Seeking answers to change the entitlement expectation among those receiving welfare assistance

25 November 2015

Bishop Hokanson,

This morning in my personal study I had a feeling come to me to ask about how the bishops of our stake are managing the welfare assistance—specifically are those receiving assistance being given the opportunity to serve as a way of allowing them to demonstrate their gratitude and to maintain their dignity?

Would you please accept the assignment to survey the bishops and ask them a few questions like…

…what % of those receiving assistance are asked to serve?

…what are the type of things bishops ask them most often to do?

…how do bishops administer the service opportunities to ensure it happens?

…how much is the ward council engaged in the welfare assistance process?

…what could the stake do to help the bishops more in either training, idea-sharing or even working through the Stake JustServe Committee to create service opportunities?

I would welcome a report (email or in person) by early December with your thoughts on what more can we be doing, if needed. I appreciate your leadership and your experience that serves you and our entire stake so well.

Thanks so much,

Pres Lewis

Announcing the new Mount Hood YSA Branch

 25 November 2015

Bishops and Stake Leaders,

We are pleased to announce that the Mount Hood YSA Branch has been approved by the First Presidency and will hold its first meetings in the Sandy building on Sunday, January 3, 2016 at 1:00 PM.

Attached is the official announcement that we ask bishops to read in sacrament meeting this Sunday, Nov 29. Please note that there are two versions of the announcement—one for the Sandy River and Tickle Creek Wards explaining the meeting time adjustments in the Sandy building to take effect on Jan 3, 2016 and a shorter version of the announcement to be read in all the other wards.

Feel free to forward this announcement to other stake and ward leaders and, if you choose, print the announcement in your Sunday bulletins.

We also remind you that the bishops of the three wards in the stake center (Damascus, Powell Valley and Walters Hill), have chosen to alter their block meeting times to start at 9:00 am, 11:00 am and 1:00 pm. The new start times go into effect in less than two weeks, on Sunday, Dec 6.

So beginning Dec. 6, the start times for each ward will be: Damascus, 9:00 am; Powell Valley, 11:00 am; and Walters Hill, 1:00 pm.

On Sunday Jan. 3, the wards will rotate as in the past with the following start times: Walters Hill, 9:00 am; Damascus, 11:00 am; and Powell Valley, 1:00 pm.

Thank you for giving this your attention and helping to spread the word. We especially appreciate the added support that will be needed from every ward to help the new Mount Hood YSA Branch to thrive and bless the young single adults in our stake.

We also extend a special thanks to the Sandy River Ward leadership for their efforts to nurture the Hispanic Group, with the hope that they, too, will become a branch in the coming year. We continue to ask all wards in the stake to encourage any bi-lingual families to help in this worthy effort.

We deeply appreciate your leadership in sharing the gospel and strengthening testimonies among all in our stake.

The Stake Presidency

Dear President Giles and Bishop Lindsay,

As you’re aware, the First Presidency has given approval to the creation of the Mount Hood YSA Branch. Please find attached the statement  that we have asked bishops to read in sacrament meeting this Sunday, Nov 29, announcing that the branch will begin meeting in our Sandy building on Sunday, January 3, 2016, at 1:00 pm.

I wanted you to be aware of our plans and personally thank you both for your support of this action. We do so with some trepidation, recognizing that other stakes have tried this in the past without success. However, we have observed, as you probably have, that the travel distance from our stake to the Aldercreek YSA Ward continues to be a challenge for our young people. Our prayer is that we can create a gospel and church-social environment that will bless the lives of the many in this age group.

We also recognize with sadness that this change may affect your efforts. We hope it won’t be debilitating. Thank you so much for your kindness and willingness to help in this transition.

We look forward to continuing to work with you in every way possible to bless and rescue the young people of our stakes.

With deep appreciation for your encouragement and support,

Crismon Lewis

President, Mount Hood Stake

FOR THE DAMASCUS, ESTACADA, POWELL VALLEY AND WALTERS HILL WARDS

PLEASE READ IN SACRAMENT MEETING ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 29

Dear Members of the Mount Hood Stake,

We are pleased to announce that the First Presidency has approved the creation of the new Mount Hood Young Single Adult Branch for all singles in our stake, 18 to 30 years of age. We encourage all young people of this age group, who are no longer in high school, to attend.

The new branch will begin meeting on Sunday, January 3, 2016 in the Sandy building at 1:00 PM.  For those of this group, who choose to attend, please ask your ward clerk to transfer your membership record to the new branch after January 1.

We ask all leaders and members to reach out to the young single adults in our stake and invite them to participate in this wonderful opportunity of fellowship and gospel growth.

