Above Rubies Retreats Camp Coordinator Briefing Package
Welcome! We appreciate your interest in hosting an Above Rubies Retreat in your area. The information in this packet is designed to help the potential camp coordinator plan a retreat. It will help you to determine what this entails and assess the best approach to hosting a local retreat. It is meant as a guideline for assistance and not to replace individual creativity. Please consider this very prayerfully and be sure to discuss it thoroughly with your husband; his input and support will be vital to your decision. May God's blessings be upon you and your family as you seek to do His will and serve others! Please feel free to call or email with any questions.
Hosting a Retreat
How to Begin:
Contact Nancy about her speaking availability and possible dates, avoid holiday weekends.
Call area conference centers/hotels about pricing and weekends open.
Weekends work best because most fathers are home on weekends to watch their children.
Write or call other Above Rubies readers in your area to see if anyone can help out.
Decide who you will invite to the retreat: Moms only, moms with nursing/young babies, toddlers, moms with their families (Dads come and watch the children while mom is in sessions), or entire families with moms and dads switching off sessions between Nancy and Colin Campbell. Although toddlers can sometimes be very busy, sometimes it can make a difference between whether or not a mom can come if she can bring her toddler. I’ve offered the option of anybody coming and it has worked out really well as it gives freedom for families to best decide what is workable for them. Personally, I will not go to a retreat that asks me to leave my over six months olds behind for overnight or a weekend. It would not be a blessing to my husband or my children.
Choosing a Location:
•Finding Retreat Centers- If you don't already know of locations in your area, here are a few tips for starting: Christian Camp & Conference association (www.ccca-us.org). This is a great site and lists member camps by state and directly links you to their web sites. Check the yellow pages of the phone book under Camps, Conference Centers, Retreat Centers, Hotels, and Historic Landmarks. Call the Chamber of Commerce for nearby communities that have scenic areas and ask about campgrounds and conference centers. Call area churches and ask where they hold their retreats.
If you are opening the retreat up to children and families, be sure to discuss this with your potential camp so they can work with you on the best pricing. Most retreat centers have not had groups that wish to include small children with mom or a combination of women and families.
Arrange a Tour of your potential retreat sites. Some will offer you a complimentary overnight stay for your family mid-week. Is this a Christian organization? Hotels and retreat centers have different advantages and disadvantages. There will also be a different atmosphere at each. Determine which best fits the needs of your retreat attendees.
The Dining: Taste the food (if possible) or ask about the typical menu. Find out what considerations they have for special dietary needs. Is there a refrigerator open to the guests for storage? Will they work with you on offering vegetarian dishes as well as meat based entrees? Is the menu agreeable to children if they are invited? Is the dining area clean and comfortable? What are their requirements of your group at mealtime? Some centers request the group provide a few people to help with table setting or cleanup.
The Rooms: What are the rooms like? Can a mom fit in the bed with a baby or toddler? Are rollaway beds available? Is there room for a playpen? Are the bathrooms in the room or very close by? If you were bringing your baby or family would you be comfortable there? Is there air conditioning or heating if it is necessary the weekend of your retreat? Are there outlets in the rooms? Is there a special speaker's room? Some camps have a room with bedding provided or you can pay a small price to have them provide linens. If not, you’ll need to bring bedding and a towel for Nancy (* coordinator's hint: dress up the place and make it special for her. Put some tea bags and a little hot water/coffee maker in the room so she can be relaxed and have some tea in between speaking. Chamomile, Ginger & Peppermint are her favorites. Some flowers to freshen it up. Bring a fan if it is a hot weekend). Nancy really needs to have her own room so that she has a quiet place to prepare her heart before the Lord before speaking.
The Grounds: Is it peaceful, pleasant and clean? What does it look like at the time of year your retreat is? Too hot or cold? Can strollers and wheelchairs maneuver from place to place with reasonable ease? Is there a pool, playground, gym or other fun things available for moms or children to do?
The Cost: Can a mother on a limited budget afford to come to your retreat after you've added your cost onto the campsite cost? Can a family afford to come with their children? Does the contract allow you to lower or raise your numbers on certain dates? Will they let you add up a couple children to equal one adult on your commitment? Can you afford the deposit cost?
Day Rates: How many people will the camp allow to come for the day? Sometimes it is a percentage of your overnight guests. Sometimes it is unlimited, but there usually is a day use charge and meal costs. Don't forget to add on the extra cost of the retreat to those coming for the day. Day raters should eat with the other attendees and not go their cars in the parking lot to eat or bring bag lunches. This is a courtesy to the retreat center as well as encouraging fellowship.
The Meeting Room: Does it have a sound system with microphones and jacks for the worship leader's instruments or do you have to provide one? Will there be someone there when you set up to ensure the sound system is working properly for recording tapes of the sessions? Nancy prefers to move around with the microphone as much as possible while speaking; does the mike have a long enough cord? Is there a tuned piano available for your worship leader? Is it large enough for a play area for the babies/toddlers or strollers to wheel in and out? Are there a lot of hazards for children? Is it homey or a sterile, business meeting environment? Is it air conditioned/heated?
Book Sales: Some centers will allow printed material sales only through their bookstore and then charge a percentage (i.e. 15%). Be sure to find out in advance what their policy is on this so you can plan appropriately. Book sales do better when there is a table in the meeting room than through the bookstore where the prices are higher than if the books were ordered directly through Above Rubies at other times.
