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Praying for One Another

images-1A primary ministry at our retreats should be making prayer available for those who need someone to pray with them. Our retreats should be a place where women feel comfortable asking for prayer.  The Bible clearly states that we should “pray one for another that you may be healed” (James 5:16b).  Our leaders, as well as other mature women should be on the lookout for those women who perhaps look upset, needing personal prayer. But we all know that women are very good at hiding their true needs.  So we also provide  opportunities during the retreat where women can go to specifically ask for prayer.  One is normally in the evening, during a time of worship and waiting on the Lord, where we have women available to pray. We normally have prayer circles set up around the room where a woman can go to ask privately for prayer.  Sometimes the semi-darkness of the evening makes asking for prayer easier.  But we have done similar set-ups during the day, where women are invited to go to a specified room at a certain time where women are available to pray with them, and we always have a response.

Posted in: Ingredients for a Great Retreat, Ministry at the Retreat, News & Information, Retreat and Event Planning, Starting Points in Retreat Planning

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Incorporating Prayer into Your Retreat

Prayer_an-invitation-to-prayerPrayer is a most important ingredient of your retreat, during the planning stages as well as before, during and after the retreat or event itself.  If given the opportunity to participate in prayer before and during the retreat, we have found that there will be a core of women who will gladly participate.  We have promises from His Word that God answers prayer where “two or more are gathered together” and pray in agreement.  And keeping in mind that the enemy is also lurking at our retreat, prayer is an essential weapon in that warfare.  I’m sure I don’t need to say anything further about the absolute necessity of prayer.  But how can you incorporate it into your retreat?

Please note that each of these suggestions requires that a leader to be in charge and guiding it.

Before the retreat, we designate at least one time (usually before or after a service or study at church) where we pray specifically for the retreat.  At this meeting, we have specific areas for the ladies to pray about:  pray for the speaker, pray for the worship team, pray for distractions that the enemy would try to cause, etc.  And by that time we should have an almost final list of those who have registered, so we pray for each woman by name.

At the retreat, we schedule a prayer time before breakfast.  We probably lose some of those women who are not early risers, but gain others who are up early.  Usually this is a guided prayer time, where we pray for the events of the day, from fellowship time, to sessions and activities.

Another way we have incorporated prayer into a retreat is to schedule a “prayer walk” as a free time activity.  Some of your ladies might find this an invigorating activity after hours of sitting.  The way these are conducted varies, and you can google “prayer walk” for various options. We would simple determine a walking path, and set up prayer stops along the way. At each stop, a brief explanation or teaching was followed by directed prayer. This was repeated at each stop along the path.

 

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

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Building Your Retreat Schedule (Part I)

Planning your retreat schedule can be a daunting task.  I have listed some questions below.  You should know the answers to these questions before you actually start putting anything down on paper.

  • What are the non-negotiable schedule components set up by retreat venue?  (i.e. time to check in/check-out, meal times)
  • How many sessions will your speaker teach?
  • How long should each teaching session be?  (Our suggestion is 45 minutes or less; more than that become a little much for your women; however, your speaker may have some input on that.)
  • A time of worship should be planned for each session, prior to the teaching.
  • What other components of the retreat need to be considered?  Will you have a skit? Book reviews? Prayer times? Testimonies? Communion? Free time activities? Ice breakers or games? Craft times?  Determine the amount of time needed for each of these extra components.
  • Don’t forget to include announcements, introductions (if needed) and breaks for your women!

 

Posted in: Ingredients for a Great Retreat, News & Information, Retreat and Event Planning, Starting Points in Retreat Planning

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Communion at a Retreat

images-1One 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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Guided Quiet Time

We always schedule a quiet time at our women’s retreats–a time for women to personally seek the Lord and hear from Him.

Of course, if it is scheduled during the ladies’ free time, it is hard to ensure that ladies won’t use that time napping or being distracted by activities at the venue or fellowship with friends.  However, we can give them encouragement and guidance.  This is in the form of a quiet time Bible study.  This can be as simple as an assignment to read a passage and answer some specific questions–to a more involved, full-blown Bible study.  The subject of the quiet time study is always related to the retreat theme.  This study is incorporated into our retreat booklet, and time is blocked out on our retreat schedule for its completion.  Ladies are encouraged to find a quiet place and spend time with the Lord doing this study.

Lately, we have tried something new.  We schedule the quiet time after lunch, and everyone meets in the large meeting room together to complete their study.  There is no talking during this time (besides a brief moment of group instruction, if needed).  Being back in the meeting room encourages everyone to do the quiet time (without distraction), and also allows us to incorporate an interactive activity into the study (such as going up front to pick a Bible promise from a box).

Quiet time studies are available on our website under resources, free for download.  Also, each of the books in our Retreat-in-a-Bag book series includes a theme-related quiet time study. Don’t neglect to incorporate a quiet time into your retreat!

Posted in: Ingredients for a Great Retreat, Ministry at the Retreat, Resources, Retreat and Event Planning

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