RE: Church Bulletins- Good or Bad? (Full Version)

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JimboFletch -> RE: Church Bulletins- Good or Bad? (6/19/2008 10:59:46 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: kernsfamily
There's a mandatory meeting for all jr. high students who will be attending camp in colorado in a few weeks

What about a make up date for all those unable to attend the mandatory meeting? (We invariably have those when, to everyone's surprise, half a dozen or so can't possibly attend.)
[:D]



ezri -> RE: Church Bulletins- Good or Bad? (6/19/2008 11:36:44 AM)

Kern- sounds like you attend a very large church.

our rural church bulletin:

front cover- the same pen sketch of the church building that was done for the blueprint presentation back in 1950 something every Sunday, Plus the church name, the date, and a bible verse. The church secy choses the verse at random nothing spiritual about it- no connection to the sermon and no one notices if you leave the same one on there for weeks at a time. I have left the one "If my people who are called by my name pray" on there for nearly 2 months now. The New secy is not a church member.

Inside left- church info(address, phone, and email) then order of service (we have no responsive readings and if we did have any they'd likely be found in the back of the church hymnal AND posted on the big screen) 1 hymn, 1 praise song, dismiss children (K and under if they would like) another hymn, offering with instrumental special, then sermon, closing with invitation with instrumental. all of this takes up 2/3 of the left. The remaining left is happening this week: Sunday night Moms in touch and Wed night services and then a spot that used to be how to contact the pastor but is now Deacon of the week.

Inside right- Mens ministries Fishing Tourny Bring your kids to breakfast and a one hour fishing tournament. Prizes given for biggest, smallest, and most fish. Then, Your Giving- a weekly breakdown of giving and the amount our congregation needs to bring in weekly to meet our budgeted needs. (May giving is shown all month in june, junes giving is shown all month in July) followed by, Little Kids Time (Schedule of workers for the next 4 weeks) and an announcement about Mr Stancils 90th birthday party in the fellowship hall at 5pm (a good paragraph inviting all). Finally, a Vacation Bible School notice letting folks know that we could still use some nursery workers.

Tear Away Tab- one side is a visitor info deal the other side is a prayer concern form. This is the most under used portion of the entire thing. [&o] THOUGH I had started to see some trickle into the office this past month after 2 months of my telling folks that if they wanted an updated prayer list they needed to fill the silly things out and put them in the offering plate or envelope in the office. [:)]

Back Cover-Sermon Notes and 4 week Usher Schedule.

inserts-Always a prayer sheet, one week a month we get a focus on the family insert. Another week we get a Church around the world Insert. all of these inserts are single's and half page type deals.

nothing earth shattering there.

Can ya see why I am feeling like it is not 100% necessary? It is not like those few things mentioned could not be handled verbally and in the slide show and catch at least 80% of the intended audience. the other 20% probably would not catch it unless you took them by the hand and told them face to face.


~e



kernsfamily -> RE: Church Bulletins- Good or Bad? (6/19/2008 11:40:13 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: JimboFletch

quote:

ORIGINAL: kernsfamily
There's a mandatory meeting for all jr. high students who will be attending camp in colorado in a few weeks

What about a make up date for all those unable to attend the mandatory meeting? (We invariably have those when, to everyone's surprise, half a dozen or so can't possibly attend.)
[:D]


there are two different times to make those meetings....if you can't make either, Iam sure you can contact the appropriate minister, and they will work with you to make sure you are "up to speed" on everything....

good point, though!



kernsfamily -> RE: Church Bulletins- Good or Bad? (6/19/2008 11:56:59 AM)

quote:

Kern- sounds like you attend a very large church.

our rural church bulletin:


yeah....our church is pretty big...but, we're in an urban/suburban area.....high density population....and, the entire area is still growing and thriving....

your bulletin is alot like that of the church my inlaws attend in rural northern arkansas....

quote:

Can ya see why I am feeling like it is not 100% necessary?


which, illustrates the point I made earlier....there's no one clear answer to the "church bulletin" issue......each church decides for itself the best, and most effective way, to communicate pertinent information to it's members, visitors and the community.
What works great for my church, may not be a good idea for yours....and vice-versa.....