WATER: Be sure to find out if the retreat center provides water for the meeting room and how it will be brought in and replenished. You might have to bring your own water bottles or at least have to have someone who can go refill from the kitchen.
Bathrooms: Are they close by? Clean? Lots of toilet paper? Can a mom manage a child or baby in them?
An Overhead Projector: This can be used for the worship lyrics or if Nancy has something she needs to put on the overhead.
Contracting with the Retreat Center
You've discussed a date with Nancy and are ready to lock in a date with a conference center/hotel.
About the Contract: You are entering into a legal, binding agreement with this location's management that says you are going to pay them a certain amount of money on a given date! Can you fulfill this obligation? Are there dates that you can change your numbers? I.e. 60 days, 30 days, two weeks. When is the money due? Do you have funds available to pay on certain dates if no one sends in a registration until one month before the retreat? Can children be counted towards the adult price to fulfil the contracted numbers? READ EVERYTHING before you sign! Be sure to put your name and not Above Rubies on the contract as the responsible party.
Insurance Requirements-The camp may ask you for proof of liability insurance to cover the group. Most individuals don’t typically carry that kind of insurance. The camp might let you sign a waiver or hold harmless agreement. If not, and your church is not sponsoring this camp, you may have to find another retreat center who will work with you.
Don't Overbook! Most often, it is easier to increase your numbers than decrease them after a certain date. Read thoroughly to find out what you are committing to. Some places want 10% of your cost up front. Others offer a set rate down payment. God has already knows how many ladies/families will be attending your retreat. Seek Him to help you come up with a number. 25 sounds low, but it is a good starting number. One way to guesstimate is to find out how many Above Rubies readers live in the area. Find out if the contracted number represents all in attendance or only adults. The children's pricing is hopefully lower and graduated with age, but can add up quickly if your retreat is open to families. Find out if the center will allow a large family in one dorm. Remember that every bed they don't fill with an adult costs them money, but many Christian managed sites will see the benefit of the unusual option of having the families come. This also takes up room in the dining hall and there will not be enough high chairs. Parents will have to sit a small child on their lap, in a stroller, or a portable chair that attaches to the table.
Pre-retreat activities
You have your date, now what?
Make a Brochure/Registration Form: This can be fancy or simple. Samples will be given you, as well as a pre-made one that only has to be altered to reflect your retreat's information. TITLE OF SEMINARS: Nancy cannot give the exact subjects she will speak on at the time you begin planning as she prefers to wait on the Lord and be available to how the Holy Spirit leads her.
However, all the subjects will come under the overall heading of the following you can choose from:
THE POWER OF MOTHERHOOD
THE CHALLENGE OF MOTHERHOOD
GOD’S PLAN AND PURPOSE FOR WOMEN
Choose which one you like. Nancy's favorite is GOD’S PLAN AND PURPOSE FOR WOMEN.
Charge at least $25-$40 above the cost you are paying per person to the retreat center to cover your additional expenses, including Nancy's airfare and room. Have volunteers from the existing registrants do worship so that you do not have to pay for a worship leader’s room; you can always choose to give them a "discount" by dropping the extra fee over the lodging cost to compensate them for their time and talents. It really depends on the situation. Figure in cost of printed materials, postage, phone bills (email has greatly reduced these expenditures), audio/video tapes for sessions, table goodies/crafts, snack foods for meeting room, etc. Have your husband decide if he wants you to break even or if he doesn't mind part of the cost being a tithe (this is good to know in advance). A tip for locating airfares is to sign up to receive Southwest Airlines weekly email specials and scan it each Tuesday for flights from Nashville. We have been able to get her $99 fares (each way + tax) a couple of times (which is cheap to come to California). She will book her own tickets so this is not a necessity, it is just something we've done to assist her since she probably doesn't have time to check for low fares every week. When we find them, we just call and pass on the information to her and she’ll handle it from there. I've chosen Southwest because it was a more reliable discount deal than some of the other online services where they bargain for your fares after you've given them your credit card information and contracted to take whatever they find you (like a 2 a.m. flight with three stopovers).
It’s best to have a flight that arrives by early afternoon on Friday to allow time for being the flight being late and for travel to the retreat center. Arrange for a trustworthy registrant to pick up Nancy from the airport and be responsible for returning her there after the retreat. If there is no Friday night meal at the retreat, be sure that they stop and eat somewhere before arriving at the center. If a flight is not available for later on Sunday afternoon (again, allowing travel time after the end of the conference), arrange for a family to host her on Sunday night and take her to the airport Monday morning.
You can offer a discount price for Early Bird Registration. You can make it $10.00 or more cheaper for those who register by a certain date. This helps to get the registrations coming in earlier, rather than all at the last minute. You’ll still get last minute registrations; that’s mainly when they all come in.
Will you be able to offer scholarships? A partial scholarship? (This is letting someone come at the cost you pay the retreat center).
Unless you are setting up a separate account, please be sure to indicate to whom they are to make the checks payable to very clearly on the registration form. I have still received checks made out to Above Rubies. Those I have passed on to Nancy towards the airfare instead of writing her a separate check for that amount. Keep the money in your savings account to earn interest, if possible, and to keep it from being confused with your personal money. Keep good records of your deposits and who has sent how much somewhere besides your computer in case it should become incapacitated. Keep all your records on a backup disk to save a lot of time in the event of a crash. Due to health codes, many states require the retreat centers to have on hand a list of names and addresses of those staying at their camp in case there is an outbreak of an infectious disease or someone gets food poisoning. Keep an alphabetized record ready to hand them at the retreat.
