Preparing for a Fall Retreat

Fall is a beautiful time of year to get away to a women’s ministry retreat. Here are some thoughts on how to make it the best retreat ever…

1. Take along a notepad and pen. Be prepared to let God speak directly to you regarding your life right now and how He wants you to move forward. Confront any sin/weaknesses He reveals to you with a  teachable, humble heart that says, “Lord, I want to hear from you.”

2. Be prepared for a time of refreshment, renewal, and learning about God. Spend time in the Word, and even time by yourself, by the pool or in the room alone, being still and hearing God’s voice.

3. Be prepared to feel God redirect or confirm the priorities He has for you at this time: your role as a wife, as a mom, where/how to serve and ways He is calling you to minister right now.  It’s a time to think through each family member and how God would have you be involved in their lives: to pray for each, to invest in each, to give you wisdom and discernment in restoring/building relationships. It’s a great time to be still and listen to God as He shows you His best things for you to put on your calendar: time to bring back date nights,  make time for lunch with a friend or friends more frequently, His creativity in reaching the heart of your child. Bring your calendar so you can be ready to put HIS will for your life, your talents, service, role as wife, mom, and friend (and more roles) on the calendar.

If you would like to attend the Desperate for God Women’s Conference, where staff from MMCW will be the guest speakers, visit www.womenonthemove.org for details. We would love to see there!

Your Best Conference / Retreat Ever

One of the things I love about women’s retreats is the break.  As a homeschool mom of four, there’s nothing quite like a room full of lively female chatter that I don’t have to referee!

I love women’s retreats because that’s when I’m reminded I’m not the only one who leaves the ladies room checking to make sure I haven’t tucked in the wrong stuff and let the stuff that should stay hidden hang out!  And when it does happen you have a massive group of women who will totally feel the pain with you–and then laugh until their sides hurt and the tears run freely–all because they get it.

When there’s a women’s retreat with a conference room full of ladies who know full well they left all their kids at home I love watching what happens the moment a baby who was brought along with her source of milk starts to cry.  Every beautiful head in that place turns because we are all sure that baby is crying for us.

Have you ever watched the ladies at a women’s retreat stand in line for a cup of coffee or the product table?  It makes me laugh every time–they are all swaying to keep their imaginary babies quiet!

Just the thought of a conference room full of estrogen can be intimidating.  But the best thing is nobody argues about whether or not to use the air conditioning–it’s automatically on full blast!

I love the praise and worship time at a women’s retreat.  The smiling faces, the tears flowing, and heart-felt, prayerful worship moves my heart at a deep, deep level.  Singin’ with the Sisters–it’s heaven on earth!

Looking across a conference room full of women makes me wonder so many things:  How many of these ladies left dishes in the sink?  I wonder how many of them forgot to use deodorant today?  Could it be that there is a new widow or recently diagnosed cancer patient here?  Is it possible that in this large throng of God’s feminine creation there is one who would understand me and be my friend?

I love the camaraderie of women’s retreats.  The conversation flows freely (and so does the coffee and hopefully the chocolate) and the laughter is contagious.

Tip:  Make sure you bring tissue in your purse or you’ll smear your makeup when you laugh (or cry).

Bring a friend.  The fun is great and you’ll need someone to laugh with a few months down the road when you remember what happened at the conference.  Laughing alone is kind of sad!

Book far in advance.  Anticipation builds excitement!  It’s more fun to go when you’ve been planning for months!  (And it gives hubby and kids plenty of time to get used to the idea of being Mommy-less for a few days!)

Travel light.  At least on the way there.  Every woman knows she’s going to do at least a little shopping… so leave room for books, CD’s, a gift bag and all the other stuff you might win or pick up.  Actually–the best idea would be to bring an extra bag, or suitcase, or U-Haul!

Come early.  This is the best way to get the best seat so you can take the best pictures and maybe win the best prizes.  This is also good because you can stand on your seat at the front of the auditorium and wave at everyone coming in.

Desperate for God Conference

Come meet Carla and other MMCW staffers at our first women’s conference on Friday and Saturday, November 13-14^th. To register visit www.womenonthemove.org.

We’re looking forward to meeting you there!

