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Author Archive

First Responders

Posted by Debby on October 7, 2014

“First Responder” was a term that really became part of our vernacular in the last 15 years or less. The first rescue personnel to arrive at the scene of an emergency or disaster are commonly referred to as “first responders.” But “first responder” is also a general term for all emergency service personnel who are expected to respond to medical emergencies or large-scale disasters and the skilled support personnel who provide immediate support during recovery operations. These people are trained to move quickly to the scene of an accident or disaster. Often, they are “on call” and must be ready at a moment’s notice.

I wonder if God would consider us one of His “first responders?” Does He know that He can call on us at a moment’s notice, and we will be ready to obey? Are we a tool that He can use should the need arise? God promises to equip those He calls. I Thess. 5:24 says “He who calls you is faithful, who will also do it.” In other words, if the Lord calls you to do something, He will also equip us and give us the wisdom, strength and power to do it.

But there is the little issue of our willingness and availability. Do we delay obedience by considering whether or not to obey? Let’s be known to God as one of His “first responders.”

Posted in: Developing Leadership, Inspirations, News & Information, Realities of Ministry

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What You Can Do with Cardboard

Posted by Debby on September 30, 2014

Cardboard can be an amazing resource for women’s ministry, and it is worth finding a few places where you can pick it up cheap, or even better, free. Cardboard is thrown away daily at big box stores like Costco. I worked in a showroom which regularly got rid of wonderful large pieces of cardboard. Cardboard is easy to work with, light-weight, and you don’t feel bad throwing it away when you have used it.

We have all used cardboard for signage. But consider cardboard for use as backdrops and props for skits. one of our talented prop designers taught me this trick: use duct tape to finish the edges your cardboard. Fold it over the edge, and it makes for a finished look and borders the sign, backdrop or prop. Note the edging on the sign below.

Posted in: Money-Saving Tips, News & Information, Resources, Retreat and Event Planning, Skits

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Wisdom in Scheduling Your Retreat

Posted by Debby on September 23, 2014

We learned the hard way that before booking your speaker for your retreat on a certain date, you should have done at least some preliminary checking for availability. If there is a big event in your city, it could be that hotels are already booked or expecting to be booked to capacity, even when you are planning ahead. Don’t assume that since you are planning nine months ahead of time that you are ahead of the game. Others plan ahead too. And as always, prices are higher when the demand is higher!

Consider our experience.

It is not that hard to find a block of hotel rooms to book for our retreat. But Dallas has a few big events that max out our hotel capacity. And even if the hotels aren’t completely booked, the roads can be a mess in certain directions due to the event. One of those event is Dallas is the Byron Nelson Golf Tournament. While we no longer have spring women’s retreats, if we did, we would be sure to work around that busy weekend.

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

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The Unsung Heroes

Posted by Debby on September 16, 2014

In the women’s ministry, as in any body of believers, there are the visible and less visible parts. To the observer, it may seem that those who are seen–leading worship, speaking, leading discussion–provide the most necessary services. But as in the human body, the vital and necessary functions are those that are less visible. Our body would come to a standstill, literally, without the function of those hidden parts–organs such as the heart and lungs.

Today I want to give a high five to our unsung heroes. The women’s ministry couldn’t function properly without those unseen and behind-the-scenes ladies. These ladies come in early to set up and get the coffee brewing. They move chairs, prepare food, clean up afterwards. They are prayer warriors, supporting the ministry from their prayer closet. Their names and faces may not be known, but they are every bit as appreciated and important to the ministry as those in the limelight.

Posted in: Retreat and Event Planning

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Develop a Resource Notebook

Posted by Debby on September 9, 2014

Planning our women’s Christmas event last year was difficult, and here’s why. We had an early November retreat which had us all very busy at the time when we should have been finding and reserving a venue or meeting space and caterer. Obviously, we were at fault for waiting too late to start the process; however, the job would have been infinitely easier if we had had a resource listing restaurants and hotels with private meeting spaces, and information specific to those locations.

So, this year, we are developing a resource notebook, doing the research ahead of time for venues and caterers. As we run into venues that are a possibility for a women’s event, we are filling out an information sheet that will be put in our resource notebook. This informations sheet contains information such as contact information, number of people the room can hold, type of tables, holiday decorations, rental charge and any extra fees (sound, etc.) Obviously, prices may change and are dependent on other factors. However, we can have at our fingertips notes on the number the venue can handle with tables and chairs, basic room rental charges, extra charges, what decorations do they provide-fun facts that would help us determine if a venue would be appropriate for our needs.

Take a look at our Venue Catering Information Sheet. We may revise it as we use it more. Do you have any suggestions?

Posted in: Location, Location, Location, News & Information, Resources, Retreat and Event Planning

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