On the event planner page

Special Events
With A Special Purpose
By Stacy Robinson

Tupperware, Pampered Chef, and Creative Memories have built their businesses around the idea that women love any excuse to get together - whether for the purpose of buying the newest burping leftover container, the latest gotta-have-it kitchen gadget, or to crop ‘til they drop.

Women’s ministry can provide opportunities for women to "get together" with an eternal purpose! When church members bring friends, a "special event" becomes an opportunity for outreach and evangelism. A special event - a banquet, conference, or retreat - can attract ladies who might not accept an invitation to a church service or a Bible study. When they come, they are taking the first step in developing relationships with believers and hearing a message that is Bible based and life changing.

What Is The "Special Purpose"?

Although women do love to just get together, women’s ministry special events should always be designed with an eternal purpose. In this article, we will consider the purpose - to draw unchurched women, develop new and continuing relationships, and deliver a gospel message. The next article will present the plan for a special event with a special purpose: publicity, program, and personal follow-up.

Draw Women By Addressing
Their Perceived & Real Needs

Listen to women talk; read women’s magazines; look at advertising directed toward women; simply ask women - and you will discover what they perceive their needs to be. Some perceived needs might be: less stress, more time alone, more time with friends, more money, less weight, household help, more rest, etc. As Christians, we know that every woman’s real need is for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He is the answer and will fulfill all a woman’s needs as she matures in her relationship with Him.

A special event that addresses women’s perceived needs can be an excellent way to "get her foot in the door" and begin ministering to her. In "Women Reaching Women: Building a Growing Women’s Enrichment Ministry" (www.LifeWay.com), Monte Clendinning calls this approach "sanctified bait".

"Sanctified bait" might include a conference on women’s health issues, an arts and crafts fair, a tea room fashion show, a mother-daughter banquet, or workshops on gardening, parenting, interior decorating, meal planning, stress management, financial management, weight loss, etc.

When this type of seeker-friendly event is incorporated into a well-rounded women’s ministry, it will not replace special events with a more evangelistic thrust or other opportunities for women such as mentoring, missions, and Bible study. And remember to include the gospel even in "sanctified bait" events. This can be done with a very light touch by beginning and ending an event with prayer, distributing salvation tracts to attendees, including missions booths at crafts fairs, offering a "favor" that includes a Bible verse, or including scripture on the printed program.

Develop Relationships

Every event should include time to catch up with old friends and make new friends. Granted, one event does not a deep relationship make! However, an event can be designed to include time for women to talk and get to know each other a bit better. Then it is up to the women and the Lord’s leading to continue and deepen the relationship by spending more time with each other at home, at the park with their children, during lunch breaks at work, etc.

Incorporate time for informal talk and fellowship into a banquet schedule by saving dessert for the end of the evening. Serving a dessert buffet during the final half hour gets women out of their chairs and mingling. And there’s nothing like door prizes to start women talking and laughing. Display numbered door prizes on a table; winners are determined by numbered stickers under dessert plates. This gets everyone up and mingling at the door prize table - even if they didn’t win! Again, desserts and door prizes may not create an instant, deeply spiritual relationship. The point is to plan your program so that women have opportunities to get out of their chairs and talk to "new women" outside their usual circle of friends and give relationships a chance to begin or to grow.

Not all special events, of course, are as conducive to "scheduled" relationship-building time. When attending a day-long conference with a great Bible teacher, women usually want every moment possible to hear from the teacher. A bit of time for fellowship can be provided by offering "registration and coffee" 30 minutes to an hour before the event begins and a generous amount of time for a lunch break.

In response to previous years’ evaluations and comments requesting more time for fellowship at an annual church-sponsored women’s retreat, tea and cookies and a variety of workshops were added for early arrivals on Friday, as well as a later start time on Saturday morning, and additional free time at lunch. The evaluation sheets after this retreat were very positive about every change that provided more time for informal chatting and "playing". And more women than ever before arrived early on Friday just to attended the extra workshops!

Women who attended a large downtown church were scattered all over the metropolitan area and beyond. The church was so large that it was difficult to find out who lived near each other! The women’s ministry initiated "ZIP code groups": ladies from the same ZIP code area who met in homes once a month for prayer, fellowship, speakers, or whatever that group desired. The purpose of the groups was to provide a setting for Biblical "koinonia" - meaningful fellowship, prayer, and relationship building.