Desperate Women Conference

MMCW is excited to announce we have been invited to speak at the Desperate Women Conference in Lawrenceville, Georgia, November 13-14th.

The event is open to the public and will kick-off with a concert Friday night with grammy nominated gospel singer Antonia Lawrence, break-out sessions with MMCW staff on Saturday, and a women’s expo throughout the weekend.

We are looking forward to meeting many of you at the conference! Our hosts, Women on the Move women’s ministry, has special pricing at the Hampton Inn at Sugarloaf. The hotel offers free breakfast on Saturday morning—let’s all plan to meet for bagels and coffee!

For conference details, including topics and to register online visit www.womenonthemove.org

I’m Not Who I Was

I’m Not Who I Was Women’s Ministry Video

Refreshing Retreats

Down the Garden Path
* Decorations were various gardening tools, a Gazebo and bench, fresh flowers, gloves, and watering cans.
* Seed packets were decorated with ribbon and labels to make name tags.

Games we played:
Flower Bingo – Print out bingo cards with 16 to 20 squares per page. Have each participant fill each square with the name of a flower. After everyone  fills their squares, begin calling the names of flowers out as the girls mark their cards. We worked from a prepared list of flower names.  The winner is the first lady to mark all the squares in a row either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

Scavenger Hunt – We did our scavenger hunt throughout the botanical garden in the middle of the hotel where we stayed. You could do this wherever you are meeting. Come up with clues as to where to find each object. You could have them bring the object back or have someone to sign that they reached their destination and picked up a clue. This can be done in a mall or outside depending on your meeting space.

Our teaching sessions centered around the seasons of life: seasons of preparation, seasons of planting, seasons of growth, seasons of harvest. Our focus was for women to know that God is with them no matter what season of life they may find themselves in. Our focal passage was Ecclesiastes 3:1 and 11.

Spring Training
This is another spring retreat my church has done focused on preparing us to get into the game. We used a football theme and decorations.

On Friday night after our tailgate party we had the actress who played coach’s wife in the movie Facing the Giants speak. Following her talk we watched Facing the Giants. You would not have to have Shannon speak, you can choose to have an area coach or his wife to talk about how God has prepared them for this season of their life.

The next morning we had sessions on suiting up, building endurance, staying in shape spiritually, and end zone dances (celebrating what God has done). Before each session we held a pep rally where we sang praise choruses and did cheers for Jesus. Our take-home favors were small spirit sticks we made to remind the ladies that we take the Holy Spirit with us wherever we go.

Women’s Ministry Sites to Check Out

Kellie Renfroe

Christian Family Chapel. Simple and straightforward, CFC’s women’s ministry page is filled with information. Be sure and notice the wonderful Women’s Email Network blurb–a must-have for any ministry site.

Dallas Bible Church.Smart web page highlighting the focus of their women’s ministry. You’ll love reading about their Dining Divas night and Tablescape Luncheon–fun fellowship ideas for ministries of any size.

Northcrest Baptist Church. A website with the feel of a blog, NBC’s women’s ministry site is welcoming to any visitor. Take note of their use of bright colors and beautiful link badges.

Sister Chick Flicks Party

Sisterchicks on the Loose, Sisterchicks Series #1

Invite girlfriends over for a movie and an evening to get to know one another more.

No major preparations are necessary, just provide popcorn and sodas. Ask each gal to bring her favorite cinema candy. Choose a fun movie everyone will enjoy.

Purchase one of the Robin Gunn Jones Sister Chick books to read ahead of time. Be prepared to laugh often! Sign your name in the inside cover of the book along with the date and have it ready for your movie night.

As friends arrive, have them prepare their “nests” for the movie and get popcorn and drinks. Once everyone arrives, thank them for coming and let them know you hope this is the beginning of many fabulous times together. Explain that a sister chick is a close friend who you want to have fun with and develop a lasting friendship. Invite each woman to read the Sister Chick book you bought, sign their name, and pass it on to the next sister chick. When all of you have read the book or are just ready for some fun again get back together. There are several books in the series, so this could lead to many fun opportunities. You don’t have to read the books to participate, but once everyone hears how much fun they are, they will want to.