A Retreat for Spiritual Formation in the Texas Annual Conference
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It all begins with a prayer. That is how Cramer Retreat Center was established, and it is one of the reasons that preparing a prayer garden area has been one of the earliest grounds projects on the property.
With the help of volunteers from St. Philip's United Methodist Church in Houston, Texas, the area surrounding a unique tree near the banks of a pond was cleared and prepared for planting. There was a lot of hard work digging and chopping, sawing and cutting, hoeing and raking. There was also a great deal of fellowship and laughter as people of God came together to take a step toward preparing an area set aside just for contemplating our Creator's world. It is a place where guests can marvel that this awesome, powerful God loves us. It is also a place where each of us can commune and develop a deeper relationship with this awesome, powerful God.
A prayer garden takes shape from preparing the ground. It takes character from what grows from that ground. The tree at the heart of the garden is a Chinese tallow tree. This unusual tree has six trunks growing from a common base on the ground, and a seventh trunk that is separated from the others but grows from the same root system. It seemed a simple reflection of the six days of creation, and a poignant depiction of the seventh day which was set aside for resting.
The area surrounding the tree is bordered on 7 sides with timbers. With generous contributions and volunteer work from United Methodist Women of Lakewood United Methodist Church in Houston, heather, grasses, and bedding plants have beautified the ground, making the garden a truly pleasant environment to enjoy a peaceful time of prayer. The women also added a simple plaque which reads, "Seeds Planted, Love Grown."
From the Cramer Retreat Center, we hope you will take time to visit and to spend time in the prayer garden deepening your relationship with our Creator, our Redeemer, our Lord.
God bless you--
The Cramer Retreat Center