If an Above Rubies magazine is coming out before your retreat, this is the best advertising. It will also be listed on the Above Rubies web site. Contact any homeschool support groups and see if they'll put it in their newsletter. Christian newspapers' events calendar. Place brochures in local bookstores and churches. Christian web sites, bulletin boards. Local radio stations. Hand out magazines and brochures to La Leche League leaders or at homeschool fairs, church fairs, beauty salons ( with the magazine ), etc. Make an email brochure that sends and is received easily to send to various homeschool boards and others that could promote the event.
Choosing a Worship Leader: This will be easy for some and difficult for others depending on who you already know or, as in most cases, don't know J
It can be a man or woman or a team. What instrument they play is best determined by the choice of facilities and number of attendees. Usually it would be a guitar or synthesizer.
What is his/her/their style of worship? Is this compatible with the varied backgrounds of the attendees? The best option is someone who knows a variety of familiar hymns and choruses and doesn't slant too heavily in one direction.
You can also have an option for attendees to bring accompaniment tapes and share a special song. The retreat can also be set up with allowing prearranged blocks of time to the attendees to lead worship thus saving the cost of sponsoring a specific worship leader.
Keep Track of your Registrants and Inquiries
Don't write on a scrap of paper and lose it. Use your computer or a filing system. Indicate for yourself if you sent something and what date. Keep track of all communications to help you remember who's who. Send out a questionnaire along with the confirmation letter to get information from the moms coming. Husband's name, names and ages of children, any special hobbies or interests, and special needs and ministries (like children with medical conditions or twins). This information will help you room moms together that have things in common and also to make a "memory book" with the information. Be sure to say somewhere on the form that this is the purpose so that they can indicate information they do not wish shared with the rest of the moms.
Make Crafts for the Moms: Table trinkets at every meal are just one of the ways to make the moms feel special. These can be very simple; bookmarks with a scripture on them, refrigerator magnets, etc. Most materials can be purchased inexpensively in the Wal-Mart craft section. If you are not "gifted" in this area, enlist the help of friends, church members, or other Above Rubies moms in your area. Nancy has more information and ideas in her letter to you as well as helps for designing nametags.
Soliciting Door Prize Donations: A mom who wanted to help out on this wanted to save postage so she went online and was able to gather many wonderful prizes to be given out during meal times. Contact local restaurant chains, Discovery Zone, Chuck E. Cheese, amusement parks, Christian bookstores, homeschool supply catalogs, sports teams, maternity shops/catalogs. The possibilities are limitless. Be sure to send a nice thank you letter to all that contribute and list their names and contact numbers in the literature you are handing out to the attendees. This is not necessary, but it does make it fun to win something.
Printed Materials
A confirmation letter that includes a map to the grounds and a list of items to bring and necessary camp rules (such as bathing suit requirements, length of shorts, etc.). Be sure to state somewhere in a prominent spot that a love offering for Nancy will be taken on Saturday so the moms come prepared.
A compilation of handouts, poems, encouraging stories, facts. A variety of original copies will be provided to you. These can be given out in a .15 folder from one of the office supply stores along with a schedule of the weekend, or tied by a ribbon. You don’t have to use them all! Pray about the ones that you would like to include in your folders. I have copied and pasted poems from the web site and then changed the fonts and arranged them to look a certain way on a background paper. Choose 10 sheets to include in the folders (you can include more or less as you want.) Please include at least two of Nancy's poems, as they are something personal from her to the ladies. The poems look nicer on colored paper or bordered paper if this is possible. Office depot sells packages of 100 for 5.00 and then you take them to the printing counter and pay .02. Do any artwork that you would like to make them look more attractive. Some of the poems and some of the teaching sheets have two pages. If so, copy them back and front rather than using two pages. You may have some other wonderful material and poems that you would like to share with the ladies as well as what is sent to you. You are welcome to do this. Just send Nancy a copy of them first so she can check on them. The more encouraging things in the folders the better. As soon as you have chosen the ones that you want and have photocopied them, or made a master copy of them, please send them all back to Nancy so she can have them to send on to the next person who is organizing a retreat.
At the Retreat
Packing: Be sure to have a checklist for yourself of all necessary things to bring from home that day. The brain does strange things under pressure and simple things can be overlooked and forgotten. Refer to your confirmation letter to remind yourself to bring the things you need, such as towels and toothbrushes and things for your own family if applicable. Bring extras for attendees who may forget; toothbrushes, those personal sanitary care items that are never needed before you get somewhere and then suddenly are required J
Don't forget your registration list! And financial records so you know what you owe and if anyone hasn't paid yet. Please keep your wallet somewhere safe and out of sight. Just because you are in a "Christian" environment doesn't mean you get careless. Don't tempt someone else. We have seen a purse disappear at a previous retreat.
Arriving at the Grounds: Allow plenty of time for possible traffic/vehicle problems and get there early enough so that you don't feel rushed to get set up. Let the camp secretary know you're there and get any keys or help you need. Set up the meeting room. Some of the things to have in the room:
A love offering container for Nancy Campbell and the worship leader/team ( unless they are volunteering or receiving payment from you). Nancy does not receive a salary from Above Rubies, so be sure to specify this to the ladies. This way if they would like to donate to the magazine they can make out a separate check for Above Rubies. Have the container accessable at all times so the day raters can participate even if they won’t be there for the Saturday evening session.
