The History of Gulf Coast Tres Dias
A Story of Grace, Community, and Changed Lives
For more than two decades, Gulf Coast Tres Dias has been bringing Christian men and women together along the Gulf Coast for a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ.
Our story began in the fall of 2000, when a group of Christians from the Gulf Coast became connected with the Birmingham Tres Dias community. What began as a vision to bring the Tres Dias experience to our area soon grew into a local community of believers committed to serving Christ and one another.
From those early beginnings, Gulf Coast Tres Dias continued to grow. In 2006, Gulf Coast Tres Dias became a chartered community of Tres Dias International, joining a worldwide movement of Christian communities dedicated to helping believers develop a closer and more personal relationship with Christ.
Since those early days, our community has continued to gather men and women from different churches, backgrounds, and walks of life around one common foundation: Jesus Christ and His grace.
What Is Tres Dias?
The words Tres Dias mean “Three Days” in Spanish.
Tres Dias is an interdenominational Christian movement that grew out of the Cursillo movement, which began in Spain in the 1940s. The Tres Dias movement was developed as a way of helping Christians experience a renewed and deeper relationship with Christ while encouraging them to live out their faith in their homes, churches, workplaces, and communities.
Tres Dias is more than a weekend away.
It is an opportunity to step away from the noise and responsibilities of everyday life and spend three concentrated days experiencing Christian fellowship, worship, prayer, teaching, testimony, reflection, and encouragement.
At the center of the weekend is the person and teachings of Jesus Christ.
The goal is not to create a new church or denomination. Tres Dias brings Christians together around the foundational truths they share while respecting the differences among Christian traditions and denominations.
The Tres Dias Journey
The Tres Dias experience is traditionally understood in three phases:
Pre-Weekend
The journey begins before the weekend itself.
A candidate is invited by a sponsor who helps prepare them for the experience and continues to encourage them throughout their Tres Dias journey. The purpose is to arrive at the weekend ready to step away from everyday responsibilities and focus on what God may be doing in their life.
The Three-Day Weekend
The weekend is the heart of Tres Dias.
Candidates spend three days together in an environment centered on Christ, surrounded by Christian men or women who have come together to serve them.
Throughout the weekend, candidates hear talks and testimonies from lay speakers and clergy, participate in small-group discussions, worship together, pray, sing, laugh, share meals, and build relationships.
Each part of the weekend is designed to build upon what came before it.
The atmosphere is one of grace, love, joy, fellowship, worship, encouragement, and service.
The Fourth Day
The weekend does not end when the candidate goes home.
In Tres Dias, the rest of life is called the Fourth Day.
The purpose of the Fourth Day is to take what was experienced during the weekend and live it out in everyday life—at home, at work, at church, and wherever God has placed us.
Tres Dias encourages Christians to continue growing through prayer, Scripture, fellowship, small-group relationships, service, and Christian leadership.
The weekend is only the beginning.
Gulf Coast Tres Dias Today
Today, Gulf Coast Tres Dias continues the mission that began more than twenty years ago: to help Christians develop a closer and more personal walk with Jesus Christ and encourage them to become servant leaders in their churches, families, workplaces, and communities.
Our community is made up of ordinary people who have experienced the grace of God and want to share that grace with others.
We come from different churches and different backgrounds, but we gather around the same Lord.
Men and women participate in separate Tres Dias weekends, creating an environment where candidates can openly share, listen, worship, pray, and grow together. Gulf Coast Tres Dias typically holds weekends throughout the year, continuing a tradition that has been at the heart of our community since its beginning.
For some, the weekend becomes a time of renewal.
For others, it becomes a turning point.
For many, it becomes the beginning of lifelong friendships and a deeper commitment to living for Christ.