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4 Reasons to Include a Book Table at your Women’s Event

Posted by Debby on September 15, 2015

There are some who might say that reading books is a lost art. Everything is digital But books are still making the best seller lists.

At every retreat, and even some women’s events, we try to have a “book table” set up for the women to browse and buy solid Christian books that we recommend. I have written a lot regarding this on this website (check out blog category “book table“), and even have a drop-down menu of recommended books under “Resources.” Here are some reasons why this is a part of our normal practice:

1. Reading Christian books, in addition to regular Bible reading and study, can foster spiritual growth.

2. Women who like to read don’t always make the best choices of reading material; we like to make books available which will encourage and edify and build up, as well as being doctrinally correct.

3. Having a selection of good Christian books available (and possibly doing book reviews at the event) encourages women to broaden their reading options to include biographies and other genres that perhaps they don’t normally read.

4. Often we can get books at a wholesale or discounted price, and sell at or close to cost, which makes purchasing books more affordable for our ladies. We also include used and donated books which women can “purchase” for a donation of any amount.

Posted in: Book Table, News & Information, Retreat and Event Planning

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Why Workshops?

Posted by Debby on September 1, 2015

I did a recent survey of our women, asking what elements of a retreat were most important to them. One of the surprises in the results was that a number of the women listed “workshops” in their top five answers. One woman commented on this. She said that she likes being able to select a topic, and “hit some areas of my spiritual walk that I need to work on.”

We don’t always have workshops. In fact, this year we have chosen to omit them, because we are having to fit a fourth Saturday session into the retreat schedule because our guest speaker has to leave early. Including workshops would take away from the little free time we do have, and that free time crucial to our ladies.

However, we most often do provide workshops of some kind. Some years we just have a special break-out workshop (separating married women, single women and teens). One year we centered on God’s Word (Bible survey, studying techniques, having devotions, memorizing scripture). Other ideas would include: mothers of preschoolers/elementary age/teens, dealing with emotions (anger, guilt, fear, etc.), prayer, friendship…the list is endless. Personally, I especially enjoy a workshop that has a panel discussions so you get a variety of perspectives on the topic.

One note about workshops: If you anticipate one being better attended than others (for instance, “married women”), we holdthat workshop in the main teaching area. To avoid having too many people in one workshop, you can have women choose a workshop and then close the workshop when you reach the maximum number that your room can hold.

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

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What Women Look Forward to at a Retreat

Posted by Debby on August 18, 2015

I recently did an informal survey among our women who regularly attend our retreats. One thing I wanted to find out was what they most look forward to in attending a ladies’ retreat. I loved the answer given by one of our ladies: “The best part of all retreats for me is when God shows up in some really personal and meaningful way.” Another woman added “I love the retreats because the Lord always either speaks to my heart, refreshes my soul and/or I get to see Him do this in another women’s life.” Many of those who responded referenced the time a retreat provides for them to seek God away from the distractions of a busy home life. To me, those answers sum up the purpose of a retreat–providing a time away from the distractions of “life” so that women can devote themselves to seeking and hearing from the Lord.

The informal survey gave women to opportunity to rate elements of the retreat in order of what was important to them. You might think that the women choose to attend the retreat based on the guest speaker or friends who are also attending. But those who come year after year were consistent in mentioning these as their top three:

Time of worship
Teaching and special speaker (“I want to get the meat of the Word at a retreat”)
Promise verse (“I look forward to my promise scripture, because even if it doesn’t speak to me at that time, it always does within the year that it was given to me.”)

Consistently within the top five were: Workshops and quiet time, and Free time and fellowship.

What do you look forward to at your retreats?

Posted in: Ingredients for a Great Retreat, Lessons Learned, News & Information, Retreat and Event Planning

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Make a Timeline

Posted by Debby on August 3, 2015

A timeline, or retreat planning calendar, is basically a schedule of what needs to be done by when in the planning of an event. It is wise to plan 9 to 12 months ahead of time. For a smaller event, 3 to 6 months may be sufficient. A longer timeline is helpful for smaller groups where individuals carry a bigger load. Planning a year in advance is not too soon, especially when speaker and venue availability is an issue.

It is a little like being pregnant! You have a 9-month deadline and have a list of things that need to be done before the date arrives. Based on that “due date,” you plan accordingly, and you know how much time you have before the “big day” arrives. There are things you can do almost immediately and things that will have to wait until just prior to the event.

When making your event timeline, begin with any cut-off dates that you have with the venue where the event will take place. Hotels, as well as other venues tell you the final date when they need to receive your list of attendees, which helps them plan for rooms and meals. These deadlines help you know how much time you have to plan and when to start and end registration. For example, if the hotel rooming list is due on November 1 for our November 12 retreat, I know that I need to schedule registration to end before that day and give myself time to make room adjustments. I also need to determine how many weeks our women will have to sign up, and coordinate church and bulletin announcements. So, in the above scenario, where the rooming list is due on Nov. 1, registration would begin in mid-September and end at the end of October, when final payment would be due.

Nov. 12 RETREAT
Nov. 1 Hotel requires rooming list
Oct. 25 End retreat registration
Sept.15 Begin retreat registration

This is the core of your retreat planning calendar. Other due dates and related events can be added to this as you go, helping to keep your planning on schedule.

Posted in: Lessons Learned, News & Information, Retreat and Event Planning, Starting Points in Retreat Planning

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Make Your Name Tags POP

Posted by Debby on July 7, 2015

I believe that if you host a women’s event, you need name tags. Personally, wearing name tags helps me avoid those awkward moments that begin with my well-rehearsed line: “I know we’ve met, but I’ve forgotten your name….” Name tags can be functional when they are simple and plain–BUT they can POP with very little extra effort. Name tags can actually become a memento of your event. As you can see in my somewhat photos above, I have kept mine over the years.

Here are some suggestions for easy ways you can enhance your name tags.

Use a large, block font for the name! Ever been to an event where you either had to squint to read the person’s name, or the font was so fancy that you were unsure if you were speaking to Tori or Lori? Put the person’s first name in a big, bold easy-to-read font. As you can see, we often put both the first and last name, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be as big.
Add a border! Yes, it takes up space on the name tag, but it can draw your attention to the name tag.
Add color! Black and white is boring. Make the border bright, or make the name colorful. Use black ink on a something-other-than-white paper (but make sure the black shows up well on the paper). Add a colorful, relevant sticker. Or use the graphic from the retreat, as we did.
Identify your event on the name tag–event, theme of the event, date (at least the year) or relevant scripture.
We add promise verses to our retreat name tags (on the reverse side)–but that’s another blog!

Feel free to share your suggestions! We’d love to hear them.

Posted in: Ingredients for a Great Retreat, Little Things Make a Big Difference!, News & Information, Retreat and Event Planning

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