Secret Garden Prayer Women's Ministry Theme

Shhh!  It’s a secret!

I don’t even think you need much of an excuse to have a garden party. Why not just get together with some friends and enjoy some beautiful food, some beautiful flowers, and some beautiful sunshine and sky outdoors!

Planning a Garden Party Event

The great thing about garden parties is that they can be as laid back and relaxing as you want or as festive as you want.

Just an F.Y.I—I combined my old “Keys to Victory” theme to this “Secret Garden” theme to make one!!

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Secret Garden Event Concept

—I have combined two of my older themes for this one! Originally Posted March 14, 2012 as “The Secret Garden” and originally posted August 24, 2010 as “Keys to Victory”.
—Updated June 2020

The event themes on the website can be used for showers, parties, women’s ministry retreats and activities, or church functions. Each theme will have one or several possible spiritual applications. I give you lots of info and ideas—You pick just a few to enhance your event. More ideas can be used for showers and parties, but less is always more for ministry events.

Theme Title Ideas

  • Blank is the Key (Fill in the blank with what you want to focus on such as joy, love, etc.)
  • Faith is the Key
  • Friendship Bouquet
  • Garden Party
  • Growing Prayer Gardens
  • How Does Your Garden Grow?
  • Keys to Excellence
  • Keys to Success
  • Keys to Happiness
  • Key Observations
  • Life Began in a Garden
  • Love Blooms Here
  • Open Doors – Loving Hearts
  • Prayer is the Key
  • Secrets of the Heart
  • Shhh! It’s a Secret (surprise birthday party)
  • Spring Garden Party
  • Summer Garden Party
  • The Blooms of Friendship
  • The Key to Friendship
  • The Key to….(Faith, Joy, Love, Friendship, etc.)
  • The Secret Garden
  • Unlock the Doors to (topic of your choice)…..Success, Happiness, Knowledge, Power, Learning, Prayer, Living, God’s Blessings, etc.
  • The Garden of Prayer
  • The Garden Path
  • Vintage Garden Party

Spiritual Application

  • Focusing on a Christian’s “secret garden of prayer” and the state of one’s prayer life.
  • Focus on keying in on how we should really pray using the words of Jesus in Matthew 6.
  • Focus on keeping your tongue under lock and key.
  • Focus on keeping the flesh under lock and key.
  • Focus on one of the following. Key to…Victory in prayer, power, happiness, success, living, and so on!
  • Focus on unlocking the doors to any biblical topic such as…freedom in Christ…powerful prayer…the successful Christian life, and so on!

Theme Verse Suggestions

“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”   Matthew 6:6 (KJV)

“I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”  John 10:9 (KJV)

“And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles”  Acts 14:27 (KJV)

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”  Revelation 3:20 (KJV)

Devotional Starters and Workshop Ideas

Simple Decorating

  • Tray of garden and prayer related items
    • Garden pot with flowers
    • Small garden tools
    • Moss
    • Craft bird/nest
    • Watering can
    • Seed packets
    • Books on prayer
    • Open Bible
    • Keys of all kinds – skeleton, car, etc.
    • small trunk like boxes with locks
  • Decorations of garden insects and critters (especially if this is for a kids birthday party!)
    • Bees
    • Butterflies
    • Caterpillars
    • Dragonflies
    • Birds
    • And any other critters!

Icebreakers

Secret Icebreaker
Whisper a “secret” into someone’s ear and have them whisper it to the next person and so on and see what your “secret” ends up to be at the end.

Discussion Starter Questions

  • Do you find it hard to keep a secret?
  • Have you ever accidentally revealed the secret of someone else? How did it make you feel?
  • What do you think is the secret to having a good prayer life?

Music

  • Beautiful Garden of Prayer (Eleanor A. Schroll)
  • Did You Think to Pray (Mary A. Kidder)
  • Faith Is The Victory (Sankey)
  • In the Garden (C. Austin Miles)
  • Sweet Hour of Prayer (William Walford)
  • Victory In Jesus (Hartford)

Favor Ideas

  • Pretty book covers
  • Book labels (this book belongs to…)
  • Seed packets
  • Individual potted plants
  • Flower bulb
  • Small Garden tool (tie verse tag to handle)
  • Garden kneeling pads
  • Keys. Add a pretty verse or saying tag. See the Amazon links below this list.
  • Key tabs
  • Prayer journals
  • Bookmarks with a prayer or verse on prayer

Door Prizes

  • Book: The Secret Garden
  • Book on prayer (check your local Christian bookstore)
  • Prayer journal
  • Garden gift basket of various garden items
  • Garden tools
  • Garden tote
  • Garden kneeling pad
  • Gardening magazine or book
  • Garden/Yard ornaments
  • Outdoor thermometer
  • Box/Packets of seeds
  • Flower bulbs
  • Magnetic key holder (Like you put under your car)
  • Key chain
  • Door knocker
  • Small jewelry or novelty box with lock and key

Just for Fun

Go on an outing. 
If you have any historical/nature gardens closeby, go for a walk there as a group.

Group Craft
Do a group craft using a garden theme such as…

  • Painting terra cotta pots,
  • Making wreaths
  • Making large paper flowers
  • Making mini succulent gardens
  • Making a small flower arrangement (fake or real)
  • Make/Decorate prayer journals.
    • Have someone teach journaling tips.
    • Have supplies on hand such as plain or lined journals or notebooks, suitable markers, colored pencils, stickers, etc.

The Secret Garden Book Ideas

Prayer Ideas
for a prayer focused theme

Vintage Garden Party
Wouldn’t this be fun for a grown lady’s birthday?

  • Use vintage dishes. Try to find some florals. Mix and matching is okay, and probably preferred!
  • Make it a tea party.
  • Have everyone wear hats.
  • Have a a hat decorating activity.
  • Hold it outdoors if possible.

Invitation Wording Ideas

  • Shhh. It’s a Secret! Join us for a Garden Party! (surprise birthday party)
  • Once Upon a Time there was a Secret Garden Party (for an event revolving a round the book. See Book Club Meeting Ideas here.
  • Unlock some Fun! Join us for a Garden Party!

Food and Serving Ideas

  • Garden Party Foods such as sandwiches.
  • Garden salads
  • Vegetable and fruit trays
  • “Dirt” Cakes or cupcakes (Oreo crumbs on top of pudding)

Photo Source

  • Want the photo used for the page title of this theme?  Find the original at Unsplash here.
Julia Bettencourt Blog Divider

Thanks for stopping in.  Please leave any extra ideas for this Secret Garden Theme in the comments.  Or if you have used this theme, let me know!  Love hearing from you.

Creative blessings,
Julia

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