The old Stake and Ward Websites (stake.lds.org and ward.lds.org) on classic.lds.org will be discontinued at the end of this year. They have been replaced by much better options on LDS.org in the Sign In/Tools menu:

Calendar (lds.org/church-calendar) shows events, meetings, and other activities. The calendar can also be used to reserve rooms in meetinghouses. Units still using the old calendars on classic.lds.org may continue using them through 2012, but events, meetings, activities, and building schedules for 2013 must be entered in the new calendar on LDS.org.

Directory (lds.org/directory) contains information taken directly from the Member and Leader Services (MLS) software. No action is needed by units to migrate to the new directory. Members and leaders both have access to update their phone numbers, e-mail addresses, photos, and data privacy settings.

Lesson Schedules (lds.org/lesson) allows units to schedule priesthood and auxiliary lessons so members know which lesson will be taught each Sunday. Units still using the old lesson schedules on classic.lds.org may continue using them through 2012, but information for 2013 must be entered in the new lesson schedules tool on LDS.org.

Newsletter (lds.org/member-news) is a new tool on LDS.org for publishing news and messages to the members of your unit. This online alternative to paper or e-mail newsletters replaces the “News and Information” section of the old stake and ward websites. Any relevant information that units want to keep from the old system should be re-entered into the new newsletter.

In addition to accessing these tools from the Sign In/Tools menu on LDS.org, you can also view the calendar and directory from the LDS Tools mobile application (see mobile.lds.org).

Here are detailed instructions for wards and stakes on how to move from the old tools to the new tools.

Note: Users have reported some problems when they use these tools in Internet Explorer (either 7, 8, or 9). Sometimes the tools function correctly, but don’t display as intended. Other times, they don’t function the same. For example, image uploads for the Newsletter do not work in Internet Explorer 8 or 9. You shouldn’t have any of these problems if you use a modern browser such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. Safari (the default browser for Macs) will also probably work fine.