JimboFletch -> RE: Church Bulletins- Good or Bad? (6/19/2008 12:22:00 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: ezri

inserts-Always a prayer sheet, one week a month we get a focus on the family insert. Another week we get a Church around the world Insert. all of these inserts are single's and half page type deals.


My church isn't as large as Kern's (only about 1,200 in Bible Study), but if I have a serious gripe with our bulletins, it's with inserts. More & more folk feel too special to have a note in the bulletin, they have to have their own gaudy insert. We have a whole crew of volunteers that come in one day a week to put a handful of inserts into each bulletin.



kernsfamily -> RE: Church Bulletins- Good or Bad? (6/19/2008 12:33:10 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: JimboFletch

quote:

ORIGINAL: ezri

inserts-Always a prayer sheet, one week a month we get a focus on the family insert. Another week we get a Church around the world Insert. all of these inserts are single's and half page type deals.


My church isn't as large as Kern's (only about 1,200 in Bible Study), but if I have a serious gripe with our bulletins, it's with inserts. More & more folk feel too special to have a note in the bulletin, they have to have their own gaudy insert. We have a whole crew of volunteers that come in one day a week to put a handful of inserts into each bulletin.


that's a pretty good-sized church you've got there.....good for y'all!....[:)]
while you do have about 1,200 in "bible study"....do you find that you have an even higher total attendance for just worship services?

for example: our "bible study" attendance, which is in the bulletin from a few weeks ago, lists a total of 7,165
But, our worship attendance total for the weekend (1 saturday night, 2 on sunday), was 12.326

yeah....our bulletins are "insert free"!....and, for good reason.....inserts fall out, and get lost....ours is designed to be a "multi-fold", so printing only entails a "front and back", then the folds.....

and, yes, inserting inserts ARE very time consuming....and "labor intensive"....

one cool thing our local newspaper (Dallas Morning News) starting doing recently: all of the Sunday advertising inserts, comics, books of coupons and other "non-newspaper" related inserts: ALL of those are sold WITH the newspaper, of course, but, are in the paper and sealed in a plastic bag (so, as you're carrying it out of the store they're not flying out all over, or when you sit down to read the paper, you can just take ALL of THAT ONE bag, and set it aside for later....



bluestone -> RE: Church Bulletins- Good or Bad? (6/19/2008 12:38:37 PM)

I think reading the annoucements outloud, PLUS having a bulletin is repetitive and irriatating for the vast majority that do posess reading comprehension skills. One or the other, peopel



ta_mosquito -> RE: Church Bulletins- Good or Bad? (6/19/2008 12:38:47 PM)

quote:

I have never been to a church that did not, in some way or another, list somewhere the attendance for the previous week....so those numbers are listed in the corner over here....

Wow. I've never seen that in any church I've been in. Do the ushers count heads in the congregation during the service, do you have turnstiles, or do they have one of those hand-held clicker counters at the doors? [8D]



zoebob -> RE: Church Bulletins- Good or Bad? (6/19/2008 12:42:13 PM)

Ours always lists attendance too. I am guessing that they count heads from the back. I know during SS someone goes around and takes a peek in each room and counts. Of course we have maybe 350 total.

We list early service attendance, SS attendance, and late service.



kernsfamily -> RE: Church Bulletins- Good or Bad? (6/19/2008 12:45:51 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: ta_mosquito

quote:

I have never been to a church that did not, in some way or another, list somewhere the attendance for the previous week....so those numbers are listed in the corner over here....

Wow. I've never seen that in any church I've been in. Do the ushers count heads in the congregation during the service, do you have turnstiles, or do they have one of those hand-held clicker counters at the doors? [8D]


good question...

iam not sure HOW they do that....

there are X amount of "seats" in each pew, though, right? GENERALLY, you know how many people can fit in a pew........so, if X amount of sections are totally full, then, you've got at least a pretty good idea how many people are there.

i'll have to ask one day how they come up with the numbers that they do....



