Communication Resources for Connecting

How can we stay connected during this time? This is where young people are 10 steps ahead. 

Platforms

• Zoom is an online based meeting platform that can be used to meet any type of gathering. You will want to know the basics of meeting online and managing a Zoom room, but the functionality of this type of meeting will give you opportunities to keep community real and fresh. There are free accounts with some limitations or affordable subscriptions. The Offices of the Bishop also has an account you can use. Contact us for more details. Check out the Zoom Youtube Channel for tutorials or check out E-Formation, a VTS Lifelong Learning offering, here. 

 

• GroupMe brands itself as "the free, simple way to stay connected with those who matter most. Family. Roommates. Friends. Coworkers. Teams. Greek Life. Bands. Faith Groups." This is a great tool to keep groups or communities connected at all times and includes functionalities like sharing photos, documents, and conducting polls. Check out this GroupMe Youtube tutorial.

 

• Remind serves as a way to send mass communications out to segments or your entire church via text. It is great for quick updates or reminders for upcoming online gatherings and so forth. Check out this Remind Youtube tutorial. 

 

• MailChimp or Constant Contact are great mass email providers that come with templates and plenty of add ons. We use MailChimp for our mass email communications. 

Other Idea/Resources

• Assign out congregants to leadership (staff, members of Vestry, members of Guilds) and have them reach out via phone, text, or email to check in. There is nothing like one-on-one communication. Encourage connection!
• Small Group Ministry | The Episcopal Church
• A Guide to Building Community | The Episcopal Diocese of Washington