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Board Meetings

We do have the meetings monthly, and we frequently include any in the  homemaking committee, or other ad hoc committee members, who desire to come.   It does add to a sense of unity of purpose and makes the organization of  responsibilities more graphic and more appreciated by one another, as well as  being a forum for making decisions that are comfortable for everyone and  therefore effective.

We recently considered going to every other month, but realized that if a  person could only come half the time, she could conceivably miss all the  meetings!  So we voted (so there would be a commitment) to have the meeting  every month.

We discuss plans, activities, etc.  The departments meet for planning music,  presentations, HF&PE meetings, service projects, etc.  The first counselor  gives a brief teaching tip or motivational presentation (about ten minutes).

A typical agenda includes:
Prayer
Business and announcements and calendar review
Appropriate discussion of personal needs (which can include improving  attendance, reverence, illnesses, new members, VT, etc -- just think of all  that impacts on the individual sister in a ward) and possible solutions
Move-in and outs and baptisms
Presentation by first counselor
Departments, for specific discussion.

I meet with the VT leader, secretary,  and compassionate service leader to specifically implement those things  discussed and to correlate information
Closing prayer
Treat

From prayer to prayer the meeting lasts one hour.  Last month we even had a  timekeeper and kept to the allotted times for each speaker, etc.  It was a  POWERFUL meeting!  When people feel a meeting is handled professinally,  spiritually and in a timely manner, they are more likely to desire to  participate.

We recently decided to rotate homes.  We have been meeting in my home.  We  rotate treat production, as well.

You may say that we are a lucky ward (and we are, having put in many hours  and much hard work and prayer to become so, and the blessing of good people  moving into the ward), and we have no problems filling all our positions.   Actually, we have come a long way.  And we do not always have all positions  filled, and sometimes only a few people attend the meeting.  Then we know we  need to work harder and be more spiritually in tune as a presidency.  The  Lord would not give us status as a ward or branch unless he knew we could  function as a ward or branch.  So I don't worry.  But we do pray and plan.

We as a presidency have been very challenged at a personal levels, but this  has not interfered with RS, as we feel our functioning as a presidency is our  grace, power, and learning place we would be struggling even more greatly  without.

We as a presidency have trouble meeting weekly in person, because of these  other struggles and travels and business, etc.  But we discuss on the  Internet almost every other day, and use the phone a lot.  Right now I have a  counselor who is away on business for three weeks, but because of use of the  Internet, her temp replacement and she and I are calmly able to address all  the needs of the coming meeting as well as the birthday party.

Today's world has different challenges, but not worse challenges.  We just  have to use technology to "meet" instead of a horse and buggy to get to our  meetings.  Guess which I prefer!  Nonetheless, the monthly "board" meeting is  vital for developing the spirit among the workers.  The espirit de corps that  is developed by meeting monthly is worth everything in terms of desire and to  be productive as a group and individually.

Marie T in TX

We have wonderful board meetings that are well attended.

For December, our RS secretary opened her home and served the board the most wonderful assortment of sweets I have ever seen.  The setting was her best crystal, and dishes. Martha Stewart could have learned a few things.  That evening was the RS Presidency saying thank you.

Our last meeting was a brain storming one.  With the stake calendar in one hand and our personal planners in the other we set dates for the year.  We also planned the Social for March.

We are trying to encourage each sister in RS to have a temple recommend.  As a board we have sleepovers, we go to the temple together, we pray together and work together to reach each sister under our care. We have a temple trip planned for November, one that we are hoping that all of our sisters will attend. What an exciting goal for us.

At our March social, we are making "Inspiration & Goal Journals" for each sister.  We have a picture of our temple on the front and we are going to put a picture of the sister in an oval over the temple.  We are going to talk about the temple and how each of us can work to obtain a temple recommend and come to the temple in November.

As well at our board meetings, we break into classes and the teachers receive instructions regarding teaching, music dept, etc..  After classes we have snack.

We always have fun and I look forward to these meetings.  I learn a lot, and I enjoy the friendship that is so strong there.

Cathy

We also meet monthly as a RS board.  We have found that we got the best attendance on a Saturday morning so we meet the 2ns Saturday of the month at 9 am for one hour.

Our Pres. gives a thought and usually goes over one of the objectives in the handbook.  She also talks about those whom are ill or moved in or out.

We then split into our departments.  I, as Ed. counselor try to have a 10 minute "lesson" on teaching.  I'm going to start having the teachers take turns to do this as well-- maybe present a chapter out of "Teaching, No Greater Call".

Our music person is also in our group and gets ideas from teachers if they have a preference for music on the Sunday of their lessons.

The homemaking board also meet for a "mini session" I guess. As well as the compassionate service board. We have muffins and juice that all are free to get when they first arrive and we have our closing prayers in our own departments.

There may not always be a lot to talk about, but we have had a lot of postive feedback on having monthly meetings.  It gives our RS workers a sense of unity and purpose.  The previous presidency never had a board meeting and many requested when we were first called to start them. The meetings generally last 45 minutes to an hour so we still have most of our Saturdays to be with our families.  It works really well for us.

Emily