High Councilors…
Thank you for your many efforts to bless the members of our stake through your teachings over the pulpit each month.
As you will learn at Stake PEC tomorrow, we have notified the bishops that we are giving high councilors more latitude in choosing their topics for speaking in the wards this year beginning this month. It does not mean you cannot seek guidance from the bishopric, but you have the option to choose your own topic. We want you to have the flexibility to follow the Spirit in determining which message is needed most by your assigned ward.
Having said that, we ask that this new direction does not lead to pulling talks out of a file drawer and using them again. We strongly urge you to make each talk unique, a result of serious preparation, which may include prayer, study, temple worship, fasting, etc.
As you know, we are focusing in ward conferences on the blessing and importance of having a testimony of the Restored Gospel in these the latter days. We ask that you give consideration to this topic for some of your messages this year.
One source you may want to consider is this outstanding message by Elder Todd R Callister, of the presidency of the Seventy, at the recent CES fireside:
However, the most important guidance is to seek the Lord’s Spirit in choosing and developing the topic that will bless your assigned ward.
It is interesting the Church website now has a number of links designed to help members improve their sacrament meeting messages. Here is one that may be especially helpful:
As a way of helping you with this somewhat new responsibility, President Christiansen will conduct training in our meeting tomorrow on this subject. We ask that you come prepared with your thoughts on what you feel are the most effective ways to prepare and present messages in sacrament meeting.
Here are a few guidelines that are meaningful to me personally:
1. Confine your sources to personal experiences and the scriptures, approved curriculum and the words of modern-day prophets.
2. Do not read your talk, even if you have written it out verbatim in advance.
3. Bear your testimony at the conclusion, if not multiple times throughout your talk.
4. If a member of the stake presidency is presiding and you have been given adequate time to give your message, consider allowing 5 minutes before the conclusion of the meeting for him to offer a concluding testimony.
Thank you for giving this your consideration. We look forward to discussing this topic with you tomorrow.
President Lewis
