Communications Committee Building Valuable Connections for Parishioners and Ministries

When Jenny Teeters found herself with some extra time on her hands, she volunteered to help with the parish bulletin. At the time, just one other volunteer was working on the bulletin. Soon, Jenny was allowed to attend a Communications Certification program through the diocese that covered videography, social media, and graphics.

“It gave us a lot of ideas and inspiration for how to implement them in our church,” Jenny says.

Jenny’s experience helping with the bulletin, combined with her role on the Pastoral Council, led her to help form the Communications Committee — a ministry that has representatives from the clergy, the school, and various parish ministries. The committee meets once a month and brings to the table any upcoming events in the parish and plans how to best communicate them to the parishioners.

“We saw a need to firm up communication across ministries,” Jenny says. “Our mission is to serve the parish by amplifying the events that are happening.”

Now, the bulletin is only the beginning. The committee relies on Flocknote, email, social media, the parish website, the school bulletin, and Mass announcements to get the messages out to our community.

“We are blessed at OLA to have so many tools,” Jenny says.

The Communications Committee officially began in the fall of 2019. Little did they know how useful their many platforms would be, just before the onset of COVID-19. The parish was able to livestream Mass and keep parishioners updated on the many changes to restrictions, protocols, and schedules.

Jenny has seen many fruits come from the Communications Committee. The various ministries throughout the parish are more closely connected and volunteers and members know where to go to gather or share news. With word being spread so effectively, parish ministries have found themselves with more volunteers and more parishioners attending events.

“There’s a sense of camaraderie,” Jenny says. “There’s a lot more awareness about what everyone is doing.”

The committee has sought out representatives from various ministries and volunteers with specific skills, such as photography. When the committee meets, they gather upcoming events and announcements, determine if materials like reports or worship aids need to be created, assign tasks, and then report to the Pastoral Council.

The parish website is a great place to start to connect more closely with the parish. Parishioners and members of different ministries can submit information directly through a form on the parish website. This information will go to the Communications Committee, which will in turn make sure that the information becomes accessible and is shared across the parish.

Being part of the Communications Committee has given Jenny a new perspective on service while providing her with an opportunity to discover exactly where her talents for organization and relationship building best fit.

“I feel more involved,” Jenny says. “I love to serve our community.”

To stay up-to-date on parish news, be sure to sign up for Flocknote on the parish website. To submit events or news to the Communications Committee, please fill out the form on the website at olaparish.net/communications-committee.

Jenny Teeters and the Communications Committee meet over Zoom.