days. We were already longing to have opportunity to gather and worship again in a Feast environment. With great anticipation, and excitement, we wait for the arrival of another Feast season, an appointed time where brethren can once again come together. We realize that we are all coming from various backgrounds, and fellowships. We are all in different stages of our common walk to the Kingdom. To some of us, the Sabbath and Feasts are very new, to others, they have been a part of our life for many years. It is exciting, whether you are new to these Holy Days, or have been keeping them for most or all of your life.
At this year’s Feast we will be taking into consideration those who keep both the observed and rabbinic calendars.
Based upon what scripture instructs (Deut 16:1-8) we will be keeping the Feast for the entire 7 days. Whether you want to come for the whole week or can only join us for a couple days, we look forward to sharing a God focused Feast. We also want to glorify our Heavenly Father and His commands in how we prepare and serve food. Though we will have some group meals that fall on the Sabbaths, the prep for those meals will be done prior to the Sabbath.
Agenda
- Formal services will be held on each of the High days and weekly Sabbaths:
- At the time of this writing it appears that the two calendars mentioned will be a day apart. So we are planning on treating Saturday April 4th, Sunday April 5th, Friday April 10th, and Saturday April 11th as high days.
- We will have formal services scheduled and no other activities with the exception of a group meal.
- On the eves of the High days/ Sabbath, we will hold a short welcoming in service.
- Between the above High days we will schedule seminars in the mornings with content that is biblically focused. Some of these seminars will be geared specifically towards the youth.
- On the afternoons between the High days we will schedule some group events/outings.
Passover/Night to Be Much Observed Itinerary
For those that may want to come in a day or two early, there will be Passover services on site. If you are interested in joining us for Passover services please let us know, so that we can make appropriate preparations to accommodate everyone.
As we begin to make final preparations for this year’s Passover/Night to be much remembered, we will need to know how many of you will be keeping it here with us. If you have already responded, no further action is needed. As we have said, there are 2 different calendars for this year’s feast. As such there will be different dates that brethren will be partaking of the bread/wine/foot washing, as well as the Passover meal/Night to be much remembered. If you are planning to be on site for Passover on Thursday, April 2nd please let us know as soon as possible.
The 2 Calendars
Rabbinic Calendar
Passover: Friday April 3rd
Unleavened Bread: Saturday April 4th – Friday April 10th
Abib (sited moon) Calendar
Passover: Saturday April 4th
Unleavened Bread: Sunday April 5th – Saturday April 11th
We would like to start by saying a few words about the first few nights of the Feast. We understand that there are varying views on how to keep the Passover/Night to be much Remembered. Our desire is to be unified as one body and be together as much as possible, while allowing each family to follow their personal conviction in regards to how to keep these very important evenings. (Ex 12:41-51, Matt 26:17-29, John 13:1-10, 1 Cor 5:7-8, 1 Cor 11:23-30). With much prayer and discussion, we have put together the following schedule. We hope that you will be uplifted and edified as we enter into the 1st of the Annual Holy Day Festivals in our Fathers’ Year.
Itinerary:
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Thursday April 2rd
We will not be holding a formal service this evening as brethren will be keeping this evening at their respective fellowships/homes. There will be a handful on site this evening keeping the bread wine and foot washing together. If you are interested please contact us and we can give you more information.
Friday April 3rd
Dinner
5:30-7:00 P.M. Tabernacle Annex
This dinner is for those who will not be keeping the Passover/Night to be much Remembered on this evening.
Passover/Night to be much Remembered
6:30-8:00 Tabernacle Back Room
For those who will be keeping the Passover/Night to be much Remembered, there will be meal served in the Tabernacle Back Room. We will begin at 6:30, There will be scripture readings to remind us of the reason we are gathered together to eat this meal. The Sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
Unleavened Bread/Wine/Foot washing
8:00 P.M. Tabernacle Main Room
For those who will be partaking of the elements there will be a service beginning at sundown in the Tabernacle Main Room, where we will have a service with scripture reading, unleavened bread, wine and foot washing
Saturday April 4th
Dinner
5:30-7:00 P.M. Tabernacle Annex
This dinner is for those who will not be keeping the Passover/Night to be much Remembered on this evening.
