Ixnay on the Ward Activities Committee?

[BookofMormonLuvr]

So I went with my wife to my Mom's Ward Christmas Party on Saturday and they announced that the church had discontinued the calling of Ward Activities Committee... what gives?

[Nofear]

Under the direction of the bishopric, the ward council oversees the planning of ward activities. When an activity is for a specific organization or group in the ward, it is planned under the direction of the priesthood or auxiliary leaders who are responsible for the organization. When an activity is for the entire ward, the bishop may assign responsibility for it to one or more organizations represented on the ward council. He may also assign responsibility for an activity to other individuals or to a committee, working under the direction of the ward council. Normally these assignments are temporary for a specific activity. (Handbook 2: 13.2)

While it is possible for a ward to have a "permanent" activities committee, now, as a general practice of the Church activities are planned on a per basis.

[BookofMormonLuvr]

Don't the various auxiliaries already have enough on their plates? Now they have to be event planners. This move doesn't make sense to me, it seems it will discourage not encourage bonding as a Ward family.

[Jason]

The auxiliaries are supposed to delegate - they can call committies within their group to oversee activities they are assigned. There is no intention to cut down on the number of activities.

[Nofear]

Any activity that was specific to a quorum or auxiliary was already under the purview of that organization and not an activities committee. It does not necessarily add anything to their plates. The activities committee was basically a body to encourage social cohesion in a ward. Yet, this goal was and always has been the responsibility of the Bishop and Ward Council. Apparently the Brethren deemed that on occasion a standing activities committee separated that responsibility from the Ward Council's direct involvement. This is not, an never was, as it should be. That is, the organizational structure of a standing activities committee lent itself to situations were the proper order and function of the Church was allowed to become skewed. So, in general, standing activity committees were dissolved. From a bureaucratic, organizational, and efficiency standpoint the move makes a lot of sense to me. You might disagree. But disagree or not, I personally find it useful to try to understand the motivations and program of the Church. If you haven't already, I encourage you or whoever is reading the thread to read all of section 13 of the handbook.

[Avatar4321]

We should likely be focusing on service more anyway.

[Nofear]

We should likely be focusing on service more anyway.

The new policy isn't designed to inhibit activities nor has the policies as to what constitutes an appropriate and desirable church activity changed either. Section 13 is there for everybody to read.

[BCSpace]

A ward can still call or assign people to handle specific activities. I predict those same people who were on the Activities Committee will likely get called to handle these things anyway.

[cinepro]

A ward can still call or assign people to handle specific activities. I predict those same people who were on the Activities Committee will likely get called to handle these things anyway.

The key point in this is that everyone in the ward is supposed to have a "calling". Meaning, a constant state of existence in which their place in the ward can be defined by a responsibility or title. If there is no standing activities committee in the ward, then the people who would have been on that committee will be assigned to other callings. Which means that all the "temporary activities committees" will be staffed by people who have other callings.

Lucky them.

[BCSpace]

A ward can still call or assign people to handle specific activities. I predict those same people who were on the Activities Committee will likely get called to handle these things anyway.

The key point in this is that everyone in the ward is supposed to have a "calling". Meaning, a constant state of existence in which their place in the ward can be defined by a responsibility or title. If there is no standing activities committee in the ward, then the people who would have been on that committee will be assigned to other callings. Which means that all the "temporary activities committees" will be staffed by people who have other callings.

Lucky them.

The reality is that there are only certain callings borderline active members typically accept. Activity Committee was one of them. That is not to say that one is necessarily considered borderline inactive if given that calling. But it is a kind of truism in the Church.

[volgadon]

The reality is that there are only certain callings borderline active members typically accept. Activity Committee was one of them. That is not to say that one is necessarily considered borderline inactive if given that calling. But it is a kind of truism in the Church.

A Utah thing, perhaps. In Israel and in Eastern europe, activity committees were almost almays made up of the most active members, the same members who did everything else.

[Jon63]

Isn't this because the new Ward Activity is cleaning the Chapel?

[PaulBoyerFan]

Isn't this because the new Ward Activity is cleaning the Chapel?

Snap!

[Zakuska]

Isn't this because the new Ward Activity is cleaning the Chapel?

Seems to me that the sons of Aaron did a lot of Temple cleaning.

[katherine the great]

Isn't this because the new Ward Activity is cleaning the Chapel?

Do you ever have anything meaningful to add to a discussion or are insults your only offering?

[Zakuska]

This past Sunday they released our Ward activities commity.

[katherine the great]

The key point in this is that everyone in the ward is supposed to have a "calling". Meaning, a constant state of existence in which their place in the ward can be defined by a responsibility or title. If there is no standing activities committee in the ward, then the people who would have been on that committee will be assigned to other callings. Which means that all the "temporary activities committees" will be staffed by people who have other callings.

