Developing a Theme
Remodeling 101
Decorations
Backdrop for speaker: framed two-by-four wall with electrical boxes and blocking (maybe even partially drywalled with insulation showing). Make a rough two-by-four and plywood lectern.
Fellowship area: If you are having the ladies meeting at the church, do a small grouping with chairs going around it. Just set up a couch and two chairs with an end table and lamp, with decorative things on the tables. Have ladies bring one item that they really love that decorates their home and display those items on a table covered with tablecloth with levels (put books under in different spots – kind of like a country shop).
Table Décor and Centerpiece: Have decorating tip books or “how to” remodeling books scattered throughout the room and on tables. A week before the event, have daughters make dioramas of their “perfect bedroom” to use as centerpieces on tables. Table coverings can be clean copies of architectural renderings. Use a large dollhouse as the centerpiece for refreshments or welcoming table.
Nametags/Invitations
Use cut-outs of hammer shapes or house shapes; use leftover wallpaper from a paint store or wallpaper store for the back of your nametags
Refreshments
Make cookies that are in the shape of tools; have a variety of gingerbread houses (or even a contest for the most creative gingerbread house); serve lunches packed in a “to-go” box similar to what a construction worker would eat at work; serve a massively long sub sandwich (which represents how long remodeling projects usually take).
Games/Stunts/Icebreakers
Print out actual guidelines for permits and have people guess if they are true or false; most folks would be surprised at the strange rules that are actually true.
Have women identify the names of tools or wood (dry wall, plywood, green board, skill saw, carpenter’s square, etc.).
Organize an old-fashioned nail-hammering contest.
Have ladies write on a piece of paper their style of decorating (country, contemporary, traditional, Victorian, etc.), their favorite piece of furniture, favorite wall color, favorite house color, and favorite room in their home. Put pieces of paper in a basket and then pull each one out each and read aloud. Ladies put down on paper who they think the person is who wrote it.
Divide into groups and design a room (build a diorama) – you could have paper couches, chairs, pictures from magazines, etc. and have them do it on paper or in a shoe box. Have paper cut out in different colors for the carpet, etc. This is really be fun and interesting and allows ladies to fellowship as they create.
Devotional
Theme Verse: Philippians 1:6
Special Music: “He’s Still Workin’ on Me.”
Topic Idea: Take different ideas from decorating and illustrate with spiritual truths.
- Mirror – Word of God is a like a mirror.
- Faux painting – Being real in your testimony.
- Arrangement of living room – Open to welcome people in; ready to greet new visitors or encourage old friends.
- Curb appeal – What do people see (spiritually) when they see you walk into a room (could be used for modesty with a woman’s emphasis on highlighting a smile and not a figure).
- Entry way into home should be neat and inviting, same as above; free of clutter but efficient.
- Beds — God gives us rest and peace, but we have to nestle between His covers (under His wings) to find that rest and peace.
- Homes should be neat and orderly—The Lord admonishes to do everything orderly. A great reading to use at this event is “My Heart Christ’s Home.”
→Every room should be neat, not in disarray, just as the Lord wants every room in our heart.
→Every room should be balanced, just as we need balance in our Christian lives to be effective for Christ.
→Every room should have a focal point that revolves around it, just as the Lord should have preeminence in our lives and be the focal point of our lives.
More Topic Ideas
- The team of builders (two are better than one—reward for their labor)
- The foundation we build on is important (build on the rock)
- Stay within God’s framework (why permits are important!)
- Build so the Inspector is pleased
- Follow the Architect’s plans. We don’t have to know the end results. If we stick to the plans, the finished project will be correct. (God’s Word is the detailed drawing.) “I know the plans I have for you” (Jeremiah 29:11).
- Build to please God, not others (Noah and the Ark)
- Despite the dust and chaos in the midst of a project, keep your eyes on the end results!
- Focus on the crew, and how it relates to the body of Christ. Can the plumber say to the electrician, “I have no need of thee?” (not if I want my whirlpool tub to work).
- Liken remodeling to basic Home Improvement principles: how do we improve our homes? Sometimes we start with small renovations; other times we renovate from the ground up. Also consider that some renovations need to be left to the professionals. (Do we want water coming out of the electric sockets?) God is the professional renovator in my life; I need to leave the details—big or small—to Him. He knows what He is doing.
- Stay patient; Rome wasn’t built in a day! Nor will we be Christlike overnight.
As some ladies were brainstorming our remodeling theme, this idea came out of the works; and we wanted to share with you a bonus brainstorm idea! Maybe you can build an event around this random theme idea or even call your event “Going Green.”
Recycling Leftovers
Decorations
Create a thrift store or garage sale look on stage; have store signs scattered throughout the room.
Nametags
Use sale price stickers.
Table Décor
Have ladies bring in one item that they would like to sell at a garage sale and use those as centerpieces on the tables. At the end of the event, auction off the items, starting each item at a dime.
Refreshments
There’s no better time to have an event like this than right after the holidays. Have ladies bring in leftover food or entrees made from leftovers. For forks, napkins, and plates, have ladies bring their miscellaneous piles of paper products. (We all have just a few Christmas plates leftover, birthday napkins, or a mix of plastic spoons and forks, etc.)
Icebreaker
Share tips about using leftovers (i.e. cloth diapers become great rags, ice cream buckets make great planters, or turkey leftovers turn into great turkey salad or sandwiches).
Games
Have a clothes scavenger hunt or a relay race using clothes from a thrift store. Have ladies come in hand-me-down clothes or even tell stories about the woes or wonders of hand-me-downs.
Devotional
Discuss how Christians can find jewels in the midst of trash, just as garage sale shoppers find great deals in the midst of someone’s unwanted items. Just as shoppers have to be willing to dig to find the quality deals in thrift stores, so Christians must dig to find God’s wisdom. (See Job 28:12-23.) God promises that when we search for wisdom, He provides it.