Addressing time lapse for a priesthood leader who had gone 25 years without confessing

28 March 2017

Chuck,

Thank you for these references. I really stewed over this because I, too, didn’t want to put (name) through unnecessary pain due to the time lapse.

There were two factors that affected my decision most:

• These were not short-term, one-night stands. Both affairs went on for a year or more—one 15 years after the other, which compounds the severity of the first one, I believe. (6.10.6, also D&C 82:7)

• His reason for not confessing or addressing all of these years was that he didn’t want to hurt (deceased wife), whose first husband had deeply broken her heart by being unfaithful. Though not doctrine, (name) now believes (wife) in the Spirit World is aware of his actions and he knows he must address this to be with her into the eternities. While his reason was not to hurt (wife), but in both instances, he said he fell into Satan’s trap (infidelity) because he and (wife) were going through a “rough patch.” So I personally don’t believe loyalty to her was really not the true reason he opted not to confess, but only the rationalization he used. I feel there are some deep issues of repentance (and his relationship with the Lord) that have not been addressed and I’m hopeful the DC (disciplinary council) will help him eventually (though may not be discovered by him immediately in the council) address them. In other words, he’s finally coming to terms with the matter, in my opinion, for two reasons: (1) he is sorrowing over the death of his wife and his heart has been softened by that and by his own fear and shame that she now knows, not necessarily by the spirit of repentance, though Elder Callister’s book helped; and (2) a righteous, but selfish, desire to be with (wife) in the eternities, not because he offended God all of these years.

Hence I feel the need for a more severe approach to addressing this, i.e. a Disciplinary Council.

I’m taking the liberty of copying this to Paul and Steven (my counselors) so they, too, will take into consideration the Handbook references you have properly given here and I pray the Lord will provide a way through this disciplinary matter to help us in helping (name) come to understand the deep offense this has been to God when the Lord had put him in so many positions of trust.

There’s one other matter that I hope can be addressed; a matter that I worry about when I’m not in tune and facilitate the calling of those who are truly not worthy but they just haven’t been forthcoming yet. As (name) continued to receive many priesthood leadership callings (bishopric, HC, etc.) he rationalized it as validation that the Lord had forgiven him even though he knew that confession to a priesthood leader was essential. 

Hopefully this will be an important lesson to all of us, as priesthood leaders in the stake, of the importance of approaching and extending these sacred callings as worthily and in tune as much as possible…I being the worst example, I’m sure, for sometimes being in a hurry and not giving callings due consideration.

Thanks again for bringing this to my attention,

Crismon

FROM CHUCK ALLEN, FORMER COUNSELOR AND NOW STAKE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY:

President.....related to the upcoming disciplinary council, no response needed but wanted to make sure you were aware of the handbook references related to time.  You had said (name) sins were many years ago and I remembered these references that are in Handbook 1.

6.7.1

Passage of Time

If a member voluntarily confesses a serious transgression that was committed long ago and his faithfulness and service in the intervening years have demonstrated full reformation and repentance, a disciplinary council often is unnecessary (see “Time between Transgression and Confession” in 6.10.6).

and 6.10.6

Time between Transgression and Confession

If a transgression occurred many years before it was confessed, the presiding officer carefully considers the intervening circumstances. If the sin was not repeated and the member has lived righteously in the interim, his conduct during the intervening time can show that he has forsaken the sin. In this instance, confession may complete rather than start the process of repentance.

thanks.....Brother Allen

Responses to Stake Planning Guide in preparation for Elder Costa's visit to our stake conference in February 2017

How does your leadership help members of the stake increase their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ?

·   Temple service (many serving as temple ordinance workers or volunteers)

·   Emphasis on “Teaching in the Savior’s Way”

·   Conducting the Self-Reliance Initiative – we are a “pilot” stake in the area

·   Bringing the gospel closer to families to meet their needs — two new units added in 2016-17, a YSA branch and a Spanish branch

How does your leadership help strengthen parents and their families?

·   Blessings of temple flow into homes with so many temple ordinance workers

·   Reduced financial burden on families with Summer Camp Funding plan (no fundraising)

·   Emphasis on Covenant Path to help ward councils take ownership of the missionary effort and thus increase visits to families by ward leaders

·   Emphasis in ward conferences on 2017 Area Plan showing families how to conduct family councils to implement the plan in their homes

What are the most significant spiritual and temporal challenges facing the various members of your stake?

·   Family devotion, especially family prayer and scripture study

·   Putting the world or temporal choices over gospel-living and spiritual choices

·   Lack of full-time missionaries, under 20% of our YM leave for full-time missionary service and only 3 senior missionaries

·   Mental health (depression, ADHD, etc.) concerns among parents and children

How are you addressing these challenges and how do you know if you are succeeding?

·   Emphasis in ward conferences, involving families and asking them to share

·   Self-Reliance Initiative helps families focus on understanding that the solution to temporal matters is attention to spiritual matters

·   Emphasis on helping families and ward/branch organizations to participate in regular community service (JustServe)

·   A focus on teaching doctrines of the gospel, recognizing that the doctrines of the gospel will have a greater influence on affecting behavior than anything else

How can this conference help increase the faith and devotion of the Saints in your stake?

·   Ministering visits will bless those we visit with a renewed love for the Lord and desire to live the gospel

·   Help the members of the stake understand and focus on what is of greatest importance to Prophets today

Addressing the issue of wards under-spending their budget allocations

15 March 2017

Using the Lord’s funds wisely

Dear Bishop….