Lucky them.

I've served on the activities committee numerous times and it has always been a second (or third) calling. The only person for whom it was their only calling was the chairperson. I don't know if this is the way it is across the board, but that was my experience with it.

[cinepro]

I've served on the activities committee numerous times and it has always been a second (or third) calling. The only person for whom it was their only calling was the chairperson. I don't know if this is the way it is across the board, but that was my experience with it.

Interesting. The workings of the activity committee have always been a mystery to me. And based on some of the ward activities I've been too, I suspect it may have been a mystery to some of them as well.

[katherine the great]

Interesting. The workings of the activity committee have always been a mystery to me. And based on some of the ward activities I've been too, I suspect it may have been a mystery to some of them as well.

Bummer. We've usually had fun, well planned activities.

[Lightbearer]

A Utah thing, perhaps. In Israel and in Eastern europe, activity committees were almost almays made up of the most active members, the same members who did everything else.

That is how I see it here in Florida... the Activities committee was one of the toughest most demanding callings in the Church (my wife had it for nearly 5 years!) and thank God it was discountinued so that the burden is shouldered in the quorums and auxilleries instead of dumped on the Activities chairperson! It was a never ending calling, that started to cause us to dread ward socials, I think now it is being handled the way it was intended through deligation.

[toon]

So I went with my wife to my Mom's Ward Christmas Party on Saturday and they announced that the church had discontinued the calling of Ward Activities Committee... what gives?

I suspect this will have little impact on the ward Christmas party, where we will still be served sliced ham and funeral potatoes on paper plates with plastic knives and forks, get the obligatory visit from the fat guy in the ward dressed up as Santa, and various musical numbers by the Primary and other ward members, some good and some not. Near the end, but before most people are finished with their meal, the Young Men will roll the garbage cans around to clear off the tables. A good number will pitch in and efficiently clean things up while the younger kids still run around in circles.

[toon]

The reality is that there are only certain callings borderline active members typically accept. Activity Committee was one of them. That is not to say that one is necessarily considered borderline inactive if given that calling. But it is a kind of truism in the Church.

As a bordeline active, there's no way I'd be the least bit interested in serving on an activities committee. Whether I might accept is another matter. Of course, the Bishop could sidesitp this by calling my wife to the Committee, making me a unwitting de facto member in the process.

[Brenda]

The key point in this is that everyone in the ward is supposed to have a "calling". Meaning, a constant state of existence in which their place in the ward can be defined by a responsibility or title. If there is no standing activities committee in the ward, then the people who would have been on that committee will be assigned to other callings. Which means that all the "temporary activities committees" will be staffed by people who have other callings.

Lucky them.

This is as it's always been in my experience. The RS puts on socials for the women and sometimes for all adults, the Primary puts on their quarterly activities, the EQ has socials. Same with the high priests. Same as always. And the youth party constantly. If any social event doesn't come under any particular auxiliary, a specialist can be called. Again, same as always.

[SeattleGhostWriter]

Today, they released two people from the calling of the Activities committee, so this must be a recent thing. I also was handed a section out of the Church Handbook regarding the calling my wife and I have for Sunday School class (yes we were called together to teach the course 15).

I agree, the activities committee left the burden of all ward functions to a certain group of individuals and not the respective quorums to come together and plan out ward activities.

I also agree that ward activities are very healthy for the cohesiveness of the ward. Hopefully, in this manner, the ward activities would be centered around the combination and efforts of those who are in leadership within the ward to come together with better activities.

Some activities that I miss from the ward I grew up in are the following:

Elders Quorum Dinner Theatre (which was a monthly activity and usually involved missionary work where we were challenged to bring a nonmember friend too).

New Year day Priesthood football (where the Aaronic and Melchesidek priesthood holders played flag football on New Years Day).

Ward picnic's (and because my ward I grew up in had a large group of Samoan families, we did a luau once a year in August).

I even remember my parents participating in what was called a progressive dinner where they went to one house for appetizers and a "meet and greet" kind of thing, then another house for salad, onto another for main course, and then a final house for dessert. All with a gospel oriented theme and missionary work.

As my wife and I are getting settled in our new ward (she is giving her first talk in many years, I gave the benediction today, as well as received my home teaching route), one thing I would love to see happen in our ward is a get together were it is all about meeting the ward family.

It is only when we are able to build relationships with one another and are inclusive of those who may feel outside, or left out, are we able to have the ability to meet the needs of one another on many levels.

This latter was my wife's and my concern in our previous ward where we hardly knew anyone after being there for over three years and really did not feel a part of the ward.