- Sunday Service Reminder
- Sunday Times
- The USNF Beacon
- Social Media (Facebook page, Facebook group, Instagram, and BlueSky)
- Website
We use Mailchimp to distribute our Sunday Service Reminder, Sunday Times, and The Beacon, as well as other time-sensitive news such as snow cancellations, announcements of congregational meetings, and losses in our community.
Sunday Service Reminder - weekly reminder
USNF sends a brief email on Sunday mornings that includes information about the worship service including the link to join it via Zoom and to view the Order of Meeting. To receive the Sunday Service Reminder, join our mailing list.
The Sunday Times - weekly announcement bulletin
The Sunday Times is published and distributed every Friday, and is for announcements of USNF activities and events in the wider community. To receive the Sunday Times, join our mailing list.
How to submit to the Sunday Times
Email the office at
Submissions are due by 5:00 PM on Wednesday. Please specify for how many weeks you'd like your announcement to run.
Submissions should be brief - 3 or 4 lines or a short paragraph.
Format your links for accessibility.
| How to format accessible links |
| Be sure that any links you include are placed on text that clearly describes where the link goes, not on generic words like "click here," "here," or "this page." |
| For example, instead of: "To learn more about the concert on May 1, click here." Use one of these options: "To learn more about the concert, visit the May 1 concert web page." "Learn more about the May 1 concert." |
The USNF Beacon - newsletter
The Beacon has two editions each month. The first edition includes a message from the Minister and Director of Faith Development, the Sunday Service Schedule for the month ahead and a report from the Board of Trustees. The second edition includes updates from Committees and Teams, other updates, and information of general interest. The Beacon newsletter is published and distributed bi-weekly on Tuesdays, generally on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month. The Beacon is generally for articles rather than announcements; announcements should go in the Sunday Times. To receive the Beacon, join our mailing list.
Submitting to the Beacon
The Beacon is focused on articles and longer content about activities, events, projects, and people at USNF. It’s not for announcements, which go in the Sunday Times. The Beacon is a place to share more detailed information and stories.
Articles are due by 5:00 PM Monday, the week prior to the Beacon's Tuesday publication date (8 days in advance). Please see the Beacon Newsletter Deadlines for specific dates.
Submission Guidelines
Article length: 250 word count is preferred, but it can be up to 350 words. If the word count is above 350, the editor will discuss with the author.
Include a title for your article.
Photos
Pictures are encouraged! Please include pictures as separate files, not in the body of the article.
Links
Include the URLs for any links you want to include, in a list below the text. In the list, include each URL and identify what it is and where it should go. The editor will insert the links into the proper text. Please be sure all URLs work.
| How to format accessible links |
| Be sure that any links you include are placed on text that clearly describes where the link goes, not on generic words like "click here," "here," or "this page." |
| For example, instead of: "To learn more about the concert on May 1, click here." Use one of these options: "To learn more about the concert, visit the May 1 concert web page." "Learn more about the May 1 concert." |
Submitting
Include the name and contact information (email and phone) for the person submitting, so the editor can reach them quickly with questions.
To submit, please upload your article (either in Word or as a Google Doc), and your photos, using the same Google link. Email your committee chair or newsletter@uunorthampton.org for the link. Once you have followed the appropriate link and are in Google Drive, click on the “+New” icon on the top left of the page, then click on “File Upload”. When you have completed your uploads, just close the browser page.
Please only submit an article once (not for multiple issues), unless there is an ongoing need. If an article must run more than once, base your follow-up articles on the edited version of the text from the prior issue.
If you need help with uploading the article, please reach out to Ghelp@uunorthampton.org.
USNF Social Media
The Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence uses social media as an extension of our brick-and-mortar presence on Main St., Northampton. With that in mind, we aim to keep our social media presence accurate and up-to-date, relevant to the Society's work, consistent with its values, and informative both to the membership and to the outside world.
- USNF Facebook page - www.facebook.com/UnitarianSociety
Open to all - Because this is a public page, which presents USNF officially, only admins can post.
Please "LIKE" our page on Facebook! If you "like" the page, you will see our news in your news feed. Otherwise, you can visit the page to see updates. - USNF Facebook group - www.facebook.com/uunorthampton
A place for members and friends to post and have discussions. This group is "private" so, while anyone can see that the group exists, only members of the group can see who is in it and what is posted. - USNF Instagram: www.instagram.com/uunorthampton
- USNF Bluesky: uunorthampton.bsky.social
Website
The USNF website provides information about our organization, activities, and news. In addition to the publicly available pages, there is a Members Only section that contains information that can only be viewed by members after they log in. (To log in, go to Members & Friends in the menu, then enter your login information. If you are unable to log in, contact the Web Committee at
For requests from committees for edits or additions to the USNF website, please contact the Web Committee at