-- The Stake Presidency

FOR THE SANDY RIVER AND TICKLE CREEK WARDS

PLEASE READ IN SACRAMENT MEETING ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 29

Dear Members of the Mount Hood Stake,

We are pleased to announce that the First Presidency has approved the creation of the new Mount Hood Young Single Adult Branch for all singles in our stake, 18 to 30 years of age. We encourage all young people of this age group, who are no longer in high school, to attend.

The new branch will begin meeting on Sunday, January 3, 2016 in the Sandy building at 1:00 PM.  For those of this group, who choose to attend, please ask your ward clerk to transfer your membership record to the new branch after January 1.

We ask all leaders and members to reach out to the young single adults in our stake and invite them to participate in this wonderful opportunity of fellowship and gospel growth.

In order to accommodate this new branch, along with a weekly sacrament meeting for the Hispanic Group, we ask that the following adjustments be made in the Sandy building meeting times beginning January 3, 2016:

·   The Sandy River Ward, and Hispanic Group, will continue to meet at 9:00 AM;

·   The Tickle Creek Ward will meet at 11:00 AM; and

·   The Young Single Adult Branch will meet at 1:00 PM.

Our hope is that in the near future the Hispanic Group also will become a branch, which would allow the two Sandy wards to return to a rotation schedule, possibly as early as 2017.

Thank you for your understanding and your patience as we seek to provide even more opportunities for all of God’s children to come unto Christ.

-- The Stake Presidency

Discussion in response to the Church's same-gender handbook policy

This was excerpted from a Meridian magazine online article on Nov 17, 2015:

Stake leaders and bishops,

Below is an excerpt from article printed in the online LDS magazine Meridian. It is a timely example of why, when Prophets speak, it is not inappropriate to disagree respectfully (not try to promote our disagreement publicly), but also willingly wait on the Lord to see His hand in support of those He has called to lead His church.

If you want to read the full article, go to: http://ldsmag.com/sustaining-the-brethren-a-modern-example-of-thoughtful-discipleship/

A Modern Example of Thoughtful Discipleship

An inspiring example of this is found in the life of Elder Dallin H. Oaks. Decades ago, when the U.S. Supreme Court first ruled against prayer in the public schools, President David O. McKay publicly criticized the ruling; he considered it to be leading the country “down the road to atheism.” Dallin Oaks, on the other hand, who was a law professor at the time, saw good reason for the Court’s decision in the case before it and worried that criticism might be based on incomplete information about the full rationale and intent of the ruling.

Brother Oaks began organizing his thoughts on paper — reviewing the Court’s reasoning and showing its application to secular influences in the public schools as well as to religious ones. Soon after completing his document, he met President Henry D. Moyle of the First Presidency at a Church function in Chicago. When President Moyle asked him about his work, Brother Oaks gave him a copy of this writing. President Moyle took an interest in it, and, upon returning to Salt Lake City, shared it with President McKay. Interestingly, after reading Brother Oaks’ thoughtful treatment, President McKay directed that it be published in the Improvement Era.

Thus, Brother Oaks did not give up his “right to think.” He felt dissonance between his own judgment and the public expressions of the prophet. He wondered about the issue and prayerfully brought to bear his own best thinking on the relevant questions. Significantly, however, he did not publish a critical article or give a disapproving speech. Instead, he expressed his feelings respectfully and privately (remember that it was President McKay who directed that it be published), with no motivation other than to help and in the spirit of true discipleship.

The outcome of this story is also instructive. Some thirty years later, and now one of the Twelve himself, Elder Oaks wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal on the subject of school prayer. He said: “When the Supreme Court decided the original school prayer case in 1962 … I thought the case was correctly decided. What I did not foresee, but what was sensed by people whose vision was far greater than mine, was that this decision would set in motion a chain of legal and public and educational actions that would bring us to the current circumstances in which we must reaffirm and even contend for religious liberty.”

While the Court’s decision was probably the correct one on the matter before it at the time, the way the majority opinion was written set in motion the chain of events that President McKay had originally feared. In recognition of the prophetic nature of President McKay’s warning, Elder Oaks wrote: “My worldly wisdom in writing approvingly of the school prayer case on the facts of the decision was just a small footnote to history compared with the vision of a prophet who saw and described the pernicious effects of that decision in the years to come.” It was, he says, “a powerful learning experience on the folly of trying to understand prophetic vision in terms of worldly wisdom.”

Son Dallin responded:

Thanks for sharing, Dad, I had never heard this story.

Two follow-ups: one of the challenges of the modern church is that the distinction between "public" and "private" speech is very murky. Before, Elder Oaks would've needed to rely on a media platform to vet and disseminate his opinions to a wide audience. Now, everyone has a platform to speak "publicly" with a very idiosyncratic audience. Is it "public" disagreement if I post my displeasure about a church decision on Facebook, where primarily (but not exclusively) my friends will see it? This was my primary concern with the Kate Kelly ex-communication last year: it wasn't clear where the lines were being drawn over what counted as "public" advocacy.

