Bulletins in MS Word Format

Does anyone have or know where i can get Sunday bulletins in MS Word format? The area we are serving in does not have bulletins and i want to get them started.

Thank you.

scion wrote:If I did it correctly, a sample ward bulletin Word doc should be attached.

Thanks for the sample bulletin. I took the liberty of correcting two things (updated version attached):

• Corrected the spelling of the name of the Church ("day" in "Latter-day" must be lowercase)
• Used dot-leader tabs (I can't imagine the work people go through to add the right number of periods on each line to make their own dot-leader tabs, and even then it doesn't line up properly)

Here is the bulletin we used for a while. We either printed it on program covers or pulled images off of www.lds.org.

Thanks for the adjustments. I was unaware of both. It's been a decade since I had that calling, but I saved the corrected sample just in case.

Here is the format that our bulletin person is using.

Hello,
I sent a request to the church asking for an online application to build ward bulletins using the same system the Ward Website program does. It would be wonderful to be able to go to the database driven page, fill in the boxes and print. The application could pull information from the Church database for:

1. Member birthdays
2. Church Art for the front page
3. Next week's lesson number and title
4. Hymns and page number
5. The Primary Theme
6. Ward Calendar
7. Clip art for children to color
8. Scriptures and Quotes from Church Leaders
9. Ward Meeting Schedule

Other features could include:

1. Boxes where users could type in their own information such as missionary addresses, announcements, the meeting scedule, etc.
2. Choice of fonts
3. Word games for children
4. The ability to upload their own images.

I build my ward bulletin with Corel Draw and have copied an pasted hymns, lessons, birthdays, quotes and images I found on lds.org into the work area. Then I just select the parts I need and drag them onto the page. This isn't possible for the average bulletin creator because it is a very expensive program and requires training. Some people don't have MS Word either. I think the website idea would be easy for everyone! A computer, the internet and a printer would be all that is necessary. They could even use the ward computer.
I am a webmaster but not capable of building such an advanced application. I hope the Church will use their resources to do so.
Ann Yearsley:rolleyes:

Thank you so much for posting this!!!

I am working on a project for OpenOffice templates. You can view information here:
http://sites.google.com/site/wardbulletins/

Someone said that we were not allowed to have the name of the church on the program. Has anyone else heard this?

alinford wrote:Someone said that we were not allowed to have the name of the church on the program. Has anyone else heard this?

Why would it be a problem to have the name of the church on a program if the program is used in a church meeting? Heres' a link to a page that discusses the acceptable styles that may be used in reference to the Church's name.

alinford wrote:Someone said that we were not allowed to have the name of the church on the program. Has anyone else heard this?

I don't know of any reason you wouldn't be able to include the name of the Church. What is prohibited (in this or any other context) is attempting to arrange the words of the name of the Church in an attempt to imitate the Church's logo. The Church is careful about usage of the official logo -- it should only be used in authorized places, and then the actual logo should be used, not an approximation.

Perhaps someone was thinking of that prohibition and generalized it to include using the name of the Church at all.

Is there a prohibition against putting the logo on a program? I can see that as a possibility.

Yep, someone misunderstood and thought that you could not have the name at all. Makes sense now. I like the idea of just using the logo, unless that is verbotten.

If you want a good version of the logo (and more info about the logotype), try this thread.

larrydkb wrote:I think the consensus is that you can use the church name in either of two ways:
1. Just type it normally: [Your] Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or
2. Use the official logo [found elsewhere on this forum], but keep it dignified.

I don't have a copy of the CHI at home, but we went over this a year ago in regards to use on the stake conference program. My president's interpretation of the guidance in the CHI matches #1 above.

The Church Handbook of Instructions, Book 1, page 174, Church Name and Logotype, is quite clear on the use of the Church's name and logotype. For the purposes of a ward bulletin it says:

The written name of the Church (not the logotype) may be used in local units when all of the conditions listed below are met:
1. The activity or function with which the name is associated (for example, a sacrament meeting program) is officially sponsored by the unit.
2. The name of the local Church unit is used as a prelude to the name of the Church (for example, Canyon View Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).
3. The typeface does not imitate or resemble the official logotype.

larrydkb wrote:jdlessley/JLRose, is this the most recent CHI?

Yes, it is the 2006 release for book 1.

larrydkb wrote:I don't have access to it; is there more written there?

