Saturday, April 22, 2006

Our next teambuilding 22 April at 2:00pm

We have stumbled upon the most amazing idea on how to keep the children (and grown-ups!) busy for hours. Honeydew A-maize-ing Mazes is proud to announce that Africa's only Maize Maze is ready and open for the 2006 summer season! A brand new Mermaid design over 3 acres situated in the mealie field in Honeydew has over 3 km's of winding pathways, so make sure you are up for the challenge! A multi-level quiz requires you to find five locations hidden in the maze. There you need to discover who is hiding with who in the maze, identify which country the pirates are from and then decode the semaphore encoded message that reveals Captain Hardy's final destination...

Honeydew A-Maize-ing Mazes have the following puzzles and mazes to tease and challenge the mind:
Elemental Maze - a traditional maze constructed of reed walls and containing four secret gardens themed around the Elements - Earth, Air, Fire and Water! Everyone can play the Elemental Challenge, a quiz designed for all ages, as they find their way through and out the maze.
Rope Maze - a great team event that has you racing around a spider web of coloured ropes.
Hay Bale Maze - can you follow the rules AND find your way out?
Six Minute Mazes - a series of logic puzzles design to test your strategic thinking.
Hay Bale Mountain - a great big mattress of hay to play around on.
Lavender Labyrinth - a meditative meander with a teaching sun-dial at the centre.
Maize Maze - (in season) - the biggest puzzle of them all...

Cost: R35 per adult and R30 per child. This entitles you to do the Maize Maze and the other small mazes. If you wish to do the Elemental maze, there will be an additional cost of R10 per person.

Hours: They are open to the general public on weekends and public holidays from 10.00am-5.00pm and no booking is required. Just come along and enjoy solving all the mazes and puzzles!

Please remember: wear a hat and suntan lotion and comfortable shoes! This is an outdoor activity!

DIRECTIONS Get onto Beyers Naude Drive (M5) heading North away from Joburg. Cross over the N1 concrete highway. Head straight thru the Northumberland/Christian de Wet intersection. Continue on Beyers Naude past Ferreira's, past Honeydew Toyota and thru the Peter Road intersection. The next road to your right is Boland Street and we are 300m down on the right - look out for Al Fresco restaurant on the corner with Beyers Naude. If you get to Garden World you have missed the turning.

Remember that we are including spouses, significant others and children! Each one pays for themselves!
We will all go separately and meet there at 2:00 pm - we'll discuss transport arrangements for those who need transport closer to the time.

Are you excited yet? Post a comment and let me know.

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Take the passion test

Hi all

Take the passion test at this cool website.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Pse post comment - do you prefer Sat or weeknights for meetings?

Please post your comments so we can do this democratically.

Adefioye - Saturday afternoons are better, providing we finish early enough for him to get public transport, about fiveish. He does not like relying on anybody for transport either and if we finish at this time he can still catch a taxi.

Priscilla - Saturday afternoons, because weekdays are hectic for her, she sometimes has work to finish. She prefers Sat afternoons - the mornings are the only time she has to go do her personal business and most places are only open till one.

Candy - Saturday afternoons

Barry - Saturday afternoons

Monday, April 10, 2006

Minutes of the monthly meeting held in the PDM office on Thursday, 28 March 2006

Present
1. Marcia Francois
2. Dion Francois
3. Anthony Olckers
4. Teresa Olckers
5. Madelaine de Beer
6. Vanessa Yusuf
7. Priscilla Makhiwane
8. Etienne Kalp
9. Abel Modiba

Apologies
1. Barry de Beer
2. Candy Mahlangu
3. Francky Bombolo
4. Michelle Chitombo
5. Karen de Beer


Ice breaker - Ps Dion
Each had a turn to share family rules (current / past) that we felt were unfair.

Praise and Worship - Ps Marcia

Communion - Teresa
Based on scripture: Matthew 26:26

Prayer time - Anthony
Each consultant drew the name of another consultant for the purpose of interceding for him or her during the month.

PDM Blog
Our blog holds all consultant news for PDM Consultants. This blog is a free website space that acts like a journal/diary on the Internet.
Its purpose is
to communicate with ministry members
to communicate relevant ministry information.

This site is interactive meaning that members are invited to post PDM pictures, comments, etc.
To bookmark this (or any site), go to the site and once you’re there, press Control + D.

A PDM Weekend will be held on the 27 & 28 May. The theme is Winter Wonderland. Consultants are invited to post their ideas in the space allocated on the blog.

Team building afternoon
On the 22 April between 2 – 5pm the consultants will have a teambuilding activity in Honeydew at the Amazing Maze. All are invited to join the activity. The cost is only R35 pp. Anything else is for your own account. Please inform your team leader timeously should there be any financial or transport challenges that would influence your attendance.

