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Opportunities in a Smaller Church

Posted by Debby on November 18, 2010

It is easy to see the benefits of serving in a large church. Although I think every church, no matter its size, has a small percentage of people who do the bulk of the work, it seems that a larger church would have more people with whom to share the burdens and duties. Often, a larger church will have a budget and extra resources available. At the very least, with more people, there is a better chance that there are resourceful and skilled people in the church who can advise and provide aid.

But if you are in a smaller church, there are some wonderful opportunities that may not be an open door in the larger church. In terms of women’s ministry, as a small church, we needed everyone to help when we put on an event. That meant that women were often asked to step up to the plate and serve in areas where she may not have chosen. A lot of stretching went on as women were called upon to do things outside of their comfort zone. It might have been in planning, decorating, supervising, participating in a skit, cooking and serving, greeting and hospitality, opportunities to speak in front of a group (even if it was only making announcements), crafts, event planning, organization… The list goes on and on. And as we all served, it seemed that ladies naturally gravitated toward those areas where God had gifted them. I saw women begin to discover their spiritual gifts and use them within the body.

Posted in: Lessons Learned

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A Tip for Name Tags

Posted by Debby on November 17, 2010

We want our ladies to wear name tags at any event to promote fellowship and getting to know one another by name–not to mention helping those of us who forget names that we should know!. There are various options when you are considering name tags.

There are peel-and-stick name tags which are the most economical option, but they are best used for one day events.
There is the pin style badge where the name tag slips into a plastic cover which can be pinned on. Although these say “garment friendly” now, we find that these are not the best option for women, because the pins may pull and even ruin certain fabrics.
There is the clip-on badge, of which there are several varieties. While better than pin style, these also can be detrimental to clothing.
There is the lanyard, which is a cord worn around the neck.

We have used all of these options. But now, for many of our events, we use lanyards. What is a lanyard? It is defined as “a cord worn around the neck” and they may be purchased at any office supply for use with name badges. Some have clear covers attached at the end, others have clips. As you can imagine, this option is the most costly per person.

How do we justify the extra cost? At the end of the event, we ask that the ladies leave their lanyards in a basket at the rear of the room, or we pass around a basket for the lanyards to be dropped in. That way, we can reuse those that are returned. We have also done this with badge covers. So while the initial outlay may be a little more expensive, in the end, they are not only the safest for our ladies’ clothing, but they result in a lower overall investment.

Posted in: Ingredients for a Great Retreat, Lessons Learned, Registration

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Don’t Overbook Your Guest Speaker

Posted by Debby on November 11, 2010

It is understandable that those planning the retreat would want fill the schedule with teaching sessions, to insure that we are “filling the cup” of all of our women. However, you do not want to “overbook” your guest speaker. Plan your schedule so that your guest speaker has down time between sessions to regroup, review her notes, pray and ready herself for the next session. Do not expect your speaker to participate in other retreat events; if they choose to participate, it is a blessing. However, make sure your guest speaker knows that she has the option to stay with the group and fellowship or retreat to her room.

Our retreats go from Friday night to Sunday noon, and we normally schedule the guest speaker three or four times. In addition to the main sessions, we sometimes ask the guest speaker to share informally on Friday night (the first evening of the retreat). If she is willing, we ask her to share her testimony, so that the ladies can get to know her. Women respond to a speaker that has been open and shared glimpses of her life and background.

Posted in: Your Guest Speaker

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Paying Your Guest Speaker

Posted by Debby on November 10, 2010

I Timothy 5:18 says “For the Scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,’ and, ‘The laborer is worthy of his wages.'” No one should expect a guest speaker to speak at an event without paying them. As you begin to plan for your event, immediate budget items should include your speaker’s honorarium and travel expenses. If you are on a tight budget, it is best to find a speaker who is closer to home.

When you contact your potential guest speaker, one of the first questions you need to have answered is: Does she charge for her services? Don’t assume that all speakers are fine with a love gift or whatever you can afford. Many speakers have a set charge because this is how they earn their living.

If the speaker does not have a set charge, we normally set the honorarium according to the number of times that she will be speaking. It is hard to give a hard and fast rule for determining the honorarium, because so many factors come into play, including your location. You may want to get a ball park honorarium amount from a nearby church. Currently, our rule of thumb is between $100 and $125 per teaching. For a retreat with three main sessions, that is about $400. This is probably low compared to what larger churches pay.

Prepare the honorarium in advance. Enclose it within a thank-you note and give it to your guest speaker at the end of your event.

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Check, Check, and Recheck!

Posted by Debby on November 9, 2010

The week of the retreat is here. After registration closed, there was a flurry of activity that we described as “shenanigans.” This last minute juggling of who is attending and who is in what room increases the chance for errors and confusion as women arrive and check in at the retreat.

So, to avoid this confusion as much as possible, this week we were doing a lot of checking. Do we have a name tag for everyone who is now committed to attending? Did we spell the names on the name tags correctly? Is the final rooming list correct? Does everyone on our final registration list match up with those on our rooming list? Is the hotel’s printout of the rooming list correct?

The checking is time consuming, but it pays off as registration at the retreat runs smoothly.

Posted in: Retreat and Event Planning

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