Yes, there is more there. You should counsel with your Bishop. If he has any questions he should refer to the CHI.

larrydkb wrote:Between this thread and this page I was under the impression that using the logo was okay [but the policy was under review]. If not allowed now, then we should probably delete the files.

After further review of the CHI and the referenced Church Name and Logotype Guidelines for Local Unitsdocument it is apparent that the logotype can be used on a unit sacrament bulletin. However, there are significant restrictions and cautions in doing so. The CHI instructions, while not available to everyone for reference, is available to your Bishop and his counsel should be sought regarding this matter. The Church Name and Logotype Guidelines for Local Unitsdocument posted on the forums is a good source for the Church membership who do not have access to the CHI and as a source to photocopy or scan the logotype for authorized use. The CHI references the Church Name and Logotype Guidelines for Local Units.

The thread you referenced also discussses obtaining electronic copies of the logotype.

Hi, I just joined.
I have done the bulletin in a few different wards now. Here are a few different types I have done.

I use Microsoft Office Publisher. If you need the pub template just let me know.

I have been trying to open the sample ward bulletin documents, but keep getting an error saying that it can't find the file name. Does anyone have any ideas? I also just need a great place to get some artwork for the front and clipart for the inside?

Thanks

I tried just now and I was able to open all of the Word docs in this thread with no problem.

Did you try saving the file and then opening it?

I just joined myself and wanted to know what progrma you use for your bulletins. They are very nice.

tennisjenny wrote:I just joined myself and wanted to know what progrma you use for your bulletins. They are very nice.

timoty_eldredge wrote: I use Microsoft Office Publisher.

Ms Publisher is a DTP included into Office suite.
Unfortunatelythere is not a Open Source program that can use it, just Ms Office.

It would be great if there was an approved selection of pre-designed templates from the church, that wards could use for things like sacrament meetings / baptismal services / ward newsletters etc.. etc..

It's okay for wards with graphic designers amongst the membership - but the vast majority of the wards produce work of varying standards. This used to be acceptable, but in todays media savvy world - people coming into the church would expect a certain level of professionalism.

I wonder if a central repository of templates, produced in Quark / Indesign / Publisher / Word etc would be all that difficult. It would certainly save thousands of 'person' hours throughout the church!

dannykos wrote:It would be great if there was an approved selection of pre-designed templates from the church, that wards could use for things like sacrament meetings / baptismal services / ward newsletters etc.. etc..

It's okay for wards with graphic designers amongst the membership - but the vast majority of the wards produce work of varying standards. This used to be acceptable, but in todays media savvy world - people coming into the church would expect a certain level of professionalism.

I wonder if a central repository of templates, produced in Quark / Indesign / Publisher / Word etc would be all that difficult. It would certainly save thousands of 'person' hours throughout the church!

I don't know about an "approved" selection of templates. But on the wiki someone could certainly start a page that collects user-contributed templates.

Just discovered that the document on proper use of the Church logotype referenced in this thread is gone from the clerk site, the document has apparently been renamed and so the old URL was replaced with another one. Anyone have the new one?

JamesAnderson wrote:Just discovered that the document on proper use of the Church logotype referenced in this thread is gone from the clerk site, the document has apparently been renamed and so the old URL was replaced with another one. Anyone have the new one?

The document was in the FAQ of the forums. It has not been relocated or renamed but removed. We do not know if it will be reposted or not.

I've not seen anything official in regards to the Church LOGOS, except for the Rights and Use Informationlink at the bottom of lds.org

Techgy wrote:I've not seen anything official in regards to the Church LOGOS, except for the Rights and Use Informationlink at the bottom of lds.org

There is official information in the Church Handbook of Instructions (see this post) on the proper use of the Church logotype, and there was an official document at one point in the FAQ of this site (see this post), but as jdlessley mentioned above, this FAQ document is no longer available here.

I'm currently working on a template for a Sacrament Meeting Programme. My idea is to have a finished PDF file with form fields to update the variable bits from week to week, so that anyone with Acrobat Reader can compile the programme
Attached is the current state of play - haven't put all the fields in yet. It'll be b/w not colour also.
When i'm finished (later this week) - anyone who wants the QuarkXpress source file, is welcome to it.

This open office template allows you to fill in the blanks on the Sacrament meeting programme and it automatically generates speaker-invitation letters which you can then customize for each speaker, so some will need more or less guidance.

There are 5 puns/joke-entries in the sample programme, see if you can spot them all.

