Helping Stakes & Wards Work Together to Create Awesome Church Activities | A How I Lead Interview with Jenna Rhoads

Jenna Rhoads currently serves as stake activities director, ward
nursery leader, and temple ordinance worker. She has loved planning
ways to gather the saints, create a fun relaxed environment, and
provide a great place for missionary opportunities. Jenna's
previous church callings have mostly been with the young women and
the youth. She loves Girls’ Camp and has only missed about four
years since she was 12 years old. She has also been a Gospel
Doctrine teacher, which prepared her to teach four years of
Seminary. Jenna and her husband, Daryl Rhoads, have been married
for 30 years and raised their family of four in Las Vegas, where
they have enjoyed a fun, full life together. She studied education
and worked as a substitute teacher before working as a
cosmetologist for 17 years. Her next adventure is to get a degree
in Business Management so that when her husband retires from the
police department they can start a business together. Highlights
02:50 Jenna’s story and background 05:00 Jenna describes her ward
and stake in Las Vegas, Nevada. She serves as a stake activities
director. 07:00 Jenna describes what she does as a stake activities
director and how her calling came to be. She began something called
first Friday, which is basically a huge hangout. 12:00 Working with
the stake presidency to plan activities and budgeting for the
activities 14:40 Ideas for stake activities. Everything from
dancing, movie nights, fall festivals, and service projects. 22:15
Jenna’s advice is to not focus on the fluff and remember that you
don’t have to do anything extravagant. Each person on the committee
had their niche. 25:20 First Fridays were to help the stake gather
again after covid. However, they shifted gears and are only doing
three stake activities a year and Jenna goes around to the wards
and helps them in their ward activities. 28:00 CHARITY. Christ
gathered everyone and made people feel like they belonged. It’s
charitable to create an activity that makes people feel like they
belong. 33:30 UNITY. Come as you are and be a part of it. 36:30
MISSIONARY WORK. It’s easier to invite people to an activity. It’s
a more comfortable atmosphere and place to connect. Plus everyone
loves free food. 39:50 GIRLS CAMP. Invite people that want to be
there. One bad apple spoils the bunch. Jenna shares how they create
experiences for the girls. 41:50 Marketing stake activities. Use
several ways to advertise. 44:00 What’s next for Jenna’s stake?
They want to focus on doing more interfaith activities. 48:00 Jenna
shares her final testimony and what being a leader has taught her.
Links Read the TRANSCRIPT of this podcast Watch on YouTube Get
14-day access to the Core Leader Library The Leading Saints Podcast
is one of the top independent Latter-day Saints podcasts as part of
nonprofit Leading Saints' mission to help Latter-day Saints be
better prepared to lead. Learn more and listen to any of the past
episodes for free at LeadingSaints.org. Past guests include Emily
Belle Freeman, David Butler, Hank Smith, John Bytheway, Reyna and
Elena Aburto, Liz Wiseman, Stephen M. R. Covey, Julie Beck, Brad
Wilcox, Jody Moore, Tony Overbay, John H. Groberg, Elaine Dalton,
Tad R. Callister, Lynn G. Robbins, J. Devn Cornish, Dennis B.
Neuenschwander, Anthony Sweat, John Hilton III, Barbara Morgan
Gardner, Blair Hodges, Whitney Johnson, Ryan Gottfredson, Greg
McKeown, DeAnna Murphy, Michael Goodman, Richard Ostler, Ganel-Lyn
Condie, and many more in over 500 episodes. Discover podcasts,
articles, virtual conferences, and live events related to callings
such as the bishopric, Relief Society, elders quorum, Primary,
youth leadership, stake leadership, ward mission, ward council,
young adults, ministering, and teaching.