Are you on the prowl for fresh, out of the box event ideas to inspire, motivate, and empower your fellow Church sisters?

Are you over the same ‘ole traditional events and want something that speaks to today’s woman? Do you want to get a little artsy and creative in a modern way?

If the answer is yes to any of those questions, you are in the right place! Grab a pen and paper, sister, because today I am unleashing my inner creativity to help take your women’s ministry events to a whole new place! (While keeping Jesus at the center, as always!)

Show Notes:

• Intro

  • Alright! I’m super excited about this episode because I am super, super creative. So I’m just excited about this episode in general. 

  • In addition, I cover a lot of serious topics on the podcast. So to break things up a bit, and give us some fun, I like to try and include a creative episode every so often. 

  • But creativity with purpose, right? And what I love about the ideas I’m about to share with you is that not only are they fun - they’re also inspiring and empowering. In other words, I didn’t approach these ideas for the sake of being new. I want you and the other women in your Church to connect with Jesus; to honor Him; to connect with each other in meaningful and powerful ways; to be open to Jesus working through each of you to inspire, empower, and serve each other.

  • That’s what any women’s event should be about, right? Whether it’s a monthly gathering of your Church sisters or a conference that you host.

  • I also want you to have ideas that set a foundation; that start to build something that can be added to after the event itself. In other words, it’s not simply about everyone showing up once, doing something, and then going home where they’ll quickly forget all about that hour or two you spent together.

  • I want something better for you. Because God is all about building things that last. And He’s a master craftsman. He doesn’t lay a horribly made foundation and then build a palace on top - only to have it crumble during the first storm. No, God builds with intentionality, and quality, and for the long-term. Even to the point where He’s not just building for you, today, but for the generations after you.

  • So I want you to view these 4 ideas as laying a foundation. Or, to put it another way, I want you to view these ideas as sparks for long-term, continued growth. While also being super fun in the moment.

  • Also, customize these ideas as Jesus leads you. All our events and gatherings should have Jesus and His will for us at the center. The talents of the women in your church may also be different. These ideas aren’t meant to be rigid structures; they’re meant to be flexible starters. You can implement them as is - or customize them to your specific needs or Jesus’s will for your event.

  • And one last thing before I jump into the ideas. I want you to give you, and your church sisters, free creative reign. Give yourself permission to fully unleash the creative talents inside of you. Why do I say that? Because traditionally, the big “C” church has not been a place where creativity exists outside certain outlets such as service presentations, worship music, a website and social graphics, and maybe some printed materials. I have another episode on this, if you want to go deeper, but it’s easy for creative people to either feel stymied or as if they don’t fully belong.

  • But I encourage you, right here, right now, to give yourselves permission to unleash that creative talent that God has gifted you with - whatever that may be. 

  • Ok! Let’s look at the 4 creative ideas for your next women’s event. 

• 1) Make creative gifts for each other

  • Hang tight - I’m going to get more specific here in a second. A huge shout out to Pastor Katie at Heart City Church who had a prompting from the Lord to do this type of activity at our latest monthly women’s gathering - which was last night.

  • So I’m going to share what Pastor Katie had us do - and then I’ll share how you can take this and make it your own. Because, again, every group of ladies is different. So your group might have a different preference or idea on what to create - or how to approach this.

  • Our first step was to draw the name of another woman in attendance from a hat. That’s the woman we would be creating a gift for. 

  • Next, we asked Jesus to reveal a message for that recipient. Something that He wants to say.

  • Then we got artsy. Pastor Katie brought small canvases - about the size of a piece of paper. Along with paints, stickers, magazines, little devotional cards, and of course glue.

  • And, taking into consideration what Jesus wanted to say to this sister in Christ, we basically make a collage-type piece of artwork. And on the back, we attached handwritten note cards to record what Jesus had shared with us or what He wanted to say.

  • So every woman who attended left with a piece of artwork that was made by Jesus through a sister in Christ.

