Member Guide

Welcome

This guide covers everything available to you as a member of PIWC Takoradi - sermons, events, giving, small groups, and your personal dashboard.

Creating & Activating Your Account

Activating via a personal link (existing church members)

If you are already registered with the church, your account has been pre-created. The church office will send you a personal activation link by email.

1. Click the activation link in the email (valid for 72 hours)
2. Account — upload a profile photo and set your email and password
3. Personal — check your name and title, and your gender, date of birth and occupation. Everything is filled in from the church records already, so you only need to correct anything that has changed (for example a new surname after marriage).
4. Contact — confirm your phone number (you can add an optional secondary phone too) and enter your GhanaPost GPS address; your residential address fills in automatically from it
5. Tap Activate My Account — you are logged in immediately

As you fill in the form, the membership ID card on the page updates live so you can see exactly how your details will appear.

Titles: on the Personal step you can pick more than one salutation — for example Rev. Dr. or Dcns. Prof. The form prevents conflicting choices (you cannot pick both Mr. and Mrs., or both Deacon and Deaconess).

Didn’t receive a link? Visit piwctakoradi.org/onboard, enter your phone number or email address plus your date of birth, and a new link will be sent to you.

Registering from scratch (new to the platform)

1. Go to piwctakoradi.org
2. Tap Sign In in the top-right corner
3. Tap Create an account
4. Enter your name, email, and a password (at least 8 characters)
5. Tap Register — you are logged in immediately

Logging in

1. Tap Sign In at the top of any page
2. Enter your email and password, then tap Log in

Forgot your password?

On the login page, tap Forgot your password?, enter your email address, and follow the reset link sent to your inbox.

Sign in with Google

If the church has enabled it, you can tap Continue with Google on the login or register page instead of typing a password. If you already have an account with the same email address, Google sign-in connects to that existing account — it does not create a duplicate.

You can also connect Google to an account you already use: sign in normally, go to Profile → Security, and tap Connect Google in the Google sign-in panel. To remove it later, tap Disconnect in the same place. If you disconnect Google and never set a password, use Forgot your password? to create one.

Your Member Dashboard

After logging in, tap your name or Dashboard in the navigation. This is your personal home base on the platform.

Sermons

Browsing the archive

Go to piwctakoradi.org/sermons. All published sermons appear newest first.

Searching and filtering

Use the search bar to find by title, speaker, or scripture. Use the dropdowns to filter by speaker, series, or language.

Playing a sermon

1. Tap any sermon card to open it
2. Tap the Play button in the audio player
3. You can pause, seek, and adjust volume in the player

Tip: On the installed PWA app, audio keeps playing when you lock your screen or switch apps.

Events & QR Check-in

Finding upcoming events

Go to piwctakoradi.org/events to browse all upcoming events. Each card shows the title, category, date, time, and location.

Registering for an event

1. Open the event page and tap Register now (or Register me for a simple RSVP)
2. Fill in your details (pre-filled if you are logged in)
3. For a convention you may also be asked for your delegate category, whether you need accommodation or feeding, and your arrival and departure dates
4. Tap Complete registration. If the event has a fee, you continue to a secure Paystack payment screen and your spot is confirmed once payment succeeds

Conventions are open to visitors too — you do not need an account to register, just your name, email, and phone number.

QR Check-in at the venue

1. Log in and go to your Dashboard
2. Find the event under Upcoming Events
3. Tap My QR Code to display it
4. Show the code on your phone screen at the check-in desk

No phone? Tell the check-in team your name — they can look you up and mark you as checked in manually.

Event reminders

After registering, you will receive automatic reminders:

• 24 hours before — email and push notification
• 2 hours before — SMS (if your phone number is saved on your profile)
• 1 hour before — push notification

Make sure your phone number is up to date on your profile to receive the SMS reminder.

Online Giving & Pledges

How to give online

1. Go to piwctakoradi.org/give or tap Give in the navigation
2. Choose a campaign, amount, and your details
3. Pick Pay online and tap Proceed
4. Complete payment via card, MTN MoMo, Vodafone Cash, or AirtelTigo (via Paystack)
5. A receipt is emailed to you automatically. If you entered a phone number, an SMS receipt is also sent.

