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Time to Hit the Ground Running!

Posted by Debby on January 6, 2015

Ladies, let me take a moment to say Happy New Year! 2015 is well on its way…where did the time go? We’ve had a few weeks filled with family and visitors and shopping and cleaning and Christmas and get-togethers……..a busy holiday season. But if you’re like us, women’s ministry is never far from your thoughts…and now the new year is finally here. Time to hit the ground running! Time to get your women’s ministry events for 2015 on the calendar, and start the process afresh.

Many of you have used holiday time off to get a head start. You have been already searching the web for new ideas, and pinning on your pinterest boards. I’ve seen it! And welcome to the new subscribers to Retreat-in-a-Bag! Let me congratulate you on getting on the ball early.

For the rest of us, this is a reminder that we can’t take our time getting back into the swing of things. In order to stay ahead of the game, we need to hit the ground running. Meet with your leadership, get your events on the church calendar, contact your women. And, most importantly, PRAY. Pray for direction, pray for inspiration, pray for your women to have a hunger for the Word of God and for fellowship. Like you, we have a number of women that we wish were involved more–and are lucky just to get them to come to a dinner once a year.

We decided to have a New Year Fellowship to start off the new year by letting our women know what is ahead for them in 2015…a new Bible study for the spring and fall, a women’s ministry conference, a women’s dessert around Mother’s Day, a summer study, a retreat and a Christmas dinner. They’ll get a bookmark reminder of the 2015 events so no one can say that they didn’t see the bulletin announcement :-). Oh, if they can just catch the vision and join us as we seek and serve the Lord together!

Posted in: Inspirations, News & Information, Retreat and Event Planning

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Holiday Break

Posted by Debby on November 25, 2014

I am guessing that your busy fall season of women’s ministry events is coming to a close, as mine is. Our fall women’s Bible study is ending for the year (to resume in January with a new study). Our women’s missions Christmas project, purchasing gifts for the staff at an orphanage in Mexico (our church adopts the kids at Christmas) in complete and in Christmas bags, waiting for delivery by a missions team over the holidays. This coming weekend we will have our annual women’s retreat, the culmination of months of prayer, planning and work. And then we have one last event for the year–our women’s Christmas dinner. We do our Christmas event at the beginning of December (this year it is actually on December 1st!), so that our ladies can start this busy season of shopping, entertaining, family and (possibly) stress by considering the “reason for the season” first.

Our women’s leaders will meet one last time for 2014 in December for dinner, gifts and just reviewing what God has done in 2014. We’ll be gearing up for 2015 in January.

This blog will also take a short break for the holidays in order to gear up for the new year and what God has in store for Retreat-in-a-Bag in 2015. We recently passed a milestone: 600 subscribers! My prayer is that the skits we offer, the graphics and the quiet time resources have somehow blessed your ministry. Thanks for your support. Have a wonderful, and Christ-centered Thanksgiving and Christmas! See you in 2015.

Posted in: News & Information, Retreat and Event Planning

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5 Ways to Bless Your Retreat Speaker

Posted by Debby on November 11, 2014

Are you bringing in a guest speaker? Honorariums are necessary and important. That cost should be an non-negotiable item on your event budget. Many speakers depend on them for their livelihood. But today I want to consider additional ways that you can show your appreciation and bless your speaker, over and above any cash payment:

Communicate with your guest speaker so that there are as few as possible “surprises” awaiting her. She should know as much as you can tell her about the event theme, the schedule for the event and time frame for her speaking, suggested dress for the event, available technology, who will meet her and get her to the venue and any overnight accommodations. If she has hand-outs, get them ahead of time so that they are copied and ready for her.
Have a welcome basket in the speaker’s room awaiting her arrival. This welcome basket could include: bottles of water or her special drink, healthy snacks, mints, throat lozenges, small plaque with theme verse and even a small gift. (Keep in mind that if the speaker is traveling by airplane, any gifts should be small and transportable.)
Assign a “hostess” to the speaker who will sit by her and be available to her during the entire event to help with anything she may need. This could range from working with the hotel if her room is not satisfactory, to bringing her water, or a sweater or anything else she might find herself needing.
Different speakers will have different levels of expertise with microphones and other technology. As much as possible, make sure that your speaker is comfortable with the set up prior to your event. Do the microphone test prior to the start of the event and make sure she is comfortable with it and any other technology she may want to use (overheads, timer, etc.).
Provide cards (even index cards) that your women may use to write a “thank you” note expressing how the speaker’s ministry has blessed them. These can be put in a basket or collected at the end of the retreat and included with the speaker’s honorarium.

Can you add to this list?? How have you blessed your guest speaker?

Posted in: Money-Saving Tips, News & Information, Retreat and Event Planning, Your Guest Speaker

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Leaving the Light On

Posted by Debby on November 4, 2014

A famous hotel chain used the advertising slogan “We’ll leave the lights on for you,” meaning that they would be open for business, ready to serve their customers day and night.

That reminds me of one of the descriptions of the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31. Look at verse 18b: “Her lamp does not go out by night.” The Amplified Version says this: “Her lamp goes not out, but it burns on continually through the night [of trouble, privation, or sorrow, warning away fear, doubt, and distrust]. I would paraphrase that verse to say that “her light is always on; she’s available 24/7.”

Hmm…I would like to say I’m available 8 to 5; don’t bother me in the evening–I need some “ME” time. God’s calling to women’s ministry is not an 8-to-5 calling.

I also love how this verse talks about “her lamp.” Does it possibly have a double meaning–physical availability, as well as the spiritual readiness to be a light in another’s darkness? Matt. 5:16 says “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your God in heaven.” Let’s shine 24/7!

Posted in: News & Information, Retreat and Event Planning

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It’s a “Props” Time of Year

Posted by Debby on October 21, 2014

October is coming to a close. I would be remiss if I didn’t remind you that this is prime time for finding those skit props that you need. When it comes to skits for women’s retreats and events, I am a minimalist. I’m not big on elaborate costumes, sets and props. As I’ve said before, one of my favorite props is the simple hat, which can define your character without major make-up or costuming.

That said, with all the party stores stocked to the brim for Halloween, this could be a great time for you to grab a few hats or props that could be useful in the future. And don’t forget those after-holiday sales!

Remember, you want your props to be larger than life so that your audience can see them from a distance. Some examples of things to have on hand are:

Oversized money, glasses or sunglasses
Various hats (captain hat, safari hat, cowboy hat, straw hat, sailor hat, hard hat, etc.)
Simple props like a judge’s gavel, large magnifying glass, etc.

Our next skit has just been written for our upcoming retreat (theme: “Hidden Riches”). This skit will revolve around miners, and we just found plastic “hard hats” for our miners. We will be looking for large “gem stones” this week, too.

Posted in: News & Information, Skits

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