Retreat Center
Comunidad Cristiana de Restauración
eMi AL Project #7093
(led in partnership with the América Latina office)

September 24th - October 2nd, 2011

Contact
Micah Florea
phone: (719) 571-9503
(eMi AL internet office phone - US number)

Trip Leader
Steve Ulrich

Team Needs

• Architect - for site master plan and building design
• Drafter - for 3D modeling and 2D construction documents
• Financial Sponsors - to underwrite project costs

Project Scope
La Comunidad Cristiana de Restauración (Christian Community of Restoration, CCR) has been sharing the gospel of Christ and helping to restore broken lives in the Dominican Republic since 2002.  Pastor Elbin Castillo has been leading this church community and encouraging them to be active in their faith.  Now, CCR is filled with passionate followers of Christ that run 17 different ministries, including a youth ministry, a couples’ ministry, an art ministry, and a prison ministry, among many others.  The various ministries have allowed them to reach out to a variety of God’s people, meeting them where they are, and inviting them into a relationship with Christ.  CCR has been especially interested in reaching out to local youth, hoping to reach entire families through them.

The church would like to hold regular camps and retreats as part of their strategy to reach out to the youth.  However, camp facilities are lacking in the Dominican Republic, and it has been difficult over the years to find places to hold camps and retreats that provide an inviting atmosphere without being too expensive.  CCR has recently obtained about 14 acres of land to develop into a camp and retreat facility of their own.  The land currently has no utilities or construction on it.  CCR is excited to have EMI involved in their camp design because most camp facilities in the DR are built without a design, resulting in uncoordinated ad-hoc construction projects that do not offer a cohesive camp experience.  They would like to develop the camp in phases to have a final capacity of 500 people.

CCR would like to have about 20 cabins dispersed throughout the property, each housing about 25 people.  They would also like to have a kitchen/dining facility, a church/meeting space, and sports fields.  To access the site, they will need to build about 1000’ of roadway, construct a 40’ long bridge, and create a parking area.  The site is currently off the grid, and they would like to consider using solar power or some other sustainable power generation to meet the energy demand of the camp.

CCR has been reaching out to the youth of severe poverty in their community, and they look forward to having their own retreat center to offer to this group of people who wouldn’t otherwise have the means to pay.  In addition, CCR plans to rent out their camp facility to other churches across the Dominican Republic.  With the generated income, they hope to be able to eventually build a nursing home, provide rehabilitation for drug addicts, and develop a “child survival” program.

Will you prayerfully consider how you could help Elbin Castillo and CCR bless their community by making this retreat center a reality?

Cost
Approximately $1300-$1800