The other: similarly, this story leaves the vast majority of members without an example to follow. What if we don't have the ear of the First Presidency? If no one had spoken "publicly," would there ever have been a clarification or more context provided? This is important because woman rarely have the type of access or close association with pivotal church leaders as men do, for a host of reasons.

No good answers to this, but just something for leaders to keep in mind.

My response to Dallin:

I agree, it is a different world in which we live where everyone can have a “public voice.” In deference to the leaders being Prophets, though, I would think that a disagreement with them could be handled by an email or letter (interestingly they tell us not to write to them, but they quote personal letters from members in conference talks all the time).

When we had some time with Elder Holland earlier this year, he told us that the Brethren have created a new committee, the Member Concerns Committee. Sadly, most members or leaders don’t know about it, but that’s one avenue…send a letter to your file priesthood leader and ask that he send to the Brethren (Member Concerns Committee…it’s chaired by Elder Holland) or send a letter directly to Elder Holland.

I personally think our role, as members or leaders, is simply to share our feelings, concerns, disagreements with the Brethren and then just leave it in their hands. If we are on track, the Spirit will work with their hearts and they will come to understand the validity of our argument.

I personally don’t think the Brethren’s clarification a week later was in response to the public outcry, though it didn’t hurt. But it came about from stake presidents sending questions and concerns up thru the priesthood channels.

Just some thoughts. 

Your thoughts are always insightful and provoking. Thank you for sharing so eloquently and thoughtfully.

Recommendation for a mid-singles unit in the Portland Metro area

17 November 2015

Dear Elder Stapleton,

Good morning...and good news! As you probably know, the First Presidency has approved our recommendation for a YSA branch in our stake. Thank you for your mentoring on the application. We have already begun making preparations, meeting tonight with the bishops of the meetinghouse where the new branch will be located to discuss logistics. Our goal is to have the first block meeting on January 3.

I am writing, however, on another matter.

We have in our area a young single man (returned missionary) by the name of Christopher Bentley, who is extremely engaged in the Church and community. He’s a former White House fellow and is now working in the Public Affairs office for the US Forest Service here. In the Church he has always been very involved in missionary work (ward mission leader multiple times, I’m sure) and in the bishopric. I believe he also chairs a citizen committee for the City of Gresham, where we both live. I know Chris well as he was in our ward when I served as bishop of a YSA ward.

In short, Chris is a do-er!

Well, as happens to all of us, Chris grew up! :) Now in his early 30s, Chris has outgrown the YSA wards, where he has served faithfully. Because of our friendship, he has approached me about the need for a mid-singles unit in the Portland metro area. 

Below is the recommendation by Chris, excerpted from an email he sent me, with links to websites that discuss the continuing growth of mid-singles wards throughout the Church, including some mid-singles magnet wards, which I thought were not allowed (magnet wards). You will see the list of mid-singles units on the following website that was updated this month.

https://midsingles.wordpress.com/midsingles-wards-list/

I was surprised to see how extensive is the list and how broad the reach. They’re not just in Utah! It appears there are mid-singles units in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Washington D.C., where apparently the first mid-singles unit was created years ago.

You can readily see why Chris would feel there is a need for the same in a city the size of Portland.

I recognize the handbook doesn’t encourage or even address the mid-singles age group (31 to 45). But I can understand why they would like to be their own group. I remember, when I was a young man, the cut-off for YSA in the Church was 26 years of age. I was one of those “slow moving” young men, who didn’t get married until I was 26 years old. I still remember how odd it felt when I turned 26 that I was suddenly lumped into the Church's Single Adult program that included my 95-year-old widow grandmother! :)

I’m not sure how a request like this even gets consideration or moves forwards, but I assume, if you are open to the idea, that this could be discussed briefly in our CCM to see if the other stake presidents would consider supporting the creation of such a unit. As more and more of our young people are delaying marriage (much to our disappointment), I do feel there is merit in trying to bring together as often as possible those  “graduating” from our YSA wards.

Thank you for giving this your consideration. My apology for raising this request so close to our next CCM. 

Please know I have not tried to illicit support from other stake presidents. I will leave this with you and await any guidance you want to give me, if I can be of help.

I look forward to meeting with you this Sunday and express my personal appreciation for the many ways you make our meetings both informative and inspiring.

Gratefully,

Crismon Lewis

President, Mount Hood Oregon Stake

503-667-5843

Here is the recommendation from Chris Bentley excerpted from an October 6 email:

I did a little bit of research on the mid-single's wards in Utah. I found out that recently the Riverdale Ward was setup to be a Mid-Singles ward. The new ward was established about 6 months ago. There are now dozens of Mid-Single's traditional or magnet wards throughout the country. 

