Retreat-in-a-Bag - Retreat and Event Planning

Archive for Retreat and Event Planning

Free Time Activities

Posted by Debby on September 21, 2011

Free time must be built into your retreat schedule. Don’t fill your schedule with teachings–everyone needs some time to relax. Some of your ladies know exactly what they want to do with a spare moment: take a nap! But for others, free time may be be another reminder that they have no special friends to “hang with” at the retreat. Why not plan some free time events? That way, if someone is alone and bored, it is their own choice.

Here are some suggestions:

A prayer meeting
Scheduled shopping with a group if there is shopping nearby
Game room
Activities available at the hotel, camp or resort where you or staying
A hike
Fitness class
Craft class of some sort

In some cases, you may need to secure space where the event can be held, purchase some craft supplies, or borrow some games. But free time activities can be wonderful fellowship opportunities where ladies can meet other women with similar interests.

Yes, you will need to put people in charge of the various activities. Heading up free time activities can be a great proving ground for those women that you may be considering for leadership. Someone who would not want to lead a Bible study may feel very comfortable leading a fitness class, or being in charge of a game room. Drawing women into fellowship, making them feel comfortable, introducing them to others–women with those gifts can fill these positions superbly.

Posted in: Retreat and Event Planning

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A Clever Remembrance

Posted by Debby on September 7, 2011

This was not our own idea, but it is so clever that I think it is worth sharing with the world. These remembrances were given at a retreat that I attended. The theme of the retreat had to do with a journey. This little “traveling bag” would be suitable for any retreat theme revolving around travel or our journey in the Christian walk.

If you think you recognize the basics, you probably do. It is made from an Altoids tin and a half-ring. The tin appears to be covered with a wood-grain contac paper, and black (vinyl or electrical) tape outlines it. The tape is also used to attach the metal half-ring as the “handle.” Travel destination stickers were cut out and glued on to add authenticity. As a special bonus to the attendees, the Altoids tin was full, but that does not need to be the case.

If we had made these as a remembrance for one of our retreats, we would have had the name of our retreat, date, and retreat theme scripture printed somewhere on these mini-traveling bags.

Posted in: Retreat Remembrances

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A Life Ring Remembrance

Posted by Debby on August 31, 2011

This is an example of a remembrance we made for one of our retreats. The specific theme was “His Wonders in the Deep” (from Ps. 107:23-24), but it would work for any water-related theme. Per person, it was very cost-effective–for our group, it was less than 50 cents per person.

Supplies required:

Small wooden craft ring–outside diameter 2-1/2″
Red, blue and/or yellow 1/2″ vinyl or PVC electrical tape (see photo)
Light braided string/rope
White cardstock, printed and then cut to fit circle
Gold thread

The pictures are fairly self-explanatory. The light rope is attached to the ring by wrapping it with tape in four places. Be sure that one of the places where the tape is used covers the two ends of the rope. The gold thread is used to be a hanger, which you can barely see at the top of the photo on the left. The cardstock is printed so that it can be cut in 2-1/4″ circles. We like to have the theme of the retreat and/or the theme verse on each remembrance, at the very least. The example above has the retreat theme, the reference for the theme verse, and the year of the retreat printed on it. These circles were then glued to the back of the ring. We used this as a remembrance for our retreat theme “His Wonders in the Deep” from Psalm 107:23-24.

Posted in: Money-Saving Tips, Retreat Remembrances

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Oops! The Speaker Went Over… (Part 2)

Posted by Debby on August 17, 2011

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!

Posted in: Lessons Learned, Little Things Make a Big Difference!, Retreat and Event Planning

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Oops! The Speaker Went Over… (Part I)

Posted by Debby on August 10, 2011

It happens. Speakers, whether professional or non-professional, have all been known to exceed their time allotment. It can simply be that they were not watching the time, or they got on a roll and forgot their time limit. Or there can be an equipment malfunction or an outside distraction that delays or interrupts a session. It may not even be the speaker’s fault–earlier scheduled events on the agenda (worship, a testimony, a book review) may have gone over their time limit, and she gets a late start. Errors like these can put the session 10 or 15 minutes behind schedule…and put the retreat coordinator in a tizzy. How do you make up the time?

Pastor Chuck Smith is credited with this beatitude: “Blessed are the flexible.” We can get stressed out from delays and kinks in our schedules, or we can roll with the punches, and expect that there will always be something that interferes with your smooth-running schedule. One of the easiest and least stressful ways to deal with this inevitability is to build some flexibility into your schedule. For instance, if a speaker is scheduled to speak right right before you break for a meal, build into your schedule a 15-20 minute break before the meal. That way, if the session goes longer than anticipated, your women are still not late for the meal. You need to put plenty of breaks into your schedule anyway–this is an event for women, after all. Breaks can give your schedule some flexibility. And the retreat coordinator can relax.

Posted in: Retreat and Event Planning, Your Guest Speaker

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