Plan Bede, a web-based service, offers help with worship materials to congregations, to assure they can have quality, personalized weekly service books while freeing up staff time at a cost suitable for even small congregations. Plan Bede works with church communities to design and create service books, bulletins, and other worship materials. Offerings include a simple pew sheet, a weekly worship book, or a seasonal book, which can be transmitted electronically direct to the church or to a local copy shop. The service can also help create and manage weekly email newsletters.
The Plan Bede website offers these thoughts on “Why use Plan Bede?”
- Because church staff are stretched thin.
- Because bulletin bloopers are only funny when it happens at someone else’s church, not your own.
- Because parish administrators, rectors, and musicians can spend their time and energy on things more fulfilling and closer to their mission.
- Because a good bulletin helps make newcomers feel welcome, helps old-timers understand the liturgy in new ways, and prevents prayer book and hymnal juggling injuries.
- Because worshiping God in community is a holy gift, and helping people do that without confusion and distraction is a calling.
In addition, Plan Bede’s Facebook page offers a lighter-side view of Episcopal liturgics.
And who is Bede? The Venerable Bede was an Anglican scholar, historian, and priest. During his ministry, Bede declined to become the prior of Jarrow because he did not want administrative duties that would take him away from his scholarship. Plan Bede exists to make sure that musicians, clergy, and parish administrators can focus on their ministries, without losing administrative hours every week creating worship materials.