You have selected a date, reserved a venue, and decided on a theme for your Christian women’s retreat. You and your team are putting together an agenda which aims to make time together meaningful. Now you want to add fun, whether organizing a retreat for a ladies’ church group in a larger setting or a small group. Include a variety of optional women’s activities to foster interaction and make memories together.

1. Exercise Activities

Getting out and moving as a group retreat activity helps balance the time spent sitting. Exercise can take the form of a morning walk before breakfast or a pickleball tournament. Or you may know of a retreat attendee who is trained to lead an exercise class and can ask her to do so.

2. Conversation Activities

Group activities that help women share about themselves and learn about others facilitate friendship. A few examples:

• The tried-and-true game called two-truths-and-a-lie; a woman shares two true things about herself and one that’s false. Each person in the group votes on which statement is false.
• Place questions at tables during lunch time for women to discuss.
• Gather women in small groups and set a timer on a phone for three minutes. Ask each woman to share whatever she’d like about herself until the timer rings.

3. Art Activities

Expressing creativity provides organic moments to get to know each other. A woman reveals more about herself by what she designs. Art activities could take the form of jewelry creation, watercolor lessons, storyboarding, or handmade bookmarks with Scripture highlighting the retreat theme. Dr. Sandra Glahn, Professor of Media Arts and Worship at Dallas Theological Seminary, shares an example for women to do in small groups.

“We put stacks of playing cards in the center of round tables for 8-10 with lots of art supplies and magazines. Each woman could choose one card from the stack. This became her canvas to design. One chose the King of Hearts to represent God. Another chose the three of clubs for the Trinity. Others ignored what was on the face of the card. Then they used the back of the card for their reflection on the text we had talked about. One woman wrote her name “RHONDA” with a glitter pen. Then she poked holes with a pin to spell “GOD.” She showed us that when she held the card up to the light, people saw only GOD shining through so brightly they could not see ‘Rhonda.’ Many women could handle the small scale of “card art” even if they didn’t consider themselves ‘creative.’”

4. Board Games and Movie Night

Some board games promote working together as a team. Playing a game like Really Loud Librarians™ will likely bring hilarious laughter. Delegate to individual women the role of setting up a game and explaining it to the others. One ministry leader shared that lessons for Mahjong were a big hit as a group retreat activity. An evening watching a movie like Cabrini could provide a way to decompress and spur on conversation afterward.

5. Pampering Activities

Many women love to take time to care for themselves and feel pampered. Group manicures and pedicures are options which women can do themselves. Applying facial masks and hand and foot moisturizers is easy pampering. If you know a massage therapist you can secure for 10-minute chair massages, that’s a win. Or provide handheld massagers and/or massage chairs for women to use at their leisure.

6. Outreach Activities

“A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25). It may seem counterintuitive, but group retreat activities where women serve others can be refreshing. Laura Wilcox, the founder of Sacred Story Ministries, shares how outreach can be incorporated without leaving the venue.

“We created a table with pretty cards where women could write a note with Scripture to a woman serving a prison sentence. And after the retreat, we gave those notes to a woman in a prison ministry who could deliver them,” shares Laura.

“At another retreat, we set apart a table for women to decorate brown paper bags which would hold items for homeless women. We passed on these bags to a woman who worked for a homeless ministry. In both cases, we passed around a container for donations and provided electronic giving information for the highlighted ministry.”

7. Location-specific Activities

The retreat venue and location may provide optional activities for groups. For instance, hiking or horseback riding may be offered. If there is a cute town within a short driving distance, women can gather at a specific time and go into town for shopping.

Frequently Asked Questions About Women’s Retreat Activities

How often do we schedule the activities?

“Space in between scheduled activities to allow women to visit organically, but not so long that loners get scared and bolt. I still had one bolt, but she talked to me about it later, and I’m giving her a job this time.” ~ Missy Edgmon, Women’s Minister at First Colony Church of Christ in Sugarland, Texas

Is a waiver needed to participate in some activities?

If you are holding your retreat at a venue like a camp or conference center, the local director will likely require women to sign a liability waiver for certain activities like zip-lining. If you are unsure about liability, ask a lawyer.