Getting the word out

Committee chairs, staff, and other church leaders publicize their church news and events through a variety of communication media.

All announcements will be edited for length and other issues including, conciseness, clarity, completeness, appropriateness, and accuracy.

Remember to reserve a room. If your meeting or event is subsequently canceled, cancel the room reservation so another group can use the space.

Calendar

Submit a room/zoom reservation  and then the room manager will place an event on the calendar and website event listings. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, the online calendar and website  convey dates, times, and details about regular committee meetings, social gatherings, and other events.

The advantages of putting your event on the calendar include

• People can look up the date, time, and details from home, work, or anywhere they have Internet access.
• The calendar or website cannot be lost on a desk or in an email inbox.
• You can reserve a room.

In addition to reserving a room, you should also submit an event description  that includes more detailed information about the event.  This is done as part of the room reservation request.

Weekly announcements

Each week announcements are made through two media:

• e-news email list sends This Week at EUUC
• verbal report by a Board member: Pulpit Announcement

Submit announcements for This Week at EUUC from the Submit an Announcement form. Request a Pulpit Announcement by submitting a Pulpit Announcement request.

This Week at EUUC — the emailed weekly bulletin

Every Thursday This Week at EUUC is posted to the website, emailed, and placed in the Narthex. This communication tool has several advantages.

• over 250 subscribers receive This Week at EUUC.
• When details change after they are reported in The Newsletter, you can bring people up-to-date.
• Your announcement reaches people one to ten days before the event.
• The current issue is always available on the website by clicking on the News menu and then selecting This Week at EUUC

Content — As you write a message for This Week at EUUC, let your passion for the event guide your writing. Don’t merely tell people where and when the event will occur—tell people why they should attend. You do not need to write a lengthy article: 30 to 50 words usually suffices.

Links to website pages — You may include links to pages on the EUUC website where additional information is published. Those other pages may include links to outside websites, but This Week at EUUC does not link to PDFs or places other than pages on the EUUC website.

RSVP email addresses — We do not publish any email addresses ending in @euuc.org, except for ones with “rsvp” in the address. Any email address published on a web page or in a file that can be downloaded will be harvested by spambots which sell the addresses to spammers. Those email addresses can begin receiving unpleasant spam within months. These RSVP email addresses can be deleted and new RSVP email addresses set up when the spam becomes a problem. Please contact the Congregational Administrator to have an RSVP email address created for your group.

Personal email addresses — We never publish personal email addresses, such as Ann.Igma@gmail.com or Ann.Igma@euuc.org.

Sunday service section — The information in this section is limited to: sermon title, speaker, service times, music performers, and where children and youth start the hour. If youth group meets at a different time on Sunday, that time is provided. No announcements of activities are made in this section.

Events section — This section lists events submitted by staff and committees. The last item is Save the Date, which lists events farther out than the next two weeks and that church leaders have asked to be included.

Announcements — This section lists messages about ongoing programs and efforts. Examples are naming the recipient of the Sunday Offerings and a telling people that a social justice committee is collecting items for a cause.

Deadline — Submit your announcement by Monday at midnight.

Who may submit an article? — Committee Chairs submit articles, or they delegate this task to a committee member. If someone other than the Chair will serve as the committee reporter, the Chair needs to tell the Congregational Administrator the name of the person who will be submitting articles.

Pulpit Announcements

A member of the Worship Associates or one of our Ministers makes a few announcements during the Sunday service. The message must be of broad interest within the congregation, rather than only appealing to a small group.

The same announcement can be submitted in two consecutive weeks, so consider timing the message for the most impact.

Because services follow a tight schedule, announcements must be limited in number and length. Consequently, an announcement may be edited or occasionally omitted.

Submit your pulpit announcement in 50 words or less by midnight on Monday.

Website

You might want to highlight your event with an news article on the website where both church members and people beyond our EUUC community can find the announcement. Your event can be advertised on the website in a few ways:

• The Event Listings are automatically included on the News and Events pages where they remain until the events occur.
• Upcoming events are also listed on the home page.
• Site visitors can see a more detail about  your event when they click the link in the event announcement.

EUUC Events Bulletin Board

The time-honored paper poster can still be an effective way to remind or inform members of an event. Just put your poster on the News bulletin board up to four weeks prior to the event. Please help us keep the board current by removing your own poster and any other posters which advertise past events.

Advantages to using posters include:

• People see your information without having to go to the website or read their emails.
• If you want people to take action—like purchase tickets —while they are at church, a poster reminds them at a convenient time and place.