A few years ago, it seemed a good idea to encourage participation in family history and temple work amongst the ward members. We started having a monthly meeting at the stake family history center.
To relieve the pressure as well as the 'guilt', the group was named the "Genealogy without Guilt Club". I told the ward members what hours I would be at the family history center on the third Tuesday of the month. They could come for a few minutes or a couple of hours to work on their own family history. I purposely chose a time when the family history center was normally open so that my friends would meet the staff members too.
We tried having the meetings once a month. Sometimes I only had one person come but that was okay because I knew that one person really wanted to be there. Sometimes we had several people come and then it was a bit of a balancing act as I helped them all. The family history center's staff also assisted our ward members.
We used Ancestry.com to check records -- this was when all FHCs had access to Ancestry. We also taught the members to use Personal Ancestral File (PAF) to organize their family information and TempleReady to clear their names for temple ordinances. In addition, the ward members read the books or ordered microfilms from Salt Lake. We also found microfilms and microfiche in the permanent collection of the FHC to help them begin their research.
The main goal of the "Genealogy without Guilt Club" was to give members a chance to something on their family history without feeling that it was necessary to do everything.
This principle was taken from an article by Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He advised: "... in the work of redeeming the dead there are many tasks to be performed, and ... all members should participate by prayerfully selecting those ways that fit their personal circumstances at a particular time. This should be done under the influence of the Spirit of the Lord and with the guidance of priesthood leaders who issue calls and direct the Church-administered portions of this work. Our effort is not to compel everyone to do everything, but to encourage everyone to do something." (Dallin H. Oaks, “Family History: ‘In Wisdom and in Order’,” Ensign, Jun 1989, page 6.)
For almost a year we had monthly meetings of the "Genealogy without Guilt Club" and then we stopped due to summer vacations and other needs. The "Genealogy without Guilt Club" was a great way to help the ward members without overwhelming anyone. Perhaps it is time to have another series of meetings and leave the guilt at the door.