Thank you for giving careful attention to the Lord’s funds, in particular the budget allocation that we receive from Church headquarters.

·   Our records show that you will receive an estimated $3,800 in budget allocation for 2017.

·   Your ward ended 2016 with a surplus of $5,715—a 150% carry over.

You may not be aware that we set a stake policy in 2014 that a ward would not be allowed to carry over more than 50% of their expected annual allocation for the next year.

However, we have decided not to enforce that policy this year. But we plan to do so next year.

A sizable carry over of surplus funds beyond 50% suggests you may not be exploring the many ways these funds can be spent, such as the reimbursement of expenses incurred by leaders and members personally.  Will you please visit with your ward leadership and consider ways to use your ward funds this year?

Here are a few suggestions on how to use your surplus funds:

·   Hold more ward activities. We recommend at least one ward activity per quarter and that every organization holds at least one activity for their members per quarter. Activities provide opportunities for members to invite friends and less-actives. To this end, consider allocating more funds to each organization to host more activities.

·   Help lighten the financial burden on families by further subsidizing summer camps for the youth in your ward—beyond the $150 for Scout camp and $75 for all other camps.

·   Purchase outdoor and camping equipment for your Young Women and Scouts.

·   Teach and encourage leaders to submit receipts for travel costs and other expenses incurred for church activities that often do not get reimbursed.

·   Purchase technology equipment that will help ward leaders to operate more effectively or to enhance the effectiveness of classroom instruction.

Please know how much we appreciate your service and your oversight of these sacred funds. We are concerned when ward leaders over-spend and we are also concerned when ward leaders significantly under-spend the funds allocated by the Church to bless the membership.

Gratefully,

The Stake Presidency

In answer to a stake auxiliary president who was taking months to recommend a secretary

15 March 2017

Please help (Stake YW president) understand that it is our responsibility as a stake presidency to help the stake organization (and ward organizations, to a great extent) to be as effective and efficient as possible in moving forward the Lord’s work in this part of His vineyard. 

You may remember my comment about (stake clerk's name). He’s a remarkably experienced clerk, but the “ideal” stake clerk is someone who (a) sees problems and offers solutions and (b) anticipates the needs of the presidency and proactively generates data that will help us be more effective, not just give us the data we ask for. 

This applies to all secretaries in presidencies. I recognize those type of people are rare, so we have to call even the inexperienced and help teach them. As long as (Stake YW president) is doing the secretary's “job”, along with her own, she’s not being as an effective president as she should be. She may think she’s effective and efficient, but the Lord doesn’t think so or the Handbook would make the secretary calling “optional" for all presidencies.

Whether she thinks she needs a secretary or not is irrelevant. All presidencies need a secretary to receive the blessings and guidance of Heaven to fulfill the full measure of her presidency and of her own calling. 

It is especially important because of the multi-ward scope of a stake calling, which is balanced by the fact that we have the entire stake to choose from…so there is no excuse for us not to fulfill stake callings in a timely manner.

Please help her and Sis Thomas understand why this is so important to us.

Plea to bishops to attend Stake Missionary Training meeting on March 11, 2017

8 March 2017

Bishops and Branch Presidents,

Please accept my apology for the late request (see below) for you to attend our monthly Stake MissionaryTraining meeting this Saturday. It was an oversight on my part to delay this request.

I realize early Saturday morning is not ideal. I just don't know where else to put the meeting. All of our schedules are so maxed that it seemed to be the one day and time of the week with the least competition, hoping that most families’ Saturdays don't “begin” until some time after 8 am.

I am asking Brother Allen to move our “monthly” Stewardship Interviews to once every two months in order to free you up a little more and in hopes you’ll consider giving me one hour every quarter where all of us, as holders of the missionary keys in our respective units, can focus on how to move the missionary work forward in this part of the Lord’s vineyard.

So you’ll know why I even ask you to attend at all, here’s some additional background as to why I feel an urgency (not panic)…

• Three of our eight bishops and branch presidents were absent for the training at stake conference hence the feeling we need to focus again as key holders on what makes a difference in Member Missionary Work (the first element of the Work of Salvation - Handbook 2, chapter 5);

• Our stake had the fewest baptisms in 2016 of the 9 stakes in the Oregon Portland Mission. I’d like to dismiss it as, “well, we’re just on the wrong side of town,” but the highest baptizing stake with nearly 3X the number of baptisms was next door—the Milwaukie Stake. 

• Elder Costa’s training helped focus me and I’d like to pass along that focus while it’s “fresh”—hence the desire to have you attend our monthly missionary training meeting in March.

So if this is undue pressure on any of you, please forgive me. But I really feel a need to continue to bring together the full-time missionaries and the missionary key holders (you and me) in our stake to see if we can move the work forward with more effectiveness while we have a little “momentum” going into 2017.

Please make every effort to attend. If my invitation is simply too late and your Saturday morning was already planned, will you please ask one of your counselors to attend and let me know who we should expect?

Thank you,

President Lewis

Bishops and Branch Presidents,

Will you and your Ward Mission Leader please plan to attend our monthly Stake Missionary Training this Saturday morning, March 11, at 7:00 am (light breakfast). The meeting will begin promptly at 7:15 am and end at 8:15 am.

We don’t ask you to attend every month. This is one of those times we need you there.

If you are unable to attend, will you please notify me with an explanation and plan to send your 1st Counselor? 

Please extend a personal invitation/assignment to your Ward Mission Leader to attend.

Look forward to seeing your there,

President Lewis

Attendees:

Stake Presidency

Bishops / Branch Presidents

Ward Mission Leaders