subject: Efficient And Productive Church Bulletins [print this page] Church bulletins arent simply pieces of paper that people walk away with at the end of religious services. In fact, these Sunday morning staples can act as a testament to the guidance, preparation and care that the church has to offer to this community. Creating a better church bulletin is certainly possible with a few steps.
Preparations for Next Week
Learning does not need to end when people leave church on Sunday. Leaders can include the readings for the following week in the bulletin, and encourage church members to read the material before coming to church the following week. Furthermore, they can include a little blurb about a common theme or lesson that runs throughout the stories. Much like in a classroom setting, the learners are better able to grasp and understand concepts when they have done their homework.
Eye-Catching Appeal
While church bulletins shouldn't be flashy and gaudy, there are still appropriate, attractive church bulletins available. Include a picture that symbolizes the true meaning of the time period. For example, those in charge of making or ordering the bulletin can include on the bulletin cover a cross with the words "He Has Risen" on Easter Sunday or a picture of the nativity during Advent on a middle page. During ordinary time, churches may opt to place a decorative quotation written in calligraphy from Psalms or Proverbs on the front page of the bulletin. Attractive church bulletins draw the reader in and they can play an important part in focusing on Christianity.
Letter from the Pastor
In conjunction with the readings for the following week, the pastor could also address the insights on the current weeks readings. The pastor can show the common threads amongst the first reading, second reading and the reading from the Gospel. Additionally, he or she can include ways in which people can live out the word of God based on inspirations from the readings. Preparing for meetings the following week includes examining the soul and discovering ways to live a more Christian lifestyle.
Including Changes
If there are going to be any changes to the meeting, the church should include that information in the bulletin. They may even want to distribute the bulletin before the service, as opposed to after, so that people know what to read. For example, the Roman Catholic Church recently changed several parts of the service, including the creed. While the words are generally contained in a missal, the bulletin can point the church-goer to the pages in the missal where the new information can be found. Additionally, the pastor or other member of the congregation might want to address the reasons why the words to the mass were changed.
Church bulletins serve many purposes. They tell the congregation about upcoming church events. They announce who will be married in the church soon.They may ask people to keep certain individuals in their prayers. And they may even show advertisements for services that may be of interest to the congregation. Most of all though, they act as a testament that the congregation is a witness to the works and love of Jesus Christ. By preparing the community for church services, the bulletin is truly able to reach out to them.
