Retreat Planning Meeting, Part 2
Depending on the level of participation, the Retreat Planning Meeting provides our women’s leaders with a list of ladies who are willing to help in the various areas. Often, we will make these lists available to women at other times, such as women’s Bible study, so that we can give the opportunity to as many women as possible. While we still may need to recruit more help, if enough do not sign up, it does give us that basic group of servants that will be so crucial to pulling off the retreat.
I like the concept of the Retreat Planning Meeting, because no one can say that they did not have the opportunity to get involved. While we have many ladies that we can count on and call upon to help, this opens the door for any woman in the church to test the waters and get involved in a small way. It is a great way for ladies to get plugged in and feel that they are part of the ministry. So often, we discover women who have gifts that we didn’t know about just because they signed up in an area of interest to them. For instance, someone will sign up to be involved in the skit, and we had no idea that they would be interested in acting! Or someone will sign up to help with decorations, and we discover a new talent in that area!
Three cautions: When we make up these sign-up sheets, leaders are just estimating what kind of help that they are going to need. Some may still have need for more help, while others don’t have enough tasks to spread around to all who signed up. Stay in contact with the women who have signed up. If they are not needed in one area, perhaps they would be interested in helping in another. Secondly, every woman who does sign up must be contacted; if we neglect to contact someone who signed up, feelings could get hurt. Finally, after actual registration for the retreat has begun, is it wise for the leaders to confirm that the ladies on their sign-up list have indeed signed up for the retreat In the month between the time they sign up to help and actual registration, their plans may have changed. You don’t want to be counting on women who then cannot actually be there to help!
