Tech Forum

Hello fellow forum users,

I'm a branch clerk in a Spanish-speaking unit. Our current YW President is an out-of-unit member. From what I understand, her counselors can access information about the YW and how they're doing in the Personal Progress program at https://www.lds.org/young-women/persona ... s?lang=eng. When she signs in, however, it shows the YW information for her home unit, rather than the YW in the branch. Everything else seems to work fine for her, on LCR, for example. I've suggested to her to transfer her records, but she is hesitant for some reason. Is there some way to fix this other than transfering her records to the branch?

Thank you,

-Brett

Assuming she's not in the YW leadership of her own ward, it sounds like a bug in the program. I'd report it via the feedback link on lds.org. However, I have no idea how long it might take for the bug to get fixed.

However, the last time I looked at the Handbook, I couldn't find anywhere where it was permissible to call leaders from outside the unit. Clearly the system allows it, but other than for the bishopric of a singles unit, it couldn't find it in the Handbook.

Sometimes English wards and Spanish branches that meet in the same building have combined primary and youth classes. I'm not sure who generally approves that arrangement, but I've seen it done before and I assume there is a regular protocol for it.

In any case, her record should not be transferred, because she is still a member of her home ward – her home and visiting teachers will come from her home ward, not her service ward, and she will go to her home ward bishop for a temple recommend, not her service ward bishop. The Handbook is clear that records are to remain in the ward where a member lives, and any exceptions (which should be few) are to be approved by the office of the First Presidency. The purpose of out-of-unit records is to maintain that clear line of stewardship with the home ward leaders, while allowing a member to have a calling or be known to members of the service ward.

Unfortunately, as russellhltn mentions, it's most likely a bug with the personal progress web site that will need to be fixed by the developers (you can report it using the Feedback link at the bottom of the personal progress page).

russellhltn wrote:However, the last time I looked at the Handbook, I couldn't find anywhere where it was permissible to call leaders from outside the unit.

At the end of Handbook 2, Chapter 18, there is a section entitled "Overlapping Meeting Schedule for Units with Different Languages". Overlapping meeting schedules are approved by the stake president. After his approval, the bishopric and branch presidency determine which members from each unit serve in the organizations that meet together (usually youth and children).

So, for example, the YW president and a counselor might come from the ward and the other counselor from the branch. Or the Primary president might be from the branch and her counselors from the ward. In our stake, we have several units that overlap like this.

But sbradshaw is correct. Don't transfer the membership record. As an out of unit YW president with a calling (YWP) in the branch, she should be able to see all of the YW in the branch, but it sounds as if there is a bug in the Personal Progress site that needs to be reported through the Feedback system.

Thank you very much for your rapid responses. I've reported it. Hopefully I did it right (it's my first time).

I'm not sure exactly how the out-of-member record policies go, but it gets complicated since our branch covers so many different stakes, as do many Spanish branches in the US. Occasionally, a stake president (not always the same one) will send us a couple (usually recently married) to attend our unit as out-of-unit members or language missionaries to help out with leadership callings or missionary work. This is something that I've seen in pretty much all of the Spanish units I've been in, since they frequently need a little beefing up. For example, Provo Peak 8 Ward, Idaho Falls Spanish 17th Branch, Rexburg 20 Spanish Branch (when it was still a branch) all have (or had) couples that were brought in from another ward, but almost always still within the Spanish unit boundries. Our particular branch is independent as far as youth programs, scouting, primary, Sacrament Meetings, etc. go. If we didn't have those members, the branch would be significantly weaker.

I'm in this situation: our English ward and Spanish branch have overlapping schedules, and the youth classes are combined. But because I'm in the English ward and the Spanish youth are not technically in my unit, I can't access any electronic information about them: I can't see their names in LDS Tools, they don't show up on my rolls, and they aren't included in the Personal Progress records online.

No one in our stake can solve the problem. Is there a workaround we don't know about? There must be many, many units in a similar situation. If there isn't a workaround, can there be a fix?

The only work around that I can think of would be to have the clerk in the Spanish branch create a out-of-unit record for you and put you into a standard position in the YW of that branch. Effectively making you the head of two units.

That worked!

The only work around that I can think of would be to have the clerk in the Spanish branch create a out-of-unit record for you and put you into a standard position in the YW of that branch. Effectively making you the head of two units.

Thanks @russellhltn.

I can now see each set of girls on LCR. I still can't see the other unit's young women in the Personal Progress summary, which was the original issue raised on this thread. I've submitted site feedback on that issue.

Any update to this? Out of unit YW presidencies can still see YW things in LCR, but can't access Personal Progress for other unit.