Hospitality

Hearts of Honor Tea

Are you looking for a new way to reach the women in your church and community? May I be so bold as to suggest a tea party? Yes it will take lots of prayer, planning, and preparation, but the benefits will be tremendous--blessings beyond measure I guarantee it! - by Laura Leathers (Edited)

Recently a women’s ministry director contacted me regarding the possibility of doing a tea to honor the older women in their church. She wanted to do something special, something which would show the women in her church how much they were loved and appreciated. As she and I collaborated we came up with the theme, A Hearts of Honor Tea Party.

The focus of this tea party is for the ladies who are 80 years of age and up. You may have to adjust the honoree’s age based upon the size of your church. Additionallyl, you might want to have an element of surprise for this tea; by keeping this event a secret from those you will be honoring.

First, begin with prayer.

Ask God to help you in planning this event and for Him to give you His creative ideas for your particular group of women. Pray for the committees, hostesses, safety and protection as everyone travels, and specific needs for your group of ladies.

Next, designate and delegate.

Here are a few committees you will need to set up for the event: invitations and guest list; promotion, advertising, and ticket sales; food and hostesses for each table; decorations and possible party favors; designated drivers for the honorees; guest speaker; and clean up.

Make an invitation list.

Who are the ladies in your church and community who fit into this age range? Do they have any physical limitations or food restrictions? Where are they presently living? Don’t forget those who may be in nursing or personal care homes. Many times they are able to visit outside of the facility. Have several younger women be responsible for this situation.

Next, prepare a special invitation for those you are honoring.

The church I worked with made arrangements for their honorees to be picked up at their homes in a special car and returned when the tea party it over.

One bit of advice is to make sure you consider the various diets of those who will be attending. Such things as caffeine and nuts can be monumental issues.

If you have several months in which to plan this event you might want to get with the members of the honorees family and do a video presentation entitled, “This is Your Life”. Remember you will be under a time restriction based upon the number that will be honored.

Most importantly, don’t forget to include the spiritual aspect of their lives.

When did the honoree come to know Christ? How has she been a woman of influence in your church and community?

Another thought is to present a small book of letters to each honoree. Ask family, friends, and church members to write letters of gratitude. Again this is something that needs to be done a month or two in advance. If you have several younger members who are savvy at scrapbooking, this is the job for them! This Book of Remembrance will not only be a cherished gift to the honoree, but a treasure to her family members in the years to come. It is actually leaving a legacy.

Additional thoughts for this event would be to provide corsages for each attendee. You might want to have a special table for them to sit at the front of your room. However, I think it would be great to have each honoree assigned to a table so that the ladies can fellowship with her.

Hopefully, the above suggestions are an inspiration for you and your women’s ministry group. Remember to design the event specifically for your group of ladies whether that is a group of eight or eighty-eight.

The tea theme was written by Laura Leathers, founder of Tea Time Treasures, A Ministry & A Business focused on Touching Lives through Biblical Hospitality. Other facets of this ministry are the Royal Ladies’ Tea Society, the quarterly publication of Teacups & Friends, and A Cup of Hope for Hearts.
www.TeaTimeTreasures.com 662.468.2555.