Prop Closets
Julia Bettencourt

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A prop closet is a must for every ladies ministry. It is place to store all of those goodies you come across to use at your ladies meetings, banquets and retreats. You don't necessarily need an actual closet to keep a prop closet, it can be a few shelves tucked away somewhere, a free standing storage closet works great, or even a collection of plastic storage tubs or containers.

To have a prop closet is a must because as stewards of the Lord, we never want to be wasteful. Maintaining a prop closet is a perfect way to keep things neat, organized and safe from damage. A big plus is also when you want something--you'll know where it is!

Have a few rules for your prop closet starting with--if you use something--put it back when you are finished. If your prop closet is located in your church, just give access to a few ladies that are in charge of maintaining it. If you need to lock it--lock it! Some people feel you should never lock up anything inside a church, but it helps to avoid a lot of heartache. Having it locked helps you not to have things that get misplaced or damaged. Also if you need to have a sign-out sheet for things that are used - do so. This helps especially if the prop closet for your ladies ministry is also used for church fellowships.

Now that we've covered what a prop closet is and a few rules for it, let's talk about what to keep in it. Generally anything that you think will enhance your ladies ministry can be kept in your prop closet. Gear it to your particular ladies ministry needs.

A prop closet is a work in progress so keep adding to it from time to time and also throw out things when they are no longer usable.

The first thing you need to do to begin is to find a home or place for your prop closet. Second, look around for things you already have personally that you would like to use or that your church already has. Don't forget to look into the deepest darkest of basements and storage closets of your church. Almost all churches have things that have been stored away perhaps three or four pastors back that no one in your current congregation is even aware of. Thirdly, never buy anything until you have looked into all of the alternatives.

Find some suggestions on what to put into your prop closet.


Copyright ©2001 Julia Bettencourt
www.juliabettencourt.com

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