Two long tables for Nancy's books to be sold and for back issues of Above Rubies to be made available. This table can be decorated with a tablecloth or nice sheet to spruce it up, as well as the other tables you have in the meeting room.
A table for snacks and water. Fruit and muffins look great in baskets. Wal Mart has good prices on these. Some snack ideas: Bananas ( get them "just ripe" on Friday), apples, whole grain bread items like muffins ( although these are admittedly messy with the children sometimes), cookies. You can include a request sheet with the confirmation letter to get some of the moms who are coming locally to bring these. Be sure to check with the conference center to make sure they don’t have any restrictions on having food in the meeting room.
A registration table for Friday night. Try to have some help with this so that someone is available to answer other questions. Put a basket with scriptures or chocolate kisses on it for the moms to pick up upon arriving.
Arrange the chairs. A semi circle works nice for the babies to roam in. Bring some quiet, non-chokeable, loseable toys in a box for playing.
Extra diapers in medium, baby wipes, and even a changing table, if possible. A baby swing is another idea. It all depends on how much room you have and how much help. Think of what would be helpful for you to entertain a baby in a meeting.
Set up the Sound System: Be Sure Everything is Working and Ready! Have your first tape in if you are planning to record and try it out. Know each microphone's number on the sound board if you are in charge of running the sound board. Set up your video camera. Remember, Nancy prefers to have a microphone with a long cord so she can move around while she speaks.
*If you tape or videotape the sessions, find out from Nancy how she would like to handle the tapes.
The Lodging Rooms: If you have special goodies to put on the ladies' pillows, be sure to give yourself or your helpers plenty of time and access to the rooms ( keys).
Scheduling Options and Ideas: A sample copy will be enclosed with your printed materials. Each retreat will vary based on the coordinator and Nancy's speaking preference.
Friday: Registration at 5 p.m. followed by dinner, worship for 20-30 minutes, Nancy's first session, then more worship. Be sure to personally welcome everyone on the microphone before starting and make any announcements about the retreat center that are necessary, i.e. location of bathrooms, emergency phone numbers, fire escape routes, where they can locate you with a question.
Pray with, and for, Nancy, and the weekend, before her first session in front of the group.
Saturday: Nancy speaks after breakfast. Afterward you can break into small discussion groups focusing on a specific scripture or topics about mothering (i.e. specialty groups with a leader discussing birth, breastfeeding, nutrition & health, meal planning, etc.) or take a short break and have Nancy continue until lunch. After lunch, allow at least a one-hour break and then regather for afternoon sessions. This is a good time for a panel discussion with Nancy and other moms and/or "experts" in certain areas (midwives, childbirth educators, lactation specialists, and herbalists). After dinner, another session with Nancy and then a time of prayer and worship.
Sunday: Communion before or after breakfast is nice. Testimony time where the moms can come up and share what God has done in their lives, and a final session with Nancy. If there is a lunch and time afterward, Nancy can have a closing session then, but it is usually best before lunch as people tend to start packing up or fellowshipping after lunch.
Take a group picture, if possible, of everyone there. Most day raters come Saturday, so this is best done in the afternoon before dinner. Take lots of snapshots. Videotape, if possible. If you don't have a tripod for your video camera, borrow one, buy one, or rent one. It's a blessing to be able to "live" through it again and make copies for friends who couldn't come or others who might want to organize a retreat.
Above all; Relax and allow God to minister to you as well! It's like a wedding; you can plan your best, but when the day happens, it happens and sometimes things happen that are out of your control, so don't stress! Do your best and let God do the rest!
After the Retreat
Make sure your group leaves the center by the appointed time; they may have another group coming in and need to clean up. Don't forget to pack all your belongings and pay your bill. Be sure to tidy up as best as possible to be a good witness as the center maybe has never had a retreat with babies and/or children. Be prepared beforehand. Have a computer list with everyone's name and address and break it down into age groups if having children. Know what you owe! Don't make the camp secretary do it for you.
Drive carefully home. Funny things happen when you come down off the mountaintop. My brakes went out coming down the hill (literally) after the first retreat. I ended up stopping at someone's house for help and she turned out to be a Christian. She followed me down to the Goodyear in town (it was open on Sunday J ) and they couldn't find anything wrong with my brakes; worked fine after that, hmmm……
It's Over, or is it? A few of us were standing around talking as we packed up at the first retreat I coordinated in 1997. One of the ladies suggested to me that I start a newsletter to keep everyone in touch with births and other happenings. I told her she was crazy and there was no way I was doing that! Monday morning came and the Lord had given me a title for this newsletter before I'd even gotten out of bed! And so "Bonded Together" was created. I also said I wasn't doing another retreat. Then someone called me and asked me to help. At that retreat I emphatically told everyone that I WAS NOT doing another retreat! By the time December rolled around I was already thinking about the upcoming retreat that I hadn't booked yet. Not everyone will do another retreat (I promise), but they are incredibly fun and a tremendous blessing. The work is well worth it as long as your family doesn't get lost in the shuffle. So, never say never, and be open to whatever the Lord has for you, whether it is to do an Above Rubies Retreat or not. It's His work and He calls whom He will.
May God Bless you and your family as you prayerfully consider this responsibility and blessing!
