AME Helps Churches Communicate with Members

A church may not be the first organization that comes to mind when you think about broadcast communication, but actually, there are many ways that churches can use Alerts Made Easy as a quick and simple communication tool.

One of the most obvious and helpful is prayer requests. Churches are often notified of illnesses, hospitalizations, accidents, and other events where spiritual support from the community is greatly appreciated. With a broadcast communication system, a pastor or church secretary can quickly send e-mails, voice messages, text messages, and post notices on the church Web site to let members know of individuals and families who could use extra support during a difficult time.

On a related note, church communities are known for their quick response in times of emergencies, whether in a community or a family. AME could quickly mobilize volunteers to help families displaced by fires, tornadoes, floods, and other disasters when time really matters. Requests for food, clothing, personal toiletries, transportation, and other immediate needs are common at this time, and a broadcast alert can facilitate gathering these items quickly.

AME is useful for a church at times other than emergencies as well. It's common for churches to have a number of different groups involving, Bible studies, mission and outreach, teachers, leaders, councils, elders, deacons, choirs, and youth groups. A church can set up each of these groups in AME to easily send out messages to the appropriate people. This is useful for sending reminders for meetings, events, practices, activities, and outings. With so many youth carrying cell phones and "texting" these days, a youth group is sure to get a response by sending text messages about youth group events!

Other convenient AME uses:

• Sunday school leaders can remind parents of special childrens' events or programs
• Youth leaders can recruit adult volunteers to chaperon youth outings or trips
• Bible School coordinates can recruit teachers and activity helpers
• Bible study leaders can send out meeting reminders
• Pastors can send a daily Bible verse or inspirational message to parish members
• Administrators can notify members of changes in a church schedule or cancellation of meetings due to weather or power outages

And the best thing about AME - it's totally affordable for churches big and small! It's also easy to use, which is helpful in churches because leaders and volunteers can change frequently.

I'm sure you can think of other ways that your church could put AME to use for your members. Let us know what they are by adding your comments to our blog.