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What Women Do for One Another

Posted by Debby on September 18, 2012

God uses women in the body of Christ to minister to other women–to love, affirm and encourage one another. Those are precious relationships. God gives us a beautiful picture of this in Scripture in the story of Mary, the mother of Jesus and Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist.

Both of these moms-to-be were carrying a child whose divine purpose had been revealed by an angel–a unique experience, to say the least. Being in somewhat similar circumstances, they understood and affirmed what the other was experiencing. They rejoiced in God together and strengthened one another. The time they spent together was a gift from God, who knew a woman’s need to share with another woman.

That’s what women do for each other. We support one another and help each other become better, godlier women. That’s why we need to connect with one another. God may surprise you with the gift of another woman with whom you can share your heart and receive support and encouragement. It is what women’s ministry is all about.

Posted in: Inspirations, Ministry at the Retreat

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The Teen Scene

Posted by Debby on June 13, 2012

Women’s retreats and teenage young women–how do you handle the teen issue? We love to include teen girls in our women’s retreats! Our practice has been to allow young women who are junior high age and up to attend.

Teens who attend our retreats basically fall into these three groups:

Teens who come to a retreat with their mom and room with their mom;
Teens who come to the women’s retreat with their friends and their mom will not be in attendance;
Teens who come to the retreat with their mom, but would prefer to stay with other teens.

Here are a few things we do to accommodate our teens:

Find a teen chaperone. Do you have a woman wh0 has a heart for teenage girls? Best case scenario, that woman already works with the youth, and is willing to be with them during the retreat.
Permission slip. For those whose mom will not be at the retreat, a responsible adult must be identified (in writing) and given written permission to make decisions as a parent at the retreat. This permission must be signed by the parent.
Give them a room together. We ask the hotel or camp for a larger room, so that the teens can all room together with their chaperone. Hopefully, we can then lower the price for the teens who choose to stay in the group room.
Plan teen events at the retreat. We may plan a few special events for the teens, ranging from a special workshop to special free time activities.

Posted in: Lessons Learned, Ministry at the Retreat, Retreat and Event Planning

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The Dreaded “Praying Aloud”

Posted by Debby on May 23, 2012

There are many women, including “retreat rookies” who have a fear of praying aloud. These women may have a very sweet relationship with the Lord, but for whatever reason are reluctant to pray aloud in front of others. If we think back to our early days as a Christian, probably all of us understand their hesitation. Ladies may even shy away from participating in women’s events for fear they will be called upon to pray aloud. Their fear may result from their lack of opportunity to hear other women praying aloud, a concern that they will misspeak or even pray something that is not Biblical, or simply a reluctance to open up to others in prayer. They may be intimidated by the flowery, spiritual language used by others in prayer. This anxiety normally lessens as more time is spent praying with other women, but it can be a very real fear.

We need to be sensitive to this issue faced by some of our women. Try not to put anyone on the spot. If you like to divide your women into groups to pray at retreats or other events, we would suggest that you always make sure that the prayer groups have at least three women. Make sure that you know that at least one woman in the group is comfortable praying aloud, and designate her as the “leader” of the group. Then, announce that if a woman does not feel comfortable praying aloud, all she needs to do is let her group leader know, and she will be covered by the others in her group.

Posted in: Ministry at the Retreat, Realities of Ministry, Retreat and Event Planning

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“Retreat Rookies”

Posted by Debby on May 2, 2012

One question we always ask at the beginning of our retreats is: “Is there anyone here tonight who is attending her FIRST retreat?” It is amazing how many women raise their hand from year to year. It is easy to forget how many women are novices when it comes to retreats.

Having these “retreat rookies” raise their hands also reminds us that those “retreat rookies” often attend their first retreat with very real fears and misgivings. Their own insecurities fueled by the enemy’s lies can cause a lot of anxiety. We need to make an extra effort to reach out with some TLC (tender-loving care)! This begins with a warm greeting as they arrive. Making an extra efforts to talk with them about what will happen at the retreat may go a long way to relieving their anxieties.

Posted in: Ministry at the Retreat, Retreat and Event Planning

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Free Time Options

Posted by Debby on May 24, 2011

As an old adage reminds us “the mind can’t take in what the seat can’t endure.” That goes for retreats, too! Every retreat should include “free time” as a part of the schedule. It’s essential to give your ladies some down time–time to relax and have fellowship with one another. Some ladies may just want to nap!

We have found early afternoon to be a good time for “free time” activities. And there are always those night owls who are revved up and ready to party in the evenings after our last session ends. While there are endless options, we like to make specific options known that encourage fellowship.

Depending on your retreat location, there may be recreational activities available, such as volleyball, tennis, walking trails or even swimming. For those who prefer something less active, we try to provide a “game room.” We will discuss this further in a coming post, but a game room is especially nice for those who are new, because it is open to anyone who is interested and wants to join; games and puzzles tend to encourage casual and friendly fellowship without putting demands on those who may be shy or less social.

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

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