You've been in your congregation so long that you know everyone and everything in the life of the church. Too bad not everyone does.

As I continue to experience being new to a congregation and as I read newsletters from around the synod, I see a lot of things that leave me wondering what's going on. My suggestion today is twofold:

1. When putting a blurb in a newsletter or bulletin, include all relevant information. Don't just say, "Sign your kids up for Sunday school. Talk to Sandy." I have no idea what that means. For this announcement, say something more like "Sign your kids ages 3-13 up for Sunday school (Sundays, 9:00 a.m. - 10 a.m.) by August 20. Talk to Sandy Smith or call the church office at 555-1234" (I left Sandy's information out in case she doesn't want her phone number published). This announcement isn't much longer, but it tells people a little more about who to talk to and gives them another way if they don't know Sandy.

The other part of including all relevant information is explaining what an event is. Don't just say "Come to the bazaar this Saturday." Some people may not know what a bazaar is, or what your congregation's bazaar is like. Tell them!

2. There is a lot of knowledge in a church that isn't shared regularly because it is ongoing. For example, a lot of people may not know about your alter guild or cemetery board because these committees do their thing, and aren't really talked about like the congregation council might be. Consider highlighting some of these groups in your newsletters once in a while or even on bulletin boards in the church. Maybe include a "Did you know?" column in your newsletter and share one piece of "common knowledge" every month. Keep it short, though, many of your readers are still the "oldies but goodies" (the people who DO know EVERYthing) and they probably already know this info.