Overview
- Entries in the diary are known as events
- Events can be one-off events (eg a concert) or a series of events (eg Brownies). Options are available to define the repeat frequency (eg weekly, 1st Sunday etc)
- Events are classed by category (which we can define – eg uniformed organisations, church groups etc). A colour can be assigned to each category
- The calendar can be embedded within the website. Within the website, it is possible to have different calendar displays for different purposes; for example there could be a full display for the benefit of cleaners/wardens, and another variant which limits the display to events in a particular category (eg uniformed organisations).
- Events are given a “visibility” status, which determines whether they are to be displayed on the website, and whether they are to be regard as a “featured event”
Adding a new event
Whilst events can be added through the “Events” tab, it is normally better to add them from the Calendar tab, and clicking the “Add event link” on the relevant date, as this will set the date.
Name
Enter the event description, including the location (so that the location is visible in the calendar)
Start/End
Use the slider to indicate an all day event. Enter the start and end dates and times for the first/only occurrence of this event, making sure you select AM or PM as appropriate. Use 12.01PM or 11.59AM for events that start or end at noon!
Repeat
For a single event, skip this field; otherwise use the dropdown to select the relevant option from the drop-down menu.
For a repeating event, ChurchSuite will display a table showing the additional dates up to the end date. If you know there are dates on which the group will not be meeting, delete these from sequence. You can also add dates if there additional meetings on non-standard dates.
Location
This section can normally be left blank.
Category
Select the appropriate category from the drop-down list. If necessary, new categories can be added using the “Category” tab.
Status
Defaulted to “Confirmed”, use the drop-down if necessary if the event is pending or cancelled.
The next section controls the visibility of the event when the information is displayed on-line.
Show in MyChurchSuite
Select this option so that events such as Prayer Breakfast, Concerts etc are shown in the MyChurchSuite app.
Show in Embed
Calendar information in ChurchSuite is shared with the website using the Embed function. The Embed option should be enabled for all events.
The Embed option is used in two ways:
Main Calendar
This is the public-facing calendar accessed from the “Calendar” option on the home web page, which excludes events categorised as either “Ceremonies and agreed parties” or “Event Set-up”.
Bookings calendar
This is available only to HT members via the HTCfamily page, and is intended to show the availability of our buildings
Show in Connect
This is not required.
Show as a featured event
The website has a tab for “featured events”. Select this option to include the event here.
Event sign-up
Tick this box if a sign-up form is required for this event. If so, then tick the boxes to sign up through MyChurchsuite and through Embed.
At this point, the event has been created in ChurchSuite, and the main event page is now displayed.
Add an image for the event
Change the default image by clicking on it, and then replace it with an appropriate image. It is important that we distinguish between HT events and those for outside organisations – we should to that by including the HT logo within the image we have selected. Click here for details of how to do that.
Further steps
For straightforward events, the process is now complete.
If the event has a sign-up form, or is marked as a featured event, then some further steps are needed.