What do I do in the Church?

December 6, 2003
I'm serving in two callings in my new Ward. Two weeks after moving to Lynnwood, I was called to serve as the Elder's Quorum Temporal and Spiritual Welfare Committee Chairman. About three weeks ago, which was only about two months since moving to Lynnwood, I was called to serve in the Alderwood 2nd Ward Bishopric as the Ward Executive Secretary. Serving with the leaders of my new Ward has been a blessing. Serving as the Exec. Secretary and Welfare Chair has helped me to know the people here, make new friends, and feel part of a family again. There really is no better way to get to know members of a Ward than to dive in and start serving. These jobs I'm serving in are certainly callings from the Lord since the people here extending the callings know very little about me. I have to solemnly admit that the Lord knows who I am, what my capabilities are, and where I need to improve. Through these callings, he is providing the opportunities for growth.

January 12, 2003
A most unexpected calling was extended today. I was called to serve as the Junction City Ward Clerk. Despite plans to sell my house and move to Portland within the next few months, I accepted the call and look forward to serving with the Bishopric of this great congregation.

Bishop Briggs is an inspired leader with discernment, admirable quiet dignity, and an overall grace in his demeanor. Our First Counselor, Dan Wolverton is wise and organized with a compassion and love for the members of the Ward. Craig Ford, our Second Counselor in the Bishopric is cheerful and practical; adding life and insight to discussions. Our Executive Secretary is Carl Esplin, a reliable and consistent individual who seems to have an abiding faith because it is simply the right thing to do. I also work with two Assistant Clerks or "Counselors". Former Bishop George Wirrick is the Membership Clerk. His strengths seem to be doing things "by the book", which translates to obedience without argument. The Financial Clerk is Jim Copley. Like the others in this Bishopric, Jim and I go way back. We have been working together in the Ward Genealogy library for the past two years. Jim's strengths are dedication and reliability with a cheerful Christ-like demeanor.

In addition to working directly with the Bishopric and Assistant Clerks, I get to work with Auxillary leaders in the Ward. This includes the leaders for the High Priests, Elders, Relief Society, Primary, Young Men, and Young Women organizations.

I feel blessed to work closely with these great people and look forward to helping them magnify their callings by providing organizational and accounting support throughout the functions of this congregation. Accpeting this calling, performing the associated labors, and supporting the Bishopric are consistent with some profound changes that have occurred within me during the latter part of 2002/beginning of 2003. Not that I wasn't before, but by golly, I'm somebody now! What I mean is that I feel whole now. I may post more about that later...to me it is marvelous and awesome.

July 29th, 2001
I was just recently released as a Stake Missionary. Built in with each calling is a release. I'll miss the work of directly finding and teaching those who are investigating the Church, but am certain to find satisfaction serving in my new calling and will have opportunities to do missionary work. I've been called to serve again in the Elder's Quorum Presidency and will be working with Dale Barnhurst, the new President. Dale is admirably humble with powerful dignity and Christlike charity for the members of the Quorum. It is truly easy to recognize that he has these characteristics. As his first counselor I will seek to follow his example and help lead the Quorum in carrying out Priesthood duties.

This is what I wrote when describing my calling as a Stake Missionary several months ago.

During the third week in March 2001, Scott Livingston was called from the Stake Mission Presidency to serve as the Bishop of Eugene 4th Ward. When a President is released, each of the counselors are released as well. Since October 2000, I had been serving as the Second Counselor in the Stake Mission Presidency of the Eugene Santa Clara Stake. My overall duty was to assist with leading and helping the missionary efforts for the Stake. The Stake Mission President was Scott Livingston and his First Counselor was Kent Stephens. Serving with these great men was a tremendous learning experience for me. We were all released by the end of March.

I continue serving as a Stake Missionary, so I get to do the same type of work. The greatest rewards come from the friends I make while teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and helping others with what I have learned and know to be true.

If you are a visiting Stake Missionary from the area and missed one of the training sessions, here are links to the outlines of the sessions.

Stake Missionary Training Program
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

More about serving in the Church.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the living church of Jesus Christ. Members of the church are called by revelation to serve in a lay ministry and attend to the affairs of the church which include eccleastical ministering, teaching classes, leading men, women, young men, young women, children and missionary work. Having a lay ministry means that there is no professional clergy. All of the awesome responsibilities are carried out by members of the church without receiving monetary or material compensation.

Stakes and Wards: The Church and my duties.

The structure of the church today is the same as Christ organized it when He ministered on earth over 2000 years ago. The ancient church of Jesus Christ did not survive the Great Apostasy, which proceeded the Dark Ages of history. Jesus Christ restored His Church in these times through prophets and apostles called personally by Him to perform the work of the restoration. Joseph Smith is the great prophet of the restoration.

There are today a First Presidency and Twelve Apostles who bear witness to the divinity and reality of Jesus Christ as did the Apostles of old. Thankfully the world is not in complete apostasy and the modern Apostles are not suffering death for their testimonies as the ancient Apostles did. Since April 6, 1830 God has kept a First Presidency and Twelve Apostles on the earth and remains the head of His Church with a perfectly structured organization to reach every member within the church. The missionary program of Christ's church intends to take the gospel message of salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to every one of His children.

Members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are assigned over areas with Area Authorities. Area Authorities are assigned specific regions of the world that contain Stakes. Stakes contain Wards. Wards or local congregations contain Families. My specific duty begins at the Stake level, which contains several Wards. In the Eugene Santa Clara Stake, there are 6 Wards or congregations of about 300 to 600 members each. These Wards are: Santa Clara 1st, Santa Clara 2nd, Santa Clara 3rd, Eugene 2nd, Eugene 4th, and Junction City. President Livingston has assigned me to help specifically with the missionary work in the Junction City and Eugene 2nd Wards.

