Released!

We were released from our callings as Ward-Missionaries (and my husband as Ward Mission Leader) last Sunday because my husband was called to be a Counselor in our new Bishopric. For me it is always a little difficult to be released from a calling because I have put so much of myself into it and built a relationship with so many people. The great thing is, since every member should be a member-missionary anyhow, it doesn't mean that I need to stop doing many of the fun things that ward-missionaries get to do - helping visitors feel welcome, fellowshipping new members, inviting non-member friends to Church & activities, etc....

And of course a new Ward Mission Leader has been called (and his wife as a Ward-Missionary), so I'm sure they will do great and the work and wonderful things will continue to happen.

I will keep this blog open for anyone who wants to reference it, but I probably won't be adding new posts anymore. I WILL continue to check for questions and comments on this blog, so feel free to let me know if you have any questions, etc.

Callings for New Converts

If you're a Ward Mission Leader, you may occasionally be asked for suggestions about possible callings for new converts in your Ward. I recently came across a great chart (on MissionaryLeaders.org) that has a list of callings and which characteristics of those particular callings might (or might not be) appropriate for some new converts.

For example, 'Sacrament Meeting Door Greeter' would be great for some new converts, because it requires Church attendance and helps them get more familiar with Ward members. On the other hand, there isn't any particular gospel-study preparation needed to do the calling and they usually wouldn't work with/learn from a more experienced Ward-member to perform the calling. Another possible downside would be that this calling could be interpreted by the new-member as unimportant (because they may feel they aren't needed as much as a teacher or leader).

Another example of a calling for a new member would be 'Assistant Primary Teacher', which would also require Church attendance (at least for the 2nd and/or 3rd hour) and would help the new member get to know some of the Ward members (other Primary teachers and Leaders, parents of students). In addition, this calling would require gospel learning (lesson preparation/participation) and would provide an opportunity for the new member to work closely with another member. A downside of this type of calling could be that it may limit the new member's participation/attendance in Sunday School and Relief Society or Priesthood meetings.

This chart isn't so much a list of 'good' and 'bad' callings (its not), but rather a list of characteristics that the callings have that you will want to consider (along with the new converts personality and abilities, of course).

It might be useful to print out and keep a copy of this chart to refer to if you should need to consider some suggestions for your new converts!

You can link to the page with this chart by clicking here: Possible Callings for New Members (you will be taken to the MissionaryLeaders.org website).

Ward Activity - "Talent (& No-Talent)" Show

We have been asked by our Stake to plan a Ward activity to go along with our Ward's upcoming "Invitation Sunday" (for more information on Invitation Sunday, see the section on this topic on the right side).

Based on the needs of our Ward, we wanted to come up with an activity that met a specific criteria. We want to have an activity that is casual and fun, so non-members can come to our Church building and get to know our Ward members in a positive atmosphere. We also want it to be an activity that our Ward members would be excited to attend and truly feel comfortable inviting their non-member friends/relatives to (without fearing a surprise sermon or missionary 'ambush').

The idea that we decided on is to have a Ward "Talent (and No-Talent)" Show. I have adapted this idea from a post about a 'No-Talent Show' Ward activity that I read about on The Idea Door website, here. We changed it to a Talent AND No-Talent show for our Ward because we thought we could get more participants if we offered a choice of performing conventional or non-conventional talents.

Here is the planning sheet that we used to plan the activity - it gives a good explanation of what the activity is about....

________________________________________________

Ward Activity Planning Sheet

Activity: Ward “Talent (and No-Talent)” Show*

Plan: Ward members volunteer to perform a talent (a regular talent or non-conventional talents) during a Ward “Talent (and No-Talent)” Show (followed by refreshments)

Examples of talents: singing, dance, musical instruments, etc

Examples of non-conventional talents: nose-whistling, packing a suitcase in 30 seconds, spinning plates, or ripping a phone book in half, etc

Purpose: Provide a fun activity that ward-members will be able to invite non-member friends/relatives to attend

Benefits: A “Talent & No-Talent” show activity is a fun way to familiarize non-member visitors with ward members in a casual atmosphere. We should have participants from all age groups (primary, youth, & adults) performing talents or non-talents. Participants may feel more excited to invite non-member friends/relatives because they (or a relative) are performing. This is an activity that can be enjoyed by performers and audience of all ages.

Display tables: We can have several display tables in the cultural hall. Some of these will have displays of non-performance talent by Ward members (paintings, crafts, etc). There will also be display table(s) near the door with Church information & pamphlets about our basic beliefs, how to learn more, etc.

Refreshments: We will ask several people in the ward who are talented in cake-decorating to each bring 1-dozen decorated cupcakes.

