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Church Email
Lists
Our church maintains several email lists as a convenient way to communicate among church friends and members. Here’s how they work:
· Each email list has an email address, and a list of “subscriber” email addresses. · Any subscriber can send email to the list; mail from other sources is rejected. · Email sent to the list’s address is automatically redistributed to all the subscribers. · Email sent to the list is also archived permanently. · Subscribers can view the archives and perform various other functions at a web site. · Subscribers can unsubscribe at any time by email or via the web site.
For example, there’s an email list for the church’s Communications Commission. The address of the list itself is “FPCY_Communications@google groups.com”. Any email sent to this address is automatically forwarded to the list participants, who in this case are the members of the Commission.
The church has multiple email lists dedicated to different topics so that folks can subscribe to those topics they care about. There are three types of church email lists:
announcement lists are used (not surprisingly) for announcements. Anybody can subscribe to these lists, but only designated persons can send email through these lists.
closed lists are used for internal discussions among church commissions and similar groups. The subscription lists of these groups are limited to members of the corresponding groups.
discussion lists are for conversations among open church groups, such as the adult choir. Anybody can subscribe to these lists, and any list member can send email through a list.
Here’s the list of church email lists:
You can send email to a list that you belong to by clicking on the appropriate “to send email” address listed above. Clicking on one of these opens your email program with email already addressed to the appropriate place. Just fill in the email subject and body as you wish, and send the email! Please observe the church’s formal policy for use of these email lists.
You can subscribe or unsubscribe from a list by clicking on the “to subscribe” or “to unsubscribe” address. This sets up your email program to send email to a special address that takes care of list subscriber maintenance. You don’t have to put anything in the email subject or body; just send the empty mail.
You can perform all these functions, and many more, by clicking on the “web site” address listed above for each email list. To use the online functions, Google needs to know who you are, so you have to register your email address and a user name with Google.
Every church list has one or more moderators. Look here for information on moderator functions and responsibilities.
The Frequently Asked Questions provides more information about church email lists.
Frequently Asked
Questions about Church Email Lists
Here are a few answers to questions you may have about the church email lists:
Q: I already have email, why would I use an email list? A: This doesn't replace regular email. It helps you use your email more effectively when communicating with others who belong to the same church group.
Q: So what do these email lists do for me? A: The church email lists let you send email to specific groups of church members and friends by sending your email to a single address. The service that operates behind that email address (provided by Google in this case) automatically redistributes your email to all list members. No fuss, no bother, and very simple.
You don’t have to know or remember the email addresses of the other folks on an email list; the list service takes care of that. For closed lists, the list moderator maintains the subscriber list for you. For announcement and discussion lists, subscribers can join and leave as and whenever they wish.
This is easier and more direct than the alternatives: (a) copy the addresses of the other members from some email you've received (with the likely chance that someone will have changed addresses); (b) send your email to someone else with a request to forward it.
Q: Do other folks get my email address? A: No. The list of email subscribers is not visible to list members or the general public. However “from” email addresses are still visible within any email you send.
Q: Can spammers send email to a list? A: No. The list rejects software from anyone who is not a list subscriber. If someone on a list sends spam, please notify the list moderator who can remove and block that subscriber’s email address.
Q: I can never remember these complex email list addresses. A: Hint: create an entry in your email program’s address book for any email list you join. For example, if you use the choir discussion list, create a “choir” address book entry that points to the FPCY_Choir@googlegroups.com email address.
You can also find all the email list addresses on the church’s website.
Q: What does Google have to do with it? A: We decided to use Google to run this email list, because Google provides this service free, and makes it easy to use.
Q: What else can I do with this email list? A: Google provides a range of functions: · You can send and receive the email either through your regular email program, or via a web browser. · You can choose to receive each email as it is sent (recommended), or a daily summary of the day's email, or a daily "digest" of all the email sent on the list during the day. Access these functions at the “web site” address assigned to each email list. · You can review and search the archives of past email at the “web site” address assigned to each email list. · You can subscribe to announcement and discussion lists. · You can unsubscribe from any email list at any time. · Moderators can administer closed lists via the “web site” address assigned to each email list.
Q: What software do I need? A: Nothing special. Any email software and web browser will work.
Q: When I reply to an email from a list, who does
it go to? Church Email List
Policy
FPCY email lists provide a convenient method for
communications on topics of interest among members and friends. These
topics may include anything relevant to church affairs, such as biblical and
theological discussions; social, economic, and moral concerns; announcement
and coordination of church activities; and church governance. Each email list
is intended for specific topics or church groups so that participants can
subscribe to the particular lists of interest to them. Participants
are asked to honor the intent of the policy by sending only email that is
relevant to each list.
Information for
Church Email List Moderators
Every church email list has one or more list moderators. They have the responsibility of monitoring the list email and working with the Communications Commission to deal with any inappropriate email. See the church email list policy for a discussion of how the purpose and appropriate use of these email lists.
Moderators can manage email list membership via the web site address listed for each email list. Click on the web site address, and then on the ”Manage” link (near the top) to reach a page with various management functions. Now click on the “Browse membership list” link (on the right) to get to a page where you can edit or delete any of the existing members. Some other features of this page include:
· “Invite or add members” (near the bottom of the page) · “Open invitations” (near the top) for invitations issued that have received no response. Look here if you’ve invited someone who says they haven’t received an invitation message. Check that the email address is correct. · “Bouncing” (near the top) for email addresses that are refusing email from this list. Check that the email address is correct. Consult with a Communications Commission member if this problem persists.
To add a new email list member, click on the “Invite or add members” link near the bottom of the page. Use the email address format “Jane Smith <jane@aol.com>" rather than just “<jane@aol.com>" because you’ll never remember whose email address is whose if you don’t put in the names. Use the “Add” option if you’re adding someone to a closed list. Use the “invite” function when you’re adding someone to an announcement or discussion list. “Add” means the user is directly added, and an email is sent to tell them they’ve been added. “Invite” means the user is sent an email inviting them to join the list. The user has to click on a link within the mail to complete the process of joining the list.
If you wish, you can include a welcome message. The email list address and description are automatically sent in the welcome message.
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