Church Growth

Any idea what the growth of our church looks like? I didn't. But now I do!



(For those of you who aren't LDS, a stake is a group of congregations (or wards as we call them), generally about three thousand to five thousand members in five to ten congregations.)

Obligation

Five rabbis recently visited Salt Lake City to visit LDS sites and learn about our church. The visited BYU, a temple that was open for tours, temple square, welfare square, and LDS Humanitarian services.

Afterward, they shared what they learned. Most of their comments are what I would have expected. They found more in common with us then they would have thought. They wanted to spend days at the Family History Center doing genealogy research. They were impressed with the organization of our welfare and humanitarian services.

But one comment jumped out and smacked me in the face.

Rabbi Isaac Jeret said "Volunteerism in the Mormon Church is about obligation rather than about choice. The choice is to become a member of the Church. But once one is, there's a sense of covenanted responsibility. One of the things we've lost is the sense that to volunteer is actually something that is an obligation, and to work — to do — is an obligation. It's really inspiring to see a community that has retained that core religious value."

I agree with him, but it's something I tend to forget. I made a choice to belong to this church. And with that I accepted an obligation to serve others. The majority of the service I render is through my calling and as a visiting teacher, but am I looking for other opportunities? Am I aware of the needs around me, or am I blinded by my own selfishness?

I'm going to mull this over for the next few days. And pray about it, obviously. There is something there I need to learn, but I'm not sure what it is yet.

Day of Faith

Harvard recently had a "Day of Faith: Personal Quests for a Purpose" panel. They had five undergraduates talk about their religions, their beliefs, and how Harvard has affected their faith. Really interesting.

I was really blown away by the LDS junior who participated. She explained difficult topics clearly, she was well prepared for even the toughest questions, and she even clearly differentiated "We believe" from "I believe". She was a wonderful representative for the the church.

So if you're LDS, watch it to learn a little about how to present yourself. And if you're not, watch it to learn a little about us. It's worth the twenty minutes.


Day of Faith: Personal Quests for a Purpose - 3. Rachel Esplin from Harvard Hillel on Vimeo.

General Conference

What I loved about last week's General Conference.

(If you're not LDS, most of this won't make any sense. Email me or leave a comment and I'll gladly explain any of it, if you'd like.)

1 Standing in solemn assembly both with the women of the church (Picture all of them, all over the world, standing together. So much strength.) and with my family.

2 Tearing up while Ethan, so excited to sustain our new prophet, stood with each and every quorum and raised his hand as high as he could.

3 The overall theme of sustaining the prophet. Loved Pres. Monson's story about the statues of Christ's disciples as reminder that he and the apostles are their latter-day equivalents.

4 The parenting lesson that was disguised as the Saturday Morning session.

5 How obvious it was that the mantle had descended on our new prophet. Still so him, but even more powerful.

6 I was touched by both Pres Packer's and Pres Monson's mention of their wives and how they never complain. After reviewing all of the talks and topics in my mind, these two off topic comments struck me more than anything else. I have a very hard time with people who are negative about life. But I'm one of them much too often. I've spent this week focusing on being more positive and life is just better.

Goodbye President Hinckley

Although the passing of President Gordon B. Hinckley was a little bit of a shock, I'm having a hard time feeling sad. For myself as a disciple, for the church as a whole, or even for his family.

Myself, I have lived grateful for his teachings for many years, and thankful that his media savvy has helped make it more "acceptable" to be Mormon. I have felt hugely blessed to have been alive during his tenure as prophet. But I can say that about each of the men who have served as prophet during my lifetime. I still remember going to see Spencer W. Kimball speak at the Hill Cumorah when I was 6 years old and feeling the warmth and love he radiated. During the years when I was reading the Book of Mormon for the first time, and then starting to understand how to apply it to myself, Ezra Taft Benson's teachings were exactly what I needed. And although his time as prophet was short, Howard W. Hunter's counsel on being temple-worthy while I was struggling through the social minefield of high school was particularly timely. So I can only look forward to what I will have the opportunity to learn from the next prophet.

The church will mourn, obviously, but then will get back up and move forward. It's one of the amazing things about how we are organized. Because we experience leadership changes on smaller levels relatively frequently (stake leaders, bishops, auxiliary presidencies, etc.), we understand that the church and it's teachings are the same, no matter who is leading us. Ultimately, Jesus Christ is the head of the church, and he is unchanging.

President Hinckley's family is the group that maybe I should feel sorry for. They have lost their patriarch. But not only do they know that they will be with him again, I'm sure that none of them begrudge him the chance to rejoin his wife. It makes me smile to think of how their reunion must have been.

I guess that is the ultimate reason I just can't be sad. I am so happy for our dear prophet. He finally has the opportunity to rest. He has earned his reward. And he is back in the arms of his love.

Goodbye President Hinckley. Thank you.

"These, Our Little Ones"

That's the title of the First Presidency Message in this month's Ensign. It's all about how the future is affected by how we raise our children. Really an inspiring article by President Hinckley. I was particularly struck by a quote he included, attributed to E.T. Sullivan.

"When God wants a great work done in the world or a great wrong righted, he goes about it in a very unusual way. He doesn't stir up his earthquakes or send forth his thunderbolts. Instead, he has a helpless baby born, perhaps in a simple home and of some obscure mother. And then God puts the idea into the mother's heart, and she puts it into the baby's mind. And then God waits. The greatest forces in the world are not the earthquakes and the thunderbolts. The greatest forces in the world are babies."

I love this. I love that my little boys can (and will!) be powerful forces in the future. Even if it's in small ways or in small circles. And although I know that they will ultimately structure their own lives however they wish, President Hinckley's advice on bringing them up in a loving home where they are taught, respected, and led by example will help me provide my boys with a strong foundation to build upon.

A Great Article on Who We Are

This article was in the Wall Street Journal on Friday. It has some shocking statistics about how well Mormons are accepted in American society. It's a really good overview of who we are and why we should have as much respect as other religions. And no, it wasn't written by a Mormon.

(And for those of you who aren't LDS, I highly recommend checking out Mormon.org to have a few of your questions answered. Especially the overview of the Plan of Salvation under Basic Beliefs and the short videos included in that section. I promise your perspective on both Mormons and your own life will change.)

Just Blown Away...

The Ward Christmas Party is finally over. It was a ton of work, but soooo worth it. I have to admit that it was a great party.

But the best part is our AMAZING ward. They just blow me away. (And I'm not only talking about the incredible talent show or the huge number of donations to sub-for-santa.) We sent out a distress call earlier in the week for more people to bring food and the response was overwhelming. We had so much extra food that we distributed it to quite a few families who could use it, the missionaries, and everyone else who wanted some! And then there were the wonderful sisters who showed up, saw a need, and jumped in to help for the entire party. (My committee is only 5 people strong and we were 2 down, so we badly needed the help.) And everyone who helped us clean up from a party of nearly 250 people. In under an hour. Without being asked!!

We could not have pulled of such a great party without all the help. So if any of you read this... THANK YOU!!!