Open Chapel: our program for finding families

Open Chapel is a program we created as a way to interact with community members here in New Zealand where we didn't know anyone.

Everyone loves family. Open Chapel is here to help them find their families, living or dead.

We learned skills along these lines when we were missionaries in the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. They include both research skills and familiarity with various kinds of records. We also have skills pertaining to recording what they find.

Every day we open the doors of the chapel from 10am to noon and invite in anyone who would like to come discover their ancestors. We get them to write down what they already know, then send them off to look up other information and to talk to family members.

Many members of the ward have stepped up to help and so we have been able to give one-on-one attention most of the time. And that is really important for beginners!

A great number of those who have come are Maori. They have their whakapapa at home or someone in the family does or they have memorized it. There are helps online for them and ways to help them, and we're learning right along with them. Fortunately several of our helpers are also Maori.

We are working in conjunction with the local library and genealogical associations.

The church has published a small booklet called My Family. It is this we use to record their first several generations as they work backward in time. There is space for photos and stories and makes a nice keepsake. These booklets are free from the church. And there is an online facsimile at familysearch.org that anyone can use. Unfortunately we don't have enough. We have several thousand on order.

In the church, we believe that families are an essential part of who we are. By finding families, including lost or forgotten members, and recording not only their information but stories and photos, we are helping turn the hearts of the children to their forefathers and vice versa.

For more information see The Family: A Proclamation to the World.

We love families! This is a natural work for us. And we are building community here in a place where we knew no one. It's a joy to come here to the chapel each day. The biggest challenge we have is being in four towns, widely separated, to get this program off the ground!