Welcome! We appreciate your interest in hosting an Above Rubies Retreat in your area. The information in this packet is designed to help the potential camp coordinator plan a retreat. It will help you to determine what this entails and assess the best approach to hosting a local retreat. It is meant as a guideline for assistance and not to replace individual creativity. Please consider this very prayerfully and be sure to discuss it thoroughly with your husband; his input and support will be vital to your decision. May God's blessings be upon you and your family as you seek to do His will and serve others! Please feel free to call or email with any questions.
Hosting a Retreat
How to Begin:
Contact Nancy about her speaking availability and possible dates, avoid holiday weekends.
Call area conference centers/hotels about pricing and weekends open.
Weekends work best because most fathers are home on weekends to watch their children.
Write or call other Above Rubies readers in your area to see if anyone can help out.
Decide who you will invite to the retreat: Moms only, moms with nursing/young babies, toddlers, moms with their families (Dads come and watch the children while mom is in sessions), or entire families with moms and dads switching off sessions between Nancy and Colin Campbell. Although toddlers can sometimes be very busy, sometimes it can make a difference between whether or not a mom can come if she can bring her toddler. I’ve offered the option of anybody coming and it has worked out really well as it gives freedom for families to best decide what is workable for them. Personally, I will not go to a retreat that asks me to leave my over six months olds behind for overnight or a weekend. It would not be a blessing to my husband or my children.
Choosing a Location:
•Finding Retreat Centers- If you don't already know of locations in your area, here are a few tips for starting: Christian Camp & Conference association (www.ccca-us.org). This is a great site and lists member camps by state and directly links you to their web sites. Check the yellow pages of the phone book under Camps, Conference Centers, Retreat Centers, Hotels, and Historic Landmarks. Call the Chamber of Commerce for nearby communities that have scenic areas and ask about campgrounds and conference centers. Call area churches and ask where they hold their retreats.
If you are opening the retreat up to children and families, be sure to discuss this with your potential camp so they can work with you on the best pricing. Most retreat centers have not had groups that wish to include small children with mom or a combination of women and families.
Arrange a Tour of your potential retreat sites. Some will offer you a complimentary overnight stay for your family mid-week. Is this a Christian organization? Hotels and retreat centers have different advantages and disadvantages. There will also be a different atmosphere at each. Determine which best fits the needs of your retreat attendees.
The Dining: Taste the food (if possible) or ask about the typical menu. Find out what considerations they have for special dietary needs. Is there a refrigerator open to the guests for storage? Will they work with you on offering vegetarian dishes as well as meat based entrees? Is the menu agreeable to children if they are invited? Is the dining area clean and comfortable? What are their requirements of your group at mealtime? Some centers request the group provide a few people to help with table setting or cleanup.
The Rooms: What are the rooms like? Can a mom fit in the bed with a baby or toddler? Are rollaway beds available? Is there room for a playpen? Are the bathrooms in the room or very close by? If you were bringing your baby or family would you be comfortable there? Is there air conditioning or heating if it is necessary the weekend of your retreat? Are there outlets in the rooms? Is there a special speaker's room? Some camps have a room with bedding provided or you can pay a small price to have them provide linens. If not, you’ll need to bring bedding and a towel for Nancy (* coordinator's hint: dress up the place and make it special for her. Put some tea bags and a little hot water/coffee maker in the room so she can be relaxed and have some tea in between speaking. Chamomile, Ginger & Peppermint are her favorites. Some flowers to freshen it up. Bring a fan if it is a hot weekend). Nancy really needs to have her own room so that she has a quiet place to prepare her heart before the Lord before speaking.
The Grounds: Is it peaceful, pleasant and clean? What does it look like at the time of year your retreat is? Too hot or cold? Can strollers and wheelchairs maneuver from place to place with reasonable ease? Is there a pool, playground, gym or other fun things available for moms or children to do?
The Cost: Can a mother on a limited budget afford to come to your retreat after you've added your cost onto the campsite cost? Can a family afford to come with their children? Does the contract allow you to lower or raise your numbers on certain dates? Will they let you add up a couple children to equal one adult on your commitment? Can you afford the deposit cost?
Day Rates: How many people will the camp allow to come for the day? Sometimes it is a percentage of your overnight guests. Sometimes it is unlimited, but there usually is a day use charge and meal costs. Don't forget to add on the extra cost of the retreat to those coming for the day. Day raters should eat with the other attendees and not go their cars in the parking lot to eat or bring bag lunches. This is a courtesy to the retreat center as well as encouraging fellowship.
The Meeting Room: Does it have a sound system with microphones and jacks for the worship leader's instruments or do you have to provide one? Will there be someone there when you set up to ensure the sound system is working properly for recording tapes of the sessions? Nancy prefers to move around with the microphone as much as possible while speaking; does the mike have a long enough cord? Is there a tuned piano available for your worship leader? Is it large enough for a play area for the babies/toddlers or strollers to wheel in and out? Are there a lot of hazards for children? Is it homey or a sterile, business meeting environment? Is it air conditioned/heated?
Book Sales: Some centers will allow printed material sales only through their bookstore and then charge a percentage (i.e. 15%). Be sure to find out in advance what their policy is on this so you can plan appropriately. Book sales do better when there is a table in the meeting room than through the bookstore where the prices are higher than if the books were ordered directly through Above Rubies at other times.
