Are activities committees optional? Can they initiate activities, or do they simply carry out activities initiated by ward and stake leaders?

Keith Engar, chairman of the General Activities Committee. Elder Gordon B. Hinckley stated it best: “There should be an Activities Committee in every ward and stake.” (Regional Representatives’ seminar, 3 Apr. 1981.) Well-planned weekday activities should be an integral part of each Church unit, and should provide ongoing and attractive alternatives to the undesirable activities available elsewhere. Many testimonies of the gospel have had their beginnings in drama, speech, dance, sport, music, camp, and other social and recreational activities sponsored by the Church.

In some wards and stakes of the Church, the meetinghouse is a place Church members can go to participate in activities and fellowship one another throughout the week. It is a place where families can participate in weeknight activities together, whether in family dances, roadshows, speech festivals, music activities, or sports activities. Wards and stakes which do not provide ongoing, meaningful activities invite their people to look elsewhere to satisfy their needs for recreation.

One function of the ward or stake activities committee is to initiate activities that reach across organizational lines and meet the needs of all age groups. As the ward activities committee chairman, cultural arts director, and physical activities director meet regularly, they may discuss how to best serve the ward or stake to meet those needs. When an activity is proposed by the committee, the activities committee chairman takes the proposal to the appropriate council for approval. He or she already sits on the councils that plan activities for the ward: the bishopric youth council and the ward council.

For example, the ward activities committee may discuss the need to unify the ward, and propose several activities in which people of all ages would participate together, such as a sports night, a ward dance, and a talent festival. The activities committee chairman would then take the proposal to the ward council. Upon approval of the proposal, the activities committee chairman would then ask various specialists on the activities committee to plan the activities. If a specialist in each of those specific activities has not been called for the ward, the chairman of the activities committee may recommend to the bishopric ward members to be called to organize each activity. Once approved, each specialist would then work directly with the appropriate activities committee executive (cultural arts or physical activities director) to plan the activity.

Stake activities are planned in the stake council meeting, and youth activities are planned in the stake Young Men/Young Women meeting. The stake activities committee chairman is a member of both committees and may be asked to implement the plans made by the committees.

Calendaring is crucial to the success of each activity. One of the most important responsibilities of the activities committee is to prepare a yearly calendar of all activities and to schedule facilities for them. Included on the calendar should be all Church-sponsored events, presentations, activities, and special programs, as well as important school and community events that Church members might attend.