Community Communications

Perhaps the time has come to give up on traditional print-and-mail newsletters. Electronic media offer a less expensive and more efficient means for keeping community members informed. In response to a request published in a recent edition of this newsletter, Stephanie Oppenheimer of South East Tennessee Tres Dias described how her community keeps everyone up to date. The practices are worth passing on for other communities to follow. To publish the monthly newsletter, titled Pescadores Praise, Stephanie assigns articles from a standard format: a column by the community chairman, a devotion by a spiritual director, an article on sponsorship, a fourth-day story from a pescador, a spotlight on a member of the secretariat, testimonials from reunion groups, and news about service projects, as well as standard information about upcoming weekends. In addition to the newsletter, the community uses two Facebook accounts. One Facebook group is closed and can be viewed only by the 538 members of the group. This account is used to communicate general information, prayer requests and information on palanca and the serenade. The second Facebook gives more general information about Tres Dias and directs viewers to the community website.