WATER: Be sure to find out if the retreat center provides water for the meeting room and how it will be brought in and replenished. You might have to bring your own water bottles or at least have to have someone who can go refill from the kitchen.
Bathrooms: Are they close by? Clean? Lots of toilet paper? Can a mom manage a child or baby in them?
An Overhead Projector: This can be used for the worship lyrics or if Nancy has something she needs to put on the overhead.
Contracting with the Retreat Center
You've discussed a date with Nancy and are ready to lock in a date with a conference center/hotel.
About the Contract: You are entering into a legal, binding agreement with this location's management that says you are going to pay them a certain amount of money on a given date! Can you fulfill this obligation? Are there dates that you can change your numbers? I.e. 60 days, 30 days, two weeks. When is the money due? Do you have funds available to pay on certain dates if no one sends in a registration until one month before the retreat? Can children be counted towards the adult price to fulfil the contracted numbers? READ EVERYTHING before you sign! Be sure to put your name and not Above Rubies on the contract as the responsible party.
Insurance Requirements-The camp may ask you for proof of liability insurance to cover the group. Most individuals don’t typically carry that kind of insurance. The camp might let you sign a waiver or hold harmless agreement. If not, and your church is not sponsoring this camp, you may have to find another retreat center who will work with you.
Don't Overbook! Most often, it is easier to increase your numbers than decrease them after a certain date. Read thoroughly to find out what you are committing to. Some places want 10% of your cost up front. Others offer a set rate down payment. God has already knows how many ladies/families will be attending your retreat. Seek Him to help you come up with a number. 25 sounds low, but it is a good starting number. One way to guesstimate is to find out how many Above Rubies readers live in the area. Find out if the contracted number represents all in attendance or only adults. The children's pricing is hopefully lower and graduated with age, but can add up quickly if your retreat is open to families. Find out if the center will allow a large family in one dorm. Remember that every bed they don't fill with an adult costs them money, but many Christian managed sites will see the benefit of the unusual option of having the families come. This also takes up room in the dining hall and there will not be enough high chairs. Parents will have to sit a small child on their lap, in a stroller, or a portable chair that attaches to the table.
Pre-retreat activities
You have your date, now what?
Make a Brochure/Registration Form: This can be fancy or simple. Samples will be given you, as well as a pre-made one that only has to be altered to reflect your retreat's information. TITLE OF SEMINARS: Nancy cannot give the exact subjects she will speak on at the time you begin planning as she prefers to wait on the Lord and be available to how the Holy Spirit leads her.
However, all the subjects will come under the overall heading of the following you can choose from:
THE POWER OF MOTHERHOOD
THE CHALLENGE OF MOTHERHOOD
GOD’S PLAN AND PURPOSE FOR WOMEN
Choose which one you like. Nancy's favorite is GOD’S PLAN AND PURPOSE FOR WOMEN.
Charge at least $25-$40 above the cost you are paying per person to the retreat center to cover your additional expenses, including Nancy's airfare and room. Have volunteers from the existing registrants do worship so that you do not have to pay for a worship leader’s room; you can always choose to give them a "discount" by dropping the extra fee over the lodging cost to compensate them for their time and talents. It really depends on the situation. Figure in cost of printed materials, postage, phone bills (email has greatly reduced these expenditures), audio/video tapes for sessions, table goodies/crafts, snack foods for meeting room, etc. Have your husband decide if he wants you to break even or if he doesn't mind part of the cost being a tithe (this is good to know in advance). A tip for locating airfares is to sign up to receive Southwest Airlines weekly email specials and scan it each Tuesday for flights from Nashville. We have been able to get her $99 fares (each way + tax) a couple of times (which is cheap to come to California). She will book her own tickets so this is not a necessity, it is just something we've done to assist her since she probably doesn't have time to check for low fares every week. When we find them, we just call and pass on the information to her and she’ll handle it from there. I've chosen Southwest because it was a more reliable discount deal than some of the other online services where they bargain for your fares after you've given them your credit card information and contracted to take whatever they find you (like a 2 a.m. flight with three stopovers).
It’s best to have a flight that arrives by early afternoon on Friday to allow time for being the flight being late and for travel to the retreat center. Arrange for a trustworthy registrant to pick up Nancy from the airport and be responsible for returning her there after the retreat. If there is no Friday night meal at the retreat, be sure that they stop and eat somewhere before arriving at the center. If a flight is not available for later on Sunday afternoon (again, allowing travel time after the end of the conference), arrange for a family to host her on Sunday night and take her to the airport Monday morning.
You can offer a discount price for Early Bird Registration. You can make it $10.00 or more cheaper for those who register by a certain date. This helps to get the registrations coming in earlier, rather than all at the last minute. You’ll still get last minute registrations; that’s mainly when they all come in.
Will you be able to offer scholarships? A partial scholarship? (This is letting someone come at the cost you pay the retreat center).
Unless you are setting up a separate account, please be sure to indicate to whom they are to make the checks payable to very clearly on the registration form. I have still received checks made out to Above Rubies. Those I have passed on to Nancy towards the airfare instead of writing her a separate check for that amount. Keep the money in your savings account to earn interest, if possible, and to keep it from being confused with your personal money. Keep good records of your deposits and who has sent how much somewhere besides your computer in case it should become incapacitated. Keep all your records on a backup disk to save a lot of time in the event of a crash. Due to health codes, many states require the retreat centers to have on hand a list of names and addresses of those staying at their camp in case there is an outbreak of an infectious disease or someone gets food poisoning. Keep an alphabetized record ready to hand them at the retreat.
