{Thank you to Bethany J. for this post!}
An ecclesial newsletter, in the simplest description, is a way to keep everyone up to date on the upcoming ecclesial events and activities. But it can also be a fun way to bring the members of your ecclesia together, young and old alike! There is something about a newsletter in which everyone can find encouragement and enjoyment. It also sheds light on areas that are in need of help and attention.
What makes up a newsletter? There are lots of items that can be included in a newsletter, some examples are listed below:
– events for the upcoming month/week depending on the frequency of the newsletter (ie: bible class, seminar, CYC, sister’s class, study days, Sunday School outings, showers, Family Nights, etc.)
– meditation/devotion/article
– current event
– wrested scripture/bible study
– prayer list
– birthdays/anniversaries/spiritual birthdays
– bible readings quiz
– monthly/weekly memory verse
– puzzle
– children’s coloring page
– goal setting
– news, with a photo perhaps (local baptisms, weddings, births, etc.)
– interview of an ecclesial member
– recipe from ecclesial members
– commandments of Christ
– hymn quiz
– history events and the Bible
– photos from events (local youth weekends, a Sunday school activity, the first/last Sunday school, etc.)
And the list goes on!
We have particularly made connections with kids through the newsletter. When they complete the bible reading quiz/coloring page they can hand it in for a little prize. The kids frequently ask when the next newsletter is coming out and always look forward it. They also love seeing photos of themselves in the newsletter; we didn’t realize how special this was until a young girl mentioned she posted the page from the newsletter with her photo on the wall of her bedroom.
There are many different ways to compose a newsletter, ranging from a simple layout to a more detailed and complex one; either way, a newsletter is a positive tool that can help to strengthen and build up your ecclesia and bring all of your members together.
