By Jen Rowell & Mary Ellen Conley
Glen Mar has updated to a new people-management system called Realm. We use Realm to keep track of all sorts of things like email addresses and phone numbers, giving, family relationships, attendance, and groups you belong to. We’re also using it more and more to communicate better, both for church-wide events and for group or age-specific information.
Another useful feature Realm provides is registration for (and even payment for) church events, from VBS and mission trips to Lunch w/ the Pastors, church picnics, and even group-specific events like the Youth Group Kick-off.
There are also ways that you can use Realm with the ministries you’re involved with using Connect, which is the congregation side of Realm. There’s an app for your phone, or you can log in on your computer. Using Connect you can see what is going on at Glen Mar, send messages to members of groups you’re in, check in to worship or other activities, and look up other members in the directory. Group leaders have even more ways to communicate with their group, plus they can set up events, take attendance, and more.
You May Have Noticed . . .
If you have created your Realm account and loaded the Realm Connect App on your cell phone, you may have noticed News feed posts like “This Just In” on Wednesdays. (This blog is also on our website and on Facebook, weekly.) “This Just In” lists all the stuff going on at Glen Mar this week and into the next month.
You may have also noticed the Glen Mar Worship Bulletin, including the announcements page, posted in the News feed every Friday. This is helpful if you like to watch online or you just don’t want to waste paper.
Both Jen and Mary Ellen have been posting various Glen Mar events on the News feed as well. And depending on what groups you have joined or are a part of, events specific to those groups also are available. Special shout-out to Mary Maxey for posting Singles Social Network events! In other words, we are discovering the many ways the Realm Connect App helps us communicate with our church body – keeping us Connected!
Why should you set up your login?
If you haven’t yet tried to log in to Realm you’ll still get emails and notifications, as long as we have your correct email address, and you can still register for events that are open to anyone, but you’ll have to enter extra information. Once you log in, though, you’ll be able to control what emails and notifications you get, and you’ll be able to keep your contact information up to date. You’ll also be able to register for events or give online without having to re-enter your information. You’ll be able to see group-specific announcements and events and RSVP to activities you plan to attend. Importantly, you can also control your privacy settings (like which, if any, of your contact information is available in the directory).
How do I set up my login?
The easiest way for you to set up your Realm login is to go to our Realm page and click Sign Up. We recommend that each person uses a unique email address to sign up (as opposed to a shared family address). If you need help setting up your account or you have questions, email our Realm Team.
