The right tool...

I've been away from blogging for a few days because a project needed my attention.

In a small Parish like St. Elias every penny counts and there is always a need to find ways to do business that exploit technology and efficiency. In fact, one of the gifts of a small Parish can be the kind of "edginess" required to make things happen that may not be possible in a large Parish with less nimble structures and systems.

In our specific case the issue is the development of a Parish newsletter as a way to connect people from some distances and share information. The normal process is to create a mini-newspaper with columns and calendars and send them to as many people as possible, even people who haven't asked for them, in order to comply with the requirements of the Post Office regrading bulk mail. (To qualify for a bulk mail permit there must be a minimum number of mailed items).

I've been pondering this for several months and a few days ago it occurred to me that it's possible to adapt a blogger.com site for use as an "e-newsletter" that is easy to produce, easy to update, inexpensive, self storing, and widely available. I've made a rough copy of such an item here. I presume I'm not the first person to contemplate this but its potential for small parishes and missions could be significant.

I'm still trying to work out how I could adapt the site to hold a calendar of events but I'll figure it out. Regardless if you drop by and have an idea or comment I would appreciate it.