22/02/2023
Lent is here and the Church of England's theme this year is 'Dust and Glory: a journey of faith, failure and forgiveness'. There are lots of resources for churches to use this Lent season, and we're here to give you some inspiration on how you can use them on social media.
Sometimes it can be a bit daunting or just outright confusing to know how to create new content or know how to make that content engaging. The ideas in this blog could help, and they have been categorised according to how much time you have and how adventurous you're feeling.
Tag us #DustAndGlory in any content you share - we'd love to journey through Lent with you!
5 minutes or less: Reshare a national social media post
If you don't have time to make new content, don’t worry! The Dust and Glory reflections will be accompanied by daily #DustAndGlory social media posts from Ash Wednesday (22 February) to Easter Sunday (9 April).
These posts will include explainer graphics and videos to break down some of the things we do/use in our churches over the Lent and Easter period, short reflection videos such as testimonies and reflections on the theme of the day, and encouragements for people to visit AChurchNearYou.com to find a local service or event throughout Lent and Easter. You’re welcome to reshare these posts on your church’s social media if you think they would be of interest to your community, perhaps with a local message such as, ‘If you’d like to explore more about the meaning of Lent, join us at our services [and a link to your website]’.
10 minutes or less: Download and share graphic about the Dust and Glory reflections
If your church is encouraging people to use the Dust and Glory reflections, you can share the information about the Dust and Glory resources with your community using one of our downloadable graphics. Here are some of the quick ways you could share a graphic:
- Via email or in your Church newsletter
- Social media – you could post the graphic below on Instagram or Facebook, or perhaps film a quick 30 second video of you letting people know what’s available and post it on your Instagram or Facebook stories!
- Pop it in your notice sheets
Just right click on an image below and click ‘save image as’.
15 minutes or less: Generate a custom graphic or video using the generator on the AChurchNearYou.com Resource Hub
See below for an example of how you could use our custom graphic and video generator to promote your Lent and Easter services – simply tick the type of content you’d like (graphic for Facebook post, Instagram post, Twitter post, or a landscape video), insert the key information about your services or events, and click ‘download’. Use your content to advertise your services and events with your community. See how St Cyr’s Church have used the generator.
To use the generator, you need to be an editor of AChurchNearYou.com, instructions here if you are not already an editor.
30 - 60 minutes: Film a short video with your phone
You could engage with the Dust and Glory reflections and share your thoughts with your community. There is a quick question at the end of each reflection, sharing an answer to the day’s question could form a short 30sec to 1min videos to encourage your community to take a moment to reflect on the topics discussed. Perhaps you, your vicar, or someone else in your congregation might be willing to be in a video like this.
Or, how about this idea accessing the Dust and Glory reflections by smart speaker (say to your smart speaker: ‘ask the Church of England for today’s lent reflection’). You could create fun content such as videos of you or your church leader asking their smart speaker for the daily reflection.
To do this, simply prop your phone up in the portrait position and record a quick video of you asking for the daily reflection, and then post this on your Instagram or Facebook story. This will encourage your community to engage with the smart speaker reflections.
1 hour or more: Use our Lent resources however you wish
If you have a login for AChurchNearYou.com, you can head to the Resource Hub to access:
- Dust and Glory logos and branding
- Customisable lent social media graphics and videos
- Free stock photography
- Music for Lent and Easter
Have a look through the content available to you and have a think about what you could use to reach your community or in your services. If you use Canva or another design tool, you could combine the downloads to create something that suits you and your church. Check out how St Mary’s Church used a customisable graphic.
For more about the campaign, visit cofe.io/DustAndGlory
