Category Archives: Ideas & Tips

changes

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

Administrators, Ideas & Tips, Update, , , , , ,

Make sure your app is up-to-date for Ordinary Time.

Note as of 1.9.17: This blog post is causing some confusion; our apologies. Here is an updated version regarding re-loading:

The app updates automatically. The different platforms (iOS-Apple, Android) handle updates differently. Androids do a complete update weekly in the early morning hours on Saturday (midnight-1:00 a.m. or so). Apple also does a complete weekly update, but it’s scheduled according to when the app was loaded to the device, so we can’t be specific as to when it is. 

Additionally, different parts of the app check for updates for their content regularly. For example, if you tap on messages, the app goes to the server to check and see if there are new messages.
You only need to do a re-load if you’ve made a change that’s not showing up, and you don’t want to wait out the week.
Again, our apologies for any misunderstanding and/or confusion.
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As we leave the Christmas season behind and enter into Ordinary Time, you’ll notice some changes to the look of your myParish App. You’ll also see some content changes, as we’ll be removing the Advent and Christmas reflections.

One thing to remember: you (and your parishioners) will need to “re-load” the app on whatever device you’re using. That means you open the app and click on the Menu (the three bars in the upper right corner.) Once there, tap “change parish,” and select your parish. (You may need to search for your parish, then select, as the app gives suggestions based on your location.) This will update all the content you and your parishioners see.

It’s a good idea to run a little note in the bulletin for a few weeks; that way, your parishioners won’t be stuck in Advent when Lent rolls around!

Thanks to all the parishes who took part in our Advent and Christmas reflections and backgrounds. We enjoyed hearing from many of you during the holiday season.

May your New Year be blessed and peaceful!

message

Message Me!

Administrators, Ideas & Tips, Message Ideas, , , ,

Craft great messages for the best results.

Sending messages via myParish App is a terrific way to keep your parishioners informed. However, there are a few tips to create great messages, making them more effective.

  • Include most relevant at beginning of message because that’s what shows in a push notification.
  • Send your message now, and then add as an event to remain on calendar.
  • Use messaging and events together to keep information available on the calendar.

Here is an example of a “weak” message:

“We need volunteers! There are many volunteer opportunities here at St. Ann’s. This week, we are cleaning the church. Call the church office if interested. “

This message is really unclear. It doesn’t tell parishioners when they would be needed, and there is no phone or email included so that they can easily contact the office if interested. They would have to hunt around to find the contact information.

Here is an example of a “stronger” message:

“Help clean the church for Christmas! Wednesday, December 21 at noon, volunteers are needed to clean and decorate the church for Christmas. Snacks and drinks provided and all ages welcome. Please call Patty in the church office at 616-555-5555 for more information or to volunteer.”

Then, make sure you put this event on the app calendar.

A few simple tweaks to a message can make a big difference!

remind

Remind ‘Em Again … And Again

Administrators, Ideas & Tips, , ,

Remind your parishioners frequently about myParish App.

Now that you’ve got myParish App up and running, you can just sit back and watch your Analytics improve, right?

Sadly, no. We humans are a forgetful bunch. You’ve launched myParish App, you’ve had Download Sunday … and there are still lots of parishioners who don’t know about the App. How can you improve this?

Here are just a couple of ideas:

  • Bulletin announcements – add them in once a month
  • Use banners, bulletin, bring the t-shirts out from your Launch Kit
  • Download Sunday again – “Redownload” or “myParish App Reminder Sunday”
  • Make myParish a presence at parish events and/or group gatherings. 

Doing just one or two of these will help in the long run. Remember, myParish App – with just a few minutes of your time each week – will help keep your parishioners informed and connected to their faith.

mission

Where Are We Going? How Are We Getting There?

Administrators, Ideas & Tips, Message Ideas, , , ,

And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Mt. 2:9-12

Imagine traveling to an unknown land, no map, no GPS. Just a star and a whole lot of faith. And it worked!

Our faith communities are a lot like these wise men. We have faith, but often are a little fuzzy on where we are going and how to get there. That’s where a Parish Mission Statement comes in.

Most parishes have their mission statement on their website and their bulletin. But people get so used to seeing it there, they never really SEE it. And that mission statement is important! It tells your parish family where they are going and how to get there.

One way to draw attention to your parish mission statement is to send it out as a Message in myParish App. Maybe you can send it out once a month, or once a quarter. It’s a good way to remind your faith community: This is where we are going. This is how we are going to get there.

advent

It’s The Holy Days – Don’t Forget!

Administrators, Ideas & Tips, , , , , ,

Advent is a busy time at the parish. And you know that the phones will be ringing (“What time is midnight Mass?”)

Using myParish App Messages is a great way to keep your parishioners updated.  Many parishes have Penance Services during Advent. Use Messages to send out reminders to your faith community a week or so before, and then the day before. Do the same with the Holy Day on December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception when you’re likely to have a different Mass schedule. Of course, parishes have a variety of Masses for Christmas and January 1.

You’ll also want to make sure your parish’s myParish App calendar is kept up-to-date. You might even want to put a prominent reminder in the bulletin that says something like, “Make sure to check myParish App for calendar and event updates during Advent and Christmas.”

Happy Holy Days!

