Tech Forum

I have been called as a Ward Clerk for a YSA ward. I am an out-of-unit member.

I have been successfully added in the system as the Ward Clerk. I have access to all of the appropriate LCR menus on LDS.org and to MLS for finance matters.

However, I cannot VIEW the calendars for the YSA Ward or the Stake-wide calendars for the YSA stake. This means I can't see the Bishopric calendars or the Ward Activity calendars that are being updated regularly.

The previous ward clerk could see them. The new assistant ward clerk (who is not out-of-unit) can see them. All the other members of the Bishopric can see them. I can't. Starting to feel left out.

I have called IT Support. They re-synced some systems. That didn't work. They suggested I try different computers, different browsers, private/incognito windows - all behave the same way. My stake clerk said "Welcome to the world of out-of-unit leadership. Sometimes, that's just the way it is." I refuse to believe this is not fixable.

Something is funky with my account or the way it has been assigned to this role. Any suggestions for resolving this are welcome.

-Jim

jmosher wrote:I have been called as a Ward Clerk for a YSA ward. I am an out-of-unit member.

Not related to your access question, but Handbook 1: 9.1.6, under "Leadership" indicates that only the bishop and counselors are to be married - the rest come from the ward's membership.

One thing I would check - make sure you've opened the subscription page (it has sliders and not checkboxes). Perhaps you do have access but just aren't subscribed to anything.

Thanks for the pointer to the subscriptions. That did the trick, once I found it.

For posterity, you get to the Calendar Subscription by:
1. Opening the Calendar
2. Click the Options icon (looks like a Gear)
3. Click Subscriptions
4. Expand the unit you need to see the calendars for
5. Move the Subscribe slider for the items you need to view.

As for why an out-of-unit person is serving as the Ward Clerk...I will have to defer to the Stake President, since he is the one who called me. I believe every Ward Clerk in this stake is out-of-unit. My guess is that - since this is a college student ward - the out-of-unit clerk provides some continuity while still providing training opportunities for the students (we do utilize assistant clerks for Membership and Finance).

jmosher wrote:Thanks for the pointer to the subscriptions. That did the trick, once I found it.

Glad to hear that worked. I'm surprised support didn't think of that. "Subscriptions" is a my "goto" answer when people complain about not seeing calendars.

jmosher wrote:As for why an out-of-unit person is serving as the Ward Clerk...I will have to defer to the Stake President, since he is the one who called me. I believe every Ward Clerk in this stake is out-of-unit. My guess is that - since this is a college student ward - the out-of-unit clerk provides some continuity while still providing training opportunities for the students (we do utilize assistant clerks for Membership and Finance).

There may be something to that, but it might be fun to ask your Stake Clerk (who is responsible for your training) about that. Not infrequently, it's the clerk that quietly reminds leadership about Handbook polices. <grin> I'm not sure why, perhaps it's because the calling is procedural by nature.

jmosher wrote:As for why an out-of-unit person is serving as the Ward Clerk...I will have to defer to the Stake President, since he is the one who called me. I believe every Ward Clerk in this stake is out-of-unit. My guess is that - since this is a college student ward - the out-of-unit clerk provides some continuity while still providing training opportunities for the students (we do utilize assistant clerks for Membership and Finance).

As a Young Single Adult, I was a ward clerk in a YSA student ward in Provo a few years ago. I grew and learned a lot in that position – especially the opportunity to work closely with and observe the bishopric. I've also been a ward and stake assistant clerk, and was blessed in those callings to be included in the weekly bishopric and stake presidency meetings. You've been called and set apart, so fulfill your calling well, but it might be worth bringing up that section of the Handbook to your leaders. If your ward assistant clerks aren't included in bishopric meetings, that might be another thing to consider as a way to provide meaningful training.