Things that would need to be done to pull-off a “No-Talent Show”:

Recruiting the ‘talent/no-talent’ performers (sign-up sheets, email, phone calls)

Pre-screening acts to make sure they are Church-appropriate

Arranging for an emcee

Advertising (specifically that this is a great event to invite non-members to)

Arranging the program (order of acts)

Setting up chairs and microphone

Providing refreshments at the end of the talent show

Create display tables for non-performance crafts (scrapbooking, woodworking, art, etc)

Create display tables with info about attending church & our basic beliefs, how to learn more, etc

Clean-up

*The term “Talent (& No-Talent) Show” isn’t meant to be demeaning to anyone. We are encouraging all types of talents and don’t want to discourage people who aren’t traditional performers. There will be no judging, prizes, or labeling of who is a ‘talent’ or a ‘no-talent’

__________________________

We have also come up with a handout that will be passed out at Church on Sunday with information for Ward members. This is meant to get the word out about the “Talent (& No-Talent) Show”and to (hopefully) encourage Ward members to sign up to perform. Here is the text from the handout:

_______________________

(Name of Ward here) Ward

"Talent (& No-Talent)" Show

(Date and time here)

Do you have a talent to share? We’re looking for acts to perform in the Ward Talent (& No-Talent) Show. It doesn’t matter if you’re traditionally ‘talented’ or not…There won’t be any judging - this is just for fun!

We’re looking for Ward members of all ages to do:

Conventional talents (like singing, dancing, juggling, yo-yo tricks, etc)

OR

Non-conventional talents (like nose-whistling, packing a suitcase in 30 seconds, spinning plates, or ripping a phone book in half, etc…)

Sign-up sheets will be passed in classes on Sundays. Not a performer? Please sign up anyhow- There will also be a display table for people who want to share their non-performance talents (like painting, woodworking, scrapbooking, sewing, etc).

Even if you don’t have a talent you’d like to share, please plan to come as an audience member and BRING A FRIEND! This activity is being organized by (insert names here), please contact us for more info (insert phone number here)

Christmas-time Activities & Church Attendance

If your ward/Stake has upcoming Christmas-related events, make sure to advertise these activities especially to your new members and less-active members. In every ward I've been in, it has been very easy to get less-active (or inactive) members to come to an activity if its Christmas-related. I believe that this is because many people (even if they aren't actively attending Church) equate the holidays with Church attendance. Going to Church at Christmas-time may be something they grew up with, even if they didn't attend Church or Church-related activities any other time of the year.

At our Ward's most recent Christmas party, we saw many people who hadn't been to Church or a Church function in 6 months or more. And a several of them brought along their non-member relatives and friends. This is a great opportunity for us to reach out and fellowship these brothers and sisters, and their friends and relatives.

Be on the lookout, also, on Christmas Day (since it falls on Sunday this year), for those less-active or inactive members who may feel inspired to attend Church BECAUSE it is Christmas. What a special opportunity for them to feel the Spirit and remember why they joined the Church in the first place!

Christmas Cards = Gospel Sharing

Merry Christmas everyone! We came up with an idea to encourage our ward members to keep sharing the gospel this Christmas season. I am in contact with many of our ward members on facebook and through an email group, so I sent this email (below) out last week. It outlines our plan for using Joy to the World "Pass-Along Cards" in Christmas cards being sent to non-member friends or relatives:

"Ward members- This Christmas season, we have come up with an idea for inviting friends and relatives to learn more about our beliefs in a very easy way. Most of you are probably familiar with the Church’s “pass along cards” (small index-size cards with a picture on one side and Church info on the other side)...


Our idea is to offer the “Joy to the World” theme pass-along cards to any ward members who would like to include them in Christmas cards they will be sending to non-members (either local or in other areas). The card would easily fit inside any Christmas card. It has a picture of Mary and baby Jesus on the front, with the words, “Joy to the World”. On the back of the card, it says, “Bring the spirit of Christmas into your home with the story of the Saviour’s birth and His life, featuring music by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir” (there is a picture of the FREE “Joy to the World” DVD that is being offered, and the 800 number to call).


Please note, when people call for the DVD they are asked if they would like to learn more about the gospel, but meeting with the full-time missionaries is not required and they are trained to be very polite.

Including a “pass-along” card in with a Christmas card is a simple, easy way to offer a church-related gift and a non-aggressive opportunity for them to learn about our beliefs if they wish. You never know - there may be people on your Christmas card list who may jump at the chance for a free DVD and may be very interested in learning more about our beliefs!

I have ordered 200 “Joy to the World” pass-along cards and they will be available soon for anyone who would like to include them in some of their Christmas cards. We are providing the pass-along cards to our ward members at no charge. If you have any questions or are interested in having some of these pass-along cards to send out, please let me know (and how many you would like).

