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When planning your next ministry gathering or event
Select a date and time: Once you determine the need for an occasion, select dates and times that would work best for your guests and planning team. Have a number one choice, but consider some back up choices as well.
Determine the style of room for your type of gathering: Determine the type of room you'll need to hold your event. Consider elements such as if food will be offered, if a kitchen is needed, if Internet has to be accessible, the number of guests that may attend, how the room needs to be set up, etc ...
Reserve facility space through a parish staff member: Once you determine the type of room or facility you need and have your date and time choices, contact the parish office or work with your parish staff liaison to find the room availability and to reserve your space. While having your facility space reserved, tell the parish staff member working with you that you would like this event on the parish website.
Include the event time, setup time and clean up time: Once you know a room will be available, inform the parish staff reserving your space when the event will take place for people to arrive, the earliest the ministry will need to be in to setup, and how late afterward the group will stay to clean, pack and leave.
Include important event details when reserving space: When reserving space for a ministry event, be sure to include any information guests may need to know when clicking on the event online. These types of details should include: if babysitting is taking place, if tickets are sold at the door, if there is a special place people should park, if the dinner will be served at a special time, if the gathering is for a certain age group, if guests need to register ahead of time, etc ...
Remember, ministry meetings and events should not take place during Mass times, since Mass should be the focal point of all activities when it is being celebrated.
Once you have your room reserved
Specify that you want your event on the web calendar: Now that you have you room reserved and you have a time, place and purpose for the event, make sure you state that you would like this event on the parish web calendar. Parish staff can simply go into any ministry room reservation to request a web calendar entry. When the request is sent an event will be created on the parish web calendar within the next three days.
If you make changes to your event
Contact your parish staff liaison or office: If something comes up that causes you to have to change your event time, location, date or other important information, contact your parish staff liaison as soon as possible. Parish staff can note changes in the room reservation. If the room reservation is on the parish website, the changes will automatically notify the webmaster and the event will be updated on the parish website.
If you cancel an event or meeting: If you should have to cancel a ministry meeting or event, even a regular meeting in a small meeting space, it is still important to notify the parish office so that another group has the opportunity to meet there instead. Additionally, events that are online and have reserved rooms will also be published in the bulletin's calendar. So informing the parish about a cancelled meeting helps to make sure that no one shows up to something that isn't happening, or that another group can move in to meet in that facility.