If an Above Rubies magazine is coming out before your retreat, this is the best advertising. It will also be listed on the Above Rubies web site. Contact any homeschool support groups and see if they'll put it in their newsletter. Christian newspapers' events calendar. Place brochures in local bookstores and churches. Christian web sites, bulletin boards. Local radio stations. Hand out magazines and brochures to La Leche League leaders or at homeschool fairs, church fairs, beauty salons ( with the magazine ), etc. Make an email brochure that sends and is received easily to send to various homeschool boards and others that could promote the event.
Choosing a Worship Leader: This will be easy for some and difficult for others depending on who you already know or, as in most cases, don't know J
It can be a man or woman or a team. What instrument they play is best determined by the choice of facilities and number of attendees. Usually it would be a guitar or synthesizer.
What is his/her/their style of worship? Is this compatible with the varied backgrounds of the attendees? The best option is someone who knows a variety of familiar hymns and choruses and doesn't slant too heavily in one direction.
You can also have an option for attendees to bring accompaniment tapes and share a special song. The retreat can also be set up with allowing prearranged blocks of time to the attendees to lead worship thus saving the cost of sponsoring a specific worship leader.
Keep Track of your Registrants and Inquiries
Don't write on a scrap of paper and lose it. Use your computer or a filing system. Indicate for yourself if you sent something and what date. Keep track of all communications to help you remember who's who. Send out a questionnaire along with the confirmation letter to get information from the moms coming. Husband's name, names and ages of children, any special hobbies or interests, and special needs and ministries (like children with medical conditions or twins). This information will help you room moms together that have things in common and also to make a "memory book" with the information. Be sure to say somewhere on the form that this is the purpose so that they can indicate information they do not wish shared with the rest of the moms.
Make Crafts for the Moms: Table trinkets at every meal are just one of the ways to make the moms feel special. These can be very simple; bookmarks with a scripture on them, refrigerator magnets, etc. Most materials can be purchased inexpensively in the Wal-Mart craft section. If you are not "gifted" in this area, enlist the help of friends, church members, or other Above Rubies moms in your area. Nancy has more information and ideas in her letter to you as well as helps for designing nametags.
Soliciting Door Prize Donations: A mom who wanted to help out on this wanted to save postage so she went online and was able to gather many wonderful prizes to be given out during meal times. Contact local restaurant chains, Discovery Zone, Chuck E. Cheese, amusement parks, Christian bookstores, homeschool supply catalogs, sports teams, maternity shops/catalogs. The possibilities are limitless. Be sure to send a nice thank you letter to all that contribute and list their names and contact numbers in the literature you are handing out to the attendees. This is not necessary, but it does make it fun to win something.
Printed Materials
A confirmation letter that includes a map to the grounds and a list of items to bring and necessary camp rules (such as bathing suit requirements, length of shorts, etc.). Be sure to state somewhere in a prominent spot that a love offering for Nancy will be taken on Saturday so the moms come prepared.
A compilation of handouts, poems, encouraging stories, facts. A variety of original copies will be provided to you. These can be given out in a .15 folder from one of the office supply stores along with a schedule of the weekend, or tied by a ribbon. You don’t have to use them all! Pray about the ones that you would like to include in your folders. I have copied and pasted poems from the web site and then changed the fonts and arranged them to look a certain way on a background paper. Choose 10 sheets to include in the folders (you can include more or less as you want.) Please include at least two of Nancy's poems, as they are something personal from her to the ladies. The poems look nicer on colored paper or bordered paper if this is possible. Office depot sells packages of 100 for 5.00 and then you take them to the printing counter and pay .02. Do any artwork that you would like to make them look more attractive. Some of the poems and some of the teaching sheets have two pages. If so, copy them back and front rather than using two pages. You may have some other wonderful material and poems that you would like to share with the ladies as well as what is sent to you. You are welcome to do this. Just send Nancy a copy of them first so she can check on them. The more encouraging things in the folders the better. As soon as you have chosen the ones that you want and have photocopied them, or made a master copy of them, please send them all back to Nancy so she can have them to send on to the next person who is organizing a retreat.
At the Retreat
Packing: Be sure to have a checklist for yourself of all necessary things to bring from home that day. The brain does strange things under pressure and simple things can be overlooked and forgotten. Refer to your confirmation letter to remind yourself to bring the things you need, such as towels and toothbrushes and things for your own family if applicable. Bring extras for attendees who may forget; toothbrushes, those personal sanitary care items that are never needed before you get somewhere and then suddenly are required J
Don't forget your registration list! And financial records so you know what you owe and if anyone hasn't paid yet. Please keep your wallet somewhere safe and out of sight. Just because you are in a "Christian" environment doesn't mean you get careless. Don't tempt someone else. We have seen a purse disappear at a previous retreat.
Arriving at the Grounds: Allow plenty of time for possible traffic/vehicle problems and get there early enough so that you don't feel rushed to get set up. Let the camp secretary know you're there and get any keys or help you need. Set up the meeting room. Some of the things to have in the room:
A love offering container for Nancy Campbell and the worship leader/team ( unless they are volunteering or receiving payment from you). Nancy does not receive a salary from Above Rubies, so be sure to specify this to the ladies. This way if they would like to donate to the magazine they can make out a separate check for Above Rubies. Have the container accessable at all times so the day raters can participate even if they won’t be there for the Saturday evening session.
