Mailing Lists

What are mailing lists ?

A mailing list is a forum for a group of people to share ideas and exchange comment and information. A person sends an email to one email address and that address then sends a copy of the email to everyone who has subscribed to that list. This is not like a chat room as the exchange is not always immediate and can take place over a longer period of time with more people.

Lists can be public — open to anyone to take part in, or private — closed to the public and restricted to a particular group. COIN operates both types of list.

COIN lists

COIN hosts mailing lists that help Christians of all denominations to discuss a wide range of interests. The focus is mainly on the Church in the British Isles and discussions cover a range of topics including pastoral and outreach work, church music and liturgical interests.

The operation of every list is governed by Guidance Notes which contains advice and expectations for use of the list. All users are asked to honour these guidelines.

COIN provides nine public lists, two of these on behalf of particular interests within the church:

List Name	Description
General	This is the main COIN mailing list and is for general discussion of UK church-related topics. Subscription and discussion by members of ALL Christian denominations is within its charter and is encouraged. This list is probably not the best place for in-depth discussions about the role of technology in the church (see the technical mailing list).

Technical	This mailing list is for discussion about computer use within UK churches. Use it to discuss general computing related topics with others within the church. The list is often used for cries of help, advice on computer-related things and comment on latest software etc.

Preaching	This list is intended specifically for discussion about preaching from the Revised Common Lectionary, with particular emphasis on those preaching in the British Isles. Hence the adaptations of that lectionary by British denominations and in particular the 1997 Principal Service lectionary of the Church of England will frequently be the driver of the discussion. The readings (citations only) assigned by that lectionary for each Sunday and Principal Feast will be posted in advance. The purpose of this list is quite specific, and more general threads will be requested to transfer to the General COIN list.

Common Worship	This mailing list has been set up by Christians on the Internet with Church House Publishing and is for the general discussion of topics relating to Common Worship. This list provides the chance to help each other by sharing good ideas, questions and concerns, so that we can all get the most out of Common Worship.

Visual Liturgy	The Visual Liturgy list is for discussion by users of the software package Visual Liturgy.

CofE-2020	A list for the discussion of issues relating to the Church of England and its future. This list is not restricted to members of the Church of England, but discussions should be limited to Church of England matters.

Music	This mailing list is for the discussion of music used in UK churches. Whilst it has been provided by an Anglican-based group, subscription and discussion by members of all Christian denominations is within its charter and encouraged.

Announce	This is the list which all members of COIN are added to and it is used for announcements to members a few times a year.

COIN operates other lists that are closed or private.

Joining a list

There are several software programs that allow lists to be managed. COIN uses the "mailman" system.

Sending to a list

Each list has its own address, e.g. general@lists.coin.org.uk, and messages for distribution should be sent to each appropriate list address (details of this will be sent upon subscription to each list). Please try to avoid sending administrative requests (e.g. unsubscribe) to the list address.

Acceptable Use

There are Guidance Notes on the use of the COIN public lists.

Creating new lists

If you feel that there is a need for a new mailing list, please email the list management team to discuss the possibilities and steps involved.

COIN can provide a list service for members who are unable to find the service elsewhere. If you want to make use of this facility, an understanding of mailman is helpful. To request a list, contact the Secretary and the request will be considered by the Executive Committee.

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