Banquets, teaching conferences, retreats - even ZIP code groups - can provide a setting for the beginning of meaningful relationships.

NOTE: Be careful that the leadership team does not have so many "jobs" to do during a special event that they cannot make it their mission to spend time with women who seem alone or shy and introduce them to others.

Deliver a Gospel Message

The speaker at a special event and her message can have a tremendous impact on a woman’s decision to attend, her enjoyment of the event, and her spiritual growth or rebirth. An event can be planned around a speaker and her message or, in some cases, a speaker can be selected to fit a God-inspired event theme. And sometimes, looking back, you can’t even remember which came first, the chicken or the egg - excuse me, the speaker or the event theme! - but you see clearly that God ordained it all and that every element worked together for His purpose. It is always thrilling to look back and see that God worked every detail together to create a unique event for the women He knew in advance would be there!

A few years ago, the women on my leadership team began praying for God’s plan in beginning a mentoring ministry. We knew that Titus 2 mandates that older women walk alongside younger women, teaching and encouraging, but we felt called to continue to pray before beginning a mentoring ministry. At the same time, we were praying for God’s choice for a speaker for each of the year’s special events. Several of us had just heard Esther Burroughs speak at a conference, thought she was super, and knew our women would love her too. We invited her and she agreed to come and share the message we had heard about "splashing the living water". Meanwhile, we continued to pray about beginning a mentoring ministry. Some of us began reading Esther’s book "A Garden Path to Mentoring" and finally a light came on and we saw what God was doing!

We prayed for God’s plan for a mentoring ministry for an entire year before hosting the event where Esther shared so beautifully that every woman is called to mentor and be mentored and "LIFE-Touch Mentoring Ministry" was launched and enthusiastically embraced by our women. It was one of those thrilling moments when you look back and know that God had it all planned - we just needed to pray, wait, and listen.

The uncompromising gospel message that Esther shared was received by unchurched women, women from various protestant denominations, as well as Catholic and Jewish. When we pray, God brings those ladies whom He has ordained to hear a particular message. And though sometimes it amazes even themselves, their hearts and spirits are receptive to the message, even if they’ve rejected it in the past. This is the purpose of special events!

Sometimes an event theme and purpose are the catalyst for developing the program and selecting the speaker. "Christmas Potpourri" is an annual outreach event started at Peachtree Corners Baptist in 1998. The first year, ladies attended a couple of Christmas-themed workshops, then came together for lunch and an evangelistic message. The next year, more workshops and Christmas craft booths were followed by lunch and an evangelistic message. The following year we were blessed to have Terry Willits, author of Simply SenseSational Christmas, as our keynote speaker, followed by a crafts and gifts fair which the public attended for free. Though the format may change from year to year, "Christmas Potpourri" is an example of an event driven by a purpose (outreach) and theme (true meaning of Christmas).

North Metro First Baptist Church’s women’s ministry has inspired many other churches to emulate their annual Christmas tea. Church members host tables, decorate them using their own china, provide beautiful centerpieces, and invite unchurched women to join them at their table. This is a very elegant event where the true message of Christmas is clearly presented in creative ways each year. The North Metro Christmas tea is held several nights in a row in order to accommodate the hundreds of women who attend.

Whatever the season or reason for your event, the speaker’s message should always be Christ centered. Messages that are not purely evangelistic, can still be presented from a Christian viewpoint. For instance, organization and time management are popular and practical topics which draw Christians and seekers. Just be sure that your speaker presents her topic with very practical how-to’s and tips while at the same time teaching from God’s perspective: He created everything with order and purpose and He gifted us with 24 hours in a day, saying that it is good - it is enough time to do the things He has called us to do at home, at work, and in ministry.

Carry Out Your Purpose

Through prayer, listening to God, and your relationship with your women, your ministry team can best carry out the purpose of your special event: effectively drawing women to your event, providing a setting most conducive to developing meaningful relationships, and selecting a speaker who will deliver the gospel message most successfully to your women and your community.

Stacy Robinson; founder of The Robinson Agency, a booking agency for Christian speakers and artists, has been responsible for planning and implementing every conceivable sized event, from smaller local church conferences to arena venues. Stacy brings a level of professionalism and excellence to the booking experience so that your event will be served and the Kingdom of God will increase. www.TheRobinsonAgency.com