Two long tables for Nancy's books to be sold and for back issues of Above Rubies to be made available. This table can be decorated with a tablecloth or nice sheet to spruce it up, as well as the other tables you have in the meeting room.
A table for snacks and water. Fruit and muffins look great in baskets. Wal Mart has good prices on these. Some snack ideas: Bananas ( get them "just ripe" on Friday), apples, whole grain bread items like muffins ( although these are admittedly messy with the children sometimes), cookies. You can include a request sheet with the confirmation letter to get some of the moms who are coming locally to bring these. Be sure to check with the conference center to make sure they don’t have any restrictions on having food in the meeting room.
A registration table for Friday night. Try to have some help with this so that someone is available to answer other questions. Put a basket with scriptures or chocolate kisses on it for the moms to pick up upon arriving.
Arrange the chairs. A semi circle works nice for the babies to roam in. Bring some quiet, non-chokeable, loseable toys in a box for playing.
Extra diapers in medium, baby wipes, and even a changing table, if possible. A baby swing is another idea. It all depends on how much room you have and how much help. Think of what would be helpful for you to entertain a baby in a meeting.
Set up the Sound System: Be Sure Everything is Working and Ready! Have your first tape in if you are planning to record and try it out. Know each microphone's number on the sound board if you are in charge of running the sound board. Set up your video camera. Remember, Nancy prefers to have a microphone with a long cord so she can move around while she speaks.
*If you tape or videotape the sessions, find out from Nancy how she would like to handle the tapes.
The Lodging Rooms: If you have special goodies to put on the ladies' pillows, be sure to give yourself or your helpers plenty of time and access to the rooms ( keys).
Scheduling Options and Ideas: A sample copy will be enclosed with your printed materials. Each retreat will vary based on the coordinator and Nancy's speaking preference.
Friday: Registration at 5 p.m. followed by dinner, worship for 20-30 minutes, Nancy's first session, then more worship. Be sure to personally welcome everyone on the microphone before starting and make any announcements about the retreat center that are necessary, i.e. location of bathrooms, emergency phone numbers, fire escape routes, where they can locate you with a question.
Pray with, and for, Nancy, and the weekend, before her first session in front of the group.
Saturday: Nancy speaks after breakfast. Afterward you can break into small discussion groups focusing on a specific scripture or topics about mothering (i.e. specialty groups with a leader discussing birth, breastfeeding, nutrition & health, meal planning, etc.) or take a short break and have Nancy continue until lunch. After lunch, allow at least a one-hour break and then regather for afternoon sessions. This is a good time for a panel discussion with Nancy and other moms and/or "experts" in certain areas (midwives, childbirth educators, lactation specialists, and herbalists). After dinner, another session with Nancy and then a time of prayer and worship.
Sunday: Communion before or after breakfast is nice. Testimony time where the moms can come up and share what God has done in their lives, and a final session with Nancy. If there is a lunch and time afterward, Nancy can have a closing session then, but it is usually best before lunch as people tend to start packing up or fellowshipping after lunch.
Take a group picture, if possible, of everyone there. Most day raters come Saturday, so this is best done in the afternoon before dinner. Take lots of snapshots. Videotape, if possible. If you don't have a tripod for your video camera, borrow one, buy one, or rent one. It's a blessing to be able to "live" through it again and make copies for friends who couldn't come or others who might want to organize a retreat.
Above all; Relax and allow God to minister to you as well! It's like a wedding; you can plan your best, but when the day happens, it happens and sometimes things happen that are out of your control, so don't stress! Do your best and let God do the rest!
After the Retreat
Make sure your group leaves the center by the appointed time; they may have another group coming in and need to clean up. Don't forget to pack all your belongings and pay your bill. Be sure to tidy up as best as possible to be a good witness as the center maybe has never had a retreat with babies and/or children. Be prepared beforehand. Have a computer list with everyone's name and address and break it down into age groups if having children. Know what you owe! Don't make the camp secretary do it for you.
Drive carefully home. Funny things happen when you come down off the mountaintop. My brakes went out coming down the hill (literally) after the first retreat. I ended up stopping at someone's house for help and she turned out to be a Christian. She followed me down to the Goodyear in town (it was open on Sunday J ) and they couldn't find anything wrong with my brakes; worked fine after that, hmmm……
It's Over, or is it? A few of us were standing around talking as we packed up at the first retreat I coordinated in 1997. One of the ladies suggested to me that I start a newsletter to keep everyone in touch with births and other happenings. I told her she was crazy and there was no way I was doing that! Monday morning came and the Lord had given me a title for this newsletter before I'd even gotten out of bed! And so "Bonded Together" was created. I also said I wasn't doing another retreat. Then someone called me and asked me to help. At that retreat I emphatically told everyone that I WAS NOT doing another retreat! By the time December rolled around I was already thinking about the upcoming retreat that I hadn't booked yet. Not everyone will do another retreat (I promise), but they are incredibly fun and a tremendous blessing. The work is well worth it as long as your family doesn't get lost in the shuffle. So, never say never, and be open to whatever the Lord has for you, whether it is to do an Above Rubies Retreat or not. It's His work and He calls whom He will.
May God Bless you and your family as you prayerfully consider this responsibility and blessing!