PS- The free “Joy to the World” DVDs are meant as a missionary tool for non-members, so church members are asked not to call for free DVDs. The “Joy to the World” DVD is available to purchase for $1.50 from Church Distribution if you would like to buy a copy of the movie for yourself"


Many Christmas cards that would be sent by our ward members would probably be to members in other areas/missions, but thats okay. Sharing the gospel is always a good thing, even if we don't directly see the results in our own ward. Also, even being presented with this idea gets ward members thinking - who are their non-member friends and relatives and would they be receptive to something like this?


To order pass-along cards, go to the online store at www.lds.org. They are $2.00 for a pack of 100 cards (there is no charge for shipping). Please note, it may be too late for you to order 'pass-along cards', as many people are sending out their cards in early December. Another option would be to check with your Bishopric to see if your ward has a stockpile of pass-along cards somewhere that you could have. Or, your ward's full-time missionaries might have some of these cards as well. If you do order pass-along cards and they arrive late in the month, you can always encourage members to give them to people personally (or include them in gift-baskets, etc).

I personally prefer the Joy to the World cards to the other pass-along cards that are available (because they are Christmas-themed), but you could probably use any variety of pass-along card if the Joy to the World cards aren't available to you.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Plan now for General Conference Reminders

General Conference is coming up in a few weeks! If you've ever forgotten it was Conference Weekend, you know there is nothing worse than showing up for church on time at your regular Ward building and seeing an empty parking lot!

For long-time members, General Conference isn't anything unusual, but for investigators and recent converts, General Conference is a new concept. While we may all know where to go (and when) the first weekend of April and October (or at least how to look it up), new members may not have a clue.

Here are some ideas to help you make sure that everyone you're working with has the opportunity to watch General Conference (and NOT show up for Church at the regular place/time):

#1- Announce (and explain) General Conference in Gospel Essentials Sunday School class for at least 2 weeks prior to Conference. 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 - the Conference broadcasts will replace regular Church meetings on this Sunday.

#2- Provide a handout* (sample shown below) that has a basic explanation of General Conference and the dates/times/viewing options appropriate for your area. 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 may be interested in attending.

#3- If you send out a new member newsletter, include the explanation of General Conference and the dates/times/viewing options for your area, etc. Again, be sure to emphasize that there will not be any regular Church meetings on Conference Sunday - the Conference broadcasts will replace the regular Church meetings on this Sunday. Yes, its repeating yourself, but this is often misunderstood by new members.

#4- Consider asking Ward leaders (if appropriate) to announce General Conference times/viewing options (in Relief Society, Priesthood, etc). Some Wards do this, others do not.

#5- 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 Conference weekend.

#6- If possible, consider inviting some investigators or new members to your home to view Conference with your family (or to attend Conference with you at a Church building providing the broadcast)

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 General Conference because they didn't know about it.


*My handouts usually look something like this (times and viewing options will vary by region, this is just shown for example):


General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
October 1st and 2nd

General Conference is held twice a year and is broadcast from Church Headquarters in Salt Lake City to members all over the world. Speakers will include the Prophet (President of the Church), members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and other Church Leaders. Since each of the 4 sessions of the Conference will feature different speakers and different topics, Church members watch all 4 sessions.

DATES/TIMES:
Saturday the 1st- morning session 9:00-11:00am
and afternoon session 1:00-3:00pm
AND
Sunday the 2nd- morning session 9:00-11:00am
and afternoon session 1:00-3:00pm

VIEWING OPTIONS:
AT HOME: If you get BYU-Channel or local access Channel __, you can view all 4 Conference broadcasts at home on your tv.

AT CHURCH: All 4 Conference broadcasts are shown on a large movie screen in the chapel at the Stake Center (located at _________). Sunday-clothing is appropriate if you attend in the chapel.

ONLINE: All 4 Conference broadcasts can be viewed at the Church's official website, www.lds.org

Please mark your calenders - there are no regular Church meetings this weekend - instead, everyone will be attending Conference broadcasts (either at home or at the Stake Center Building)




See you at Conference!

New member social success!

(This post was created months ago, but never posted for some reason...)

We had a great 'dessert social' for some of our new members tonight. It was held at the Bishop's home and it went really well. We have about 17 adults who were baptized in the last few years, and of those 17 the Bishop selected 9 (plus their spouses & kids, if applicable) to invite to this social. We were somewhat limited on space because it was held in a home, which was the reason for the limit on attendees, but we hope to have more "socials" like this in the future. It was a great way for newer members to socialize (with each other, the Bishop, and the ward-missionaries) outside of Church.