I have spent numerous Friday nights at our front desk to watch groups check-in, one of the first concerns of arriving guests is where am I going to sleep? where to I take my stuff? who's going to be my roommate? I have watched several processes, some are very organized and work well. Others create massive problems that distract people from the purpose of the event...     Continue Reading | Leave Comment

Each property may name this role slightly differently, but the conference services coordinator is the person on the property who helps each group plan the details of their event. We're talking about the nitty gritty stuff like hour by hour schedules, dietary issues, meeting space set up (number of chairs,  microphones, even the width of the esille). These details are generally worked out closer to your day of arrival when you're well aware of who is coming to your event, their needs, and the ministry needs of your event. The staff who handle these details are also handling the same details for any other groups who will be on property so they can give you insights to make small adjustments that will greatly enhance the guest experience...     Continue Reading | Leave Comment

Many churches and Christian organizations are preparing for their summer conferences and camps. Most of these events are going to be lead by volunteers. I can't think of any events that don't utilize a number of volunteers to pull off their events. The challenge with volunteers is that their time is limited, they need to be trained well and then put to work. As with all aspects of an event the best case scenario is to plan in advance...     Continue Reading | Leave Comment

A few weeks ago I was in Dallas when the terrible storms and tornados swept through the area. I was to fly home to St. Louis but the storms had dumped hail and battered the aircraft with high winds. Every plane on the ground had to be inspected before it would be able to ferry passengers to their destination. Like thousands of other travelers my flight was cancelled and plans delayed significantly. American airlines and the entire team at DFW served all of the weary, stranded passengers very well...     Continue Reading | Leave Comment

Over the last few weeks I have had the privilege of meeting with other leaders of retreat ministries. It's a huge encouragement to go to a meeting with other people who are involved in similar ministries around the country because you get hear all of the great things God has produced through ministry events. Hearing stories is nice but I'm not one for the good old day's, for one, I was around for the real old days.... But two, I believe the best is yet to come! I hope that is your sentiment as well. In order to make an impact though, we need people to attend our events...     Continue Reading | Leave Comment

The team at Midwest Christian Retreats has assembled our best ideas for recreation activities! We have assembled these as we have helped planners facilitate these activities and as we have watched adults, families, and youth play on a beautiful summer day while we are stuck in the office working... We hope you'll find this guide helpful in planning a balanced schedule that utilizes recreation as a relationship builder, a memory builder, and tool to engage your attendees...     Continue Reading | Leave Comment

Recreation is a natural topic to think about when planning an event for students. The weather this week has been distractingly beautiful - spring makes sitting in a chair excruciating! Regardless of the season including activities in your retreat is especially important for young people. Just as we discussed in our entry about planning schedules last Tuesday, start with your event goals and evaluate how each activity (be a worship service or gym sport) will contribute to your event's success. It's likely your goals are going to direct many of the event's financial resources to support things like worship services and small group materials forcing you to be creative with planning recreation activities...     Continue Reading | Leave Comment

Whether you are planning a youth event, couples retreat, or men's conference, and no matter how long the event is, you'll want it to be memorable and/or productive event. So as you finalize that event schedule, check it over one more time to be sure you are on target, working toward your goals. First and foremost, ask God for guidance in making certain you have all that He has planned included in the schedule...     Continue Reading | Leave Comment

Many event planners have pretty lofty goals of what they would like to accomplish. Often we simplify our goals down to a weekend of discipleship and fellowship. Either goal by itself takes time to accomplish - discipleship requires time for teaching, study, and q&a. Where as fellowship that is anything more than superficial acquaintance making needs group activities, unique experiences like team building, and free time. Add in a service project, time to eat, sleep, and clean-up, and any travel time and your weekend is JAM Packed! I have a couple thoughts on organizing your event schedule...     Continue Reading | Leave Comment

One of the best parts of going on retreat is recreation time. When I look at my schedule and my day, week, or month is jam packed the first thing that gets removed from the schedule is free time. Not that it is likely that any of us has ever told someone that I can't make a meeting because I scheduled some free time? But on retreat there is time purposely set aside for recreation activities...     Continue Reading | Leave Comment

It is a beautiful 90-degree day in the Midwest. The sun is shining and there is a nice breeze blowing. I am sitting in a lounge chair soaking up the sun while watching the kids play in the lake. The sound of the kids laughing and splashing around in the water fills the air. It is a beautiful summer day! Ok not really, it is the middle of December and is 32-degrees. The only wind that is blowing is a chilly one and I haven't seen the sun in two days. But it was nice to imagine being at the beach for a second...     Continue Reading | Leave Comment

Talking about summer camp when the seasons have barely changed from fall to winter almost seems mean.  Its like dangling a carrot in front of a horse, its still off in the distance. Which is a huge benefit for you at this moment. If you're the event planner or coordinating a group to attend an event, start to prepare for summer camp now. Putting effort into promotions focused on gaining committed attendees will enable you to surpass your attendance goals and spend more time on preparing ministry elements of your event...     Continue Reading | Leave Comment