No account needed. You can give as a guest with just your name and email.

How to give offline (bank, MoMo, cash)

1. Fill the same form on /give but pick Give offline
2. Tap Continue to payment details. You will land on an instructions page with our MoMo Pay code, bank accounts, and a unique reference starting with OFF-
3. Pay through any of the channels shown, quoting the OFF- reference as your narration
4. Come back to the same page and tap I have completed the payment
5. Our finance team gets notified and confirms within 2-3 working days. You will see the gift marked Completed on your dashboard once verified.

Forgot your reference? Use the /give/lookup form (reference + your email) to find it again. We also email a link you can bookmark for 7 days.

Viewing your giving history

Log in → Dashboard → scroll to Your Giving for a list of past donations. Any offline gifts still pending confirmation - and any active pledges still to fulfil - appear in the same card with quick action buttons.

Making a pledge

A pledge is a commitment to give over time — weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually. It is a promise, not an immediate payment.

1. Go to piwctakoradi.org/give
2. Tap the Make a Pledge tab
3. Choose a campaign (optional), enter the amount and frequency
4. Fill in your name, email, and phone, then tap Submit Pledge

The church finance team will see your pledge and may follow up regarding the fulfilment schedule. No payment is processed at this step.

Submitting a Personal Announcement

Members can submit personal church notices — bereavements, weddings, naming and dedication ceremonies, thanksgiving reports — for review and publication.

How to submit

1. Log in → Dashboard → tap My Submissions
2. Tap New Submission
3. Choose the type (Bereavement, Wedding, Thanksgiving, etc.)
4. Enter a title, description, and optional date, time, venue, and photo
5. Tap Submit

You will receive a confirmation email. The church communications team will review and publish the announcement. You can track the status under My Submissions.

Birthday Wishes

On your birthday, the church sends you a personal greeting by email, push notification (if you are subscribed), and SMS (if your phone number is saved on your profile). Your dashboard also shows a special birthday message that day.

Birthday messages are sent automatically each morning. You do not need to do anything. To opt out, speak to the church office — they can turn off birthday messages on your profile.

Requesting Pastoral Support

If you are going through a difficult time and would like to speak with a pastor or church elder, you can request support privately from your dashboard.

1. Log in → Dashboard → find the Pastoral Care card
2. Describe your concern briefly and select whether it is routine or urgent
3. Tap Send Request

Your request goes directly to the pastoral team. A pastor or deacon will contact you privately. Your concern is treated as completely confidential.

Prayer Wall

The Prayer Wall at piwctakoradi.org/prayer-wall is a space for members to share and pray for one another.

Submitting a prayer request

1. Go to the prayer wall and tap Add a prayer request
2. Write your request and choose Public (visible to all members) or Private (seen only by leadership)
3. Tap Submit

Small Groups

Finding a group

Go to piwctakoradi.org/small-groups. Browse by meeting day, location, or leader name.

Finding your home cell

Home cells meet in neighbourhoods across Takoradi. To find the one nearest you, open piwctakoradi.org/small-groups/find and either:

• Enter your GhanaPost GPS code (e.g. WS-123-4567) — this gives the most exact match; or
• Type your neighbourhood name (e.g. Tanokrom); or
• Tap Use my location to let your phone pinpoint you.

We show the cell that covers your area, or the nearest cells with an approximate distance if your area does not have its own cell yet. If you are signed in and your GPS is on file, your home cell appears automatically.

Prefer to explore? Open the home cell map to see every home cell and the area it covers on one map, with a list you can tap through.

Submitting a join request

1. Open a group's detail page and tap Request to Join
2. Fill in your details and an optional message for the leader
3. Tap Send Request
4. The group leader will contact you within a few days

Resource Library

Browse books, study guides, and devotionals at piwctakoradi.org/library.

Login required for downloads. Create a free account to download any resource.

1. Find the resource you want
2. Tap Download
3. The file saves to your device

Push Notifications

Push notifications let the church send you alerts directly — even when you are not on the website.

