A New Church Directory
Dear Church Family,
As you know, our church family has experienced significant growth over the past year. Each Sunday as you come to worship, there are always familiar faces. However, some faces are new. And what's even more likely, there are probably faces that you aren't sure if they are new or not.
It seems quite possible that we've all had the experience of asking, "Are you new?" only to discover that they've been attending St. Andrew's for the last 20 years. (Don't worry, this happens to pastors all the time.)
If you've been part of a church for some time, you are likely familiar with the "Church Photo Directory." Do you remember those books we would get every three to five years with family portraits, names, addresses, phone numbers (likely landlines), and maybe an email address if they were printed after 2000? You might also recall the lengthy process of having photos taken by the portrait company, the occasional "hard-sell" to buy physical print photos to give as gifts, and all the volunteer coordination that went into these big projects. To be honest, church directory time was often a time of stress and lots of extra work.
I have some good news. Over the next few Sundays, we will be working on a new church photo directory, allowing you to better connect with the people in your church. What's more, it will be far less stressful and easier than ever before. That's because Church Directory companies, as we knew them, no longer exist. Why not? Because most church databases allow us to print our own directory at any time. We can update them easily, and you can even access them online through your phone if you like. What a world we live in!
How does this all happen? Starting September 7th, our Connect Team will begin updating the church database with information and photos. Each Sunday, we will have a table where you can review your information, update it, and have a new photo taken if you don't like the one we have. Additionally, you will have the option to decide whether or not you want to be included in a photo directory. We respect everyone's privacy, and we will not include you unless you give us permission. You can decide what is shared. If you want just your name and photo, that's okay. If you want to share your email, but not a photo. That's okay as well. Any combination is just fine with us.
Most importantly, this is about helping us connect with each other here at St. Andrew's by-the-Sea. You will be seeing and hearing more about this in the days ahead, but I wanted to let you know about this exciting news.
With God's Peace,
