11 Best Summer Fellowship Ideas For Women In Ministry

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission from purchased products at no additional cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

Five years ago, COVID hit, and ever since we have been struggling to rebuild community in our churches. People were given an excuse to stay home and detach from others, and it has been a long road of recovery. According to Pew Research, 1 in 5 people say they attend church less often than before the pandemic. So, this begs the question, how can we encourage people to come back? 

In my opinion, one critical way is to provide ways to reconnect. People got used to isolating, and as a result, anxiety diagnoses increased and communities suffered. Therefore, we have to remind them what they are missing by offering fun opportunities that are a great way to not only experience spiritual but also emotional growth. Many of our ladies crave something fun to do with their friends outside of their work and home environment. So with that, allow me to suggest some fun summer fellowship ideas for women’s ministry leaders to implement this coming summer!

11 Summer Fellowship Ideas For Women In Ministry

1. Align Prayer Journal Group 

If you want to do more than just scratch the surface of our faith with your ladies, then Beth Moore’s Align Prayer Journal is just the thing you need. This is a 31-day devotional journal that takes the reader through one of the gospels and leads them in praying the Scriptures that were covered that day. The reader is encouraged to pray not only for themselves, but also to pray for their churches, communities, and the world.

Once the 31 days are past, we will have a gathering with the ladies who are joining in to discuss what God has revealed and tendered in our hearts through the journal. It is really encouraging to follow the way it leads us to pray not only for ourselves and our churches, but to consider the needs outside of our church walls. This is a can’t miss event which will reap many rewards for individuals and beyond. 

2. Summer Book Club 

Supplies/Preparation Needed: 

• A short to medium-length book that will encourage your women

An email invitation is sent inviting our members to join in the journey of reading a particular book. It is everyone’s responsibility to purchase the book for themselves. We then set a start date, usually over dinner at a local Mexican restaurant, and commit to reading over the next 2 months. After the 2 months have passed, we then gather back in the home of one of our group members for potluck snacks and discuss what we loved and learned from the book.

Honest discussion is welcome, but we try to keep it from becoming a book or theology-bashing session. The primary purpose is encouragement, spiritual growth, and fellowship, not literary analysis! The impact upon your women is to encourage them to explore their faith and to challenge their spiritual and mental growth in a fun and supportive environment! 

3. Sunset Firepit Gathering 

Supplies/Preparation Needed: 

• Home with a fire pit
• Snacks and beverages 

One of our favorite ways to connect with the ladies in our church during the summer months is to invite them over for an evening on our patio around the fire pit. The hostess provides a variety of sparkling waters (think LaCroix or Pellegrino) for something refreshing to drink. For a snack, sometimes we will have s’mores.

Other evenings, I will make a simple fruit salsa (think finely chopped fruit salad) and Siete brand grain-free cinnamon chips or bunuelo chips, which the women love. For conversation, our ladies love to catch up with each other–it is so good to be able to spend an evening of our lives, uninterrupted. We wrap up the evening by sharing prayer requests and praying for each other. It is amazing how refreshed the women are after a relaxing evening together! 

4. Day Trip 

Supplies/Preparation Needed: 

• Drivers 

Our church is in North Texas, and we have many fun opportunities for day trips during the summer. Where we go is not nearly as important as just the opportunity to get away with friends–but make sure you all share the cost of gas! A popular destination here is a small town an hour drive from our area that has a monthly event, “First Mondays” (which is a misnomer because it actually takes place Friday-Mondays!). First Mondays brings in vendors from all over selling vintage items, crafts, plants, and home decor. 

It is a lot of fun and a great way to hang out with old and new friends, find common interests, and relax. Find a weekend event in your area–berry picking farms, farmers’ markets, wildflower tours–and invite your small group to go on a fun excursion! The bonding of hearts and getting out of town is a winning combination for your ladies! 

5. Gardening And Lunch 

Supplies/Preparation Needed: 

• Gardening tools
• Plants
• Fertilizer
• Water source 

Our church has recently been gifted with new landscaping on our front lawn–previously known as “the dirt pit!” The big ticket items and labor were donated, but the donor left the planting of the annuals up to us. It has been great fun to gather a group of ladies to come and play in the dirt for a few hours, planting beautiful flowers and greenery!

We come together early before it gets too hot, plant and make the grounds more beautiful, enjoy fun conversations, and then pray together for God to bless our work and each other. Oftentimes, in these organic moments, real life is shared on deep levels because our guard is down. I love watching how the Spirit moves between His daughters to connect hearts through shared experiences. 

