Recently implemented public-facing ward websites and Activity Sharing resources are helping members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints love, share and invite in new and simple ways.
“We are excited about this new resource and pray that it will be one more way for each of us to share our lives, open our homes and include friends, family, returning members and the community to come and see,” said Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who introduced Activity Sharing resources during the Thursday leadership session of October 2024 general conference.
A recent news release on ChurchofJesusChrist.org described the new resources. Using the Church calendar, ward leaders can create and publish activities on new ward websites. Church members can then share links to the activities with friends and on social media, and published activities can appear in online searches. This allows people searching for local Sunday worship meetings, cultural activities, service events and other social activities to find them and RSVP.
Ward leaders can see who has indicated plans to attend an event through a report in Leader and Clerk Resources and the Church calendar, so leaders can be aware of and welcome visitors. In the future, ward leaders will be automatically alerted when someone clicks to RSVP.
Elder W. Mark Bassett, a General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Missionary Department, and David N. Weidman, managing director of the Missionary Department, shared on a Church News podcast episode the story of a ward in Texas that saw the benefits of this new resource firsthand.
When ward leaders posted the ward trunk-or-treat Halloween activity on their ward page, eight families who were not members of the Church attended the activity after searching online for local Halloween activities for children. Several of these families attended church that week.
Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles emphasized the importance of planning and inviting friends to ward activities in his October 2023 general conference talk.
“Social and service activities can build new and enduring gospel bonds,” he said, adding, “Enjoyable gospel activities also invite neighbors and friends.”
The Church’s Missionary Department, which helped develop the Activity Sharing resources, encouraged Church members to describe ward activities in ways those unfamiliar with Church terminology can understand (such as “Sunday worship services” instead of “sacrament meeting”). Describing the activities as “Christ-centered” is also encouraged.
To check if a ward’s web page and Activity Sharing resources are available, visit the Church Meetinghouse Locator and type in the name of the ward in the search box. Click the name of the ward, then click the Activity Sharing link to access the ward web page.
If that link is not available, ward leaders can request Activity Sharing through their stake president or by emailing ActivitySharing@ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
While stakes do not have their own websites, they can schedule events on the calendar, which will publish the activity to every ward page in the stake.
Activity Sharing is currently available in Mexico, Brazil, Pacific islands, the United States, Canada and most Spanish-speaking areas. It is offered in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French.
Those interested can find more information, such as commonly asked questions and training resources, on the Church’s Activity Sharing page or the Share Ward Activities page in Gospel Library.
