Last updated 18th June 2025

SUBSCRIBE to our ebulletins, including Parish Update

Introduction

There are several ebulletins produced at the Diocesan Offices for sending to parishes. 

They include Parish Update which is our main ebulletin sent to all parish clergy, parish officers and anyone else who wants to keep up to date with the latest news and information from across the Diocese.

We know from examining analytics that around 75% of recipients open Parish Update every issue; with the other ebulletins not far behind. These open figures are astonishingly high and far above average for public and Third Sector organisations; including many other dioceses.

That makes Parish Update the go-to place for all the latest you need to know and the go-to place to be for Diocesan teams wanting to get their information out to our parishes. 

• Sign up to any of our email bulletins here. 

All ebulletins are overseen by Ronnie Semley, our very experienced Diocesan Communications Manager; although specific teams manage their own content for ebulletins other than Parish Update.

Parish Update meanwhile is coordinated in entirety by Ronnie, working with Karen Ashcroft, Senior Administrative Officer. It appears every two weeks. 

The other ebulletins appear less frequently and contain important information intended for very specific audiences (like ‘Safeguarding Matters’, which is sent to Clergy and Parish Safeguarding Officers only).

All the current ebulletins have a similar overall look and design to ensure consistency; creating a 'family' of digital publications; all clearly from and about the work of the Diocese.

They are issued via the 'Mailchimp' ebulletin platform and come from the same Mailchimp account which also allows for better management of all the information we circulate as well as that user data that we manage to check ongoing engagement.

We never rest on our laurels and continually revise and adjust our approach to ensure engagement remains high. 

What ebulletins are available? 

The current roster of e-bulletins is as follows ...

• For ALL clergy, all parish officerholders and anyone else who wants to receive it:
  • Parish Update appears every two weeks, usually on a Wednesday but it can be a Thursday and very occasionally a Friday due to issues such as accommodating updates on current events and staff availability. 
• ... while for bespoke audiences there are the following:
  • Safeguarding Matters is usually three times a year, for Clergy and Parish Safeguarding Officers
  • Money Matters is monthly, for Clergy and Treasurers
  • Lay Ministry News is quarterly, for Licensed Lay Ministers and Authorised Lay Ministers
  • And in 2025 we have also introduced Creation Care Update to our roster of ebulletins. 

What is the schedule for the ebulletins? 

Our ebulletin schedule is refreshed annually and is carefully curated to ensure most weeks only one ebulletin will appear in inboxes.

This is because some people may receive several ebulletins because of their role and we want to ensure the information flow is managed as well as possible at all times. 

You can download the 2025 schedule of ebulletins here ...

• Ebulletins 2025 Word format
• Ebulletins 2025 pdf format

Signing up for the ebulletins

If you are already on our Diocesan Contact Management System (CMS) as a member of the clergy or a parish officeholder you should receive the ebulletins above according to need and automatically.

If you fall into any of the categories of recipients above and DON'T receive a particular ebulletin but want to get it, you can sign up to any of our email bulletins here. Please note anyone can receive any of our ebulletins if you think the information would be useful to you, so use that same link to sign up and get them. 

You can unsubscribe at any time if you choose to using the unsubscribe link in every ebulletin, but we only send information that is relevant to you and your parish so it is rare for us to have anyone unsubscribe.

So please think carefully first before unsubscribing, as you may be declining the opportunity to receive information and resources helpful to your parish in the future. 

We constantly evaluate the impact of and engagement with our ebulletins through metrics available via Mailchimp.

Evaluation will also continue to take place through general feedback (email communicate@blackburn.anglican.org with your thoughts/ideas).

If you are not receiving an ebulletin but you want to receive it and you know you are subscribed, it is possible the ebulletin has ended up in your junk folder; so please check that first.

If you find it in your junk email folder, mark it as 'not junk'. Crucially you need to do this while the email is still actually in the junk folder (not after you have moved it to your inbox). This is usually done by right clicking on the email and going to 'mark as not junk'. Next time an ebulletin is sent it should then automatically appear in your inbox. 

Ronnie Semley, June 2025