Passover/Night to be much Remembered
7:30 P.M. -12:00 A.M. Tabernacle Back Room
For those who will be keeping the Passover/Night to be much Remembered, there will be meal served in the Tabernacle Back Room. We will begin at 7:30 with some scripture reading, to reflect on the Passover of the Exodus, as well as the year that Messiah became the Passover Lamb. We will begin the meal at sunset 8:10 P.M. We will have continued readings and discussion through the meal. At the end of the meal we will read scriptures from the New Testament Where our Messiah gave instructions regarding the Bread, Wine, and Foot washing. After the Bread, Wine and Foot Washing we will continue in fellowship and discussion of the Events directly following the Historic Passover and The Passover of our Master Yahshua the Messiah.
For any clarification of these times, or if you have any questions please contact:
Todd Palmer
E-mail: unleavenedbread@aol.com
Phone: (810) 516-8664
Meals
We will be providing 3 meals per day over the course of the Feast at no addition cost starting on Friday, April 3rd. Those arriving earlier will be on their own for meals up to that point.
We will have some light snacks available during the day throughout the Feast in one of the condos.
Breakfast 8am to 10am:
Hot and cold Cereal, fruit, yogurt, and hard boiled eggs.
Lunches Noon-1:30pm:
Lunch meats, soups, salads, snacks.
Dinners 5:30pm-7pm
Setup, cleanup, and serving meals are an area we could use some additional help. Please let us know if you would like to volunteer.
LODGING
One of our goals was to have everyone be able to stay on site, at rates that almost all could afford. When we visited the Gull lake in person, we were very pleased with all of the facilities. Though Gull lake is used for some summer camps, the accommodations we have set up will not feel that way. With the exception of the cottages, the rest of the lodging has all been built in the last several years. Please note that there are no TVs or phones in the rooms.
Tobacco and alcohol are not permitted on the property. The off site condos do allow alcohol. At our request, Gull Lake Ministries has granted us an exception for the use of wine with passover services only, this will be the only exception made for alcohol at the Feast Site. We understand their policy, and appreciate their making this exception for us.
Kitchen Use:
– Cottages and Off Site Villas: those staying here will have full use of kitchen facilities
– Galatians and Matthew: those staying here will have limited personal use of kitchen facilities.
We will be utilizing these 2 kitchens for food storage, meal prep, and breakfast/lunch throughout the feast.
* If you have any questions please contact us via the contact information provided below under Registration
Multi Occupancy Rooms – $50 per night (subsidized with tax included):
sleeps 4-6
Limited number available.
See the Galatians building on the above website. When you walk into Galatians you will see a large comfortable shared living room, Dining room and Kitchen (this kitchen will have limited personal use, it will be utilized for group meal prep and food storage). On the second floor is a shared laundry room. Each private bedroom has its own private bathroom with a King or Queen bed and then 1 or 2 bunk beds. These rooms are ideal for the family.
Condo Rooms – $90 per night (subsidized with tax included):
sleeps 2-6
See the Matthew building on the above website. As you can see, this is one of their newest buildings. This building also has a sitting room, large comfortable shared living room, Dining room and Kitchen (this kitchen will have limited personal use, it will be utilized for group meal prep and food storage). On the second floor is a shared laundry room. Each private bedroom has its own private bathroom with a King or Queen bed and 1-2 bunk beds.
Cottages – $90 per night (subsidized with tax included):
sleeps up to 8 (2-3 bedrooms)
Cottages – $120 per night (subsidized with tax included):
sleeps 10-17 (3-5 bedrooms)
Here is the best rate. Perfect for a large family or maybe a couple of families or a group of friends that need to keep their cost down. Each cottage has its own character. Though these are the oldest buildings on property, they have been they have been well maintained. Each one has a little different bed configuration so you can look at the above website to choose one or call us to help you get the right one. Typically one bedroom will have a king or queen, the second and third bedrooms will have a combination of two person beds and or bunks. Each cottage will have a kitchen, dining and living room. Most have at least 2 baths. Some have a washer and dryer.