Note: This programme is suitable for the person conducting the meeting and giving out speaking assignments, and not suitable for the congregation/

Note: The template is international A4 size, you may have to adjust the layout for letter size.

Note: Save the file with the .ott extension (for template) not .odt - but this forum doesn't permit ott files.

Think it was just about using the church's logo.

Not sure though.

Attached is another example bulletin. The photo, spiritual thought, and events come from our ward website and http://www.lds.org/.

I'm sure it's not just me. I spend at least 2 to 3 hours per week working on the ward bulletin. That seems excessive considering that much of this work could be entirely automated. It bothers me to think of how much time is spent throughout the world working on ward bulletins (and other necessary evils) instead of taking care of more important things like family time, home teaching and other people related tasks.

I think it would be awesome if the church provided and official web app to build ward bulletins!

I have done programs in the past but always in word. I now have a mac and use iwork 09. I do not know how to create a sacrament program or what goes in what order because all my old info is gone.

Does anyone have a template for a mac?

nekcih wrote: I spend at least 2 to 3 hours per week working on the ward bulletin. That seems excessive considering that much of this work could be entirely automated....

I think it would be awesome if the church provided and official web app to build ward bulletins!

While this discussion is probably a new thread topic, a simple "bulletin" could be automated by the programmers in charge of MLS, similar to how the new form "new and returning members" or the "ordinance" forms are generated, using pull down lists where you can select your ward members for the talks, prayers, organists, etc. I would love it for the fact that our names would no longer be misspelled, and they would always be the preferred names.

Most of the templates we've seen are in MS Word format. To use any of the templates referred to in this thread on a mac, just open the template with your word processing application. Pages (part of iWork) will open MSWord format then you save it as a Pages document.

Automated bulletin generation? I don't think I like that too much. I know by experience that there are some weeks that just don't fit into any standard template and you have to be creative. (Example: Primary program, YW or YM program, one week with special music another with ward choir, Christmas program, Easter, etc).

My advice is to not over-think the ward bulletin. Just make it simple and don't try to do everything with it. Some of the templates submitted in this thread are REALLY hard to read because they try packing too much into the small space. My ward has elderly people who have trouble with iddy-biddy type sizes. Keep it simple!

drkelly wrote:My advice is to not over-think the ward bulletin. Just make it simple and don't try to do everything with it.

The prior "bulletin person" in our ward went to great lengthes to fill up both sides of a tri-fold bulletin. They included the program, announcements and filled in with quotes and lots of graphics. It wasn't bad, just full.

When my wife took over the bulletin, she switched to a bi-fold format very similar to what nekcih posted above. She has had several people tell her they now read the bulletin because it is not so crowded and is much easier to read.

JLRose wrote:The prior "bulletin person" in our ward went to great lengthes to fill up both sides of a tri-fold bulletin...

When my wife took over the bulletin, she switched to a bi-fold format...

Who does the folding, and how much time does just this "folding" take? We've discussed a folded bulletin, but the extra time to fold them seemed troubling.

kisaac wrote:Who does the folding, and how much time does just this "folding" take? We've discussed a folded bulletin, but the extra time to fold them seemed troubling.

I've seen at least one ward that does a tri-fold style, but they pass them out as a single unfolded sheet of paper. The end result is they get a lot of mileage out of the space.

kisaac wrote:Who does the folding, and how much time does just this "folding" take?

We are currently making 70 copies each week. I haven't timed it, but our process goes like this:
1. Set the ward copier up for duplex copying and start making the copies.
2. I count the copies as they are dispensed by the copier and at every 5th or 6th copy, I pull them out and fold them in half as a group. I use my thumbnail to do a fairly tight crease.
3. Hand the folded copies to my wife and wait for the next batch.
4. My wife seperates the 5 (or 6) copies into individual bulletins and presses down on the creased edge on the counter to get them a tad tighter. She turns around and usually has to wait 30 seconds to a minute for me to hand her the next bunch.

Using the above process, we have a stack of individual folded bulletins less than a minute after all copies are made. The time spent is essentially the same as the time to make the copies. My guess is this takes less than 15 minutes start to finish for 70 copies.

I have done this once by myself when my wife couldn't come to the library with me and I was still able to pretty much keep up with the copier. Your results may vary if you have a speedy copier.

An alternate approach is to make all the copies and them fold them separately. I'd still recommend folding 5-8 in a stack, separating the stack, pressing the creased edge, and repeating. I think our 70 copies could be folded this way in 10 minutes or a little less.

