Family History assigned Stake High Councilor

Recently a newly called Stake High Councilor with assigned responsibility for Family History asked the following in an email list:

   What do you expect from the High Councilor?      I will get a handbook soon, I suppose,
    but I would like to know what you would  expect me to do if I were in your stake.

Here are some of the responses he received:

Here are some suggestions I would have if you were my new HC rep.

1) The Stake HC over FH makes sure that Family History callings are filled,
the people are trained and are performing their functions. Those callings include
- Stake Family History Consultant
- Ward Family History Consultants (at least one per Ward)
- Directors for Family History Centers
- Staff for Family History Centers

2) Encourage the Stake and Wards to have goals in the area of Family History
- # hours FHCs are open
- # firesides
- names submitted to the temple
- FH Talks in Sacrament meetings
- Importance of FH talks to Stake Priesthood Leadership
- FH Sunday School classes
- improve equipment in FHCs, upgraded computers, increased software,
  etc.
- free public classes on FH
- establish a Family History training room in each church building

3) Ensure the functioning of the FH people such as:
- Encourage the FHC Director to hold FHC Staff meetings with training on a regular basis (you attend)
- Encourage the Stake FH Consultant to hold meetings with training with the Ward FH Consultants (you attend)
- Establish/Encourage communication between those with FH callings in the Stake (perhaps an email list, newsletter, bulletin board, etc.)
- Help Bishops, Elder's Quorum Presidents, High Priest's Group Leaders know what their roles are in FH

4) Have an open door policy by encourage all those in FH callings to
share suggestions with you. Then you can promote those that
you determine would be most profitable.

Here are examples:
- have a Family History booth at the local county fair (we do)
- have people in FH Callings speak at local genealogical and history
  society meetings (we let a local genealogy society hold their monthly
   meeting in the Institute building on the grounds of our Stake Center,
  many visit the FHC in the Stake Center afterwards)
- have representatives participate in community historical events
- help establish a genealogy seminar Saturday annually
- help establish a Family History for new converts program such as
  "The Legacy of Love" program
- Make sure there is a Boy Scout merit badge councilor for FH

5) It would be helpful to learn what resources there are for people in the different callings, such as Ward Consultants. There are some excellent websites,
    http://members.home.net/fhconsultants/
    http://familysearch.org/
    http://www.lds-family-history.org/
    http://www.ldscn.com/
   http://www.meritbadge.com/bsa/mb/056.htm
    http://fhctech.org/
email lists,
    LDS-WARD-CONSULTANT-L-request@rootsweb.com
    LDSFHCConsultants-unsubscribe@egroups.com
    PAF-5-USERS-L-request@rootsweb.com
    etc.