On Site Check in and Check out times
Check in for all units is 2pm.
Check out time for all accommodations will be at 11am. A 75$ per unit late fee will be assessed per Gull Lake Ministries, if space is left occupied.
If you are checking in Wednesday April 1st, – Friday April 3rd or late in the day and you have any questions or problems you can contact us through either of these #’s.
810-516-2615 Dena Palmer
810-516-8664 Todd Palmer
Onsite House Keeping
We have asked the facility to refrain from any scheduled house-keeping on the 4 days that we are recognizing as High Days/Sabbaths.
For those staying more than 5 nights, the staff will come in once during the Feast and clean your unit and change linens.
Please note……..Towels will be changed out 3rd day.
On Site Housing Payments
For those who would like to pay for their housing or make a donation to the Feast site prior to arriving, here is how:
Make checks payable to: Church of God Fellowship
Memo: Unleavened Bread event Housing or Donation
Send to C/O Aaron Baker
P.O. Box 111
St. Johns, MI 48879
Off Site Villas – $109 per night (not subsidized + tax):
sleeps 8
This was our potential overflow backup plan. Located approx 2.5 miles from the Feast site.
http://www.gulllakeview.com/stay.html
Each villa offers.
– Two bedrooms – each with two full beds
– Two bathrooms – adjacent to the bedrooms (hair dryers in each bathroom)
– Large living room – with couches & cable TV
– Full kitchen (includes basic supplies, microwave, stove, full size fridge)
– Balcony or patio
– Air conditioning
– Community barbeque area
– Wireless Internet
They allow alcohol on premises.
Offerings
During the Feast we will not be passing a plate to collect offerings. There will be a donation box throughout the Feast in the main meeting hall. We are trying to make this Feast site affordable, for as many as possible. One way we will do this is by supplying many of the meals at no charge. We have also reduced the cost of the onsite rooms by $30 per night, which is reflected in the above pricing. The prices you see above will be what each unit will cost. We are aware of some, who would like to come, but cannot afford to. If you would like to offer assistance to any of the above, you can contact us prior to the Feast or just simply visit the donation box at the site. Any funds collected will only be used for Feast expenses either now or in the future.
Serving
If you would like to serve in any way please let us know. Here are some of the ways we could use your help. If you come up with any thing else that is not on this list, please feel free to let us know.
– music
– children’s activities
– breakfast/lunch set up/cleanup
– seminars (we have a few slots open)*
– children’s choir
– Mothers Room
* if you would like to give a seminar, please submit your topic and a brief synopsis for consideration.
Please remember that topics should be biblically based and edifying for the whole body.
Activities:
We are planning some group activities, but will have to announced on-site as we are hoping and praying for some nice weather and waiting for the final counts to schedule.
On site indoor activities: (included free with stay)
– Bowling Alley
– Game Room:
– ping pong table
– pool table
– air hockey
– foosball
– 2 pickle ball courts (like tennis only with a wiffle ball)
– Indoor Climbing Wall
– Full Gym: there are chairs and tables at one end of the gym for spectators.
– Basketball
– Volleyball
– Walking/Running Track
– Fitness Center
Outdoor Activities:
– boating
– fishing
– hiking
Off site Activities:
There are several museums, and a very good zoo, not too far from the Feast Site. There are also as mentioned above
shopping and grocery stores
HOW TO REGISTER
All registration will be done through Aaron Baker and Todd Palmer. Please do not contact Gulllake Ministries for your lodging.
If you want to attend all or some of the Feast at this site please send an email to one of the addresses below with your intentions and desire for particular housing.
Aaron Baker
onyxbaker@msn.com
517-281-2073
Todd Palmer
toddanddena@charter.net
810-516-8664
Once we have received your intent email, we will send you a short registration form back within a couple days.
We look forward to hearing back from you, and seeing you in a little under 2 months.
Please feel free to pass this on to anyone that it might interest.
Have a blessed Evening
Much Love
Your Brothers and Sisters of the
Church of God Fellowship Lansing, and Durand Michigan Fellowship