What’s New?

Our teens returned from their adventures with the International Youth Convention in San Antonio, Texas. Our 16 year old son rededicated his life to the Lord!!

Thank You, Lord, for Your faithfulness to keep working in our lives!

Where do you find retreat locations?

When word of mouth gets out that you’re looking for a place to host your gang, people can be really helpful with ideas. So helpful in fact, that it gets overwhelming. Whether you’re planning a family reunion, church getaway or a team building event for work, there are a few crucial elements to settle first.
1) Do we want to cook? Didn’t you think the first question would be about food? Let’s be practical! We all want to know what’s for dinner! The food question is a big issue because it could pare down the number of choices. Do you want to haul in food to grill yourselves, or do you want the food to be prepared and served in a dining hall? There are merits to both and they affect time, cost and atmosphere.
2) What kind of amenities do we want? Swimming? Fishing? Campfires? Spa Treatment? Golfing? The location can bolster your theme’s effect. For instance, a Boy Scout retreat would be out of place in a 5 Star Hotel. And many people prefer a mattress over sleeping on the ground in a camping area. So, find what works for you.
3) What size of group do you need to accommodate? While searching the internet for a retreat location, Ronda came across a gorgeous setting with prayer gardens and a castle atmosphere. It wasn’t big enough for our group, but we’re keeping it in mind for a leadership training event down the road!
Try several keywords when you Google places: retreat centers, vacations, and hideaways all convey the idea. When you think like a tourist, you can find things you may not have noticed before.
4) How far are you willing to drive? Even though a closer location is enticing for gas savings, it also presents a unique challenge. People feel free to come and go according to their own schedule! That means they miss out on group bonding time, as well as cheat themselves on the amount of time needed to unwind. If they’re still running on their own timetable, have they really retreated from the daily grind?
5) How much will it cost? Your answers to all of the above questions will funnel down into this last major one. Cost will effect who can come and participate. If the cost is too high, you may eliminate someone who really needs to be there! Anything you can do to knock off some of the price will create goodwill and growth in the long run. Fundraisers in the months prior to your event are helpful, as well as build anticipation for what is to come.

What’s Coming Up?

I’m working on details for two major events in September. Only two months left to get the goodies ready!

1) September 8-10. The CLASSeminar is coming to Jamestown! This is the premier event for polishing up your speaking and writing skills. I still pull out materials from attending in 2001, and find that it helps me flesh out where I want to go with a talk or an article. Sign up now at www.classervices.com
2) September 27. Fashion Show and Brunch to benefit the Busti Church of God 2009 Trip to Uganda. We’re setting up for vendors at http://www.craftlister.com/P29481

If you're willing to help me get the word out for these events send me an email and I will get flyers to you. That would be a great help!

Sally Ferguson

sallyswords@alltel.net

979 Southwestern Drive
Jamestown NY 14701

(716) 488-1254

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