In response when a ward Relief Society president requested a Seminary teacher to be called as her counselor

Bishop (Name),

We apologize for the delay in getting back to you regarding Sister (Name) request for (Name) to serve as a counselor in the Relief Society. We know the delay causes a continuing delay for your wife to be released. You have been very kind to suggest that (name) is wiling, even happy, to keep serving until a new counselor is called.

We have wrestled mightily with this request. We VERY much want to support an auxiliary president who feels so strongly she has received revelation with regard to who should be her counselor.

On the other hand, as  you well know, Seminary teacher is one of those “special” callings that (1) few can do well; and (2) few want to continue to do after devoting hours each day to prepare daily lessons. It’s similar to finding an organist—skill level and dependability must be taken into consideration.

Fortunately, (name) has done an excellent job and she apparently gets high marks from her students. And, best of all, she very much desires to continue teaching Seminary. Our hope is that all Seminary teachers will have the opportunity to go through the four books of scripture that are taught in Seminary.

In short, there are fewer obstacles in finding and calling a Relief Society counselor than finding an effective Seminary teacher.

Will you please help Sister Hall understand how important the stake presidency feels right now that (name) continues to teach Seminary? (Name) would do very well as a counselor in the RS, but this just isn't the right time.

Attached is a document we used in training before on how we can sometimes have “competing revelation” in the church and ways we try to avoid that happening. You may want to share it with Sister (name), if you think it will help.

Thank you very much for your understanding,

President Lewis

Summer camp funding in 2019, the year of our stake trek

Bishops and Branch Presidents…

Because all of us receiving this email have a sacred responsibility to ensure that Church funds are used prudently and are protected from misuse, I felt you might appreciate reading this article and Q&A in the Church’s online newsroom regarding Church finances.

https://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/church-finances-and-a-growing-global-church#question1

Thank you for being vigilant in this singular responsibility to protect the Lord’s funds.

Next week at Stake Priesthood Leadership we will have a Bishops’ Break-Out session in the High Council room. It will replace our quarterly Bishopric Training meeting so we ask that you come prepared to take notes and train your counselors accordingly in an upcoming Bishopric or Branch Presidency meeting.

If you are unable to attend this leadership meeting, please assign a counselor to attend in your place. I would appreciate knowing in advance, too.

One of the topics will be financing summer camps in 2019.

As you know, we have been holding a pioneer trek for all youth, 12-18 years of age, every six years so all youth get a chance to participate in a trek at least once. 

As a consequence, there will be no Stake YW Camp or, we assume, stake or ward high adventures that summer. So the stake will not be subsidizing any summer camps inasmuch as funds will be used to support the Stake Trek. (It is yet to be determined if we will ask each youth to pay the usual summer camp fee of $50 for trek or whether we can do so without any charge; we hope the latter.)

For the past five years, we have been saving funds to finance the trek. So our plan is to share with you at least half, it not more, of the $19,000 we spend each year for summer camp subsidies. Consequently, if your Scout leaders (or other youth leaders) want to attend a BSA camp in the summer of 2019, we ask that you use these extra funds and ward funds, if you choose, to subsidize them.

For any summer camps you choose to support in 2019, funds should be raised by the youth, under the guidance of their parents, with a subsidy from the ward. You will determine the amount of subsidy to come from ward funds and the families should be responsible for the rest. Please do NOT fundraise as per the explanation  established and guidelines issued in 2012.

Again, we hope that the trek in 2019 will be an adequate summer camp experience for all youth in our stake, but you can choose to hold or attend other summer camp activities, but they are to be financially supported solely by families and the ward.

We can discuss this further in our break-out session next Tuesday.

Thank you again for your careful oversight of these sacred funds,

President Lewis

Accommodating the Face-to-Face broadcast with the Nelsons and Stake Seminary Recognition

16 May 2018

Bishops and Branch Presidents…

We suppose you have already received the attached letter from the Church explaining you’ll be receiving extra copies of the “For the Strength of Youth” booklet to distribute to all youth following the Face-to-Face broadcast with President and Sister Nelson at 5p PT on Sunday, June 3.

As you know, this lands on the same evening as the Stake Seminary Recognition. We have struggled a bit with this as we want to accommodate as many as possible to watch the broadcast and also not create a major disruption of the already-calendared Seminary program at 7:00 pm that same evening.

While we will have the Face-to-Face broadcast available for viewing in the Relief Society room at the stake center beginning at 5:00 pm, unless you feel strongly otherwise, we don’t necessarily recommend you try to bring together the youth in your ward to view this broadcast.

Instead, we recommend you consider having a member of the bishopric personally deliver the “For the Strength of Youth” to the parent(s) of each youth in your ward and encourage them to watch the Face-to-Face broadcast with their youth and then, as instructed, present the booklet to them immediately following the broadcast or when designated by President Nelson during the broadcast.

We remind you that, as with previous Face-to-Face events, a recording will be available online. So if it goes two hours or longer, please join us and encourage others to join us for the Stake Seminary Recognition at 7:00 pm that evening, June 3, at the stake center.

We hope this is helpful. We welcome hearing of your plans, if you will. Let us know how we can help or accommodate your ward/branch.

Gratefully,
The Stake Presidency

Announcing some high priests not to be assigned as ministering brothers

16 May 2018

Dear Brethren,

After further study of the attached Ministering FAQ, received earlier this week from the Brethren, we feel to make a correction to what we communicated to you earlier.

For question #8 on how does “ministering apply to members of the high priest quorum,” we feel the Brethren are more insistent, than we first thought, that members of the bishopric and the stake presidency are NOT to receive ministering assignments. While this is not our preference, we can see the wisdom in it, especially for bishops and their counselors who have the specific responsibility “to care for the youth” in addition to their many other assignments.