Office Duty
· Please take note of the condition (neatness) of the office when it is your week for office duty.
· Ps Marcia has placed a list of tasks by the buddy drawers and the consultants on duty need to use this list.
· Madelaine will make a roster that will be located in the PDM office and circulated via email.
· Once all filing and admin is complete, please call the PDM consultants and find out how they are and if there are any needs. Or remind them of upcoming meetings/ teambuilding, etc.
· Specific focus areas when on office-duty are the tidiness of the office in general. This relates to the chairs, table where the buddy drawers are and the meeting table. All these areas are prone to general messiness.

Feedback on Advanced Bible Study (ABS) Mass Assessment
· On the whole, the evening was considered a success even though only Teresa and Francky were available to assist Ps Jackie.
· Approximately 70 people where assessed and of those roughly 51 completed at Request for Assessment (RFA) form to receive feedback.
· These have already been distributed and most consultants have either 3 or 4 people to give feedback to. As the whole of the Motivational Gift section and Personal Style sections were completed, only the Passion section needs to be completed and the feedback will get done in the one-on-one. This should only take about 45 minutes to complete, hence making it possible to do two feedbacks in one evening.
Consultants must give these assessments priority.

Offering
Based on Luke 6:38 we should remember when we are giving an offering to the church, we are actually giving to God and trust Him to bless us accordingly. R80.20 was received.

PDM Announcements:
· A new ministry called Success Principles was launched on Thursday, 30. All interested parties are invited to attend and learn principles for success. Contact Ps Marcia for more details.
· Balazs has formally resigned from the PDM consultants ministry to follow his passion to evangelise.
· Madelaine was nominated as the Consultant of the Month for her diligence and concern for others. She received a floating trophy award. Please remember to send your nominations to Ps Marcia before the end of the month.

A diary has been placed in the PDM office for consultants to book for their assessments. Please remember to use it to avoid disappointment and confusion when you arrive and the office is being used for another event.

Fellowship and eats

Thank you to Anthony who brought eats!

Thursday, April 06, 2006

Hadeda Creek - possible teambuilding

Hi all

I've been on this thing before and it is excellent - the food is also stunning. I still remember the bread that they make there - it was that good.

Situated just over one hour’s drive from Johannesburg CBD, Hadeda Creek is located on a scenic and secluded section of the Vaal River. Their camp provides comfortable tented accommodation catering for up to 80 guests with private ablution blocks in close proximity.Hadeda Creek boasts exquisite cuisine, fully stocked bar, river facing boma, 2 conference rooms, a high ropes course, volley ball, climbing wall and swimming pool.Hadeda Creek is consistently rated as the best value for money and the most affordable and professional adventure camp in the country. With over 10 years experience in the industry they have serviced thousands of top companies and private clients.Their private groups range from family getaways, romantic outdoor weekends, birthday parties with a difference, youth groups, friends looking for an adventure and our always popular ‘Bachelor Parties’.A stay at any of their camps promises to be a memorable experience for all. Days are jam packed with fun experiences while evenings can either lend themselves to relaxation and reflection or to some serious partying.Don’t miss out! Be part of the coolest adventure experience in S.A.

Some activities offered at Hadeda Creek:-
Rafting- Quad Biking- Orienteering- Ballooning- Sundowner CruiseRafting & the Sundowner Cruise are done in two-man inflatable rafts and are guided by expert personnel.
No previous experience is necessary and only a moderate level of fitness is required to enjoy all activities.Whether you can swim or not, nothing will stop you enjoying your rafting experience.Minimum age restriction is 6 years old.

SUGGESTED ITINERARY
Friday, 14th April
16h00 Arrive at Hadeda Creek where you are greeted by the guides and shown to your accommodation.
16h30 Enjoy a sundowner cruise on the two man inflatable “crocs”. (Snacks and drinks can be purchased from the bar).
18h00 Return to camp and freshen up.
19h00 A delicious buffet dinner will be served in the Boma.The amazing fire show!Relax around the bonfire or party the night away at the Wacky Paddler Bar!

Saturday, 15th April
07h30 Wake up call followed by coffee/ tea and rusks.
08h30 A full farmhouse breakfast will be served under the trees.
09h30 Meet at the river’s edge for a safety briefing and paddling demonstration.Don life jackets and set off for a day of rafting excitement.
12h30 Break for a delicious buffet lunch served on the banks of the river.Try your hand at rapid shooting before paddling the final stretch to the take out point.Note: The duration of the rafting will depend on river conditions.
15h00 Return to camp for refreshing showers and sundowners on the banks of the river.Leisure time – enjoy the swimming pool and make use of the volleyball court.
19h00 A delicious buffet dinner will be served.Relax around the bonfire or party the night away at the Wacky Paddler Bar!

Sunday, 16th April
07h30 Wake up call followed by coffee/ tea and rusks.
08h30 A full farmhouse breakfast will be served.
09h30 Put on your hunting gear and get ready for the Hadeda Creek Easter Egg Hunt in the bush!
11h00 Optional: High Ropes Course – an exhilarating experience!
12h30 Lunch will be served under the trees.
14h00 Depart at leisure.