Subscribing

When prompted by your browser, tap Allow. You can also enable notifications from the banner on your Dashboard.

What you will receive

• New sermons published
• Upcoming events
• Important announcements
• Birthday greetings from the church

Unsubscribing

Go to your browser settings → Notifications → piwctakoradi.org → Turn off.

If "Enable notifications" fails on a computer

On some networks, desktop Chrome and Edge cannot reach Google's notification service and show a "push service error". This is a network limitation, not a fault on our side. To fix it:

• Brave browser: go to brave://settings/privacy and turn ON "Use Google services for push messaging", then try again. This is the most common cause in Brave.
• Chrome / Edge: try Firefox instead — it uses a different notification service and works on networks that block Google's. A VPN also resolves it.
• On your phone: notifications work normally in Chrome on Android — if a computer won't subscribe, use your phone.

Availability Pause

If you are travelling, on medical leave, or otherwise away for a period, you can pause your availability so the church system does not send you absence follow-up messages.

Setting a pause

1. Go to your Dashboard
2. Find the My Availability card
3. Tap Set availability pause
4. Enter the From date (when your absence starts)
5. Enter the To date — or leave it blank for an open-ended pause
6. Optionally add a reason (only visible to you and church admin)
7. Tap Save

Removing a pause

When you return, open your Dashboard → My Availability card → tap Remove pause. Absence emails will resume from the next service.

Note: Pastoral follow-up from the Deacons team is a caring gesture, not a monitoring system. The pause simply prevents automated emails — the team may still reach out personally.

Installing the App (PWA)

Install PIWC Takoradi on your phone or computer like a regular app for the best experience.

Android or Desktop (Chrome / Edge)

When you visit the site in Chrome or Edge, an install icon appears automatically in the address bar — it looks like a monitor or phone with a small download arrow. Tap or click it, then tap Install.

If you do not see the address bar icon, use the browser menu instead: three-dot menu → Add to Home Screen or Install App.

iPhone / iPad (Safari)

1. Open piwctakoradi.org in Safari (must be Safari, not Chrome)
2. Tap the Share icon (square with an arrow pointing up) at the bottom of the screen
3. Scroll down and tap Add to Home Screen
4. Tap Add

Tip: On iOS, a reminder will appear on the website after a few seconds guiding you through the steps above.

Your Family on the Platform

Church administration links family households together in the system. This means your records, your spouse's records, and your children's records can all be connected under one family unit.

What the family link is used for

• Pastoral visits and follow-up can reference the whole household at once
• Minor children registered in Sunday School are linked to your family automatically when your parent record is set
• Leadership can see a complete household picture when supporting your family

Manage your household yourself

You can build your own family household from Profile → Family:

• Create your family — give it a name (e.g. "The Mensah Family"). You become the head of household.
• Add your spouse or adult children — search for their account (they must not already be in another family) and add them.
• Add a new child — enter a child's name, date of birth, and gender directly.
• Claim an existing child — search the Sunday School register and link a child to your family.

You can only claim children who share your surname. The search will only show children with the same last name as you. This protects every family — no one can add another family's child to their household. If a child you should be able to claim has a different surname (e.g. a step-child or a spelling difference), ask a Deacon, Deaconess, or the church office to link them for you.

If you'd rather not manage this yourself, the church administration can also link your household. Speak to a Deacon or Deaconess, or contact the church office.

Membership Application

Apply for formal membership at piwctakoradi.org/membership/apply (login required).

1. Complete the multi-step form with your personal information and faith background
2. Submit — the membership committee will review within 1–2 weeks
3. You will receive an email with the decision
4. If approved: welcome email, SMS notification (if phone number is on your profile), and member status upgrade

Managing Your Profile

1. Tap your name (top-right) → Profile
2. Update your name, email, phone, address, or photo
3. Tap Save

To change your password: Profile → Security → enter current password → enter new password → tap Update Password.

Getting Help

• Information desk on Sunday mornings — a team member can assist you in person
• Ask a Deacon or Deaconess — they are trained on the platform
• Email us through the contact form