Memaw. -> RE: Church Bulletins- Good or Bad? (6/19/2008 12:49:28 PM)

After reading the entire thread...*yawn*
(J/K folks [;)])

I just have one question.

How did Jesus coordinate all His sermons complete with feeding the multitudes without a bulletin?[8D]



Roberta_ -> RE: Church Bulletins- Good or Bad? (6/19/2008 12:50:15 PM)

Hi Kimmie!!



Memaw. -> RE: Church Bulletins- Good or Bad? (6/19/2008 12:59:32 PM)

Hi Roberta!
((Hugs))



doinkdom -> RE: Church Bulletins- Good or Bad? (6/19/2008 1:01:37 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Memaw.
After reading the entire thread...*yawn*
(J/K folks [;)])

I just have one question.

How did Jesus coordinate all His sermons complete with feeding the multitudes without a bulletin?[8D]


exactly[;)] and don't forget the sermon notes!



ta_mosquito -> RE: Church Bulletins- Good or Bad? (6/19/2008 1:03:56 PM)

quote:

inserts-Always a prayer sheet, one week a month we get a focus on the family insert. Another week we get a Church around the world Insert. all of these inserts are single's and half page type deals.

In our church (and in all the Reformed churches I've been in - maybe a half dozen) there are little mail slots for each family. All the denominational inserts, monthly newsletter, tiny slips inviting people to some concert at some other church, etc. are put in the slots instead of in the bulletin.

Our typical bulletin:

Front cover:
- Church letterhead with name, address, phone, web, email, etc.
- The date
- A motto and denominational logo
- Worship times and office hours
- Name of the pastor

Pages 2-3, sometimes to page 4:
- Morning worship service: Prelude, Votum, responsive reading printed out, Prayer of Confession printed out (since we read it aloud), Assurance of Pardon printed out (what the pastor says after the prayer of confession), Salutation, Songs of Praise, Opening Prayer/Prayers for Others/Lord's Prayer (yeah, opening prayer is this late in the service), Children's Time and who is doing it, Song of Praise, Prayer for Understanding, Scripture Lesson (the reading), Message with sermon title and who is speaking, Prayer for Blessing on the Word, Offertory Prayer/Offertory/Offering, Closing Prayer, Song (vs 1 or 1-2), Benediction, Song (last verse), Postlude

Next Page:
- Evening Service: Prelude, Opening Prayer, Responsive Reading (usually just a number in the hymnal or a Scripture reference), Songs of Praise, Prayer for Understanding, Scripture Lesson (reading); "Guitar Singing and Celebrating", Evening Message with sermon title and who is speaking, Prayer for Blessing on the Word, Congregational Prayers, Song (vs 1 or 1-2), Blessing, Song (last verse), Postlude

Next Page:
- Prayer Corner with a list of names
- Weekly Events calendar (which does change)
- Prayer Chain (names of 3 families to pray for this week; rotates through the roster)

Next Pages: The one I'm looking at has 3 pages of announcements, some of which take up half the page:
- Brochures are available for a spiritual retreat
- Make sure any food you leave in the church is in sealed containers so we don't attract mice
- A list of who is serving coffee during the summer is in the kitchen
- Please pray for these people (3 people with special needs, over and above the Prayer Corner)
- Special collection being taken next week for a denominational ministry
- Thank You to those who sponsored me for a walk-a-thon, signed XYZ
- Denominational regional service in 2 weeks at 6:30 pm at XYZ church
- Afternoon Tea in support of Autism by the daughter of a church member - RSVP downstairs
- Thank you for your prayers, etc. from the family of a recently deceased person
- Extra offering in support of Burma and China last week raised $x
- Please collect the mail from your mailbox

Page 11 in this bulletin:
- Small Groups and Study Groups listing (group purpose, how often, time, who to contact)

Back page:
- Welcome greeters for next 3 weeks
- Scripture readers for next 3 weeks
- Coffee servers for next 3 weeks
- Nursery attendants for next 3 weeks
- Sound techs for next 3 weeks

WHEW!



ta_mosquito -> RE: Church Bulletins- Good or Bad? (6/19/2008 1:05:12 PM)

quote:

Ours always lists attendance too. I am guessing that they count heads from the back. I know during SS someone goes around and takes a peek in each room and counts. Of course we have maybe 350 total.


