| Letters from
7 to 14 April 2013
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The
letters we received last week were all in response
to our essay 'Dial
M for Marketing' on Sunday, 8 April 2013.
sfx:
Phone ringing
If
I ever heard of such a thing being
done in my jurisdiction, I guarantee there would
be a non-robocall to said vicar to cease and
desist, and apologize! Or else...
The
Right Reverend Pierre Whalon
Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe
Paris, FRANCE (Province II)
bishop@tec-europe.org
8 April 2013
Our
church reminders come
from the announcements during the mass, e-mails,
snail mail, facebook, or the bulletin. I do not
believe that using robocalls would even be considered
by our Rector or Vestry.
Thank
you for your weekly thoughts. They are a sweet Monday
morning treat.
Mark
Ballou
Christ Church
Branford, Connecticut, USA
8 April 2013
Our
parishioners became so annoyed by
the church directory companies, and the pressure
to buy photographs which they exert, that we
started taking our own pictures with digital
cameras and producing directories with our office
computer. The pictures are not professional,
but the fact that they are taken in various spots
around our facilities make them very pleasing
indeed.
William
Bippus
St. Paul's Church
Marinette, Wisconsin, USA
8 April 2013
sfx:
Still ringing
My
parish probably used the same photo directory service
as was described, and so we had access to the
same robocall service for a free three month
or so trial. I only used it once because I knew
that its use would have to be extremely judicious.
The evaluation at the end was: Wow, amazingly
effective and successful; and, not the look and
feel we were after. A handful of people were
irritated but somewhat less articulate about
it than the author of the article. Most simply
took it in stride. Success in terms of response
and participation in a last-minute event was
pretty outstanding.
If
it wasn't so expensive to have access to it might
be a great tool for getting word out about a parishioner
funeral, a disaster relief effort, or an important
meeting. When e-blasts get a 40% read rate and newsletters
even less, we're all looking for the tools that work.
The
Reverend Randal Gardner
St. James by-the-Sea
La Jolla, California, USA
randal@sjbts.org
8 April 2013
I
am continually grateful for your presence, and
often refer parishioners to your opening essay.
Indeed, AO is my homepage. The "marketing" essay
is particularly interesting, because communicating
with a parish that includes members of our Soup
Kitchen, working class folks, and professionals
is extremely challenging. No one method works
for everyone. Would you please share people's
responses? I'm always hopeful that we can do
a better job--and without tackiness like robocalls!
(shuddering all the way down to my Episcopalian,
coffee-loving soul)
Alleluia!
Christ is risen!
The
Reverend Laura Howell
Trinity Episcopal Church
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA
9 April 2013
sfx:
And ringing again
The
reaction is justified. Since
I always hang up the moment I realize the message
is recorded, no one would get any action other
than that from me. Bless the REAL church callers
for any need. JC
JC Eriksen
Grace Calvary Church, Cartersville, Georgia
Blairsville, Georgia USA
14 April 2013
Earlier
letters
We
launched our 'Letters to AO' section on 11 May 2003.
All published letters are in our archives.
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