Notifications

The Notifications page is your in-portal inbox for alerts the system generates on your behalf -- things like event reminders, message previews, group updates, sub requests, lesson approvals, prayer activity, and family join requests.

This is separate from the Messages feature, which is for member-to-member conversations (see 09-messages.md).

Opening Notifications

1. Log in to the Member Portal.
2. Click Notifications (often shown with a bell icon) in the sidebar or in the top navigation.

A red dot or count badge on the bell tells you how many unread notifications you have.

The Notifications page lists every notification in reverse chronological order (newest first). Each row shows:

• An icon indicating the type (event, message, prayer, etc.)
• A short summary of what happened
• A timestamp ("3 minutes ago," "yesterday," etc.)
• A link to the related page (the event, the message thread, the form, etc.)

Reading and Acting on a Notification

1. Click a notification to open the related page -- this also marks that notification as read.
2. If the notification has an action attached (for example, "Approve a join request" or "Confirm your assignment"), the link takes you straight to the screen where you can act.

Marking Notifications as Read

There are two ways to mark notifications as read:

One at a time

• Click the notification (which opens its target page) -- it is automatically marked read.
• Or click the Mark as Read option on the notification row without opening the page.

All at once

1. Open the Notifications page.
2. Click Mark All as Read at the top of the list.
3. Every unread notification becomes read in a single click. The badge on the bell icon clears.

Types of Notifications You Might See

• Events -- new events posted, registration confirmations, reminders before an event starts
• Messages -- new direct messages or replies (also visible in Messages)
• Groups -- new meetings scheduled, RSVP requests, prayer requests posted in your group
• Family -- someone has requested to join your household, or a family member's information was updated
• Serving / Schedule -- new assignments, sub requests, swap responses (team members)
• Lessons -- approval status of lessons you proposed (teachers)
• Prayer Wall -- (optional) someone has prayed for a request you submitted

The types you actually receive depend on which features your church uses and how you have configured your Notification Preferences (see 02-managing-your-profile.md).

Managing What You Receive

In-portal notifications are always available -- they are how the system tells you something happened. What you can control is whether each type also sends you an email.

1. Go to My Profile.
2. Open Notification Preferences.
3. Toggle each category on or off.
4. Click Save Changes.

For full details, see 02-managing-your-profile.md.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I get too many notifications. How do I cut down on them? A: Open My Profile > Notification Preferences and turn off the categories you do not need. This stops the matching emails. If you also want to clear in-portal noise, use Mark All as Read to reset the counter.

Q: I am missing notifications I expected. Why? A: Either the underlying feature is not enabled at your church, or the related preference is turned off in your profile. Check both.

Q: Are notifications stored forever? A: Older notifications eventually roll off the list. Critical ones (like join requests waiting on you) stay until you act on them.