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Journey’s End

Posted by Debby on December 15, 2010

Our women’s retreat 2010 took place about a month ago. All of the months of planning and preparation culminated in a wonderful weekend of teaching and fellowship. It is now going to take a while to catch up on posts…those last two weeks before the retreat were busy, and now the holidays are upon us. Our retreat this year was a special one for Calvary Chapel Plano, as this is our twenty-fifth year (our “silver anniversary”) of doing an annual women’s retreat. We even had several women in attendance who had been to every one of those 25 retreats.

This year’s retreat theme, “Every Good and Perfect Gift,” was taken from James 1:17. Our main graphic was a gift, wrapped with a silver ribbon. Our decorations consisted of many beautifully wrapped gifts. Even our quiet time revolved around the “gift” theme.

Over the next two months, we will be reviewing the last minute details of planning and preparation for this retreat, as well as sharing lessons that we learned.

Posted in: Journey to Retreat 2010

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Why Include a Skit at your Retreat?

Posted by Debby on November 18, 2010

Skits We are big fans of including a skit during every event we can, especially during retreats. The best skits are funny and entertaining while at the same time being meaningful and applicational. Skits can add a dimension to your retreat where learning is taking place–yet under the guise of entertainment. Skits should highlight the essence of the retreat’s theme. While skits provide a break from the serious, they can still be an integral part of the message that is being conveyed throughout the retreat.

Additionally, people learn differently. All women do not learn best through the hearing of teachings (auditory). Some women learn better by reading (visual learners). And others learn better when they actively participate. One of the things I learned as a learning disabilities teacher was that the best way to ensure learning was to combine the learning styles–a multisensory approach. We use times of quiet reading, listening to the Word being taught and watching and participating in a skit to ensure that we are reaching as many of our ladies as possible.

Check out our downloadable skits!

Posted in: Retreat and Event Planning, Skits

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The Most Important Thing in Producing a Skit

Posted by Debby on November 18, 2010

What is the most important thing in producing a skit? Is it good actors? Is it elaborate props? Is it extraordinary sound and lighting system? None of the above. The most important thing is making sure that every word can be heard by the audience.

Once you have a script, and women (no matter how inexperienced) who are willing to act, the one key issue is that the skit can be heard by those attending the retreat. A good script is one where we don’t want the women to miss a single word. This is a huge issue, especially when you may be performing in a room that is long and narrow, or has high ceilings–all of which can make being heard a challenge. Additionally, your sound equipment may be limited or non-existent. Add to that that you are probably working with inexperienced, nervous actresses.

Just from our experience over the years, we want to offer a few tips:

If you have access to one or more microphones, the ladies must practice with the microphones and how they will be used and shared between them in the midst of the staging.. It is not natural to most, and it is easy to get caught up in the moment and forget to talk into the microphone.
If you have to share one microphone, it can still work! We’ve done it! But your actresses need to practice handing the microphone to the right person. Your audience wants to hear, and they will be patient as you make this effort to ensure every word is heard.
If there are no microphones, ladies need to project their voices. While it may affect the expression that can be heard in the voices, it is more important that the words be heard;
A key issue is for each actress to FACE THE AUDIENCE when she is saying her lines! And that is not natural. It is natural to face and speak toward the person you are talking to. But your actresses need to practice projecting toward the audience, especially if no amplification is available.
Have a person in the back checking sound; if room has especially poor acoustics, ask audience to move forward during the skit.

Posted in: Lessons Learned, Skits

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Opportunities in a Smaller Church

Posted by Debby on November 18, 2010

It is easy to see the benefits of serving in a large church. Although I think every church, no matter its size, has a small percentage of people who do the bulk of the work, it seems that a larger church would have more people with whom to share the burdens and duties. Often, a larger church will have a budget and extra resources available. At the very least, with more people, there is a better chance that there are resourceful and skilled people in the church who can advise and provide aid.

But if you are in a smaller church, there are some wonderful opportunities that may not be an open door in the larger church. In terms of women’s ministry, as a small church, we needed everyone to help when we put on an event. That meant that women were often asked to step up to the plate and serve in areas where she may not have chosen. A lot of stretching went on as women were called upon to do things outside of their comfort zone. It might have been in planning, decorating, supervising, participating in a skit, cooking and serving, greeting and hospitality, opportunities to speak in front of a group (even if it was only making announcements), crafts, event planning, organization… The list goes on and on. And as we all served, it seemed that ladies naturally gravitated toward those areas where God had gifted them. I saw women begin to discover their spiritual gifts and use them within the body.

Posted in: Lessons Learned

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A Tip for Name Tags

Posted by Debby on November 17, 2010

We want our ladies to wear name tags at any event to promote fellowship and getting to know one another by name–not to mention helping those of us who forget names that we should know!. There are various options when you are considering name tags.

There are peel-and-stick name tags which are the most economical option, but they are best used for one day events.
There is the pin style badge where the name tag slips into a plastic cover which can be pinned on. Although these say “garment friendly” now, we find that these are not the best option for women, because the pins may pull and even ruin certain fabrics.
There is the clip-on badge, of which there are several varieties. While better than pin style, these also can be detrimental to clothing.
There is the lanyard, which is a cord worn around the neck.

We have used all of these options. But now, for many of our events, we use lanyards. What is a lanyard? It is defined as “a cord worn around the neck” and they may be purchased at any office supply for use with name badges. Some have clear covers attached at the end, others have clips. As you can imagine, this option is the most costly per person.

How do we justify the extra cost? At the end of the event, we ask that the ladies leave their lanyards in a basket at the rear of the room, or we pass around a basket for the lanyards to be dropped in. That way, we can reuse those that are returned. We have also done this with badge covers. So while the initial outlay may be a little more expensive, in the end, they are not only the safest for our ladies’ clothing, but they result in a lower overall investment.

Posted in: Ingredients for a Great Retreat, Lessons Learned, Registration

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