Trinity Church Henley's WhatsApp Community
We have recently set up WhatsApp Communities for the church. You might have seen a group you’re in get added to it and be wondering what it’s about. We hope this is helpful guide to what it is and why we have created it but if you are left with questions do get in touch with Wiz or Jo.
What is a WhatsApp Community?
A WhatsApp Community is a way for us to gather and organise the various WhatsApp groups that exist in church life (and there are alot of them!) to better facilitate communication and community. We have groups for life groups, serving teams, leadership teams, different people groups like mums and dads. For those of you in many Trinity-related groups, we hope this will bring a bit of order to your WhatsApps by bringing all your Trinity-related messages into the one community on your phone.
Why have we created a WhatsApp Communtiy for church?
It makes it much easier for people to find and join groups that are relevant to them. It also gives us the ability to message everyone in the community via the announcements group. Finally it improves our compliance with GDPR rules, particularly when people leave the church.
Is my personal information safe?
Yes, your contact information is only shared with those who you are in groups with. This is exactly the same way any WhatsApp groups you’re already in operate. Your details can also be seen by the overall community admins who are Jo Patterson and Wiz Chambers. It cannot be used as a directory to look up people’s numbers.
Do I need to do anything?
No, groups you’re in already will start to move into the community over the coming weeks, or may have already done so. Once a group you’re in has been added to the community ‘Trinity Church Henley’ you will get a notification and be added to the community and its announcements group. You can then click on the ‘Communities’ tab in the WhatsApp app and browse other groups that may be of interest.
How do I join other groups?
You simply click on the group and request to join it. An admin of that group then can accept or reject your request with the option to message you directly if they don’t already know you.
Can I leave?
You can leave individual groups at any point, just like any WhatsApp groups you’re already in. You can leave the community too if you want to. You can’t leave the announcements group without leaving all the groups you’re part of in the community though. We don’t use the announcements group much but you can mute it if you want to. Can I reply to an announcement and will people see my reply? Once everyone who is on the existing WhatsApp Broadcast list is moved over to the WhatsApp Community, we will start to send group messages via the Community and not the Broadcast. You can reply to the announcement but please be aware that people will be able to see your reply.
Where can I ask a question?
If you have any other questions about WhatsApp communities, do get in touch with Jo or Wiz.
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