  • And there were some incredible messages from Jesus, let me tell you. When I gave the artwork I had created to its recipient, she didn’t say anything at first. I thought maybe I had totally missed the mark, but it turns out she was keeping back tears. Because in the artwork I had created for her, I had cut out two sentences from some of the magazines. And those sentences contained two words that God had specifically given her over and over again during the past year.

  • The one that I received was even more crazy! My fellow sister had painted an outside scene with grass, and mountains, and the sun…and on it, she had pasted the words “Seasoned Girl Dreams” (which she had cut from magazines). She also had pasted a scripture and my name. And when she gave it to me, she said Jesus is all about bringing back dreams. 

  • Now, this was so crazy for two reasons. One, back in this past December, Jesus had made it a point to say, “Hey. We’re going to focus on you and dreaming in me.”

  • And two, the moment that I saw the nature background that she had painted…I thought about a contest submission I had made back in 4th grade. (That I still have to this day. In fact, I have photos of this artwork - along with the trophy I won and the newspaper write-up - on my website. Go to relateescape.com and click “Meet Jenn” in the main menu.)

  • Anyway, my mind immediately goes to this contest submission - which was a nature scene. And when I brought up a picture of that 4th grade artwork - that I won first place over all the other 4th, 5th, and 6th graders - I noticed that my sister in Christ had included numerous elements from that original.

  • Jesus was clearly saying, “Hey. That creativity that you loved so much. That has been lost for decades. I want you to dream about what life would be like if you had that back. Because that’s what I want to do in your life.”

  • I’m not joking when I say that this is one of the best gifts I have ever gotten in my life. I’ve already hung it on my wall. 

  • But anyway…back to the big idea here. Jesus can clearly - clearly - speak through the creative arts. All of us ladies were so, so blessed last night.

  • And if cutting out magazines and painting canvas isn’t your thing…do whatever is your thing. Write a small bit of music for each other. Write a poem. Build with Legos! It doesn’t matter what kind of art or activity you do…what matters is keeping Jesus in the center and giving Him the space and time to work through whatever it is that you decide to do. 

  • It’s giving Jesus the opportunity to speak to your group of ladies - because you’re giving Him the time and space. Versus just doing a study or something chosen at random that doesn’t allow for Him to move as He wants to move. 

• 2) As your event, hold an arts fair for Jesus

  • This would be more of a bigger event versus a routine gathering of only your church ladies. You’d definitely want to open it to the public.

  • But this goes back to the fact that the creative arts, in general, don’t get enough emphasis or exposure in the big “C” church. Which I always find to be kind of astonishing, given that the Bible literally opens with the sentence, “God created…”

  • If you and your sisters are naturally super creative…and you’re doing your things for Jesus…showcase it. One, it honors Jesus. Two, it inspires and empowers each other. In a lot of different ways. You get to see what amazing things other women can do. You can see how God speaks to them and what they relay through their art. You can learn about the stories and life experiences and testimonies behind both the artist and the art.

  • And three, art (whatever the medium is) is a different way to draw people to Jesus. Maybe someone would never go to a church service - but they love art and are open to all kinds.

  • Now, with that idea in mind, you might want to consider holding your event at a venue outside of the church itself. And if cost is an issue, get creative. Do some creative problem-solving. Especially right now, still coming out of COVID, there has to be venues (or places that could be a venue) willing to work with folks in order to get back into the swing of things.

  • And this is one idea where I really want you to give yourself permission to unleash your creativity to the fullest extent possible. No holding back! 

  • I think God’s creative folks have been chomping at the bit for a while now in order to have more of an impact. And an arts fair is the perfect way to do that.

• 3) Record video interviews or short clips of women’s testimonies, ways Jesus has worked in their lives, how He’s empowered them, etc. and produce a short film or docuseries to capture the amazing transformation Jesus is facilitating

  • Stories are so, so powerful. Whether they’re told orally, on video, on paper…it doesn’t matter. When we hear that someone has gone through something similar; when we learn how Jesus has moved in their life; when we see lives transformed…it transforms us. It strengthens our relationship with Jesus. It inspires and empowers us. There’s so many amazing things that can come from stories.

