Friends Are Flowers that Never Fade: A Ladies Event Idea
By Robyne Beaubien

Based on: Ruth (Friendship of Ruth and Naomi) and Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Theme: Flowers and Friendships

Description: This is a great idea for a Spring or Summer Ladies Meeting. Each table was decorated with a different type of flower. We encouraged the ladies to mix and used flowers on their nametags to designate seating. (The nametags flowers matched the decor of a table.) We did make sure that anyone who brought a guest would be seated with them at the same table.

Service: We had a worship time, special music and a guest speaker who spoke on friendships (from the book of Ruth).

Favors: Each lady received a box containing a candle, a couple of chocolates and two fancy tea bags. The box was decorated with the flower corresponding to her table.

Our theme verse was Eccl.4:12b. We made bookmarks with the verse “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” then wrote: “You, Me and Jesus” A cord made with three different colored threads was threaded through the top. We handed these out to the ladies as they left.

Icebreaker/Group Activities

Learning Names

Many times women’s events are interactive. Here are some fun activities to encourage women to learn and remember each other’s names.

Alphabet lineup: ask the ladies to line up in alphabetical order by their first names. Once lined up, have them form a circle and starting with the first “A,” have them share their name and one unusual fact about themselves.

Nametag mix-up: give each lady someone else’s nametag and ask them to find the owner of the name tag.

Do you know your neighbors? This is a great activity for partway through a retreat weekend or training conference. Have the ladies stand in a circle and choose one person to go to the middle. They close their eyes and turn around a couple of times. When they stop, they open their eyes, and ask the woman they are facing “Do you know your neighbors?” If they answer with the names of the women to her right and left, the woman in the middle stays and challenges someone else in the circle. When someone fails to answer correctly, they take the place of the woman in the center. You can also have the women scramble into different positions each time the center changes.

Personalized name tags: provide materials so that each woman can create a nametag that expresses her individuality. (A personal logo, an object that symbolizes a personal quality, a coat of arms, a collage of magazine cut outs. Give the women time to circulate and find out about the women and their nametags. If this is a retreat, on the last day have each woman turn their nametags in for door prize drawings. Hand out a list of the names of everyone attending the retreat, then offer a grand prize to the person who can write down what was on each woman’s nametag. The one with the most right wins.

My name: have everyone introduce themselves and share any of the following about their names: what I like or dislike about my name; who I was named after; the origin of my name; if I could have any other name, what would it be and why.

Remembering Names

Let’s face it, names are important. We all feel special when people remember our names and use them in conversation. One of the challenges of being a ministry leader is simply remembering everyone’s names. Here are some great tips to help you remember names:

When introduced to someone, repeat their name back. “It’s nice to meet you Linda.”

Repeat, repeat, repeat. Simply say the person’s name several times in your head.
Ask how they spell their name. This is especially helpful if the name is unusual.

Word association. Find something about the person that you can associate with them. Rhyming works too. (Pam is wearing purple. Rachel has red hair. Lynn is thin. etc)

Make a connection. Maybe the person looks like someone in your family or someone famous. Remember the comparison.

Keep using their name. If conversing for a while, use their name again.

If you forget, don’t be embarrassed to ask their name again.

“Friends Are Flowers that Never Fade: A Ladies Event Idea.” Written by Robyne Beaubien

This article may not be written by an Apostolic author, but it contains many excellent principles and concepts that can be adapted to most churches. As the old saying goes, “Eat the meat. Throw away the bones.”