Step by Step

Getting Started with Calendar

Please refer to this article for the latest changes to Calendar.

When you select Calendar from the Resources menu and sign in, you should see in the left panel your building, your stake calendars, and your ward calendars. If you do not see calendars listed, some additional setup is needed.

  1. Select the Choose Calendars link. On the Choose Calendars page, you should see the various stake and ward calendars listed there. Select the ones you want to have listed in your left pane.
  2. If you do not see stake or ward calendars listed on the Choose Calendars page, this means your stake and ward have not yet created their calendars. Contact your stake or ward clerk to see if they are interested in making use of the calendar system.
  3. From the left pane, if you turn on the checkbox icons for your calendars and still do not see events on your main calendar, this means your stake or ward has calendars created but has not put events on the calendar.

Note: If you get an “Access Denied” message when signing in to the calendar, this means the Church Account you are using has not been associated with your membership number. Visit the Profile page of Church Account to enter your membership number. If you get a message that your membership number is already in use, you likely have two Church Accounts and need to use the other one.

Setting Up Ward Calendars

For a new ward, when a ward calendar administrator (bishopric member) signs in to the calendar for the first time, a set of ward calendars are automatically created and calendar editors are assigned to each calendar by calling. The Manage Calendars option in the settings can then be used to create more calendars, rename calendars, delete calendars, or add/delete editors.

For an existing ward choosing to start using the calendar, if no ward calendars exist, a ward calendar administrator will need to use the Manage Calendars option to manually create the calendars wanted and assign the appropriate calendar editors. A ward calendar administrator automatically has editor rights to all the public ward calendars.

Setting Up Stake Calendars

For a new stake, when a stake calendar administrator (stake presidency) signs in to the calendar for the first time, a set of stake calendars are automatically created and calendar editors are assigned to each calendar by calling. The Manage Calendars option in the settings can then be used to create more calendars, rename calendars, delete calendars, or add/delete editors. Experience has shown that for stake calendars, one “Stake Calendar” is usually the best. Consider deleting the others. Never create a stake calendar named after a building.

For an existing stake choosing to start using the calendar, if no stake calendars exist, a stake calendar administrator will need to use the Manage Calendars option to manually create the calendars wanted and assign the appropriate calendar editors. A stake calendar administrator automatically has editor rights to all the public stake calendars.

Setting Up Stake Locations

In order to schedule your buildings, a stake calendar administrator needs to set up and activate each building. This is also needed once a new building is completed and being used. Church-owned buildings that your stake is an agent for are automatically listed in the Locations and Rooms option under your stake name. If a building that your stake is an agent for is missing, contact your Facilities Group to ask them to update their records and assign the building to your stake. Do not create a custom location for a Church-owned building!

To set up a building, click on the building name to display the Location Details page, rename the building, assign the building scheduler, select the rooms to be scheduled, and decide which wards you want to have scheduling rights. The wards who attend the building have scheduling rights automatically. Turn on the Availability slider so the building will be listed and can be scheduled. Click on Save at the bottom.

Training Stake/Ward Councils and Building Schedulers

Stake and ward councils should be trained on how to create their events on the calendars and schedule the building and rooms. They should know which calendars exist and who the editors are for each calendar, and they should be shown how to create an event and at the same time schedule the building themselves.

Building schedulers should be trained to understand that for stake and ward events, the stake or ward leaders should create their own events and schedule the building themselves. As they do, the events will then appear on both the stake and ward calendars and also on the building calendar. Building schedulers should be taught that they should not put stake or ward events directly on the building calendar. If they do, it will indeed reserve the building, but the events will not be seen on the stake or ward calendars, leaving the membership uninformed. Usually, building schedulers create only approved family events on the building calendar. They also periodically review the building calendar to make sure events are being appropriately created by the stake and wards according to the local building policy.