Time to plan your programs for the coming year?

Her are some practical tips to ensure a great planning session

Set a date, invite planners
Consider setting a date separate from a regularly scheduled meeting. Beyond the officers and other regulars, who else might bring new energy and creativity to the planning process? Invite them. Arrange child care if necessary.

If some cannot participate in person, get their ideas by phone or e-mail. Ask someone to prepare devotions. Ask someone else to provide some healthy snacks and drinks.

Pull together some resources
Think and pray about the ministries of Women of the ELCA. Have copies of Lutheran Woman Today and Interchange handy to inspire program ideas. Visit the resources section of this Web site—we have dozens of programs, long and short, and retreat ideas for you to choose from. Have copies of the purpose statement available. If you’ve polled the women of your congregation, have those results available. Evaluations of last year’s programming will prove helpful, too.

Create a planning calendar on which you include other congregational events, cluster/conference events, ecumenical events (like Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and World Day of Prayer) and synodical events.

Prepare the space
Most of us think more easily and can be more creative when we’re in a comfortable environment. Ensure adequate lighting, a comfortable temperature and enough chairs and tables. Have paper, pens and planning calendars for each person. Bring newsprint and markers. Bring the resources you’ve gathered.

Decorate with items that can inspire. Here are some ideas: Place flowers on each table. Fill glass bowls with shells or polished stones. Have a lighted votive candle on each table. Drape colorful fabrics or quilts to create a focal point.

Welcome all
Welcome everyone and begin with devotions. If the purpose statement was not part of the devotions, invite everyone to read it aloud together.

Consider an icebreaker or a creativity-jump. An icebreaker gets the women talking about themselves, possibly revealing new aspects of their lives or sharing stories yet untold. Here’s a particularly interesting one: Invite each person to say something about their name. They might tell who they were named after or how the family surname came into existence, or even a name they wish had been selected for them.

For a creativity-jump, have a simple item like a box of baking soda on the table. Give everyone a set time, like 3 minutes, to generate a list of all the ways that baking soda can be used. Give a prize for the most unique idea or the longest list.

Let the brainstorming begin
Brainstorm program ideas that fulfill our purpose and mission and support our health initiative. Here are some basic rules for brainstorming:

1. Weird, wild, wacky and off-the-wall ideas are welcome.

2. Negativity is not welcome.

3. Build on and improve each other's ideas.

4. Don't shoot down ideas.

5. No interruptions from outside are allowed.

6. Allow only one conversation at a time.

7. Stay focused on the topic.

It might help to begin with this question: “If time, money, and other resources were no object, what would we like to do this year in order to fulfill our purpose?” Record the ideas on the newsprint. Remember that in brainstorming all ideas are received and not judged. There will be time later to assess each idea. Allow 15 to 30 minutes for brainstorming, depending on the size of your group.

Narrow the scope
After brainstorming, take a 10- to 15-minute break. During the break, the facilitator should sort all the ideas generated, using the purpose statement. Group ideas by those that help us grow in faith, those that affirm one another’s gifts, those that support one another’s callings, those that promote healing and wholeness.

Do the ideas support ministry and action in the church, the society and the world? Ideas that don’t meet these criteria, no matter how clever, can be left for another group and eliminated from your consideration.

Review and evaluate
Have the group come back together to consider the listed ideas. Which ideas have broadest appeal? Who could lead them? What would they cost? What additional resources are needed? Would one or more serve as an event or opportunity open to all the women of your congregation? Select a variety of programs that will appeal to different personalities and spirituality types.

Next steps
Using the planning calendars, assign programs to dates. Determine who will be responsible for planning each program, securing the leadership, making arrangements, etc. Determine who will be responsible for promoting the programs through bulletin announcements, newsletter articles, etc. Don’t forget to plan to evaluate each program.

By following these simple ideas, you can have a great planning session.

Let the planning begin!