HADEDA CREEK EASTER SPECIAL
COST PER ADULT: R880.00 (Incl. VAT)
COST PER UNDER 16 YEARS: R580.00 (Incl. VAT)COST PER UNDER 12 YEARS: R280.00 (Incl. VAT)
Cost includes:- 2 nights sharing accommodation- 2 x breakfast, 2 x lunch, 2 x dinner-

Sundowner cruise- River rafting- High ropes course- Easter egg hunt- Guides- Safety- Equipment- VAT

Cost excludes:- Transport to and from the camp- Drinks from the cash bar, at activities and during meals- Items of a personal natureRafting Survivor T/Shirts (R60)Hadeda Creek Caps (R50)
A minimum of 6 people is required to run a trip at Hadeda Creek
This rate is valid until 31st August 2006

Contact:
Sue Schneider
Telephone:
+27 11 803 9775
Facsimile:
+27 11 803 9603
Email:
Email Contact
Website:
Visit Website

Monday, April 03, 2006

Office duty for consultants

Phoning

A. New Request for Assessment forms
1. Phone each person to tell them that we have received their form and that they will be contacted just as soon as the consultant is available to assess them. In the top right hand corner of the form, write phoned by ??? and the date.
2. If they haven’t indicated whether they’ve done Christian Growth Seminar, please check. Write CGS Yes, also in the top right hand corner.
3. If they haven’t done CGS, please tell them that they have to do this first but can then come into the office to request another assessment.
4. Then put these forms in the Marcia to check folder.

B. Consultant files
Look through the consultant files to see which consultants have not collected new assessment forms.
Phone the consultant to remind them that there are forms waiting in their hanging files.

C. Ministry files
Look through the yellow hanging files to see which ministries have yellow forms in them.
Phone the ministry representative to remind them to check their hanging file and ask them to please contact the person.

D. Phone each consultant at least once every 2 weeks
1. Check if all assessments allocated to him/ her have been contacted.
2. Are there any problems with these assessments?
3. Who are they assessing over the next two weeks. Take down the name of the person and the scheduled date.
4. Is there anything else Ps Marcia needs to know about? For example, will not be assessing for the next month because of exams/ holiday/ etc.

E. Phone each consultant before every meeting
1. Phone each consultant to remind them
2. Remember to remind the ones that have to bring food

F. Follow-up phone calls
1. Phone the assessee and check to see whether the ministry has contacted them
2. If yes, have they attended and are they involved and happy? Write comments in the appropriate section, date it and place in the Marcia to check hanging folder.
3. If no, phone the ministry representative and ask them to contact the person.
4. Pend to phone again in two weeks’ time



If at any point you get someone’s voicemail, leave a detailed message just as if you’re speaking to him or her. This is so that we don’t waste time and money trying to phone again and again. Make a note that you left a voicemail message and the date the message was left.


Office work


A. Filing completed assessment forms for current year
1. File in the completed folders at the back of the second drawer of the filing cabinet
2. Mark each form off on the Completed Assessments list at the front of the A-F folder. If not on the list, write it in on the bottom of the page.
File alphabetically in the relevant folder.

B. Filing RFA forms not taken up (NTU)
1. File in the folder at the back of the second drawer of the filing cabinet, just before the Completed Assessments.
File in strict alphabetical order.

C. Filing yellow ministry forms
1. File forms in the yellow ministry folders in the first drawer of the filing cabinet
2. If there is no folder, leave a post-it note on it for Ps Jackie to give you feedback.
3. If the ministry has closed, make a note on the yellow form “please place in new ministry – this one has closed” and place back in the consultant’s folder.
If the ministry is new and Ps Jackie hasn’t created the folder yet, she’ll place it in once created.

D. Sorting white pastoral forms
1. The top drawer of one of the buddy drawer systems is dedicated to pastoral copies.
2. Sort into piles, one for each district pastor.
3. Place each district pastor’s forms in a white A5 envelope
These are to be handed out to the various pastors.

E. Filing in consultant folders
1. The consultant folders are in the front of the second drawer of the filing cabinet.
2. They are organised alphabetically, in teams Soaring Eagles (blue files) and Eagles (yellow files)
File in the relevant folder.

F. Tidying the office
1. The blue material chairs are to be placed around the main table. The table must be clear of any clutter.
2. Tidy any papers lying around on the desks.
Place any and all forms back in the buddy drawers, and pens in the pen mug.
Place the stapler and punch in a neat row.
Place the booking diary neatly on the corner of the table with a pen in the middle.
Each of the consultant desks must only have the penholder.
Straighten any chairs.
Close the door to the kitchen so that the office looks peaceful.

G. Filing completed assessment forms for previous years
1. You will find these boxes on the bottom of the cupboard near the door into the church. They are clearly marked 2003, 2004 and 2005.
2. Mark each form off on the Completed Assessments list first.
Then file in strict alphabetical order.

If any questions, please give Ps Marcia a ring on 084 504 7339.