# Calendars

### 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:

<table><thead><tr><th width="152">Visibility</th><th>Who Can See</th><th>Use Case</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Hidden</strong></td><td>Only users with admin access</td><td>Internal planning, draft events, staff scheduling</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Members</strong></td><td>Logged-in church members</td><td>Regular church events, member-only activities</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Public</strong></td><td>Anyone (no login required)</td><td>Events you want visitors to see on your website</td></tr></tbody></table>

**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

1. Go to **Calendars** in the admin panel
2. Click the **Calendars** dropdown button
3. Click **New Calendar**
4. 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)
5. 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:

<table><thead><tr><th width="193">Field</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Title</strong></td><td>The event name</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Calendar</strong></td><td>Which calendar this event belongs to</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Date &#x26; Time</strong></td><td>When the event occurs</td></tr><tr><td><strong>All Day</strong></td><td>Check for events without specific times</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Location</strong></td><td>Where the event takes place</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Overview</strong></td><td>Short summary shown in listings</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Description</strong></td><td>Full event details</td></tr></tbody></table>

#### 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:

1. Check **Enable Responses**
2. Optionally check **Show Responses** to let members see who else is attending

#### How Members RSVP

1. Member clicks on an event
2. Clicks **Register / RSVP**
3. 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

1. Go to **Calendar** in the member app
2. Click **Calendar Feeds**
3. Choose a feed:
   * **All Calendar Events** — Everything you have access to
   * **Individual calendars** — Subscribe to specific calendars
4. Copy the feed URL

#### Subscribing in Calendar Apps

**Apple Calendar (Mac/iPhone):**

1. File > New Calendar Subscription
2. Paste the feed URL
3. Choose refresh frequency

**Google Calendar:**

1. Settings > Add Calendar > From URL
2. Paste the feed URL
3. Click "Add Calendar"

**Outlook:**

1. Add Calendar > Subscribe from web
2. Paste the feed URL
3. 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

1. Go to **Calendars** in the admin panel
2. Click **Printable Calendar**
3. 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
4. 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:

1. Go to **Calendars** in the admin panel
2. Click **Website Code Snippet** (only appears if you have public calendars)
3. Copy the provided HTML code
4. 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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