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Look Low

In the world, we talk of  “climbing the ladder of success.” Leaders in the secular world are often strong and gifted individuals, achievers who have found success or distinguished themselves in some way.  Often they are self-promoters who set goals for themselves and strive to achieve them.

But we know that the Biblical measure of success in no way resembles that of the world.  In fact, it is often the polar opposite.  The Bible says that it is the humble who will be raised up; the true leader is a servant. Jesus–submitted, humble, serving and loving–is our role model of true leadership.

When looking for leaders in your women’s ministry, it may be tempting to look at those with natural leadership skills, articulate communicators and results-oriented achievers.  But may I suggest that the first place you look is not up–at those who flaunt their gifts, demand respect and desiring a public position.  Instead, look low.  Find someone who is already serving your women. What woman is showing their commitment to your women by being available and humbly serving in whatever capacity needed?  That is the type of leader you need!

Posted in: Developing Leadership, News & Information, Realities of Ministry

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Summer Fun

Are you thinking ahead?

If your women’s ministry is like ours, our regular in-depth women’s Bible studies go on a short hiatus during the summer months.  But we want to have something going on, and it is a great opportunity to include girls (ages 10 and up) as well as teens.  Our fun, four-week summer study is usually well attended, and includes women who normally can’t participate during the school year.

What we have done for the past 10 years or so is to write our own short topical study.  Each lesson has less than 7 questions.  So while there is a little homework, it is not overwhelming.  We then plan 4 evenings in the summer to get together. These are fast-paced evenings.  Teachings are short, and we include ice-breakers/games, fun snacks, a skit (of course!) and then we fill in with what we call “commercials”–five minute topics of interest ranging from Bible facts, health tips, memorizing scripture, local day trips, etc.  The evening is fast-paced and easy for the younger ones with shorter attention spans.

This year our theme is “A Fruitful Garden.” We had gardening decorations, a skits series on gardening, and “commercials” where women shared gardening tips. Last year, since it was Olympics year, our theme was “Go for the Gold.”  Some of the short series skits available on this website for free download were for these summer studies (“If the Shoe Fits” and the “Confronting Your Giants”).  If you are interested, you can check our our Bible study resources at the women’s page at www.ccplano.com.

If you have been hesitant to pursue what it take to do a longer skit at your retreat or event, these “series skits” (a series of skits with a continuing or related storyline) would be a great way to get your feet wet in a more casual and less intimidating setting.

Posted in: News & Information, Resources, Retreat and Event Planning

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Available Bible Studies

This post may be a little out of the scope of this website which focuses on ministry to women at retreats.  But as a women’s ministry leader, I have spent countless hours searching for and reviewing Bible studies appropriate for women.

During the school year, we want to do a more in-depth study of God’s Word.  We especially like going verse-by-verse through a book or passage of the Bible, although we do topical studies on occasion.  In case you are in charge of looking for studies, I am going to mention two resources for women’s studies that we use.  We have done almost all of the studies available on these two websites:  Calvary Dallas and Calvary Pasadena.  My friend at Women’s Ministry Toolbox also has some ideas.

Posted in: News & Information, Retreat and Event Planning

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Hello, I’m New

shutterstock_135207233Women rarely announce that they are new, or that they are attending their first-ever retreat or women’s event. Attending a first retreat or event can be daunting, particularly if one is also new to the church and yet to get acquainted with women. It takes a lot of courage to attend an event where you know no one!

I would suggest that you identify those first-timers, and look for other indicators that she is stepping out of her comfort zone to attend your retreat or event.  This may not be as easy as just looking for names you don’t recognize among those who have registered.  You can ask each woman as she registers if they have attended a retreat in the past, or put a box on the registration form for the woman to check if this is her first time to attend a retreat.  Upon registration, if a roommate is not designated, that could indicate that she doesn’t know anyone to ask to be her roommate.

Once you have identified the women who are new:

  • Assign someone to call the woman before the retreat to answer questions and see if she has special needs or needs a ride to the retreat;
  • Inform the greeters at the retreat so they can give her a special welcome upon her arrival and introduce her to others;
  • Assign a “room hostess” to be their roommate and to sit with them at the retreat.

Have you thought of other ways to welcome those who are new?

 

Posted in: Ingredients for a Great Retreat, Lessons Learned, Ministry at the Retreat, News & Information, Retreat and Event Planning

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Steal Our Show

Our retreat is less than a week away.  We have spent weeks in preparation and registration for the event.  We are looking forward to our guest speaker.  We are anxious about details.  You probably know the drill.

But pretty soon, the big weekend will be here.  Listen to these words from “Steal My Show” by TobyMac:

If you wanna steal my show
I’ll sit back and watch you go
If you got something to say
Go on and take it away
Need you to steal my show
Can’t wait to watch you go oh oh oh
So take it away.

YES!  That’s what we want.  We want the Holy Spirit to come and “steal the show” and we’ll sit back and watch Him go.  We’ve done all we can…but He is the only One who can take our feeble efforts and use the weekend to transform lives.

 

 

 

 

Posted in: Inspirations, Lessons Learned, News & Information, Retreat and Event Planning

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