It's August 23, 2026. The 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time.

It's a normal Sunday...but something seems different.

As they're leaving Mass, a few people do a double take by the bulletin rack...and then look closer at the cover, grab one, and bring it home.

A group of young adults are huddled together in the parking lot, pointing at something in the middle spread of the bulletin and saying, "Hey, that's you!"

Two eager elementary school children are dragging their parents by the hand, whisper-shouting, "Look! We found it!!" as they point towards the sanctuary lamp and then back at the picture of it in the bulletin.

But the miracles don't stop there.

Three families email the office on Monday morning to register in the parish.

Another calls on Tuesday to see if a priest is available for confession after 13 years away.

On Wednesday, your Bible study attendance number triples. You literally have to go search for chairs in the basement because you ran out.

At the Saturday evening Mass, someone tries out your church for the first time after years of being atheist, because their friend shared your bulletin's welcome message with them and they finally felt seen.

And Sunday? You run out of bulletins before noon.

All because you took the time to refresh your bulletin this summer.

Obviously that's a bit of hyperbole to happen all in one week.

But these things are truly possible when you invest some time refreshing the bulletin.

Because —

(And hear me when I say that this is not your fault, it's just that no one's ever taught you how)

— your bulletin isn't living up to its full potential.

We've just accepted that the bulletin is what it is — a stuffed-to-the-max, disorganized mess.

(Basically looking like the print version of the "happenings" bulletin board at your post office or grocery store.)

But I don't think we should settle.

Because we have the opportunity to hand every single person who walks through our doors a physical advertisement to come back or get more involved.

And most bulletins waste that opportunity.

Here's what your bulletin is capable of when we use it to its full potential:

• Building community, so parishioners go from strangers who passively sit next to each other on Sundays to "parish family"
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• Instilling pride and ownership in the parish (which is what drives them to volunteer, donate, and share your church with others)
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• Welcoming visitors, seekers, and new parishioners and funneling them into OCIA, discipleship pathways, and overall parish life
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• Acting as a bridge from Sunday to Sunday, encouraging inactive parishioners to get more involved and fostering faith reflection throughout the week

Yes, your bulletin really can do all of that.

But we have to treat it like the crucial communication and evangelization tool it is...

...not a catch-all, glorified events calendar + three-mile-long prayer list with the main goal being to placate people and make them feel valued.

And to achieve that...your bulletin probably needs a refresh.

​Bulletin Bootcamp is designed to help refresh your bulletin like that ⬆️ in just five weeks.

That means by your August 23rd bulletin, you can already start to see some of these changes — not just in the bulletin, but in your parish.

Things like more people taking the bulletin, yes.

But also things like more people showing up to events, inquiring about sacraments, connecting with each other, and learning more about the faith.

Because at the end of the day, I don't care about your bulletin.

I care about growing your church and the souls you'll bring to Jesus.

And the bulletin is just a vehicle we use to do that.

Because we can often forget — your bulletin should have spiritual impact. It could absolutely be a part of someone's path to heaven, and when done right, should help them fall in love with Jesus more.

Is yours set up that way?

That's why I created Bulletin Bootcamp.​

Because I see the potential for how your bulletin can help your church and the souls you serve.

And I want to help you make a bulletin that meets that potential.

5 weeks. Weekly training calls, a forum to ask questions along the way, tools to make the process easier, and me walking you through every step of the refresh.

Want to join us? It all starts tomorrow. Sign up now here, and I'll see you inside.​

For His greater glory,

Emily

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P.S. Your bulletin has way more potential than you think. Join me inside Bulletin Bootcamp, and we'll refresh your bulletin in just 5 weeks to make it a communication and evangelization tool with the goal of growing your parish and bring parishioners closer to each other and Jesus.

(Aka it won't feel like such a mess and people will actually take it and read it!)

There's already almost 30 bulletin editors inside — we'd love to have you join our community too! Bulletin Bootcamp starts tomorrow, so sign up here now!​

P.P.S. Here are the answers to a few common questions about Bulletin Bootcamp:

When does Bulletin Bootcamp start?

We start tomorrow, but the forum is already live and active, so come join us now!​

Who is this for?

Bulletin Bootcamp is for whoever the bulletin editor is at your parish! It is also fantastic for communications coordinators and anyone else who is involved in the strategy and management of the bulletin.

When will the live calls be?

To try to accommodate for as many people to join live as possible, we'll have calls on an alternating schedule throughout the five weeks: Three weeks on Wednesdays at 1:30 pm ET, and two weeks on Tuesdays at 3:30 pm ET. If you can't make a live call, replays will be available the next day, and you can ask questions and get feedback from me through the forum any time throughout the five-week experience!

How much time will this take?

The calls will be one hour per week, and then it will likely take you about 1-2 hours to implement what we learned that week. The nice thing is that you can "redesign as you go," so you can simply adjust things in your bulletin gradually each week in the time you're already spending creating it.

he only other time will be how much you decide to engage in the forum to ask me questions and get feedback from your other bulletin editors.
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Have other questions? Hit reply and ask away!
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