Attention: Church Secretaries and Church Newsletter Volunteers A Church Secretary Cut Over 10 Hours Off Of Her Newsletter Work Per Month By Using These Techniques Whether you're a church secretary of a small to mid-sized church or a volunteer creating your church's newsletter from home, these techniques will save you time and help simplify your work. The newsletter is an effective tool in building a strong relationship between your church office and the church members. With the newsletter you inform, ignite the spiritual passion, and encourage member participation. For many, creating a newsletter can be a daunting task. Truth is, these people are wrong. By doing one crucial first-step, the newsletter process is simplified. When this first-step is done, anyone can follow the techniques and create an effective church newsletter. Decide the purpose of your newsletter Your Newsletter can be used to: Communicate more effectively with your congregation. Energize your congregation. Use as an outreach tool to bring in new members. The more people know about your church, the safer they'll feel about responding to an invitation from you. Ways you can use your newsletter as an effective tool to invite people to participate in your church activities: Make sure the worship services, along with the name and address of your church, are clearly visible. The front or back page is best. Also, include a map to the church if your address is vague. Include your church's mission statement in a visible area. List the church staff and their titles. Include articles and notices about different age groups in the newsletter. Keep the theme positive throughout the whole newsletter. Avoid using acronyms when trying to attract new people into the life of your congregation. Determine a publication date for each month and be on time. Consider the people your mailing to in setting this date. You will want to be sure people out of the area receive their copy before the events listed happen. Keep it personal. When possible, tell a story when reporting on an event instead of just telling the reader something happened. "Lisa walked into the door and nearly burst an eardrum from the noise of all the screaming children waiting in her VBS classroom," will start a story the reader will enjoy more than a list of statistics that start with "30 kids attended Lisa's VBS class this year." Design your newsletter with plenty of whitespace, artwork that enhances the text, and with the intention of guiding your reader naturally and comfortably from one page to the next. The Church Newsletter Toolkit shows you how to plan, create, and distribute your church's newsletter. From the first issue to the simple-to-follow monthly routine that's easy to incorporate into any busy office or home life, using only the most basic of software. This toolkit is a valuable resource for people familiar to computers or for the first time user. The step-by-step instructions are accompanied with screenshots for quick understanding of how to use Microsoft Word to build the newsletter. Written by a church secretary for church secretaries and office volunteers, the instructions are geared for fitting into the church office environment. It is written in a clear, concise manner that anyone of any level can understand. This toolkit package provides volunteers and fill-in secretaries with simple instructions on creating a church newsletter, taking away some of the worry and hassle of keeping the office work running while the secretary is away. Both the pastor and the person filling in experience a relief from stress by using the Church Newsletter Toolkit's guides and templates. The guides and templates included in the toolkit are handy for the church office taking on a new secretary, or for helping office volunteers produce the newsletter in a timely, stress-free manner. Within The Church Newsletter Toolkit you will find:  Your Three-Day Newsletter Plan, designed to help you complete your newsletter in a busy office or home life.  Pictorial guides to using Microsoft Word to build your newsletter using screenshots to show you the process step-by-step.  A step-by-step guide to making your church's monthly calendar, with easy to use screenshots leading you through the process.  What 5 things you must decide when planning your church's first newsletter.  Your Church newsletter "Did I Get it All?" checklist, certain to help you make sure your newsletter's ready to inspire the congregation. and much more! Holiday Season Super Bonus: Buy now and you'll also receive Creating Your Church's Worship Folderset, a $10.00 value for free! But hurry! This offer won't last long. * Every effort has been made to accurately represent what you will gain from using this toolkit. Every individual's goals and experience is different and we make no guarantees of the success you will gain from using the products. The toolkit has been created as a useful tool to church secretaries, volunteers, and for reference in church offices. Legal Information Terms Of Service | Privacy Notice Copyright © 2008 The Digital Church Secretary, a division of DCH Design and Publications All Rights Reserved POB 245, Hebron, Nebraska 68370