I also do the program for our stake conferences. Those 600-700 copies are copied and folded by a local printer.

OK, I will throw my template in to the mix too. The template is in a constant state of change but has been in its current state as attached for about 6 months. I have been doing the program for nearly 3 years. I can do all of the information updates in about 45 minutes. It is tri-fold on 8.5" x 14". the boxes help determine fold points so it is really pretty simple. It takes about 20 minutes to print the 75 copies each week and I can fold them as fast as they come out of the printer. So...start to finish is about 70 minutes. An yes, I am aware that I am using the logo...who knows if it is authorized or not. My bishop doesn't seem to mind so I am ok with it.

OK, I will throw my template in to the mix too. I have been doing the program for about 3 years now. It has gone through about 5 or 6 format changes and is in a constant state of flux. Its current format as attached has been in use for a few months. We no longer have a printed stake directory/calendar so you will note lots of contact information and stake calendar items that attempt to compensate for this.

It takes me about 45 minutes to update all of the content and about 20 minutes to print 75 copies. Prints are double sided of course and are on 8.5"x14" paper. I can fold the programs as fast as they come out of the printer so it takes about 70 minutes start to finish for the entire tasks...on a good week. I do fold each program individually and each program receives 2 fold of course. The printed content boxes make folding easy since you know exactly where both folds need to be made.

And yes, I am aware that I am using the official logo. Is it a correct or authorized use....I am not sure. But, my bishop is fine with it so I am too.

Here's an excellent 3-column format. We saw it on vacation and got a copy of it to use in our own ward, so I can't take credit for it.

It's a trifold program with a photo and/or quote on the front page. Open up the first fold and you see the sacrament meeting program and announcements. Open it further and you get to the ward calendar and lesson schedules. On the back is a leadership directory with phone numbers.

Well organized and very informative.

Thank you so much! I just got called to do the bulletins and was finding it very difficult to come up with a template I liked and that worked for me. This has made my first one get out smoothly.

Using the church name on the bulletin is fine. It is an introduction to visitors to our services and therefore should state what services they are attending and the name of the church where they are being held. Also, the person making the ward bulletin is representing the church in doing so and that also authorizes it's use.

According to copyright laws a representative of a firm may use it's logo, photocopy it's documents etc. Anyone making a ward bulletin is just that, a representative of the church, and therefore may use church owned images, quotes, the logo and other content with out violation of any laws.

For example, as a teacher of a Sunday School or primary class you can even make copies of the friend or Ensign without violation of copyright laws because you are acting as a representative of the church to distribute it's materials to it's members. Not to mention that this example falls under education categories of copyright law and is therefore okay to use anyhow.

I used to work in a print shop and was thoroughly educated on copyright laws to avoid lawsuits.

nverrill wrote:Using the church name on the bulletin is fine. It is an introduction to visitors to our services and therefore should state what services they are attending and the name of the church where they are being held. Also, the person making the ward bulletin is representing the church in doing so and that also authorizes it's use.

According to copyright laws a representative of a firm may use it's logo, photocopy it's documents etc. Anyone making a ward bulletin is just that, a representative of the church, and therefore may use church owned images, quotes, the logo and other content with out violation of any laws.

For example, as a teacher of a Sunday School or primary class you can even make copies of the friend or Ensign without violation of copyright laws because you are acting as a representative of the church to distribute it's materials to it's members. Not to mention that this example falls under education categories of copyright law and is therefore okay to use anyhow.

I used to work in a print shop and was thoroughly educated on copyright laws to avoid lawsuits.

We need to be careful about making generalized statements about the church's intellectual property. They set the rules regarding the use, or non-use, of their logos, typefaces, images, music, publications, etc. Some things they have made clear we can copy, such as most (but not all) hymns out of the Hymn Book. There are other things we can't freely copy.

Regarding use of their official logo and typeface, they have spelled it out pretty clear in Section 21.1.10 of Handbook 2. Anyone with questions regarding Intellectual Property usage are encouraged to contact them directly for clarification. Contact information can be found at the above link.

nverrill wrote:[T]he person making the ward bulletin is representing the church in doing so and that also authorizes it's use.

According to copyright laws a representative of a firm may use it's logo, photocopy it's documents etc. Anyone making a ward bulletin is just that, a representative of the church, and therefore may use church owned images, quotes, the logo and other content with out violation of any laws.

