Journey to Retreat 2010 – October

Our October leaders’ meeting took place this week.  We are about 6 weeks out from the retreat.  Registration is in full swing and the excitement is building. Additionally, our fall women’s Bible study has just begun, we have a Christmas dessert in the preliminary planning stages, and the women’s ministry is sponsoring a booth at the church’s annual Hallelujah party on Oct. 31.  So we had a lot to discuss, but our major topic of discussion was the women’s retreat.

• Registration is going well, and will continue for about 2-1/2 more weeks.
• We have a new leader in charge of registration at the retreat, and she has been trained.
• Books for the book table have been ordered, and will hopefully be in the hands of the reviewers in the next week.
• Skit(s) are being fine-tuned, and final scripts will be ready this week.  Those who have volunteered to help with production (behind the scenes and on stage) will be contacted with times for a read-through and practice.
• Name tags have been designed.
• We were hoping to find a suitable charm to use as a remembrance gift.  However, we have run into a snag in that area, and time is getting short.
• Still in progress:  our schedule and program booklet, the quiet time study, decorations, name tags and remembrance gifts.
• A work party (for any woman who wants to help) has been schedule for the end of October.  At this work party, we may work on name tags, remembrance gifts, decorations…anything that needs helping hands.
• A couple of leaders will be going out to the hotel to finalize how/where/when we will be able to set up our sound system, staging, etc.

Since our next meeting is about ten days prior to the retreat, a lot things will have happened before that meeting.

• Registration will have ended, and the rooming list and BEO’s (Banquet Event Orders) will have been sent to the hotel.
• Skit practices will have taken place.
• Book table will be ready.
• Name tags, booklets and remembrance gifts, if not completed, will be in process.
• We will be prepared for the Prayer Meeting for the Women’s Retreat on November 7.
• Items to be taken to the retreat will be accumulating as they are readied.

This is a busy time for all of our women’s leaders, and more than ever we need to cover all that we do with prayer.  We want God to work in the lives of women at our retreat!

Journey to Retreat 2010 – September

Our September leaders’ meeting has come and gone.  With minor discussion and planning for our new women’s Bible study and an upcoming women’s event, the meeting was primarily focused on the retreat.We got an update from all leaders:

• Registration:  All registration materials are ready to go, as church registration opened on Sept. 19.  We also had a flyer for the bulletin that day, and an announcement was made.  Registration is staffed, so that there will be people to answer questions and accept registrations and deposits. Although it is too late for this year, we discussed giving some kind of monetary incentive or discount to encourage early registration.
• Skit:  The skit writing process has begun.  This year, the skit will not be an ongoing, character driven “serial” skit; instead, preliminary drafts include various scenarios of gift giving, possibly written as 15 minute vignettes.
• Retreat Planning:  The preliminary schedule was handed out and reviewed.  The schedule will be tweaked over the next month, as we finalize skit timing, times when the book table will be open, workshops, etc.
• Quiet Time:  In process.
• Book table/book reviews: In process
• Decorations/Remembrance gifts:  In process;

As registration begins this Sunday, other areas of retreat planning will kick into gear, such as compiling the rooming list.  This retreat marks our 25th year (our silver anniversary) of women’s retreats at Calvary Plano.  We will be acknowledging this at the retreat by having comments and insights by those who have been around those 25 years.

With such a big “to do” list, this is a critical time for prayer.  Everyone who plays a part in putting on the retreat should be seeking the Lord at this time.  It’s easy to get lost in the work (like Martha) but we also need to be sensitive to God’s leading and spend time at His feet (like Mary).  We want to please and bless the ladies who come to the retreat, but most of all, we want to please God!