Events are a big part of Women's Ministry, but the bottom line of any event is...what is the purpose? A lot of effort and planning goes into an event and it is important to know why we are doing it ,and what we hope to accomplish through it.

"Special events can provide fun, fellowship, and renewal for Christians and non-Christians alike. With informal settings and non-threatening environments, special events can attract even the most reluctant un-churched people - building bridges for them to experience unexpected, but pleasant, encounters with God and His people. Through special events, we teach that God's church is not merely a building, but a body of believers who enjoy serving God together and reaching out to others." ~The Planning Remedy

I love this quote, it is a timeless reminder of why we take the time to organize and execute events. Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in all the details and we loose site of the fact that ministry is about people... not programs. This is important to keep in mind as we take a look at event planning.

Why hold events? Because they can help us:

• build relationships
• encourage one another
• exercise spiritual gifts
• welcome new women
• learn and grow
• study God's word
• worship and pray
• share the Gospel
• relax
• have fun

Keys to Planning An Event
Whether you are planning a Ladies Night Out, a Conference or a Retreat, here are some key things to keep in mind:

Passion - Most events grow from one or two people who have experienced something they would like to share or to fill a need that they see. Don't plan an event just to have another event. Plan events that are born from passion.

Prayer - A good plan always begins in prayer. I have personally seen events rise and fall on the basis of prayer. I am not saying that if you do not pray about it your event will fail, but I do believe that God's fullest blessing will be poured out on an event where He has been involved in every step of the planning. After all... it is all about Him!

Purpose - What do you want to accomplish with this event and how does it relate to the overall purpose of your ministry and church ministry. I like to write out a sentence or two that describes the purpose of the event and the anticipated outcome. This helps you to evaluate the success of the event, and gives you a goal to build on for future events.

Proposal - This may or may not be a step in your planning. If you are just beginning a WM or if you lead in a large church, you may be required to run a proposal for each event by a Pastor or staff member. (Or you may be a lay person who would like to organize an event that needs to be run by the WM Leadership Team.) A proposal should include:

What the event is and why it is being held
When and where it will be held
What the church needs to furnish
What will the person/team planning the event furnish
How will the event be financed
How will the event be publicized
How many people are expected to attend
What are the expected results/outcomes of the event

Planning - We need a lot more time to explore this one, so look for Planning an Event Part 2 in issue 357.

In Him... Robyne Beaubien, Editor

From Sue...
Instead of a Mother's Day event, First Baptist Church in Dover, had a DAUGHTERS OF ALL AGES BANQUET and encouraged all ladies to invite other women... mom, sister, friend, aunt, cousin, grandma, niece, neighbor, etc.
(WM.Net Note: Some other ideas for naming this event: Mother, Daughter, Sister, Friend Tea; Daughters of the King; Sisters in Christ)
______________________

From Cheryl...
Our "mother's day" event is going to be different this year. We are calling it "Celebrate the Women of your Life" (our year long theme is Celebrate Sisterhood). We are encouraging women to honor the women who have had a significant effect on their lives - mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, Sunday School teacher, Bible study leader, etc. We will have some wonderful songs, ending with the Servant Song. And the attendees will have an opportunity to write a card to someone who didn't come.

______________________

From Katrina...
The Women's Ministry of my church host a Mother/Daughter Luncheon every year. This year the Lord inspired me to base the theme on Titus 2:4 which admonishes older women in the faith to teach and encourage younger women in the faith how to love. Instead however of celebrating our natural mothers and the instruction they have given us, we were led to celebrate our spiritual mothers as well. Mother's Day is not always a happy time for everyone. But God has placed a woman in everyone's life who encourages them with words of faith and love. By celebrating this phenomenon, we celebrate the God Who "places the widow and the orphan in families". The Luncheon consisted of light foods and desserts, peach flavored tea, and finger foods. The colors were pink and white and everything was decorated to appeal to the girl inside of us all. The program consisted of church "mothers" offering words of encouragement and the young girls all read sayings that they learned from women in church. The music consisted of familiar hymns and songs. I spoke from the focus scripture and emphasized that the scars we bear are our credentials for the ministry of mentoring. The event was free and open to the public and we invited a local teen pregnancy home to worship with us.

______________________

Theme ideas:

Redeeming the Time-Where Do I Begin? A nine- week daily Bible study by Edwina Patterson Are you struggling to bring balance into your life and long for peace? Redeeming the Time—Where Do I Begin? equips and encourages you to take control of your daily life and glorify God in the process.

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One day while I was looking for ideas for Mother's Day tea parties for my tea-party-crazy-mother on the Internet, I stumbled across the Tea Time Treasures website and found not only a great website, but something I had never seen before... Blooming Tea!

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