Advent

Almost The New (Liturgical) Year: Get myParish App Advent Features

Administrators, Advent Reflection, Ideas & Tips, , , , , , ,

The new Church liturgical year begins November 27 this year, the first Sunday of Advent. Advent focuses on the coming of our Lord:

The Catechism stresses the two-fold meaning of this coming : When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Savior’s first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for His second coming (No. 524).

Therefore, on one hand, the faithful reflect back and are encouraged to celebrate the anniversary of the Lord’s first coming into this world. We ponder again the great mystery of the incarnation when our Lord humbled Himself, taking on our humanity, and entered our time and space to free us from sin. On the other hand, we recall in the Creed that our Lord will come again to judge the living and the dead and that we must be ready to meet Him.

We are offering our myParish App churches two great Advent features: a free Advent background and free Advent reflections. The reflections will be added to the app via a special Advent button. This means app users will receive Advent reflections every weekday during the Advent season. What a great way to prepare for the coming of our Lord!

To receive these free Advent features, simply click here. And Happy New Year!

create Groups

Step-by-Step: A How-To For The Groups Feature

Administrators, Groups, Ideas & Tips, , , , , , ,

For parishes, the new Groups feature on myParish App has multiple and wonderful uses. Parish admins need to know exactly how to create a group.  Just follow these steps:

  • First, login to the myParish App admin page.
  • Next, click on the “Groups” tab on the top of the page. (It’s next to “Homilies.”)
  • Choose English or Spanish for the group, and then click on the “Create Group” button.
  • You’ll need to choose “Church.” Then, you need to put your  church’s zip code in the “Filter by a Church” box that appears. If you are an admin for several parishes, you may need to type in the parish name.
  • You’ll be asked to name your Group, and then add a short description (the description is required to save your Group.) For example, you might name the Group “Moms’ Bible Study” and describe it as “For moms of all ages. This group meets every Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. in the Marian Room.”
  • Click “Save” in the bottom right corner of the box.
  • At this point, you’ll see two icons in the bottom left corner. The “lock” means that this is not a conversation; the moderator can send out messages only. This is great for when you have a large group, or merely want to use the Groups feature to inform. The second is an “eye” icon. This allows you to “hide” the group for a period of time (for instance, a Bible study group that does not meet during the summer months might use this.)
  • Once you save your Group, you’ll want to assign the moderators for that Group. For this example, you might add the parish staff member who oversees the Moms’ Bible Study Group, plus the group leader. Type in the name, hit “enter” and then add another name, if needed.
  • Once your Group is created, you can click on “Manage Group” underneath the Group name/description.
  • This is where you can add or change moderators, add discussion questions, and moderate the discussions. (Remember, you can send an invite through the app to add members, but not via the admin page.)

That’s it – you’ve got your Group! As always, if you need assistance with this or any features of the app, please feel free to contact us for assistance.

 

Did You Get The Message?

Administrators, Ideas & Tips, Message Ideas, ,

With an upgrade to myParish App, sending messages is even easier. Before, you had to have computer access to send a message. Now, you can create and send a message within the app.

Here’s how:

  • Make sure you are logged in to the app, and you have administrator privileges.
  • In the top right-hand corner, next to your parish name, click on the four square icon.
  • Now, click on the message icon:      speech-bubble

 

  • On the lower right corner, you’ll see the message icon inside a circle. Click on that.
  • You should now have a “New Message” field. Write your message, choose a category, the publish date, and whether or not you’d like to send the message as a “push” notification. When you’re ready, hit “send.”

That’s it! We hope this makes messaging easier for you as an app administrator. As always, if you need help or have questions, please go to our support page for information.

Just A Short Suggestion

Administrators, Ideas & Tips, ,

When creating content for myParish App, do you find yourself running out of space if you include a web address? Many times, we want to direct users to a website, but the actual web address can be long. What’s the solution?

It’s easy: use a link shortener! One of the most reliable is Bitly. It’s easy to use. For instance, the web address for the landing page of the Diocese of Grand Rapids is this: http://www.dioceseofgrandrapids.org/Pages/default.aspx. Pretty long. By using Bitly, you get this instead: http://bit.ly/1u6ydMV. That takes up far less space, and takes your reader to the same page.

Using a link shortener is just one short suggestion to help manage your app content.

stumped

Stumped For Content? Here’s An Idea Or Two

Administrators, Ideas & Tips

For myParish App administrators, we know it’s important to have good, up-to-date content for messaging and push notifications. But let’s face it: sometimes, it’s hard to think about anything original when you’ve got parishioners’ needs, bulletin deadlines and parking lot lights that need to be replaced, preferably under (really under!) budget.

Here are a couple of ideas for good content:

  • Do an app “Feature of the Week.” This doesn’t need to be anything fancy. For instance, you can point out that the app has confession times for your parish, and app users can set a reminder for themselves to go to confession. (Don’t forget: you can use the Features tab on our website to help craft a message.)
  • Remind your parishioners of your parish mission statement. Sure, it’s on the bulletin every week and on your website, but a reminder about who your parish is, the parish’s spiritual goals and direction is always great. You can also ask, “How are we doing as a parish? What can I do to help fulfill our mission?”
  • Thank your volunteers! If possible name them. Volunteers for coffee & cookies after Mass, people who usher or cantor, the folks that come early and stay late to set up chairs and tables and then take them down: they deserve our thanks and don’t get it often enough.

Remember, messaging and content on a regular basis is a terrific way to keep your parishioners coming back to the app again and again. A few minutes once a week to send out fresh content will certainly make myParish App a more valuable tool for your parish community.