Notes from Our Parish StewardshipJourney CommunicationsGood Shepherd Catholic Church “Our Parish Stewardship Journey” ICSC October 2016 "For me it's an honor, it's a service and

Good Shepherd Catholic Church “Our Parish Stewardship Journey” ICSC October 2016

CommunicationsNotes from Our Parish StewardshipJourney

Adriana Fernández, Communications & DevelopmentLorraine Monaco, Communications


"... we must develop forms of communication

that can inform, motivate, and invitepeople to participate in our mission."

Stewardship: A Disciple's Response, USCCB


INFORM: What time is Mass on Sunday?INFORM: What day is Bible Study?


INVITE: to events AND to participation

INVITE: to volunteer as a lector

INVITE: to cook a meal for the homeless

INVITE: to join a fellowship or support group


INSPIRE: to a rich prayer life,to the view that faith formation is a life-long journey,to serve others,to participate fully in the life of the parish … and the Church.

INSPIRE … Stewardship!



• Meet people where they are in terms of technology, language, culture, age, and where they are in their faith journey.

Communication: Guiding philosophy

• Use all tools available – print, online, social media, audio/visual.


Communication: Guiding philosophy

At our parish, part of

meeting people where they are

means taking into consideration language needs.


Bilingual needs & translation• Bulletin is in English and Spanish

• Some items are side-by-side translation

• But not all – it’s based on purpose of

different ministries and needs of the

audience

• True for all media: Offering

bilingual communication is more than simply translating everything from one language to another.


Weekly Bulletin

• Consistent layout

• Put the ‘bullet’ in bulletin (concise)

• Provide a link to other sources of info

(website, etc.)

• Consistent format for announcements

(title, day & date, time)


Bulletin: Anatomy of an announcement

Parish Pilgrimage toMount St. Mary’s

Saturday, October 15, 8am – 4pm

Join fellow parishioners for a day exploring the grounds

and grottoes at Mount St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg, MD.

Bus transportation available. RSVP online, gs-cc.org.

Contact: [email protected].


































Communication Tools

The bulletin is something people seek out -from an usher after Mass or from our website.

Sometimes, users prefer communication that is pushed out to them.


Weekly Shepherd

Email

Provide a weekly electronic digest

of upcoming parish events and

important announcements.

Purpose:

- Reference

- Portal for more info


Additional Emails

Individual Ministries (Youth, Faith Formation)

Funeral Notifications

Looking Ahead


Communication Tools

An advantage of emails is the ability to include

hyperlinks for more information.

Many of our links go directly to our parish web site.


Web site

User friendly / easy to navigate

Includes search feature

Mobile friendly

Easy to build and maintain


Web site: home page slider


Web site: forms

In this case the link takes the user directly to the sign-up form. (Our Web site platform includes a form building tool.)

Includes all the details that are too long for bulletin or Weekly Shepherd.


Communication Tools

Our web site is mobile-friendly.

Increasingly, users prefer an App – rather than a web site.


Mobile AppProvides easy access to

information on phones and

tablets.

Compatible and consistent

with our website.

Provides links to outside

sources (Vatican, prayers,

Father Tom’s homily ideas).

Content in English and

Spanish.


Mobile App: Push Notifications


Communication Tools

Main tools: bulletin, email, web site, App.

We also engage in a more casual way usingsocial media.


Social Media

Connect online

Enhance sense of community

Know what’s going on

Reach people where they are


Social Media: Facebook

Build community (keeping privacy in mind)

Connection and sharing with other parishes;

Diocese; community partners

Reaches English and Spanish-speakers alike

- Messages

- Reviews

- Comments


Social Media: Facebook


Communication Tools

Social media allows us to connect with the online community and the outside world.

We also want to connect with people as they enter our building!


Audio/visual: Slides – to inform


Audio/visual: Slides – to invite


Audio/visual: Slides – to inspire


Audio/visual: Slides


CONCLUSIONWe are communicating God’s message.

"For me it's an honor, it's a service and it's another

way of serving the Church. But it is the same

Church and, in some way, the same type of work:

to proclaim the Good News and to transmit

faithfully and with dignity the pope's message,“Paloma Garcia Ovejero, Vice Director, Vatican Press Office


"For me it's an honor, it's a service and it's another

way of serving the Church. But it is the same

Church and, in some way, the same type of work:

to proclaim the Good News and to transmit

faithfully and with dignity the pope's message,“Paloma Garcia Ovejero, Vice Director, Vatican Press Office

Contact Us

Father Tom [email protected]

Claudia FiebigPastoral [email protected]

Janice SpollenDirector of [email protected]

Adriana FernándezDevelopment and [email protected]

Lorraine [email protected]

Documents

Notes from Our Parish StewardshipJourney CommunicationsGood Shepherd Catholic Church “Our Parish Stewardship Journey” ICSC October 2016 "For me it's an honor, it's a service and