Events Management Guide

This directory contains all event content for the Three Rivers Baptist Church website.

How the Events System Works

• Each event is a separate markdown (.md) file in this directory
• The /events/ page automatically displays the 5 most current events marked with featured: true
• Each event has its own detail page (e.g., /events/sunday-worship-service/)
• Events are sorted by date, with the earliest dates appearing first

Adding a New Event

1. Copy the template: Use _TEMPLATE.md as your starting point
2. Rename the file: Use a descriptive name (e.g., easter-service-2026.md)
3. Fill in the details: Update the front matter and content
4. Save and commit: Push to GitHub and the site will automatically rebuild

Event Front Matter Fields

Each event file has “front matter” at the top between the --- lines:

---
title: "Event Title"
date: 2026-03-01T19:00:00-05:00
event_date: "March 1, 2026"
event_time: "7:00 PM - 9:00 PM"
event_location: "Fellowship Hall"
registration_url: "https://example.com/register"
registration_text: "Register Now"
featured: true
---

Field Descriptions

• title: The event name (appears as the heading)
• date: Event date/time in ISO format (YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS-05:00)
  • This is used for sorting events
  • The time should be when the event starts
  • -05:00 is the timezone (Eastern Time)
• event_date: Human-readable date displayed on the page
• event_time: Time or time range (e.g., “10:00 AM” or “6:00 PM - 8:00 PM”)
• event_location: Where the event takes place
• registration_url: Link to registration page (can be external or internal)
• registration_text: Text for the registration button (e.g., “Register Now”, “RSVP”, “Learn More”)
• featured: Set to true to show on main events page, false to hide

Example: Adding a New Event

Let’s say you want to add a “Spring Picnic” event:

1. Copy _TEMPLATE.md and rename it to spring-picnic-2026.md
2. Edit the file:

---
title: "Spring Picnic"
date: 2026-04-15T12:00:00-05:00
event_date: "April 15, 2026"
event_time: "12:00 PM - 3:00 PM"
event_location: "Church Grounds"
registration_url: "/contact/"
registration_text: "RSVP"
featured: true
---

Join us for our annual spring picnic with food, games, and fellowship!

## What to Bring

Please bring a side dish or dessert to share. The church will provide hamburgers and hot dogs.

## Activities

- Games for kids
- Volleyball
- Horseshoes
- Fellowship time

3. Save the file and commit to GitHub

Managing Events

Hiding Past Events

When an event is over, you have two options:

1. Delete the file - Removes it completely
2. Set featured: false - Keeps the detail page but removes from the events list

Changing Event Order

Events are automatically sorted by the date field. The earliest dates appear first. To change the order, adjust the dates.

Registration Links

The registration_url can be:

• An external link: https://churchcenter.com/register
• A page on your site: /contact/
• A ministry page: /ministries/youth/
• An email link: mailto:info@threerivers.church

Questions?

If you have questions about adding or managing events, contact your web administrator.