Calendars
Lightpost's calendars helps your church organize and share events with members, groups, and the public. Create multiple calendars, set up recurring events, enable RSVPs & let members subscribe.
Understanding Calendars
Multiple Calendars
You can create as many calendars as needed to organize your church's events. Common examples:
Main Church Calendar — Worship services, church-wide events
Youth Group — Youth group meetings, retreats, activities
Public Information — Sunday school, VBS, family events
Small Groups — Bible studies, home groups
Facilities — Room reservations, building usage
Each calendar has its own color, making it easy to visually distinguish events when viewing multiple calendars together.
Calendar Visibility Levels
Calendars have three visibility settings that control who can see them:
Hidden
Only users with admin access
Internal planning, draft events, staff scheduling
Members
Logged-in church members
Regular church events, member-only activities
Public
Anyone (no login required)
Events you want visitors to see on your website
Important: Only mark calendars as "Public" if you're comfortable with all events on that calendar being visible to anyone on the internet.
Group Calendars
Group calendars are tied to a specific group in Lightpost. Only members of that group can see the calendar and its events.
Use cases:
Small group meeting schedules
Ministry team events
Committee meetings
Choir rehearsals
When a calendar is linked to a group:
Only group members see the calendar in the member app
Events appear in members' calendar feeds
Great for keeping group-specific events organized
Creating Calendars
Creating a New Calendar
Go to Calendars in the admin panel
Click the Calendars dropdown button
Click New Calendar
Enter the calendar details:
Name — The calendar's display name
Color — Background and text colors for events
Group — (Optional) Link to a specific group
Public — Check to make visible on public websites
Hidden — Check to hide from members (admin-only)
Click Save
Calendar Colors
Choose colors that help users quickly identify event types:
Use distinct colors for different calendars
Consider accessibility — ensure text is readable against the background
Be consistent — members will learn to associate colors with event types
Creating Events
Basic Event Information
When creating an event, you can set:
Title
The event name
Calendar
Which calendar this event belongs to
Date & Time
When the event occurs
All Day
Check for events without specific times
Location
Where the event takes place
Overview
Short summary shown in listings
Description
Full event details
Recurring Events
Create events that repeat automatically:
Frequency options:
Daily — Every day or every X days
Weekly — Same day(s) each week
Monthly — Same date or same weekday each month
Yearly — Annual events
Advanced recurrence:
Choose specific days of the week
Set "First Monday," "Last Friday," etc.
Specify an end date or number of occurrences
Examples:
"Every Sunday at 10:00 AM" — Weekly worship service
"First Wednesday of each month" — Monthly business meeting
"Every Tuesday and Thursday" — Recurring Bible study
Recurring events display a small repeating icon on the calendar to indicate they're part of a series.
Editing Individual Occurrences
For recurring events, you can modify individual occurrences without affecting the entire series. This is useful when:
A regular meeting moves to a different room one week
A single occurrence is cancelled
Time changes for a specific date
Event Sign-ups / RSVP
Enable RSVPs to track attendance and let members indicate their plans.
Enabling Responses
When creating or editing an event:
Check Enable Responses
Optionally check Show Responses to let members see who else is attending
How Members RSVP
Member clicks on an event
Clicks Register / RSVP
For each family member, selects:
Going — Will attend
Not Going — Cannot attend
Interested — May attend
Members can update their responses at any time by clicking the same buttons.
Viewing Responses
When "Show Responses" is enabled:
Members see a list of who responded and their status
Response counts are shown (Going, Not Going, Interested)
Names link to directory entries
Admins can always view full response lists in the admin panel.
Viewing Calendars
In the Admin Panel
The admin calendar view shows:
All calendars (regular and group calendars)
Toggle individual calendars on/off using checkboxes
Month, week, and list views
Click any event to view or edit details
In the Member App
Members see:
All non-hidden calendars they have access to
Group calendars for groups they belong to
Month, week, and list views
Click events to see details and RSVP
Adding Events to Personal Calendars
When viewing an event, members can click Add to Calendar to export to:
Apple Calendar
Google Calendar
Outlook.com
Yahoo Calendar
Download ICS file
This adds the individual event (not the full calendar) to their personal calendar.
