Do you have great memories of last week’s Bible study? Events at Wooddale don’t just happen by themselves. A lot of work goes into the many details that need to be taken care of before an event can be held on the Wooddale campuses.

Facilities Scheduling Manager Sandra Sweckard sees both her role to facilitate Wooddale events and the building itself as a ministry to reach others for Jesus Christ. Outside organizations use the facility for a fee. Consequently “people may come to a company meeting or training event and while they’re here, they’ll see posters or a notice with information about Christmas, Easter or Sunday services, or church events, and they’ll ask questions about the event and think about coming here.” Sandra sees this as an opportunity to welcome people to Wooddale.

What is involved in making these events happen? Ministries plan events at least two months to more than a year in advance, contacting Sandra to schedule. When a Wooddale ministry or an outside entity requests permission to schedule an event, the pastoral staff reviews the request and coordinates it with other events.

Whether the event is for a few people or thousands, Wooddale seeks to accommodate the needs of the group. In addition to finding an available room, the coordination of other resources is necessary in order to effectively manage an event. After pastoral approval, catering, media, program and ticketing staff reviews the event to identify and minimize potential schedule conflicts. 

Repeat customers who have been coming to Wooddale for decades attest to the quality of relationships involved in event planning. Sandra attributes this to the helpful policies and processes in place that enable event planning to run smoothly. “And,” she says, “It works. When people come here for an event, hopefully, God will draw them here again and they’ll find out more about Jesus.”