Be very careful in giving legal advice. Even a lawyer (or should I say especially lawyers) will not make generalized statements such as those made here.

As a body membership of the Church we do not legally represent the Church. We are not employees with representative rights or authority as found in commercial or corporate entities. Even for commercial entities only corporate officers and certain employees have recognized authority to represent the company. Within a ward the bishop is the only one with limited legal authority to represent the Church.

To cover such situations as unit bulletins the Church has published instructions outlining suitable uses of the logotype and the Church name (see Handbook 2: Administering the Church, 21.1.10). Those instructions should be followed. Most Church publications include applicable use instructions to include suitability to reproduce or copy for such situations as internal or home use. Some require prior written consent or even prohibit reproduction or copying because of copyright agreements. You will find that some documents, such as Handbook 1, specifically prohibit reproduction or copying except under specific restricted situations.

nverrill wrote:For example, as a teacher of a Sunday School or primary class you can even make copies of the friend or Ensign without violation of copyright laws because you are acting as a representative of the church to distribute it's materials to it's members. Not to mention that this example falls under education categories of copyright law and is therefore okay to use anyhow.

While Church members and Sunday School or other class or quorum instructors may copy Friend, Ensign, Liahona, or other publications of this nature, it is not because they are acting as a representative of the Church. It is because advance permission has been granted to do so. You can find this permission inside each publication that reads like this one found in the Ensign

Copyright information: Text and visual material in the Ensign may be copied for incidental, noncommercial church or home use. Visual material may not be copied if restrictions are indicated in the credit line with the artwork. Copyright questions should be addressed to Intellectual Property Office...

As you can see even with this permission there are restrictions.

nverrill wrote:I used to work in a print shop and was thoroughly educated on copyright laws to avoid lawsuits.

Dispensing legal advice without the appropriate license to do so is the one thing that could get you into a legal trouble.

jdlessley wrote:Be very careful in giving legal advice. Even a lawyer (or should I say especially lawyers) will not make generalized statements such as those made here.

As a body membership of the Church we do not legally represent the Church. We are not employees with representative rights or authority as found in commercial or corporate entities. Even for commercial entities only corporate officers and certain employees have recognized authority to represent the company. Within a ward the bishop is the only one with limited legal authority to represent the Church.

To cover such situations as unit bulletins the Church has published instructions outlining suitable uses of the logotype and the Church name (see Handbook 2: Administering the Church, 21.1.10). Those instructions should be followed. Most Church publications include applicable use instructions to include suitability to reproduce or copy for such situations as internal or home use. Some require prior written consent or even prohibit reproduction or copying because of copyright agreements. You will find that some documents, such as Handbook 1, specifically prohibit reproduction or copying except under specific restricted situations.

While Church members and Sunday School or other class or quorum instructors may copy Friend, Ensign, Liahona, or other publications of this nature, it is not because they are acting as a representative of the Church. It is because advance permission has been granted to do so. You can find this permission inside each publication that reads like this one found in the Ensign As you can see even with this permission there are restrictions.

Dispensing legal advice without the appropriate license to do so is the one thing that could get you into a legal trouble.

Thanks for your concern. I was not giving legal advise of any type as the post indicates. I was simply stating from my person experience and training. The points you made are good clarification of what my post already stated.

The Church Handbook authorizes using the name in conjunction with the Ward or Branch Name on Sacrament Bulletins. (the name of the Church can not resemble the Church "Logo" style in any way)
Hope this helps.

Regarding The name of the Church on Sacrament Bulletins, the Handbook of Instructions allows using the name of the Church in conjunction with the Ward/Branch name so long as the official "Church Logo" style is not used.

nverrill wrote:According to copyright laws a representative of a firm may use it's logo, photocopy it's documents etc. Anyone making a ward bulletin is just that, a representative of the church, and therefore may use church owned images, quotes, the logo and other content with out violation of any laws.

Please accept my response as corrective criticism regarding The Church's official logo or typeface font resembling the logo. Please see the official stance from The Church handbook. Don't be fooled into believing a representative "can" because you believe a ward level calling represents the church in a way the disregards HQ rules.

Pulled from the church handbook (Code 21.1.10):

21.1.10 Church Name and Logotype

The Church’s name and logotype are key Church identifiers. They are registered as trademarks or are otherwise legally protected worldwide. They should be used only according to the following guidelines.
Local units may use the written name of the Church (not the logotype) when all of the following conditions are met:

1. The activity or function with which the name is associated is officially sponsored by the unit (for example, a sacrament meeting program).
2. The name of the local unit is used as a prelude to the name of the Church (for example, Canyon View Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).
3. The typeface does not imitate or resemble the official Church logotype.