We have ONE adult Sunday school class and two kids' classes (which are during the service). I suppose they're ashamed to list Sunday school attendance. [8D]



zoebob -> RE: Church Bulletins- Good or Bad? (6/19/2008 1:08:31 PM)

During the summer we have 2 adult classes 3 -4 during the school year. Kids classes: nursery
3-4
5-K
1-2 grade
3 grade
4-5 grade
Middle school
Hich school

Sometimes 1st is by itself and 2-3rd together. It depends on how many kids we have in that age group. For example, this last school year that's how it was. For the summer we have 5-1st grade together and 2-3rd grade because we don't have a lot of 3rd graders.



ta_mosquito -> RE: Church Bulletins- Good or Bad? (6/19/2008 1:12:47 PM)

Our Sunday schools all adjourn for the summer. As do the small groups and other weekly Bible study.

The place pretty much shuts down for the summer except for the AM and PM Sunday services.



doinkdom -> RE: Church Bulletins- Good or Bad? (6/19/2008 1:15:30 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: ta_mosquito

Our Sunday schools all adjourn for the summer. As do the small groups and other weekly Bible study.

The place pretty much shuts down for the summer except for the AM and PM Sunday services.


Don't ya think that's a weird thing to do?

hmmm...maybe that'd be a good question for a separate thread.



doinkdom -> RE: Church Bulletins- Good or Bad? (6/19/2008 1:21:04 PM)

Done[:)]

[Link edited by mod to make it usable by all portals]



kernsfamily -> RE: Church Bulletins- Good or Bad? (6/19/2008 1:21:59 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Memaw.

After reading the entire thread...*yawn*
(J/K folks [;)])

I just have one question.

How did Jesus coordinate all His sermons complete with feeding the multitudes without a bulletin?[8D]


I don't think I've seen official "bulletins" at a billy graham crusade....which, is more of what Jesus' sermons were like, I am guessing....certainly much different than a church of several hundred, or thousands, serving/ministering to each other, and the community, 24/7...365 days a year....



JimboFletch -> RE: Church Bulletins- Good or Bad? (6/19/2008 1:56:45 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: doinkdom

quote:

ORIGINAL: Memaw.
After reading the entire thread...*yawn*
(J/K folks [;)])

I just have one question.

How did Jesus coordinate all His sermons complete with feeding the multitudes without a bulletin?[8D]


exactly[;)] and don't forget the sermon notes!

They would have done those how - chisel 'em on stones? Come on, think of all the hernias that would have produced for the poor disciples - and congregation!
[:o]

quote:

while you do have about 1,200 in "bible study"....do you find that you have an even higher total attendance for just worship services?

I'm sure that's true, but we only count Bible study attendance - despite claims that SBC churches tinker with numbers to look better than they are.
[;)]



Consecrated2God -> RE: Church Bulletins- Good or Bad? (6/19/2008 2:06:31 PM)

quote:

But, our worship attendance total for the weekend (1 saturday night, 2 on sunday), was 12.326


So what did that .326 of a person look like, anyway? [;)]



Roberta_ -> RE: Church Bulletins- Good or Bad? (6/19/2008 2:12:33 PM)

lol!



JimboFletch -> RE: Church Bulletins- Good or Bad? (6/19/2008 2:12:58 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Consecrated2God

quote:

But, our worship attendance total for the weekend (1 saturday night, 2 on sunday), was 12.326


So what did that .326 of a person look like, anyway? [;)]

They had to wait until it was born.
[8D]



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