  • Now, if you want to do a video, obviously this is a situation where you need to give your ladies a heads up first to prepare. If possible, you might also want to have someone there who’s good with  make-up and, hopefully, whoever is overseeing the filming is good with lighting. 

  • If your group isn’t into video, that’s okay. Do it your way. Write it down and combine it into an ebook. Do an audio series or podcast.

  • The big idea here is to capture what Jesus is doing, put it together in an easily consumable way, and share it with others (whatever that looks like). Create a website, launch a podcast, create a free download…whatever makes sense for your thing.

  • However you do it, just make sure it can be shared 24/7/365 and, if possible, built upon for further inspiration and empowerment. Don’t think about just creating a deliverable; create the spark of a movement in Jesus’s name.

• 4) Take a new approach to the venue, event decor and (if applicable) gift bags

  • A lot of the time, I think these things are overlooked. If any of them gets attention, it’s probably the gift bags. Mostly because, when it comes to the venue, it’s common to hold the event at the church. Which means there’s naturally not a lot in the way of decor, right?

  • But here’s the thing: the venue and decor are huge missed opportunities for inspiring and empowering your ladies. Our surroundings play a huge role in what we feel, think, how we open up, etc.

  • I mean, think about it. If our external setting or experiences weren’t so powerful, we wouldn’t have billion dollar industries around interior design, home magazines, restaurant and theme park design, etc. Because our surroundings matter.

  • We also serve a God who is a master creator. All we have to do is look outside our window to see how amazingly He creates. And yet, when we gather together, we settle for venues that are blah, muted, uninspiring, and feel confining rather than empowering.

  • So to move away from that, here are a two specific things I want you to do.

    • One, if possible, look for a venue outside of the church. Think AirBnB, historical buildings with event spaces, bed and breakfasts…anything that has the space you need along with a fun, quirky, or inspiring aesthetic to it. (Whatever you’re going for.)

    • Yes, it costs more money than hosting it at the church. But we’re Jesus maidens; we’re women of impact. And if Jesus is down with you hosting it outside the church, He’ll provide. He might even love the idea of you having this out in the world where others that don’t know Him have a chance to be exposed to Him.

    • Two, I want you to visit my online store for ideas and inspiration. (I'll put the link to the show notes so it’s super easy to find.) If you end up buying something for your event, great! But I mainly want you to get fresh ideas for event decor and your gift bags.

    • Every design that is in my store is available on 50+ products. And each design is something I created myself. Which is why the designs include messages from Jesus and God; have empowering designs; and provide fresh options versus what we, as women, have had available to us in the past.

    • Look at the home decor options because those could be used as event decor. You could rent an AirBnB, for example, and then add a few Jesus-centric touches with a couple throw pillows, floor pillows, coffee mugs, or small framed artworks sitting on the table. Things that you can set-up in minutes and take with you to use at future events but that set a certain tone and mood, invite Jesus in, and inspires your attendees..

    • I also want you to look at things like the Accessories and Stationary sections. Notebooks, stickers, journals, magnets, little pins, zipper pouches…use these to think outside the box when it comes to your gift bags. Again, these all include designs and sayings that are different than what you’ve probably seen.

    • Mix and match, do a theme, whatever floats your boat. At the end of the day, I just want you to remember that the venue, decor, and gift bags make a difference. I don’t want you to overlook them or not do all that’s possible through them. If you don’t have the budget, that’s okay. Get creative if you can. But don’t be afraid to go outside of the traditional box.

• Wrap-up

  • And that’s what all of these ideas come down to, really. Jesus is doing something new with His ladies, and so we need to align ourselves accordingly. Always let Him lead the way. Seek what He wants for your group. Then, within that, plan something fresh, fun, and creative.

  • I truly hope these ideas have inspired and empowered you. I’ll see you soon!