The Church’s official logotype (see the front cover of this handbook) is to be used only for items approved by the Correlation Department at Church headquarters. Examples of these items are:

1. Official Church publications and stationery.
2. Missionary name tags.
3. Meetinghouse exterior signs.

The logotype may not be used as a decorative element or a computer screen saver. Nor may it be used in any personal, commercial, or promotional way, such as on family history books, T-shirts, buttons, or banners. Questions may be directed to:
Intellectual Property Office 50 East North Temple Street, Room 1888 Salt Lake City, UT 84150-0018 Telephone: 1-801-240-3959 or 1-800-453-3860, extension 2-3959 Fax: 1-801-240-1187 E-mail: cor-intellectualproperty@ldschurch.org

Thank you for sharing the bulletins you have created. Could we get the pub template you were talking about? Thanks!

jarishansen, you are awesome! I used your template to create what I think is the best ward bulletin I've seen. When people compliment me, I just tell them that it came from some guy on the internet. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to remember where in the world I even found this template because I've been meaning to thank you for a year now. So even though it's late, thank you!

We also had to alter our typeface and remove the logo from our bulletins since it is not done officially by the Church office itself.

I love the tri-fold bulletin. Unfortunately we have too many announcements to be able to do so...

This is an example of the one we use:

We used to list birthdays in our ward bulletins. But about 3-4 years ago our ward stopped doing this. I assumed we stopped because a letter from Church headquarters told us to stop due to privacy concerns. I did not see the actual letter so I am not sure. I see in the sample bulletins posted and in other wards that birthdays are still listed. So, can they be listed, can just the youth and children be listed? What about a first name and last initial on the new calendars for the youth? Is that allowed?
Thanks.

These are questions you should pose to your local leadership. Personally I would not post birthdays in a general distribution document such as a bulletin. I would also stay away from any personal or private information about youth in a general distribution document.

I do the Sunday Bulletin in our ward and while I am not that fast on changing the information each week(it can sometimes take me an hour) because I do have an activity on the back of my trifold, at the bishops request. It sometimes takes me a while to find one that fits that months theme as well as finding one that will copy and paste appropriately. Once I have the bulletins completed I print my master out at home, go over to the church sometime on Saturday (we have 8:00 a.m. church). From the time we leave our house, print, get home and fold it may be a total of 45 min. We generally do 70 to 75 copies, fold 5 at a time. Front cover, a photo I change each month according to what may be in that month. Priesthood restoration, Easter, Pioneer day, I use spiritual photos with the official logo, open it up you have 3 columns first one is the program for that day, middle is announcements right side is the list of missionaries in the field and an address. Back side when bulletin is open, a quote, scripture or maybe additional announcements if it is a busy time, center is the activity page and of course the right is back to the front cover. I try to do one activity that is simple for the smaller children and one that is a bit more challenging for the little bit older but easily bored children. I use church themed activities. an unfolded tri or bi fold program just screams (to me) that this calling is just not important enough for me to put too much time into. While sometimes I am as guilty as anyone in feeling as though they were just trying to find a place to put me I try to remember that we are told from the nursery to the bishop, every calling is important and should be given equal effort, after all we are doing all of this for the glory of our savior and the strengthening his children, us and our neighbors. Thanks for all of the suggestions and shares. ia m always looking for new way to word things. Like bearing of Testimonies, or just Testimonies etc.

janet_bosley wrote:I use spiritual photos with the official logo,

You might want to read Handbook 2: 21.1.10 Church Name and Logotype

Hi, I'm making our Sacrament Meeting bulletin for the first time this week (short notice). Am I understanding you correctly? I cannot use a Snippet of the church logo on the bulletin?

donnabaer wrote:Hi, I'm making our Sacrament Meeting bulletin for the first time this week (short notice). Am I understanding you correctly? I cannot use a Snippet of the church logo on the bulletin?

That is correct. You may use the full name of the church if used in connection with the local unit name but you cannot use the logo or try to make the full name of the church look similar the logo.

Do you have this available to share in another format other than PDF?

seguetester-p40 wrote:OK, I will throw my template in to the mix too. I have been doing the program for about 3 years now. It has gone through about 5 or 6 format changes and is in a constant state of flux. Its current format as attached has been in use for a few months. We no longer have a printed stake directory/calendar so you will note lots of contact information and stake calendar items that attempt to compensate for this.

