Planner Step “Zero”: Choose a Basic Service Type
To begin planning a worship service, make your way to the Planner Calendar‘s Day View for the date on which the service will be held. This can be done a number of ways:
1. Set the date in the Lectionary Banner and click the “Plan It” button underneath the day name.
2. Or, click a date listed in the Sundays and Festivals or Commemorations panel on the Home page.
3. Or, in the Planner Calendar’s Month View, click on a blue date circle.
4. Or, in the Planner Calendar’s Week View, click on a gray date button.
5. Or, if you’re already looking at the Day View, but want to plan for a different, nearby, date, use the blue navigation links.
Once you’re looking at the Day View for the correct date, select whether you’d like to start planning a Holy Communion service for a named lectionary event (Third Sunday of Advent, Maundy Thursday, Lectionary 27, etc.) or a special service (wedding, funeral, seasonal rite, etc.)
If the date you’re planning for is a Sunday, you’ll see a list of all lectionary events that happen on that day. There will usually be only one lectionary event on a Sunday, but it is possible to have more; for instance, the Fourth Sunday of Advent occasionally falls on Christmas Eve. Either way, at the bottom will be an entry for planning a special service.
If the date you’re planning for isn’t a Sunday, you’ll see a list of any lectionary events that happen on that day, as well as those for the immediately preceding and following Sundays. This list usually contains just two or three items, but it could be rather long. Once again, an entry for planning a special service will be at the bottom.
Planning for a lectionary event will pre-fill your plan with the proper texts (prayer of the day, readings, etc.) for that event. If you have a choice of events and need to verify that you’re planning for the correct one, you can click the book icon underneath it to see the event’s Day Texts.
If the service you’re about to start planning corresponds to one of the entries in your Weekly Schedule list in the My Account area, you may select it from the Weekly Service drop down menu. (Since they aren’t part of a regular weekly schedule, this drop down menu is not available when planning special services.)
Likewise, if the service will occur in one of the places in your Locations list in the My Account area, you may select it from the Location drop down menu.
If your service will be based on one of your templates, choose it from the Template drop down menu.
Finally, click the green “Plan It” button.
Next: Planner Step One: Select a Base Liturgy