From March 1988 to May 1990, I served a full-time mission in central Florida. Experiences from this full-time work have helped each day while serving in the Stake Mission Presidency. Many times while teaching or answering questions through the scriptures, I feel as if I am back in Florida with that intense level of service. I love it. I simply love it because I love the people and I love the Lord. Putting it any other way is not simple enough.

Are Mormons different from other Christians?

This is a question for almost every person seeking to know more about the church. The quick answer is, "Yes". The next question or statement that leads into a discussion is usually "My friend told me that Mormons are not Christians, but so far in all that you have taught me and in answering my questions, you are Christians. Why would my friend say that you are not Christians?" The quick answer is, "I don't know."

There are a lot of fantastic things we teach about God and Christ as a result of the restoration and direct revelation to people today. Among some are these:

1) God speaks directly to and visits prophets today as in ancient times.
2) Jesus Christ visited people upon the American continent after He was resurrected in the Holy Land.
3) There is a record of God's dealings with His children upon the American continent that spans a period of about 700 years from about 600 BC to about 300 AD. This record is the Book of Mormon and it is a companion volume to the Bible.
4) God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Ghost are three separate beings. They are one in purpose and action, but not one in body.
5) We lived as spirit children of our Father before coming to earth. We were born spiritually before we were born physically.
6) As spiritual sons and daughters of God and physical sons and daughters of God through being born again by way of accpeting the gospel of Jesus Christ and being baptized we inherit the opprotunity to progress forever and learn from our Father throughout eternity and receive everything He desires to give to us including His knowledge, wisdom, and priesthood.

Most of these plain and simple teachings were lost until they were restored. Some truths were lost intentionally and some accidentally during the periods of apostasy, which occurred before, during, and after Christ came 2000 years ago. Just as God is real, Satan is real and he has been at work for centuries to overcome the work of God and take a place in our hearts. Throughout the Bible especially the Old Testament we read about periods when the hearts of the people turned away from God. It was during these periods that truths about God became distorted, changed, or lost. The Bible is really the only surviving evidence, in a secular sense, of Christ's reality. But even the miraculous existence of the Bible is not enough evidence to be rationally convined that it is true and that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and has a message for every human being. When we humbly and honestly seek, we are given extra-rational evidence of God's reality from God Himself through the Holy Ghost. With this extra-rational evidence we can know the truth of the Bible, the truth about the Book of Mormon, the truth about the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ.

Many since the time of Christ have taken what secular resources are available to explain God and His will concerning us. Some who were inspired beyond the secular resources knew there was something more, or something amiss with what was being taught and offered as the will of God for man. Martin Luther, John Wesley, and other great religous reformers were moved upon by the Holy Ghost to realize that something was just not quite right. They worked and prayed hard to know and were given some answers that motivated them and others to form churches where the truths they found could be taught. The work of these and other inspired people prepared the foundation for the restoration of the Gospel in these last days before the return of the Savior and the gathering of the entire House of Israel as many prophets have foretold.

My favorite conclusion to questions about the differences between teachings of the church and other churches is that Heavenly Father will reveal to each person that asks if the teachings are true. The rational explanations that I can give are just that- very rational. I can be quite rationally convincing because I've worked hard to have the rational knowledge myself. Having these rational answers is satisfying only to a point. Rational explanations are a weak foundation to base a life-long endeavor. We require the extra-rational explanations for true faith, true testimony, true motivation and devotion to follow the Master. Through personal revelation, Heavenly Father provides the extra-rational evidence and explanations about anything and everything we approach Him with. He will tell you if the Bible is true. You can know if the Book of Mormon is true. Every member of the human family is His child. We don't understand how, but he is aware of and loves each and every one of us. He answers prayers directly and helps us through our trials which help us grow to be more like His Son, Jesus Christ. We are the source of Heavenly Father's greatest joy and also the source of His greatest sufferings.

The teachings listed above are fantastic. They are wildly fantastic! They become wonderfully fantastic when you learn from God Himself that they are indeed true. I can teach the rational convincing facts for the teachings of the restored gospel, but I nor anyone else on earth can provide the extra-rational answers. That's between an individual and the Lord. Helping my brothers and sisters get to the point of asking Heavenly Father if it is true is my priviledge and calling at this time. Serving in this manner helps me to overcome my shortcomings and failings because I forget my problems and become more concerned with the needs of others. It's hard sometimes to put the needs of others above my own needs. By nature I'm a selfish person. Most of us are selfish. By nature I'm far away from the things of God. Most of us don't put forth the effort to find Him. I have found though that if I exercise faith and put the needs of others above my own and serve willingly, selflessly, with an eye single to the glory of God, my life is blessed beyond measure and my shortcomings and failings become achievements and successes.

Through service I have greater love for God and greater love for my brothers and sisters. Through the blessings of service I am more willing to yeild to the enticings of the Holy Ghost, which help me to overcome the natural tendencies that separate me from being close to my Heavenly Father and my Savior. Without the blessings of ministering to my brothers and sisters and the blessings of giving service, I believe that the trials that have come over the past two years would have had terrible consequences. During the most difficult times when it seemed that there was no hope, no justice, no good solution, the Lord carried us through and turned misunderstanding to understanding, unforgiveness to forgiveness. I have learned that He is here for us and we can trust in Him for help. We pray as if everything is up to Him, then work hard like everything is up to us.

The gospel is true, God is real, the scriptures are true. Jesus Christ is the Son of God and salvation comes through taking upon us His name and doing His work. It is truly wonderful work.

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