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Communion at a Retreat

Posted by Debby on April 30, 2013

One of the final elements of any of our women’s retreats is communion. Besides providing another opportunity for the Lord to speak individually to our ladies, it can be a time of commitment and moving key lessons from the retreat from their mind to their heart. We like to schedule communion at the end of the retreat to give ladies that one last opportunity to be quiet before the Lord and hear from Him. It is a quiet time of reverent worship before the Lord.

One of our women’s leaders is in charge of communion at the retreat. She is responsible for making sure all supplies are purchased and taken to the retreat, as well as finding those ladies who will help fill the communion cups and pass out communion. Normally, one of the leaders will be assigned to do a short communion devotion, reminding women of Paul’s guidelines to partaking in the Lord’s Supper in I Cor. 11:23-30.

Hopefully, all those things that the Lord has been speaking to our ladies during the retreat will be solidified in their hearts as they humble themselves before the Lord at communion–before they head back out into the world and into their busy lives. Don’t neglect providing communion at your retreat!

Posted in: Ingredients for a Great Retreat, Ministry at the Retreat, News & Information

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Encouraging Women to Serve

Posted by Debby on April 23, 2013

Serving God in some capacity should be a part of every woman’s walk if they desire to grow spiritually. But we have a lot of women who are not actively serving the Lord within the church setting. Of course, work, family, other commitments and plain old busyness play a big role; but I believe that part of the reason could be that women just don’t know where they fit in and don’t feel confident in their abilities.

Pray that the Lord would allow you to see the gifts and talents in your women. God has blessed many of our women with spiritual gifts, hobbies and/or experience in areas that we may not be aware of because of our limited contact with them. We may have, even within our small women’s ministries, artists, interior decorators, musicians, actresses, seamstresses, cooks, administrators, ministers of mercy and helps, those who enjoy reading and even those who have the gift of making women feel comfortable and welcome. When God brings these gifts to your attention, He can show you areas in your women’s ministry that would be a good fit for them. When given a chance to serve, many women blossom and become more confident in ministry.

Some women will never respond to a church announcement or a sign up sheet, so pray about inviting ladies personally to help out. A personal invitation, particularly one that includes an awareness of their individual gifts, abilities and experience, can make all the difference!

Posted in: Developing Leadership, News & Information, Retreat and Event Planning

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Let the Craziness Begin!

Posted by Debby on April 16, 2013

In case you are planning your first retreat, I want you to be forewarned: You can expect that last month or three weeks prior to the retreat to be “crazy” for you and your leadership team.

First, there is the normal flurry of activity as registration comes to an end. If you have a preliminary retreat registration deadline, that activity will start just prior to the retreat price going up. As registration closes, assigning rooms and getting the rooming list to the hotel by the deadline becomes becomes a priority, and you can expect there will be plenty of issues to resolve.

Not only is registration all in a dither, the leaders are all busy with last minute preparations, and Murphy’s Law kicks into effect as the enemy steps up his inevitable attacks on the work and in individual homes and families.

Be encouraged by I Chronicles 28:20: “…Be strong and of good courage, and do it: do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God–my God–will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you ave finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.”

Posted in: News & Information, Retreat and Event Planning

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Using Photos

Posted by Debby on April 9, 2013

For our themed women’s events, we commonly surf the web for an appropriate graphic. We sometimes forget that personal photos can be the themed graphic for a women’s retreat or event.

Sandy, from New York, recently shared this precious photo with me. Their women’s ministry used it as the main graphic for their women’s retreat. It was taken by one of their women during a visit to Scotland. The quality was good for copying purposes, and because it was a personal photo given for their use, there was no copyright/license consideration. And what a perfect image for their theme “Clinging to Jesus!”

In our experience, many photos online require either a membership or a fee. At the very least, attribution (photo credit) is required. Sometimes there are restrictions in the use of the photo. Obviously, the perfect photo is worth the hassle. But this is just another option for you to consider. I would love to hear how you have found that perfect graphic for your event!

By the way, Retreat-in-a-Bag has been given permission to offer this photo as a free download to our readers. Go to “Downloadable Graphics” in our “Resources” section (www.retreatinabag.net).

Posted in: News & Information, Retreat and Event Planning

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I’m a Minimalist – But Others are Not!

Posted by Debby on April 2, 2013

As I shared last week, when it comes to scenery, props and costuming for skits, I am a minimalist. Where we are lacking, we can let the imaginations take over.

However, I find that while I am a minimalist, others are not! It seems like every year, God puts women on the skit team who have that artistic vision that I definitely lack. When they read the skit, they not only can envision the scenery, props and costumes, they have the gift of bringing those visions into reality. I have found that if someone is gifted in the area of decorating a set or coming up with appropriate props and costuming, they are willing to go to the extra mile. They are willing to put in the time and effort, and they find great fulfillment in doing these behind-the-scenes tasks. Our last retreat skit was set on a train. As a minimalist, I would have just set up some chairs on stage and perhaps added a sign. Instead, our skit team came up with the amazing scenery and costumes seen above.

God has gifted women in so many different ways, and He wants to use them. I think He must be pleased when all of us work together to create a production that will bring Him glory.

Posted in: News & Information, Skits

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