l
A Ladies LuncheonThis all began with a desire in my heart to do something special for the ladies of my church. I wanted to start a yearly function that would focus on encouraging a Proverbs 31 woman. A yearly reminder of what we could or should be doing in our lives as women serving the LORD.
I pray each year that it also ministers to a great need of one in attendance and especially someone who does not know the LORD JESUS CHRIST as their personal Saviour. My desire with each theme and verse is to magnify the LORD and his work in our lives.
Believe it or not...only one year did I have to have money from the church fund. Each year I ask the ladies to RSVP and give $5 to cover the cost. Some offer more for donation. This has sufficed every year and includes a small gift for each lady to take home in remembrance of this special time together. The gift has be made or purchased.
Our gifts have included: a couple of gift exchanges...as a whole.
A candle and verse card....a musical note pin...a lovely china teacup...verse magnet and heart shaped box with handmade heart necklace... a book marker and a pretty flower keepsake...
The women of my church provide the food/beverages for the luncheon. I make up a menu and then have each lady sign up for a specific dish.
The menu usually consist of: A main dish (meat) and complimentary foods or finger sandwiches, vegetable platters, fresh fruit platters, assorted desserts, and punch.
I have saved money each year by reusing some things. Purchased plastic lace looking tablecloths from the Dollar Store...I have one very nice "real looking" vinyl lace tablecloth that I use each year for the main center table. We use various flower arrangements that the church uses off and on in the year and I purchase any others needed...such as floral sprays or vines for the tables.
The ladies also donate for the day items that pertain to the theme.
Here are a few guidelines and preparations for a "themed" Ladies Luncheon.
I have done this for seven years and will try to recap a few for you.
First choose a THEME and a BIBLE VERSE to compliment each other.Here is a brief example of this years.
Taking the
BIBLE VERSE...break it down into the message you want to emphasize
Example:
Proverbs 31:31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.This becomes your
THEME
Example:
THE HAPPY HOMEMAKER I then chose Homemade crafts in the decor...and fruit! Cherries and homemade pies.
I have learned the hard way...
pick your place setting first before you decide on decorations. I've chose the color first and then found I couldn't find what I wanted. This year I used smaller dessert plates and matching napkins to carry my place setting. Other years I've found a plate to show the theme.
EXAMPLE: I chose a verse and then found these perfect plates! I then decided to add a "mission" theme since we had several ladies from our own church, home on furlough.
The verse:
Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Each year it amazes me at the small details that the LORD helps me with. Things just fall into place. This particular luncheon I wanted to give a candle as a gift and asked about candles from a Home Interiors sales lady...it just so happen that she had the perfect candle. A Thomas Kincaid jar candle with a LIGHTHOUSE on the front.
Our table setup is always in a U shape and I had the lady at each end light a taper candle and light her jar candle and then pass the taper candle to the next lady to light her jar candle... it was so touching to watch the candles begin to glow one by one until each place setting shown brightly. It made a lovely presentation...and had a message in itself!
The ladies home on furlough each gave testimony of their mission work on the foreign field.
I then happened to find these tiny LIGHTHOUSE pins in the DOLLAR STORE (my lifesaver for the luncheons-no pun here intended!) I bought all she had and then made cards with various "LIGHT" Bible verses. These were set at each place setting.
The decor also included a beautiful 4ft. LIGHTHOUSE one of the men in our church crafted for the occasion with even a light at the top. This was placed in the center of the room. It too, was black and white to match the lighthouse on the plates!
I also make up a program to place beside each place setting.
SONGS: are then chosen to match the theme.
Sometimes a SKIT or or this year 2009, I chose instead two contest.
I do not like to play "games" so not to take away the soberness of the message that is so needful. We have a very enjoyable time in the fellowship itself.
NOTE: I stay away from BIBLE challenge games also due to the fact that some ladies are new Christians and some are visitors. I've been to meetings that do this and found some ladies very intimidated by it. The luncheon is a time to enjoy fellowship and think upon the devotion, not who knows the most Bible.
The photo up top was our second luncheon in which I chose to have our first "TEA". Many of our ladies had never been to a TEA HOUSE to experience a High Tea. With the $5 from each lady I went all over to find each lady a china teacup. I found them NEW from $3.99-$5.00 in stores like Marshall's and Ross's ...they were gorgeous! Mind you this was some 30 teacups! The teacup in the photo is the one at my place setting. I also purchased a the nice teapot for the occasion!
We served different types of tea...and I found a recipe for a delicious
Earl Grey Pound cake! We made tiny finger sandwhiches tied with ribbon and placed on a floral tiered plate holder..just like at the tea house!
I decorated with various teapots and a few teacups with floral arrangements in them...strings of pears strewn on the tables...and some of the ladies wore HATS!
"Quite Lovely!"The verse that year...was
Matthew 13:45-46 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.Emphasising our worth to GOD.
The song chosen: When he ComethWhen He cometh, when He cometh To make up His jewels,
All His jewels precious jewels, His loved and His own:
Like the stars of the morning, His bright crown adorning,
They shall shine in their beauty,- Bright gems for His crown.Our first luncheon was
Proverbs 17:8 A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: withersoever it turneth, it prospereth.I chose GIFT packages for the decorations. We wrapped huge packages and had each lady bring a gift with no name on it for a gift exchange. This was to signify that whatever gift was received was from all of the ladies. A GIFT table was part of the decor.
A skit was performed showing the value of a gift and the reaction of the receiver. I had one lady be the receiver and four ladies at different times giving her a particular gift and mode of giving.
The first: gave of necessity and just grabbed what she could find-at a yard sale.
The second: could only afford a very very small gift.
The third: bought something outlandish she liked.
The fourth: bought a gift from the heart and went out of her way to find something that she knew would be special to the receiver.
The receiver of the gifts now had to show HER attitude in receiving the various gifts. It was a good lesson on the heart too!
We did one on Music and Praises to the LORD.
Psalm 28:7 ....therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.I found the cutest plastic musical notes for decorations which we also used with some large antique music sheets. This is just one of them.
..my dear husband (hero) helped me paint and varnish the cute wooden musical notes found at Michael's Craft Store. Though I couldn't find musical plates or napkins..the black white napkins worked well tied with a ribbon and flower and a red plate with doilies (oh I use a ton of these...round for the plates and rectangle for a place mat).
And one of our most memorable I think...was THE WEDDING.
I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness; and thou shalt know the LORD. Hosea 2:20
And the Spirit and the bride say, COME. Revelation 22:17Lovely book markers were made for each place setting...and a bridal gift exchange was again done this year.
We decorated just like a wedding reception with floral covered arch...a REAL WEDDING CAKE! and mini bride and groom figurines (found at the DOLLAR STORE)...the colors were a soft pink and mint green and silver.
This lovely rose was on each plate with a tiny silver diamond ring.
I hope you enjoyed the little "luncheon" tutorial...and inspired to do the same for your ladies. Encourage them to think upon each other and their love for the LORD.
Our fellowship because of the Lord Christ Jesus is precious and should be highly valued...
Blessings~
HOPE