I understand the difficulty with stewardship issues with magnet wards. Who has authority when members are being fed from lots of different wards and even possibly different stakes and missions? Having gone through the transitions that took place over a year ago with the Portland and Vancouver missions, I know first hand how sticky this can be. 

However, I think having a traditional Mid-Singles ward housed somewhere central to the major hubs for mid-singles would serve a huge need right now. I've attached a few resources that might be useful in showing the importance of and the growing number of Mid-Singles wards: 

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/lifestyle/56921335-80/ward-singles-says-mormon.html.csp

http://ldsmag.com/article-1-13958/

https://midsingles.wordpress.com/midsingles-wards-list/

As these resources clearly show, the Riverdale Ward being a clear and obvious example as well, Mid-Singles wards are not only allowed as ward units but are encouraged in areas where they make sense. Now that's the real crux of the matter: does it make sense for one to be established in the Portland Metro area? Portland is about half the size of Seattle, so maybe there isn't a sufficient number of mid-singles to make a ward work. Or perhaps the thinking is that the drive time to make a ward like this feasible would make it too burdensome on members although I know that a lot of people in Ogden drive to a Mid-Single's ward in Bountiful where they are welcomed despite the fact that the drive is usually about a half hour. 

Bottom line, there may be some legitimate reasons why a ward doesn't make sense but the "We're not allowed to establish a Mid-Singles ward," or the "These wards are unofficial and are being phased out," reasoning simply isn't true. These wards are being established officially and are doing incredibly well.

Decision to end the Stake Emergency Preparedness Expo

October 18, 2015

Dear President Lewis,

After many prayers, much pondering, attending other Emergency Preparedness Expos, several meetings, proposed Emergency Preparedness Expo outlines, several emails and more prayers, we have decided it would be in everyone’s best interest for us to bow-out of planning the next Mt. Hood Emergency Preparedness Expo. In our most recent meeting with Doug Yates, it was communicated to us that it was our decision to move forward, or not, with planning this event. At this point, we do not feel that we are the individuals that can properly plan and carry-out an Emergency Preparedness Expo. Please do not think that we harbor any ill or negative feelings personally and we hope the feeling is mutual.  We are all loving brothers and sisters in the gospel doing our best with the skills and talents we have been blessed with. We love and support you as our Stake President and feel badly that we are not able to fulfill this assignment. Please accept our apology.

Thank you for understanding and we look forward to attending the next Mt. Hood Emergency Preparedness Expo.

Sincerely,

Trent and Sheryl Westover

Dear Westovers,

Thank you for giving this your serious consideration and for all the background work you did on an Expo. Please know you have not offended or let us down. This is the right direction for our stake and we appreciate your help in arriving at that conclusion. We will give consideration to such an expo another time, possibly in 2017. 

Your bishop will be especially happy to know you’re available to continue serving in the ward! :)

Thank you for giving this your deep and prayerful consideration. We appreciate so much your family and the wonderful examples you are to so many.

Gratefully,

Pres Lewis

Application for Mount Hood YSA Branch

19 October 2015

Elder David L. Stapleton

Area Seventy, Oregon Portland Area Coordinating Council

1203 S. Tranquility Pr

Kennewick, WA 99338

Dear Elder Stapleton,

Please find attached the Branch Organization Application for a Young Single Adult (YSA) branch to be created in the Mount Hood Oregon Stake. We propose it be named the Mount Hood YSA Branch.

In the fall of 2013, soon after the Washington Vancouver Mission was created, the Mount Hood YSA Ward was moved from Troutdale, OR (now located in the Vancouver Mission) to the Portland Stake and re-named the Springwater YSA Ward.

The Mount Hood Oregon Stake remained in the Oregon Portland Mission. Unfortunately, it meant the closest YSA unit for our stake was the Alder Creek YSA Ward, located in Gladstone, OR (Milwaukie Stake), a distant drive that has become an obstacle for many YSA in our stake.

As a consequence, there has been a noticeable reduction in activity among the YSA, both in Church attendance and participation in the nearby Gresham Institute, which is now located in the Washington Vancouver Mission.

Therefore, this recommendation hopefully will: (1) re-establish a presence for YSA in our stake to gather with other YSA for weekly Church services; (2) organize the active YSA to help rescue the many less-active young people in our stake; and (3) create a bond among the YSA that will result in greater participation in Institute and other activities.

All members of the Stake Priesthood Executive Committee and Bishops in our stake have given their approval of this recommendation. Also, the Bishop of the Alder Creek YSA Ward, despite the potential impact this could have on his ward leadership, has expressed approval. We appreciate the Church’s consideration of this application and welcome any questions or concerns.

The Mount Hood Oregon Stake Presidency