Considering Google Calendar

Google Calendar is ideal for scheduling church activities and letting people know what’s going on. One awesome feature is being able to send out invitations to events and track RSVPs. Those who use Microsoft Outlook will quickly recognize the comparable features in Google Calendar and the added easy access that is rather limited in Outlook due to its network-centric properties.

It’s a well-designed system that makes everything in your schedule graphically viewable with options for how much you want to view at one time. You can limit access to just the people you want and you can make private or public events, making the church calendar a one-stop shop for business and general viewing.

Tasks are also available, which makes project management a snap. Enter a new task, such as renovating the Sunday school classrooms and then track it with progress and details of the ongoing work.

Multiple users can participate on the calendar by adding it to their own, sharing appointments and scheduled events, responding to or creating invitations. One user can even have multiple calendars, which would be great for different ministries and keeping everything separated out for easy administration.

One limitation is that anyone who wants to interact with the calendar will need to set up the required Google account and learn the basics of using it. The church may consider publishing a short QRG (Quick Reference Guide) or holding a brief class to teach members how to join up and use Google Calendar.

Here’s the official overview from Google Calendar:

Organizing your schedule shouldn’t be a burden. With Google Calendar, it’s easy to keep track of life’s important events all in one place.

1. Share your schedule Let your co-workers, family, and friends see your calendar, and view schedules that others have shared with you. When you know when everyone is free or busy, scheduling is a snap.

2. Get your calendar on the go With two-way syncing to your mobile phone’s built-in calendar or a mobile version of Google Calendar that’s made for the small screen, you can access your calendar while you’re away from your desk.

3. Never forget another event again Customizable reminders help you stay on schedule. You can choose to be notified by email or get a text message sent right to your mobile phone.

4. Send invitations and track RSVPs Invite other people to events on your calendar. Guests can RSVP to your events by email or via Google Calendar.

5. Sync with your desktop applications Access your calendar however and whenever you want by syncing events with Microsoft Outlook, Apple iCal and Mozilla Sunbird.

6. Work offline Know where you’re supposed to be even when you don’t have internet access. With offline access, you can view a read-only version of your calendar no matter where you are.

7. All this is free? Yep.

Rob Hickok serves in the U.S. Navy and has been involved in information management for 15 years. He has worked on private Web publishing, graphics, design, networking technology since 2002. Christ called him to repentance and salvation in August of 2003 and he has been blogging about this event ever since. He lives in Southern California with his Wife and four children. He writes at www.lordandhearth.com.