Subscribing to Calendar Feeds
Members can subscribe to Lightpost calendars in their favorite calendar apps. Subscribed calendars automatically sync, so new events appear without any action.
Getting Your Feed Link
Go to Calendar in the member app
Click Calendar Feeds
Choose a feed:
All Calendar Events — Everything you have access to
Individual calendars — Subscribe to specific calendars
Copy the feed URL
Subscribing in Calendar Apps
Apple Calendar (Mac/iPhone):
File > New Calendar Subscription
Paste the feed URL
Choose refresh frequency
Google Calendar:
Settings > Add Calendar > From URL
Paste the feed URL
Click "Add Calendar"
Outlook:
Add Calendar > Subscribe from web
Paste the feed URL
Name the calendar and save
Important: Keep your feed links private. They are personalized to you and provide access to all calendar data you can view in Lightpost.
Printable Calendars
Generate print-ready calendars for bulletins, newsletters, or posting in your building.
Creating a Printable Calendar
Go to Calendars in the admin panel
Click Printable Calendar
Select options:
Calendars — Choose which calendars to include
Month/Year — Select the month to print
Show Times — Include event times
Show Color Stripe — Include calendar color indicators
Show Birthdays — Include member birthdays
Font Size — Small, Medium, or Large
Orientation — Portrait or Landscape
Click Print
The printable view opens in a new tab, ready for printing or saving as PDF.
Tips for Bulletin Inserts
Use Portrait orientation for half-page inserts
Use Landscape for full-page calendars
Small font size fits more events per day
Disable color stripe for black-and-white printing
Website Integration
Display your public calendars on your own website (outside of Lightpost).
Website Code Snippet
For churches not using a Lightpost website, you can embed public calendars on any website:
Go to Calendars in the admin panel
Click Website Code Snippet (only appears if you have public calendars)
Copy the provided HTML code
Paste it into your website where you want the calendar to appear
How It Works
The script loads an interactive calendar widget
Only calendars marked as "Public" are displayed
Events update automatically when you add or change them in Lightpost
No login required for visitors to view
Lightpost Websites
If you use a Lightpost-hosted website, public calendars can be added through the website builder without needing code snippets.
Best Practices
Organizing Calendars
Keep it simple — Don't create too many calendars; group similar events
Use clear names — "Youth Ministry" is better than "YM Events"
Consistent colors — Stick with your color scheme once established
Event Information
Include locations — Even for familiar venues
Write clear titles — "Sunday Worship Service" not "Service"
Add descriptions — Include what to bring, who to contact, etc.
Managing Recurring Events
Plan ahead — Set end dates for seasonal events
Update individual occurrences — Don't delete the whole series for one change
Check the calendar — Verify recurring events appear correctly
Public Calendars
Review before publishing — Check all events on a calendar before making it public
Keep internal events private — Staff meetings, planning sessions, etc.
Update regularly — A current calendar builds trust with visitors
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have events on multiple calendars? No, each event belongs to one calendar. Create separate events if needed on multiple calendars.
How do I cancel a single occurrence of a recurring event? Edit that specific occurrence and mark it as cancelled, or delete just that occurrence.
Can members create events? By default, only admins can create events. Admins manage all calendar content.
Why can't I see a calendar? The calendar may be hidden (admin-only), or it may be a group calendar for a group you're not in.
How often do subscribed calendars update? This depends on your calendar app settings, typically every 15 minutes to 24 hours.
Can visitors RSVP to events? Currently, RSVP is only available to logged-in members.
What happens if I delete a calendar? All events on that calendar are also deleted. This cannot be undone.
Can I import events from another calendar? Contact support for assistance with importing events from other calendar systems.
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