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Flexibility in the Schedule

Posted by Debby on April 26, 2011

Our retreat booklet always contains a schedule of events. While it may include the start time for the session, or meal times, their schedule is mostly just an order of events that does not include the details of administrating the retreat.

Why do we do this? It happens. Your retreat is scheduled down to the minute. And then a speaker goes over by ten or fifteen minutes, sending your schedule into overtime. Or there is an equipment problem or distraction, or a myriad of other things that cause time issues. No need to panic!

The retreat coordinator must keep track of the schedule, and if something has gotten off track, she must juggle the schedule to accommodate the revision. Perhaps announcements will be put off until the next session. Maybe the worship team will need to cut a song. But it is not expedient for the general attendee to be stressing out because the session is not on schedule. It also provides flexibility in case you as a leader feel the Holy Spirit leading you to allow a schedule change.

Posted in: Retreat and Event Planning

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Lighten the Load!

Posted by Debby on April 19, 2011

It is often the pastor’s wife or women’s ministry leader who carries the load at a retreat. Not only does she run the retreat, make announcements and introductions, but she may also be speaking at the retreat. And of course, there are always those who want or need the opportunity to talk or counsel with her.

We have found that appointing a retreat coordinator, separate from the pastor’s wife or women’s ministry leader who heads up the retreat, is wise. The coordinator basically runs the retreat. She keeps track of announcements that need to be made. She keeps an eye on the time schedule, so that if the schedule gets off kilter, she can decide how to correct it. Disgruntled women are directed to her so their issues can be dealt with. She expresses the pastor’s wife’s desires–unofficial rules such as “no TV” and “no charges to room service” and she becomes the “enforcer” and keeps everyone on track, leaving the pastor’s wife free for ministry responsibilities.

This takes a great burden from the pastor’s wife, leaving the pastor’s wife free for ministry responsibilities.

Posted in: Lessons Learned, Retreat and Event Planning

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Searching for Graphics

Posted by Debby on April 12, 2011

Okay, so you don’t have a resident graphic artist to do all of your artwork. Where do you go? You cannot just copy any graphic that you find, because there are copyright laws prohibiting that sort of thing.

One option to consider is searching a royalty-free internet site like “Bigstock.com“. We recently had a “women in ministry” conference, which we called “Side by Side.” We found an adorable picture of three girls walking on a beach, hand in hand. It perfectly depicted the message of the conference, namely that women’s ministry is not a one-woman show. We need each other as we serve side by side together. Since the girls were walking on a beach, the event decorations revolved around a beach theme.

Bigstock.com and other similar sites usually have a fee to download the graphic, and a few rules that come with usage. These differ from site to site. The prices can range from free to $9 or higher. Some sites are ones where you join and for one fee you can download a certain number of graphics. You can “lightbox” or “download” the images. When you go this route, you do not need to worry about copyright info and giving credit. When we purchased the photo of the girls, we paid once and used it multiple times. One restriction limited the size of reproduction–we were not allowed to make a poster-sized copy of the image. Of course, we were not allowed to send it to someone else electronically to be used for a different event. None of the images are sold or used to make a profit. They are strictly used to enhance our theme.

If you go this route, please make sure you carefully read the rules of the site you choose.

Posted in: Money-Saving Tips, Resources, Retreat and Event Planning

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Finding that Perfect Graphic

Posted by Debby on April 8, 2011

Probably we’re all agreed that the perfect artwork or graphic can be the perfect complement to your event’s theme. But finding it…that can be the tricky part. We had several years where our women’s ministry was blessed with gifted artists who were gifted not only artistically, but also had a spiritual gift where they could translate our biblical event theme to artwork in a beautiful way. We know that is not always available. That is why we have made some of that artwork available through our Retreat-in-a-Bag series.

If you do have an artist in your midst, take opportunities beforehand to look at samples of her work. Pray before asking her to design your artwork–it is most difficult to ask someone to do your artwork, and then turn around and reject it. Give your artist as much information about your vision for the theme as you can. You can even ask for a couple different versions. A final note: it is possible that you will want to use that artwork again in the future. It may be a good idea to have your artist sign some kind of permission or release so that you are totally free to use her artwork at a later date.

And, where do you turn if you don’t have an artist in your midst? We’ll address some of your options in our next post, “Searching for Graphics.”

Posted in: Lessons Learned, Retreat and Event Planning

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“A Picture is Worth…”

Posted by Debby on April 5, 2011

Our next few posts will be dedicated to the task of finding the perfect artwork or graphic for your event…not the easiest task, but important, none the less. The artwork or graphics used for your event or retreat can be the thread that ties everything to your theme. The image you select will not only be used on booklets, name tags, and other handouts at the retreat. It can also used on flyers, signage and other promotional material. Often, your graphic will be the inspiration of your decorations. The image speaks volumes on its own and helps to develop the theme of the event.

Choosing a graphic is usually something that happens after prayerful consideration of the event theme. Sometimes the Lord will put a picture on your heart, or the theme itself suggests a picture. For instance, the theme for our retreat based on James 1:17 was “Every Good and Perfect Gift” and we found a graphic picturing a single box wrapped with a bow. The graphic was used on our name tags, booklets, the registration form and other promotional material. Decorations for the retreat were large wrapped presents all around the room. No one left that retreat without the visual memory of a beautifully wrapped present symbolizing that every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of Lights.

Posted in: Retreat and Event Planning

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