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Binding your Retreat Booklet DIY

Posted by Debby on October 23, 2012

We like to hand out a retreat booklet to each woman who attends the retreat. If you are forced to “do it yourself” due to budgetary constraints, the following images show several less expensive ways to “bind” your retreat booklet.

A regular-sized 8-1/2 x 11″ paper can be folded in half and stapled in the middle;

If your church has a binding punch, the plastic binders are relatively inexpensive if you do it yourself;

This is not technically a “binding,” but we have bought inexpensive folders for the contents of our “booklet”and then printed a sticker for the front of the folder;

For another binding idea (normally done at the printer) click here.

Posted in: Lessons Learned, Money-Saving Tips, Retreat and Event Planning, Retreat Booklets

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Retreat Booklet

Posted by Debby on October 16, 2012

At every retreat, each person in attendance gets a retreat booklet. Some kind of binding is nice, so that we keep everything together in one place. Our retreat booklets usually contain:

“What Do I Want from the Lord during this Retreat?
Retreat Schedule
Map of the venue, if applicable
Blank, lined pages for notes
Handouts/otes from speaker (if applicable)
Quiet time Bible study (related to the retreat theme)
Page for retreat reflections
Page for list of books being reviewed/recommended (if applicable) (Check out books we recommend here)
Page for new friend contact information
Order form for CDs of the retreat sessions

Posted in: Little Things Make a Big Difference!, Retreat and Event Planning, Retreat Booklets, Starting Points in Retreat Planning

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Determining Your Event Theme

Posted by Debby on October 9, 2012

Determining your event theme is one of the first things to be done in planning a retreat. Begin, as always, by praying about it. Often your pastor’s wife or women’s ministry leader has been praying about the upcoming event and has been led of the Lord with a verse or a theme for your event. Other times, your guest speaker (if you have one) may have a particular theme that she would like to use. A Bible verse or passage is usually the best “jumping off point.” Pray that the Lord will put a verse or passage of Scripture on your heart which will be your theme and the basis for the retreat. Keep this decision in prayer! Using what He gives you as a basic theme, you can “name” your event, and from there develop your decorations and other visual elements of your event to go along with it!

Here are a few examples from our Retreat-in-a-Bag series:

God impressed on us the verse I Cor. 15:58: “Be ye steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord…” We named the retreat “Steadfast and Immovable” and used lighthouses as the visual element in all advertising and paper handouts, decorations and even the remembrance gift.
God impressed on us the verse I Cor. 2:15: “For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” We named the retreat “We are the Fragrance of Christ” and used perfume bottles as the visual element in all advertising and paper handouts, decorations and even the remembrance gift.
God impressed on us the verses in the New Testament, especially Eph. 4:22-24, which talk about “putting off the old man” and “putting on the new man.” We considered how we often talk about “a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” but we as Christians are all “sheep in wolf’s clothing,” trying to put off those wolf-like characteristics and become more Christlike. We name the retreat “Disciplesheep–Putting Off Your Wolf-like Tendencies” and used sheep as the visual element.

Posted in: Retreat and Event Planning

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Guided Quiet Time

Posted by Debby on October 2, 2012

We always schedule a quiet time at our women’s retreats–a time for women to personally seek the Lord and hear from Him.

Of course, if it is scheduled during the ladies’ free time, it is hard to ensure that ladies won’t use that time napping or being distracted by activities at the venue or fellowship with friends. However, we can give them encouragement and guidance. This is in the form of a quiet time Bible study. This can be as simple as an assignment to read a passage and answer some specific questions–to a more involved, full-blown Bible study. The subject of the quiet time study is always related to the retreat theme. This study is incorporated into our retreat booklet, and time is blocked out on our retreat schedule for its completion. Ladies are encouraged to find a quiet place and spend time with the Lord doing this study.

Lately, we have tried something new. We schedule the quiet time after lunch, and everyone meets in the large meeting room together to complete their study. There is no talking during this time (besides a brief moment of group instruction, if needed). Being back in the meeting room encourages everyone to do the quiet time (without distraction), and also allows us to incorporate an interactive activity into the study (such as going up front to pick a Bible promise from a box).

Quiet time studies are available on our website under resources, free for download. Also, each of the books in our Retreat-in-a-Bag book series includes a theme-related quiet time study. Don’t neglect to incorporate a quiet time into your retreat!

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

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Adjusting a Skit to Fit Your Theme

Posted by Debby on September 25, 2012

Today, I am adding a free downloadable skit to our website resources. The original title of the skit is “Miss Bold and Beautiful 2012” and is a very short, two-act skit based on a beauty pageant. It was written to fit a theme from Nehemiah, which speaks in Neh. 4:17 about how the Israelites accomplished God’s will and rebuilt the wall by holding a hammer in one hand (to build) and a sword in the other (to fight the enemy). When you read the skit, you will see that the winner of the pageant, Wendy Warrior, is described and scripted in such a way as to work with that theme.

But this is a skit that can easily be adjusted to fit your theme. For instance, if your theme was centered on the Proverbs 31 woman, the pageant winner’s description and dialogue could be revised to fit that theme. In rewriting the script, you can follow the flow of the current script, and yet customize it for your particular use! If you are reluctant to try your hand at this, get a group of friends together and brainstorm. You may be surprised at the talent your friends possess.

Download the skit here, revise it and use it! It is a fun and easy to produce skit with few props. There are no copyright considerations to be concerned about. It can be used for just about any event. Let us know how you did!

Posted in: Retreat and Event Planning, Skits

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