OK, I don’t do this very often, I try to stay on topic. But I’m stressed and blue and need to know that a few of you out there are praying for me.
I’ve been organizing a fundraiser for my church, a wine tasting. I’ve done the whole thing by myself-which was partially my fault because I didn’t ask for more help. It is this Friday, and I didn’t get the article into the local paper last week while I was away (which is bad) I’ll get it in this Thursday’s edition, but the event is on Friday-and how many folks are going to decide to go last minute?
Well, the whole last day before I headed down to my moms this is all I worked on. I literally spent the entire day making the posters and tickets etc etc. That night I had a vestry meeting. I passed the stuff off to the other lady on the fundraising committee. I had made up packets for each place that I had arranged to sell tickets for us, along with posters for that town (there are 5 surrounding communities) so that she could find a person for each town to drop off the tickets and do some flier plastering. I told her that I would drop off the tickets here in our town right before I left in the morning, but was under the understanding that she would put the fliers up here in town.
I just found out about 45 minutes ago that she thought I was putting up the fliers here in town. So basically noone here in town even knows this thing is going on. There are NO POSTERS up anywhere except the one store that agreed to sell tickets. I got home on Thursday night, if I had known this I could have spent an hour or so Sat morning putting up the fliers, then folks would have been seeing them all weekend, especially since there was lovely weather and lots of folks would have been wandering around town enjoying it.
Now it’s Monday night, my husband is out of town until next Sunday (a class for work that came up unexpectedly 2 weeks ago) I have 2 wineries showing up to pour who probably will never come back again in the future if this thing is a flop, and noone even knows about it.
I’m so stressed, and so upset, I really wanted this to go well and now it looks like it is going to be a total disaster.
Please, I know it isn’t up there with an illness or death, or anything really serious. But if you have a few extra seconds in your prayers I’d appreciate a mention.
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Jenn, I’m so sorry. It reminds me of one of those dreams where you wake up late for a test.
Can you get creative about ways to spread the word? Are there community websites you could post on? A radio station in town that offers community notices for free? Do you have any friends who are attending the fundraiser would would be willing to bring another couple? That kind of thing?
Here’s hoping all goes well and yes, I’ll send up a prayer too!
Is there any way you can post a large sign outside of the event stating ‘FREE WINE TASTING’ or something to that affect?
You’ve got to get a sign outside on the street to direct traffic (and people) your way.
The event is Friday. It’s still Monday. Something will turn up.
Yes, I will say a prayer. God works in strange ways. The event is
Let us know how it works out.
You can count on me to pray for you. It’s so awful when you count on people and they let you down. I think the radio idea is good.
Jenn, I am so glad I took a break from washing dishes and noticed you posted this. Definitely I’ll pray for you! You have all my sympathy too.
If you can bring yourself to do it, the others have left some good ideas here. It would be awesome if your local Christian radio station would have pity on you and make a few major announcements.
I agree with the radio station thing… and also ask the vineyards that are coming if they’ve publicized it…. They want to make a buck too, right?
I am praying for you and I just KNOW this is going to work out better than you planned (just like the Bike Blessing!)
Love you!
How about a telephone chain-telephone everyone on the vestry to call some people and get the word out! This may have been your project but it is for the church and they can support this effort even if it is at the last minute. If you also call everyone you know and ask them to make a few calls that will add to the outreach. And don’t forget the schools, the theatre people, beauty parlors anywhere people congregate etc. Posters in the teachers lunchroom will reach a lot of people too. Good luck and God bless.
Oh, I’m sorry, Jenn! You’re getting some good advice on how to proceed, and you’ve got my prayers on it, too.
It will probably turn out better than you anticipate. Hang in there!
email everyone on your contact list…..then plead with them to send out to everyone on their contact list and so on…..
You’ve been in my prayers! Let us know what happens.
I have been thinking of you, Jenn! Please let me know how things are going!
Well, I’m still stressed, but I did feel much better about 15 minutes after I posted this-so obviously some of the prayers were kicking in! An angel of a lady in the church took it upon herself to make some additional posters and put them up around town, so when I hit the streets on Monday she had gotten to some places ahead of me.
Luckily for me the banquet facility was not being used for anything else all week, so I was able to go in on Tuesday while the kiddos were in school/daycare to start setting up.
I decided to go to the apartment above the facility where a couple from my church are temporarily living (he is going to seminary in the fall) and knock on the door-and they both came down and helped me to arrange the room and decorate-so it is looking very nice.
My daycare for that night is still shaky-and I’m still very nervous about the attendance. I’ve got the big signboard up at the main intersection in town (I spent all night Mon night making the poster boards, and had to finish them on site Tues morning).
In Church on Sunday I had stood up and asked everyone to help me get word out because I had messed up the publicity (this was because I had never gotten an article in to the paper-at that point I didn’t know that the posters hadn’t gone up) and several folks have told me that they are spreading word of mouth.
I wrote a fairly pitiful article and sent it to my sister Victoria (who posts here-she is a journalist when she isn’t in the Army) and she rewrote it for me and I did get it in to the paper so it should come out tomorrow.
Basically I’ve done everything that I have the wherewithall to do right now. My house is a total wreck, and tonight after the kids go to bed (they are cycling through the bath right now) I will have to try to get that somewhat under control.
I tend to sublimate stress, so for the most part I seem fine, but then I’ll just explode over something small, so I’m trying to pray for patience and peace-I sort of lost it when my 5th attempt at a babysitter fell through this evening. But I have a lead on 2 more and my girlfriend who planned on attending said she’d watch the kids if I really need her to.
The really weird thing is that for the last 2 mornings I’ve woken up spontaneously and completely at 5 a.m-which is NOT me. Yesterday I just used the quiet time to relax for a few minutes and say a quick prayer.
Today I decided God was trying to tell me something (since I had to go to Princess’s assmebly at 810, leave at 830 to go to MOPS-especially important since I was taking the Pastoral Leader from my church to see the group to show her what I’d like to base the mother’s group I’m trying to get started at my church on. . . don’t worry, I just want to be an advisor for that endeavor. I’ve even got another mom lined up who said she’d be interested in leading.) so I got up, got my shower done, coffee made and actually tried to catch up on my reading for my Bible in a year program.
So thank you all who are think of me and praying for me.
Hi Jenn, I hope things are looking better now. Good luck for tomorrow. My best wishes are with you. Please do update us about how it all turned out.
You are an amazing, energertic, creative lady!