Unit Histories

Hello, does anyone have experience in putting together unit histories? I have not been a clerk for too long, but am trying to figure out how to put together a ward history, and how that fits into a stake history. Are there specific procedures or forms required for completing this? Or, is it simply compiling minutes/notes from the previous year's meetings, dressing them up a little, and calling that a history?

I have not consulted the handbook just yet, so I figure there is most likely some sort of guidance available. I was just hoping to find some practical experience from other clerks... appreciate any words of wisdom.
thanks!

colbyj wrote:Hello, does anyone have experience in putting together unit histories? I have not been a clerk for too long, but am trying to figure out how to put together a ward history, and how that fits into a stake history. Are there specific procedures or forms required for completing this? Or, is it simply compiling minutes/notes from the previous year's meetings, dressing them up a little, and calling that a history?

I have not consulted the handbook just yet, so I figure there is most likely some sort of guidance available. I was just hoping to find some practical experience from other clerks... appreciate any words of wisdom.
thanks!

Perhaps this LINK will help you.

Techgy wrote:Perhaps this LINK will help you.

This may also be of help to you:

http://www.ldsclerks.com/index.php?title=Annual_History

But please be sure to check the Church Handbook, as it is the ultimate source of guidance and authority on the matter. It's like the Scriptures in a way, as it is a conduit for personal inspiration in magnifying your calling.

As a new clerk this year I looked back on previous year histories to see what had been done in the past. I found that the annual history was treated very last minute-ish - I fell prey to this also. When I was called in May I read about my duties as a clerk to oversee this process, and started to collect things here and there. This year our Bishop, as a representative of the Jackson County Historical something or other presented an award sponsored by our Stake, it made the Church news, so I kept that. We had a tornado this year that set down in our ward boundaries, so I included some of those things, so I guess I approached it pretty casually, when I looked back to complete the year history, I didn't have enough data to do it right. I did the best I could and with the help of the Ward Council we put together something that I could at least choke down.

I found the lds clerks wiki to be valuable.

For next year, I'm going to ask the Bishop to call someone as the Ward Historian. I've been thinking about the good qualities of someone for that position,and was wondering if anyone else has had good/bad experiences with a specific person called to perform this work?

jshawut wrote:I've been thinking about the good qualities of someone for that position,and was wondering if anyone else has had good/bad experiences with a specific person called to perform this work?

Hehehe. We had a stellar stake history until we were asked to release the historian and put an assistant stake clerk in charge. We almost sustained the first female clerk, but succumbed to reality at the last minute.

I've been a ward or stake clerk for 10 of the last 12 years, and only 2 or 3 of those years were we ever encouraged by the stake to complete a ward annual history (one of these years, I did the encouraging). This was in three different wards and stakes, and as far as I know, none of the stakes or wards had called a historian - so it fell on the ward/stake clerks to do it.

When I was the ward clerk, I took care of making a record for the administrative type actions. This included name/dates for ordinations, callings/releases, ordinances, etc. and a copy of the ward calendar - but little else. The "spiritual" type record was handled by the bishop asking each of the heads of organizations put something together (always last minute-ish).

IMO, this is an area that is in dire need of a training program (if indeed this is something that the church feels is important). In my current stake and ward, I don't know of any units having someone called as a historian, and I have not heard of any encouragement from the stake for completion of annual histories.

Greggo wrote:IMO, this is an area that is in dire need of a training program (if indeed this is something that the church feels is important). In my current stake and ward, I don't know of any units having someone called as a historian, and I have not heard of any encouragement from the stake for completion of annual histories.

There is indeed an online training course, Preparing Stake and Ward Annual Histories, that the Church has prepared. It seems to me that the Church does indeed feel this is important, but some stakes don't take it as seriously as they should. The effort put into this online training course is one indication of the importance the Church attaches to histories.

Hello, Thank you for the replies and links. Very helpful. One final question: When I write the stake narrative, do I need to capture all the data for the wards? Or simply write a narrative from the stake perspective?

For example, some of our units have submitted their reports to me...so do I essentially repeat their data in a roll-up for the stake? Or do I simply include their data as an attachment to the stake? I'm just wondering how down in the weeds I should get for each ward in the stake narrative...
thanks,
cj

Alan_Brown wrote:There is indeed an online training course, Preparing Stake and Ward Annual Histories, that the Church has prepared. It seems to me that the Church does indeed feel this is important, but some stakes don't take it as seriously as they should. The effort put into this online training course is one indication of the importance the Church attaches to histories.

Annual History Instructions are defined in C.H.I., 2006, p.150 and on the annual stake historical form. The standard inclusion is the sustaining sheets from the stake and ward conferences. Further inclusion includes faith promoting experiences (individual or collective); local events or catastrophies affecting members or the Church in general. All submitted annual histories are scanned and electronically stored in the Church archive, not the actual paper submitted.

Does anyone have a template they might be willing to share?

My father has written his ward history for a number of years. He thoroughly enjoys the calling. He takes notes throughout the year and inputs it at home. Near the end of the year, he edits it and submits it. Perhaps looking for a genealogist -- or a latent genealogist -- would help. :)