Members of the Cheltenham England Stake and Chester England Stake meet monthly and sometimes weekly for a variety of activities to build unity and friendship among their wards and communities.
These activities add a fun atmosphere to each ward and celebrate community relationships.
Paul Clark Martins, a member of the Morton Ward Elders Quorum, said the words of Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explain the goal of the night’s activities in the ward.
In his October 2025 general conference talk, “No One Sits Alone,” Elder Gong emphasized the importance of helping others feel loved and welcome.
Clark Martins said: “There is certainly a joyful atmosphere in the ward these days. I don’t know if the work has had that effect, but I do know that the members of the ward love the Savior and the way they choose to show that love is by loving others. We would like anyone to be allowed to visit with us and love them, because that is our only goal and mission.”
Evening activities in Morton
Last year, the Moreton Ward elders quorum in the Chester England Stake decided to hold an activity to unite the quorum and promote fellowship and strength.
“Our brethren serve their callings very well and typically participate well in priesthood meetings,” Clark-Martins said. “But it is worth noting that our priesthood holders would benefit from having a place where they can get their needs met, a place where they can talk with their peers about things that concern them in life, a place where a tie is not required but who will listen.”
Clark-Martins said the borough still tries to host a variety of activities each month, from charcoal and graphite painting night to grill night, Viking Crazy Golf night and, most recently, curry night. Members and friends gather outside of our regular Sunday meetings to share evenings of fellowship and friendship.
“The goal of the elders quorum in these events, in my opinion, is to make sure that the brethren are cared for and valued,” Clark Martins said. “But most of all they are loved.”
A night of youth in the Forest of Dean
For 10 years, Dean Ward Forest in the Cheltenham England Stake has hosted weekly game nights for local youth, fostering relationships between the teens who live on the grounds and the chapel next door.
Game night began after the church’s local youth center closed. Youth centers were in disrepair, with young people throwing bricks through windows and vandalizing buildings.
In an effort to rebuild the relationship between the church and youth, members held weekly meetinghouses for youth night. On one night, over 40 young people attended.
Trouble and vandalism with the teens quickly stopped, with some young people taking it upon themselves to act as “unofficial security guards” at the meeting place.
Game nights consisted of a variety of pool games, table tennis, snooker, and other activities. Game nights lasted for 10 years, but as the youth got older, game nights came to an end.
Cheltenham Stake member Charlie Lawson said: “This has been a really big success from a community involvement standpoint and the community’s view of what the church has to offer and who we are.”
Gloucester Board Game Group
Every Tuesday night for about three years, the Gloucester building was filled with board games, card games and strategy games.
“Even if you don’t know anything about board games other than Monopoly or Risk, the world of hobby board games, which have grown in popularity over the last 15 years or so, is surprisingly vast,” said Mark Hathaway, member of Gloucester Ward in the Cheltenham Stakes.
According to Hathaway, the night started outside the church but moved into the Gloucester building to take advantage of the facilities. Over 30 members join us every week to socialize and play their favorite games.
“When the club starts, people start talking to each other for about 10 minutes until gaming groups and tables form organically,” Hathaway said. “I encourage everyone to play matches with people they haven’t played with before, because the more relationships you can build, the stronger the club will be.”
The club has grown increasingly with the help of personalized websites and social media. Community members and ward members had grown to love game night so much that they began complaining about having to cancel it.
According to the Gloucester Board Game Night website, the group is a community of board game enthusiasts who love playing and discovering new games.
“I really enjoyed being able to share church life with my gaming friends so easily,” Hathaway said. “I think the gaming group has brought over 100 different people from the local area into the church building over the years.”
