Members of the Cheltenham England and Chester England stakes gather monthly and sometimes weekly in various activities to build unity and friendship among the wards and the community.
These activities add an enjoyable spirit to each ward and bless community relationships.
Paulo Clarke-Martins, a member of the Moreton Ward elders quorum, said that the words of Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles describe the goal of the activity nights in his ward.
In his October 2025 general conference talk, "No One Sits Alone," Elder Gong emphasized the importance of helping others feel loved and welcomed.
Said Clark-Martins: “There is definitely a good enjoyable spirit in our ward lately. I don’t know if the activities have done any of that, but I do know that the ward members love the Savior and the way they choose to show that love is by loving others. I would encourage anyone to visit with us and allow us to love them, as it is our only goal and mission.”
Activity nights in Moreton
Last year the elders quorum of the Moreton Ward in the Chester England Stake decided to hold activities that would bring the quorum together and facilitate companionship and strength.
“Our brethren serve very well in their callings and generally participate well in their priesthood meetings,” Clarke-Martins said. “However, it is noted that our priesthood holders would benefit from having an outlet for their own needs, a place where they could talk with their peers about things that worry them about life, a place where a tie is not needed but a listening ear is welcome.”
Clarke-Martins said the ward still tries to hold an activity each month, ranging from a charcoal and graphite drawing night to a grill night, a Viking crazy golf night and most recently a curry night. Members and friends gather together to share in a night of inclusion and friendship outside of the regular Sunday meetings.
“In my opinion, the goal of the elders quorum in these events is to make sure that the brethren are looked after and that they are valued,” Clarke-Martins said. “More than anything though, they are loved as well.”
Youth nights in Forest of Dean
For 10 years, the Forest of Dean Ward in the Cheltenham England Stake have held weekly game nights for local youth, fostering relationships between the teenagers living on the estate and the chapel next door.
The game nights started after the Church’s local youth center shut down. The youth center became rundown and the teenagers would throw bricks through the windows and vandalize the building.
In an effort to rebuild relationships between the Church and the youth, members opened the meetinghouse for youth nights each week. Some nights they had upward of 40 youth attend.
The trouble with the teenagers and vandalism stopped quickly, and some of the young men took it upon themselves to be the meetinghouse’s “unofficial security guards.”
The game nights consisted of various billiard games, ping pong, snooker and other activities. After 10 years of game nights and with the youth getting older, the nights came to a stop.
“It’s really been a great success from a community involvement point of view and their outlook on what the Church offers and who we are,” said Charlie Lawson, a member of the Cheltenham stake.
Board game group in Gloucester
Board games, card games and strategy games have filled the Gloucester building each Tuesday night for about three years.
“If you know nothing about board games other than Monopoly or Risk, then there is a surprisingly huge world of hobby board games that has been growing in popularity over the last 15 years or so,” said Mark Hathaway, a member of the Gloucester Ward in the Cheltenham Stake.
According to Hathaway, the nights started outside of the Church but moved into the Gloucester building to utilize its facilities. More than 30 members join each week to mingle and play their favorite games.
“Once the club starts, people mill about talking to one another for 10 minutes or so before game groups and tables organically form,” Hathaway said. “I try to encourage everyone to play games with people they’ve not played with before as the more relationships they can build, the stronger the club is.”
The club has grown increasingly with the help of a personalized website and social media. Community members and ward members have grown to love the game nights so much that they have begun to complain about having to cancel the nights.
According to the Gloucester Board Game Night website, the group is a community of board game enthusiasts who love to play and discover new games.
“I enjoyed having a very easy way to share my church life with my gaming friends,” Hathaway said. “I would guess the game group has brought over 100 different people from the local area into the church building over the years.”
