As part of our weekly “sharing church stories” posts in our District Facebook Group, we are encouraging churches to share online how they are providing for their community by creating a #MethodistSummerSpaces post. Try this easy, engaging content idea for your church’s social media this summer.
What is it all about?
Many Methodist Churches offer community spaces and activities throughout the week: holiday clubs, messy church, coffee mornings, cafes, food banks, uniform recycling, warm (or cool) spaces, tech hubs, lunch clubs, youth groups, tabletop sales, and much more.
To raise awareness of the great work Methodists do, and to share church stories with others, whether they are churchgoers or not, we invite you to share a picture or video of one of your church spaces (church hall, cafe, lounge, room, garden or other) along with some text to share about the community activities you’re offering this summer. This can be done through commenting on our weekly post in the District Facebook Group – sharing church stories – but we hope also an opportunity to use it as an engaging post on your church’s social media.
We hope this is an easy way for your church to show off its wonderful community work to the online world, in a different way to the usual church poster and invite. If church life in your circuit is ‘quieter’ over the summer, due to holidays, you may need some fresh ideas for social media posts during July and August. You may also be looking for ways to engage with people in the community who don’t go to church at the moment. In either case, taking part in #MethodistSummerSpaces could help you.
How can my church get involved?
> Pick a “space” in your church (church hall, cafe, lounge, room, garden or other) and take the best picture you can (or maybe do a video!)
> Write some text about what activities are taking place in the space this summer for those in the community. Think about midweek and community-focused events (not church-focused events like Sunday worship, bible studies, or prayer groups). And consider how you might tell the story of the work your church does – this isn’t about inviting people or getting them to come along. It’s about raising awareness and sharing the great work you do for the community.
> Finally, include the hashtag #MethodistSummerSpaces
Post your picture and text on social media (personal or church account – maybe in a local community Facebook Group?) or in the comments of our weekly “Sharing Church Stories” post in our District Facebook Group
Create your #MethodistSummerSpaces post today, or anytime that suits you during July and August. We can’t wait to see your posts!
Top tips
- Use the social media platform that is engaged with the most by your local community.
- Keep your caption as short and sharp as possible, making use of paragraphs to space text out.
- Choose whether to take the picture portrait or landscape, depending upon the platform you are wishing to share it on. Generally speaking, portrait works well on Facebook and Instagram, and landscape on Twitter.
- If shooting a video, think about light, sound and stability. Make sure the camera is as still as possible. Make sure the speaker is well lit. If they are stood directly in front of a window, they may become silhouetted, making it hard for the viewer to see. Standing them just to one side may be better. Finally, try and record the video with as few people around as possible to cut out any unwanted noise.
This idea was created by our District Digital Enabler – Elliot Crippen. Inspired by the CofE summer campaign: #StainedGlassSummer
Find more digital resources for churches by Elliot over in our Digital Resources Hub