6. Dinner On The Patio 

Supplies/Preparation Needed: 

• Local, affordably priced restaurant with a patio 

Anytime someone suggests a dinner or lunch get-together at a favorite local restaurant with a patio, the response is immediate. Women love to get together with friends, eat good food, and chat the time away! Hearts are connected and minds are cleared as we share burdens, victories, and encouragement. The patio aspect is great because it is always good to be outdoors, but let’s face it: indoors or out, women love to gather, eat, and talk! You can even have a focal question to direct conversation, if desired. At any rate, the women will be ready to plan the next gathering in the parking lot on the way home! 

7. Evening At The Pool 

Supplies/Preparation Needed: 

• Home with a pool or a community pool with a seating area
• Conversation cards

If someone in your church is blessed to have a pool or if your neighborhood has one, an evening at the pool with the ladies is absolutely delightful during this sultry season! Just being near water is refreshing and relaxing. Casual conversations are natural here, but you can also gather your chairs in a circle to have more directed topics of discussion. One of my new foolproof discussion starter tools are conversation cards. These are best when they are a little out of the ordinary to encourage your ladies to dig deep–even at the pool!–and ponder how God could be challenging their thinking. 

8. BYOProject Night 

Supplies/Preparation Needed: 

• Individual project needs
• Beverages 

One of our church members is a former art teacher who has great ideas for our women to do together. One would be for everyone to gather on a Sunday afternoon and bring a craft project that they can never find time to do. It’s always more fun to work together, and it is inspiring to do it with friends who are in the same boat. Community inspires creativity, which is a core attribute of our Father and a natural topic for a brief devotional during these gatherings.

Another twist on this idea would be for someone in your group to be willing to teach the ladies a new creative skill. Instagram is replete with creative project ideas, and I cannot tell you how many I have saved “for when I get the chance!” This is the perfect opportunity to relax, connect, and create! 

9. Menu Planning And/Or Prep Party 

Supplies/Preparation Needed: 

• Large Kitchen
• Pens and pencils
• Cookbooks
• Cooking prep utensils
• Containers
• Storage bags 

We all know women who work full-time and are at a loss for what to cook when they get home–maybe this describes you! We all know the scenario–work 8 hours, come home to a starving family looking for you to work some kind of culinary magic that takes into consideration everyone’s likes and dislikes and what they had for lunch that day. One friend asked me recently if we could get a group together to brainstorm meal planning and then for another day to do meal prep for the week. A

perfect place to do this would be in the church kitchen or in a home with a larger kitchen. The saying goes, “many hands make light work,” and I cannot think of a better way to make meal prep more palatable than with friends who have fresher ideas than I do! Again, it is another great opportunity to pray for our families and to share our burdens as we take steps to care for them with delicious food.

10. Walking Group 

Supplies/Preparation Needed: 

• A mapped out route 

Another great way to encourage getting out and enjoying the sunshine and friendships is to start a walking group. Most of us are motivated to get in shape but hate the thought of doing it. A morning or evening walking group, daily or weekly, allows us to get healthier physically and emotionally as we are in community.

Again, in these non-threatening gatherings, it is really easy for the conversation to turn to spiritual needs and ideas because women have their guard down and may not feel as put on the spot as they would in a more formal situation. If needs reveal themselves, it is also a prime opportunity to pray for each other as you walk when it is less threatening or after the walk is over, when it can be more private. 

11. Ministry Activity And Coffee 

Supplies/Preparation Needed: 

• A local ministry that welcomes volunteers
• Background checks (if required)
• Drivers 

God recently provided another opportunity for community building through a local ministry leader who leads a ministry for the poor in the Dallas area. He asked if I could build a small prayer team of women who would commit to praying for his ministry. Of course, I will! We all know how tough it is to be on the front lines of ministry, taking the full brunt of spiritual attack.

What an honor and privilege to find some prayer warriors in our backyard who will commit to praying for these ministers and their work. It is important to remember, we are there to ask God for His will to be done and not to impose our will on the ministries. What a sweet time to bond with not only the ministry, but the Lord and our sisters in Christ.

Create And Cultivate A Safe Space Each Time

These are just a few of many ideas to make our summers more connected. But none of them will work without being covered in prayer and a spirit of hospitality. If the women are not welcoming, connection will be thwarted. We need to be prepared for first-timers, people who are exceptionally lonely, and women who do not know Christ. As we love each other, the love of God can flow through us and minister in ways we never thought possible.

Have fun and think outside of the box! Connection can happen in a myriad of ways, places, and times. And through connection comes healing and strengthening. God created us for relationships, so He will be all over this! Ask Him to direct you to the perfect events for your ladies. He wants to see His children love each other! Blessings on you and your people as you do so! 

Read More:

10 Intergenerational Icebreakers For A Women’s Small Group 

7 Ways To Start Making Women’s Bible Studies Accessible 

20 Fun Activities For Women’s Groups In Small Churches