Email for congregations: one channel the whole community actually receives

GetCommunityMail is an email announcement service built for congregations and faith communities: the office or leadership team sends to one list address from their normal inbox, and every member of the community receives their own copy. Service time changes, weekly bulletins, volunteer calls and event invitations reach everyone, including the majority who will never join a social media group.

Reaching the whole community, not the online part

Congregations skew across every age and every level of comfort with technology, which is precisely why a Facebook group or WhatsApp chat cannot be the official channel: a meaningful share of the community is simply not there. Email is the one channel effectively everyone has and checks. A congregation's announcements belong where the whole congregation can receive them.

How it works

Your community gets its own address, like stmarks@lists.getcommunitymail.com. The office writes a normal email to that address (the weekly bulletin, a funeral notice, a schedule change), approves the preview that comes back with one click, and every member receives an individual copy. The bulletin PDF and the rota spreadsheet become secure links automatically, so nothing is too large to send.

Events, volunteers and numbers

Any announcement can carry an RSVP: members click their response straight from the email, and whoever is organising sees the count in one place. Seder dinner, harvest supper, iftar, volunteer training: the catering number and the room booking stop being guesswork, and reminders go only to those who have not replied.

Sensitivity and stewardship

A congregation's list is a pastoral asset and deserves careful handling. Members join the list with a recorded consent, every message carries a working unsubscribe honoured immediately, and the list belongs to the community rather than to a volunteer's personal account, so it survives every change of office. Addresses are never visible to other recipients.

Common questions

Do members need accounts or an app? No. Members receive email and click links. There is nothing to install and nothing to learn.

Several people need to send: the office, the youth lead, the treasurer. Approve as many senders as your community needs; each sends from their own inbox, and every send is logged.

Can we have more than one list? Yes: a main announcements list and, say, a volunteers or families list, each with its own address and membership.

What does it cost? The core service is free, and built to stay that way for community groups. Larger-scale features are part of paid plans; see pricing.