Our Parish Ministry Vision
Parish ministry makes the big church smaller as we seek to live as Christ’s people in the places where He has called us. We want to encourage one another to connect to Christ and one another, to abide in Christ, and to extend Christ where we spend so much of our lives. We want parish connections to be organic, frequent, and easy. But to enjoy this kind of community, we need a tool to communicate with one another. GroupMe is a tool that helps make it possible.
What is GroupMe?
GroupMe is a free group messaging app that allows users to participate in group chats, send direct messages, and share content.
Why do we use GroupMe for Parish communication?
GroupMe allows us to connect the members of each parish with one another.
GroupMe allows us to create a group for each parish. People can choose to participate or not. GroupMe gives us an easy way to communicate with one another without needing to send as many parish-wide emails.
GroupMe can be a helpful tool for parish life in many ways.
It expands opportunities for connection.
As more people join the parish groups, our people can make deeper connections across different life stages, schedules, and interests. GroupMe can help us extend our fellowship beyond our Sunday morning gatherings.
It encourages organic, everyday gatherings.
We’re grateful for structured, formal gatherings, but so much of life is organic and informal. GroupMe allows us to reach out to our parish with simple invitations.
- “Does anyone want to grab donuts and go to the park?”
- “We’re hosting a last-minute BBQ. Come if you can!”
- “We’re playing basketball after work. Who’s interested?”
It supports seasonal gatherings and other social events.
GroupMe can help us come together in the different seasons of the year.
- Holiday gatherings (Christmas, Easter, etc.)
- Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day
- Pool parties and backyard cookouts
- Weekend hangouts or after-work gatherings
It creates space for recreation and shared interests.
Through GroupMe we can connect with others through activities we enjoy.
- Sports and fitness (tennis, pickleball, basketball, running, etc.)
- Family friendly outings
- Game nights
It complements (not replaces) structured ministry.
The Community Team will continue to organize parish prayer meetings and parish dinners, but GroupMe helps foster organic parish life in between the structured events. It’s a tool that empowers everyone to participate in building community, loving one another, and extending Christ to our neighbors.
Why is GroupMe a safe way to connect?
GroupMe offers “closed” groups.
We can close groups so that only PCPC members can participate. These parish groups are for members of our church who are interested in parish ministry. This brings a level of trust and familiarity.
GroupMe does not reveal personal contact information.
Within the app, other group members can see our name and profile picture. But they cannot see our phone number or email address. So we can participate while keeping our contact information private.
How do I get involved?
We have created parish groups in the GroupMe app for every parish of our church. If you would like to be able to connect and communicate with other PCPC members in your parish, download the GroupMe app, create your profile, and reach out to us at [email protected] so our Community Team can email you an invitation link to join your parish GroupMe thread.