{"id":4926,"date":"2015-10-04T10:00:14","date_gmt":"2015-10-04T14:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/womensministrytoolbox.com\/?p=4926"},"modified":"2020-08-26T09:52:24","modified_gmt":"2020-08-26T13:52:24","slug":"when-should-have-womens-ministry-retreat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/womensministrytoolbox.com\/when-should-have-womens-ministry-retreat\/","title":{"rendered":"Day 4 – When should you have your women’s ministry retreat?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"When<\/a><\/p>\n

So we\u2019ve worked through \u201cwhere\u201d you might want to have your women’s ministry retreat<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Today, we\u2019re going to dig into the \u201cwhen\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n

First the bad news, there is no perfect date on the calendar.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It will always be someone\u2019s birthday or anniversary. There\u2019s a chance of a sports playoff game and overlapping vacations. It may be too hot for some, and too cold for others.<\/p>\n

You may be tempted to throw a dart at a calendar, but we can do better than that.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been on women’s ministry retreats in early November (beach and mountains), late September (mountains), and late January (mountains).<\/p>\n

One of the best ways to figure out a good weekend for your retreat is to figure out which dates are not good dates according to your church’s calendar.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dates to avoid:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The weekend new programs launch \u2013 Sunday school, Awanas, Bible studies, etc.<\/li>\n
  2. Any weekend another group in the church will be away- men\u2019s ministry, Seniors, choir, Youth, etc.<\/li>\n
  3. Choir production rehearsal weekends \u2013 if your Music Minister is working on a big production, don\u2019t schedule your retreat during important practices.<\/li>\n
  4. Holidays \u2013 don\u2019t get too close to Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or Valentine\u2019s Day.<\/li>\n
  5. School holidays \u2013 many families plan mini-vacations over a long weekends. Know when your Spring\/Fall breaks are for your area and avoid those by several weeks. If families are venturing to Disney World, there are often not extra funds for mom to getaway.<\/li>\n
  6. Superbowl weekend \u2013 that being said, my January retreat ended on Super Bowl Sunday. Normally we would have had folks over, but couldn\u2019t.<\/li>\n
  7. May is usually not a good month \u2013 college graduations, Mother\u2019s Day, and school releasing for the summer knocks out most weekends.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    God controls the weather, but your team may be uncomfortable asking women to drive into the mountains in January or February. Likewise, your team may want to avoid the height of hurricane season at the beach.<\/p>\n

    \"Some<\/a><\/p>\n

    Some dates may make more sense depending upon your retreat location.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Many women\u2019s ministry groups find it\u2019s best to plan their retreat for the fall.<\/p>\n

    Most groups avoid the summer months altogether.<\/p>\n

    Generally speaking that leaves you with September, October (avoid Halloween), early November, late January, February, early March, and maybe part of April (depending on where Easter and Spring breaks fall).<\/em><\/p>\n

    Seriously consider, too, when you\u2019ll be doing the bulk of your retreat planning and preparations.<\/p>\n

    It can be hard, but not impossible, to do retreat planning over the summer and during November and December.<\/p>\n

    How long should you be gone?<\/strong><\/p>\n