It takes me about 45 minutes to update all of the content and about 20 minutes to print 75 copies. Prints are double sided of course and are on 8.5"x14" paper. I can fold the programs as fast as they come out of the printer so it takes about 70 minutes start to finish for the entire tasks...on a good week. I do fold each program individually and each program receives 2 fold of course. The printed content boxes make folding easy since you know exactly where both folds need to be made.

And yes, I am aware that I am using the official logo. Is it a correct or authorized use....I am not sure. But, my bishop is fine with it so I am too.

I love it! Can you share in its source format?

I might as well throw my hat into the ring as well. Here is my sample bulletin that I do. As you can see I have replaced specific info with generic names; in bold, italic, and red font. I just threw it together to show a BASIC example, which was meant strictly to show the layout of the bulletin. SEE ATTACHED FILE.

My ward started a digital bulletin recently along with the print version. The Bishopric provided email addresses to start with. I keep a notice in the bulletin asking if someone wants to be added, to send me their email address at the bulletin email. I get them from time to time. I especially like the digital version because we can add as many announcements and fliers as we want, or as are requested to be added, without ever running out of space. I even have created my own "fliers" for holidays, like mother's day, and use a quote from a general authority.

I download pictures from the Church's media pages for images on the covers, cropping as needed. That way I know I'm never violating copyright.

Attached is a generic version of today's bulletin, both the print version and the digital version. I took out all names and phone numbers but left the formatting. We were printing 100 bulletins a week and they'd all be used. Since we started using the digital bulletin, we print 50. I've asked around and most of the ward is using the digital version and liking it a lot.

When I email the bulletin, I put this in the body of the email:

Good Morning!

Attached is the digital version of the program for today.

Thank you for using the digital version at church so that visitors and those who do not use electronic devices will have the printed program available to them.

Kathy Fowkes
Ward Bulletin Specialist

I send it out as a PDF. At the Bishop's request, I've tracked the number of times the attachment is being opened, and it averages about 95. It's interesting to note how many people are opening it throughout the week.

sldsld01 wrote: Sun Oct 30, 2011 3:19 pm jarishansen, you are awesome! I used your template to create what I think is the best ward bulletin I've seen. When people compliment me, I just tell them that it came from some guy on the internet. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to remember where in the world I even found this template because I've been meaning to thank you for a year now. So even though it's late, thank you!

Hello, Where are the templates? I see our responses but no link for them. Thanks!

lindajeanhammond wrote: Tue Sep 07, 2021 2:46 pm

sldsld01 wrote: Sun Oct 30, 2011 3:19 pm jarishansen, you are awesome! I used your template to create what I think is the best ward bulletin I've seen. When people compliment me, I just tell them that it came from some guy on the internet. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to remember where in the world I even found this template because I've been meaning to thank you for a year now. So even though it's late, thank you!

Hello, Where are the templates? I see our responses but no link for them. Thanks!

I believe that sldsld01 is referring to this post

Hello,

I saw the digital program above, and I created the attached text file for those making the ward bulletins, who need links to the hymns that will open on a smart phone. I did NOT link the URL to the hymn number yet, but you could open a word document and add the hyperlinks to the page numbers, as needed... or if I have more time, I'll update with a DOC.

Each line has "HYMN #" "HYMN NAME" "LINK"
Example:
001 The Morning Breaks https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/stu ... s?lang=eng

Note that there are two lists in the txt file-- the first is for deep links for the GOSPEL LIBRARY app, and the second list shows the links to the WEB BROWSER version (in case you need to play the hymn from that location).

Also, note that if you change the 'lang' variable, it will provide an alternate language. THIS WORKS MORE OPTIMALLY FOR THE WEB BROWSER LINKS.
Example:
Tagalog: TGL
Spanish: SPA
Vietnamese: VIE

So the Tagalog link to the WEB BROWSER hymn "The Morning Breaks" is:
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/mus ... s?lang=tgl


It will work in the GOSPEL LIBRARY APP as well, and it will even prompt you to download the specific language if you haven't already.
Note, however that you'd need to set your default language to that (example: to Tagalog, as opposed to English) to view the hymn in that specific language.
Example: Gospel Library app Link for Tagalog:
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/stu ... s?lang=tgl

Best Regards,
J.Hale