“Mama Drama”

Moms with children at home are at the top of the list when it comes to NEEDING a retreat!!   Those with infants are easily accommodated at your retreat.  We ask moms not to bring babies that are 6 months old or older.  Older babies needing to move around and talk and babble just don’t work at a retreat. Don’t let a more “free spirited” mom talk you into allowing her “very compliant” 9 month old to attend.  It just doesn’t work and she will miss out on most of the retreat anyway.

Oops! The Speaker Went Over… (Part 2)

So, you are encountering some problems in your schedule.  The retreat coordinator is well aware of the issue, and may be adjusting the schedule accordingly.  But the attendees do not need to be aware that you are not right on schedule.  All of us get antsy when we know things are not on schedule, when an event starts late or a speaker is going over their time allotment.

The original working schedule should have every event timed down to the minute, and those giving announcements, doing worship, giving a testimony or doing a book review should be made aware of exactly how much time is allotted to them.  It doesn’t hurt to have a copy of that master schedule at the podium; timers can be useful, too.

However, the program given to general attendees should list only crucial times (when the session starts, lunch time, etc.).  Everything else should just be an order of events.  Those women who watch the time will have no idea when the speaker was supposed to start and end, eliminating any possible time-related stress on their part. Easy fix!