APPetizers #2: Evernote

Last week we started a blog series called "APPetizers", where we highlight one app per week. Click here to read last week's post. The intent of this series is to either introduce you to a new app, or possibly show you some ways to make an app more productive for your ministry. 

This week's APPetizer is Evernote.

Evernote is a very popular app. If you've never heard of Evernote, I encourage you to check it out. It has been very beneficial to not only my ministry, but my life in general. It helps me keep up with everything. 

For this week's installment of APPetizers, I thought I would give you five ways that I use Evernote in my ministry. 

1. Prepare lessons.
Because it has very good text tools, I prepare every lesson in Evernote. Sure...there aren't quite as many tools as in Pages or Word, but enough to get by. Plus I export all my lessons as a PDF, save it in Box/Dropbox, then upload it to my iPad to teach. It cuts out a step for me to not use a word processor. And preparing my lessons in Evernote means they are all searchable. 

2. Save illustrations & articles. 
The Evernote Web Clipper for Google Chrome may be the greatest reason why I love Evernote so much. Some preachers have filing cabinets filled with illustrations. I use Evernote Web Clipper. I clip articles, illustrations, and stories from the web that I think could be used in a lesson. Since Evernote is fully searchable and has a tagging system, it's like a giant filing cabinet. 

3. Plan youth trips & activities.
I keep notes for trip and activity ideas in Evernote because I can find them. Whether it's a tag or just a general search. If I need to make a trip itinerary, I will copy everything to a Pages file to have more editing options. But Evernote serves as my giant notepad or whiteboard for planning trips and activities. 

4. Keep notes & minutes from meetings.
I serve on a few boards and committees, and one of my responsibilities is to take notes and minutes from the meetings. I create and store these notes in Evernote because I know where to find them and they are searchable. When I need to send a copy of the notes to others, I simply export the note as a PDF. Simple and quick. 

5. Record baptisms & attendance for events.
For four years, I've logged every youth group member baptism in Evernote. How many times are you asking yourself, "Has this student been baptized?" This allows me to search for their name and I can see the date they were baptized as well. 

These are some ways I use Evernote in my ministry. I'd love to hear some other ways you've been able to utilize this app. Send me an email at [email protected]. 

APPetizers #1 - Remind 101

I've been throwing this idea around in my head for a few weeks to blog about different apps that I use on a daily to weekly basis for ministry. So I decided I would create a series called "APPetizers" and blog on one app each week until I exhaust my list. Some of these you may have heard of and use, and some you may not have heard of them or have never used them. Either way, I hope you find this series useful. 

The first app I want to highlight is Remind 101.  

I love this app.  

When Apple released iOS 7, it virtually destroyed all of my group texting apps. If you're a youth minister, you know that 90% of our communication about events & activities is through group texting. So I went on the hunt for a new app. And I tried them all. And none of them seemed to work.  

Until I found Remind 101.  

Remind 101 is a FREE app. it's available on iOS & android devices. You can also access your remind 101 account through their website (https://www.remind101.com/). 

Remind 101 was created for teachers to be able to communicate with students & parents without giving out their personal number. Remind 101 requires parents & students to "subscribe" to your messages. Parents & students can subscribe through sending a text message or following a link you can send to their email. You are able to see who has joined your group because it asks them for their first and last name. However, you cannot see their number, nor can they see yours. You might be surprised how many of your students and parents are familiar with Remind 101 because their school uses it. 

You can create up to 10 "classes" or groups as you want. And to my knowledge there isn't a limit as to how many people can be in each group.  

You are limited to 140 characters per text message. Remind 101 integrates with Twitter so you can tweet your message from within the Remind 101 app. 

Remind 101 gives you the ability to schedule messages to be sent, as well as send attachments with your messages.

Students and parents can't respond to your text message if you were asking for one, so it's important to remind them to send you a separate text if your message requires a response.  

What I like: It's free. It works on all platforms. It integrates seamlessly with Twitter to tweet the messages. Many of my parents & students were already familiar with Remind 101 because of school. 

What I don't like: Your audience has to subscribe to your messages, which can be a headache for not-so-tech-savvy adults. If you require a response, they can't reply back to that message. You are limited to 140 characters. 

This app has worked great for our ministry.  

If you have a group messaging app that has worked great for your ministry, tell us about it by sending us an email to [email protected].