Awesome Ward-Missionary Ideas: Stake Conference Reminders

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Stake Conference Reminders

Stake Conference is coming up in our area and I make it a priority to make sure that all of our newer/returning members and investigators know about it - there is nothing worse than showing up for church and finding an empty parking lot!

While long-time members may know where to go (and when), this is probably a new concept for most of our newer members. Here are some ideas to help you make sure that everyone you're working with has the opportunity to attend Stake Conference and know what to expect when they get there.

Announce (and explain) Stake Conference in Gospel Essentials Sunday School class for at least 2 weeks prior to the Conference weekend. Even if you explain it once, not everyone may be paying attention and there may be some people missing from class the first time. Be sure to emphasize that there will not be any regular Church meetings on Conference Sunday - Stake Conference meetings replace regular Church meetings on this Sunday.
Provide a handout* (sample shown below) that has a basic explanation of Stake Conference and the dates/times they should attend. Hand these out in Sunday School and before/after Sacrament meeting during the 2 weeks before Conference, so you can catch as many people as possible. I usually make extras of these handouts and give them to our full-time missionaries so they have something to give to investigators who they want to invite.
Reminder phone calls (or emails) - as a last minute reminder, it doesn't hurt to give a quick call or email on Friday to remind investigators/new members that its Stake Conference weekend.

You don't have to use all of these methods, of course, but I feel like the more reminders, the better. This may seem like overkill, but I'd rather repeat myself 4 times than have someone tell me later that they showed up for Church and nobody was there and/or they missed Stake Conference because they didn't know about it.

*My handouts usually look something like this:

Stake Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, _________ Stake
March 12th - 13th

Stake Conference is held twice a year. This is a local conference of all of the members in our area (Stake). Speakers will include Stake leadership and a visiting General Authority. All Stake Conference meetings are held at the Stake Center (__address________________)

DATES/TIMES:
Saturday the 12th- evening session (adults only) 7:00pm-8:30pm
Sunday the 13th- general morning session (everyone) 10:00am-12:00pm

Stake Conference meetings take the place of all regular Sunday meetings during this weekend. Sunday dress clothes are appropriate for all Stake Conference meetings.

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What is missionary work?

As a young single adult (and a recent convert of just 2 years) I served a full-time proselyting mission for the Church. The experiences that I had during my mission were incredible, but if I were to select a time in my life that I experienced the most success in sharing the gospel, I would absolutely choose that 2 year period between when I was baptized and when I entered the MTC (Missionary Training Center).

I wasn't serving as any type of "official" missionary at that time. I was just a regular person who was excited about the changes that the gospel had brought into my life. It felt perfectly natural to invite my friends and co-workers to learn more about the Church. It also seemed completely normal to encourage less-active members to participate in our local branch. I was able to have many wonderful experiences without ever worrying for a moment that I was "putting myself out there" for potential rejection. I genuinely felt excited about my new beliefs and just wanted to offer the same experience to everyone around me.

During my full-time mission, I would occasionally feel frustration with the lack of success in an area where I was assigned to serve. It seemed strange how much more effective it had been to casually approach people as a friend, co-worker, or neighbor in my pre-mission days (when I wasn't wearing a nametag). I loved my mission, but I knew that there would come a day when I would be a "normal" member again and could easily mention the gospel to those around me as I had before, without having a door slammed in my face by a stranger.

Could it be possible that member missionary work is easier and more natural than people imagine it is? Can we use principles of friendship and Christ-like love to reach out to our friends and neighbors in a casual way? How can we incorporate those same principles into other areas, like convert retention and reactivation?

I feel that member missionary work should be a natural part of being a member of the Church. You don't have to be a full-time missionary, or even a ward missionary, to have successful gospel-sharing experiences. The concept of being a member missionary seems daunting to many people in the Church, but it doesn't have to be that way.

After my husband and I were called as ward missionaries, I began to search the internet for additional information to help us in our callings. I was seeking tips and information that had been helpful to other ward missionaries (or to member missionaries in general). While I found many articles, websites/blogs, and books devoted to the subject of full-time missions or full-time missionaries, I found shockingly little information specifically about member missionary and ward missionary efforts. I decided to share our own ideas about member missionary work on this blog!

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Stake Conference Reminders

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