We also feel the Brethren are trying to be sensitive to the time some leaders—especially bishops—spend in their callings with so many meetings and interviews expected of them. 

We recognize this removes 21 men from the ranks of ministering companions across the stake (6 bishoprics x 3 + 3 in stake presidency; branch presidencies are not members of the high priest quorum). So we are hopeful this can be addressed without burdening other ministering companionships. It may mean designating even more active individuals and families, than originally anticipated, to receive occasional or casual contact.

In the meantime, high councilors and the patriarch may be assigned “based on local circumstances.” In other words, we ask that you: (1) determine for sure that their service is needed before assigning them; (2) visit with them personally to review their current responsibilities and time demands; (3) consider assigning them to serve with their wife as a ministering couple; and (4) consider limiting the number of individuals and families assigned to them.

Thank you for your understanding and for giving this your immediate attention as we know you are in the midst of making ministering assignments. 

Gratefully,

The Stake Presidency

Guidelines for music in stake meetings shared with Kevin Jones, Stake Music Chairman

13 May 2018

(Name Stake Music Director),

Thank you for being so patient with me. You were patient with me when we served together in the bishopric and again now you must put up with me wondering if I’m going to second guess your selection of music for every stake meeting.

I’d like to change—repent, if you will.

Let me offer these guidelines and then you choose and I’ll support without question. Is that OK?

Guidelines for music in all stake meetings:

1. Always hymns or Primary songs.

We want to follow the example of General Conference and have all congregational numbers come from the hymns found in our hymnals. Arrangements of hymns and, on occasion other music like Primary songs, are very appropriate for special numbers by choirs or groups.

2. Familiar hymns.

Stake meetings are not the time to introduce, i.e. practice, not-so-familiar hymns even though it’s tempting to want to teach and expand the repertoire of members' familiarity. We want everyone to be able to to participate in every meeting, if they choose to, and congregational singing is where that will happen. It’s important they are familiar with the music we all sing.

3. Match the theme, if possible. 

We will try to share with you as early as possible the theme or objective(s) of all stake meetings then we would appreciate you prayerfully considering the lyrics of hymns in support of the theme.

4. Concise hymns.

As you know, a number of hymns, even some familiar ones, have many verses or a repetitive chorus take a long time. While we value greatly the contribution music makes to a meeting, we would appreciate it if it is supportive, not dominant or too long. We are always concerned that stake meetings go too long and we want to do better in respecting the members’ time and willingness to attend “another non-essential meeting."

5. Bring energy to the meeting.

One way to keep the music concise is to choose hymns that move quickly and bring a spirit of enthusiasm and energy into the meeting so hearts are uplifted and eager to receive the messages from those assigned to teach and testify. 

6. Be considerate of those presenting the music.

We want to be sensitive to the fact that there are a limited number of members who can play and conduct music in meetings. So you may need to give consideration to hymns they are familiar with and we’re OK with that. 

Thank you for giving the above your consideration for our Stake Priesthood Meeting this Tuesday and all future stake meetings. With that, I will accept your selection without challenge or reservation.

Will you please go ahead and choose the two hymns for this Tuesday’s meeting? If you choose to stay with the two numbers you selected originally, I will not ask you to change them.

Thanks again for being so patient with me over the years. I hope the above is helpful and you will know how much we love you and are so grateful for your magnificent talent that you have so generously shared with all of us. We are truly blessed to have you in our stake and now overseeing the music in our stake.

Gratefully,

Crismon

A Vision of Ministering: Creating a Culture of Ministering in Our Stake

2 May 2018

A Vision of Ministering

For the Mount Hood Oregon Stake

The Stake Presidency and Stake High Council • 2018

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ were prepared in the pre-mortal realm “to
labor in [in the Lord’s] vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men.”¹ It is accom-plished through the five elements of the Work of Salvation: (1) member missionary work,
(2) convert retention, (3) activation of less-active members, (4) temple and family history work, and (5) teaching the gospel. ²

A Culture of Ministering

Ministering is the common thread that weaves through every element of the Work of Salvation. It was the hallmark of the Savior’s exemplary journey on earth. It can be at
the heart of our daily walk as well. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are to create a culture of ministering within ourselves and hopefully within our stake.

Prophets have taught³ that ministering includes: serving others,⁴ loving without judging,⁵ watching over,⁶  being with them,⁷ strengthening them,⁸ ministering one-by-one,⁹  and nourishing “with things pertaining to righteousness.”¹⁰ Ministering is never routine, often unscheduled, and usually inconvenient (see Mark 5:22-43).

A Newer, Holier Approach

Jesus’ critics once questioned with contempt why He would “eat and drink with publicans and sinners?” Jesus responded: “They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” ¹¹ Though we all are sinners,¹² the salient message is that He ministered to those with the greatest needs.

True ministering is need-based. As Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught, we are to shift our focus from those with the fewest needs to “those who need us most—investigators, newly baptized converts, those who are ill, the lonely, the less active, single-parent families with children still at home, and so forth.” ¹³ Above all, we are to be one with the Lord in our efforts, constantly seeking His guidance and patiently awaiting His healing power. ¹⁴

President Russell M. Nelson described it as a “newer, holier approach to caring for and ministering to others.” ¹⁵

As we come together to make this change in our approach to ministering, we will see as God sees and value as God values the “worth of souls” ¹⁶ and appreciate anew that our Savior “suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him.” ¹⁷

_____________________

¹ D&C 138:56

² Handbook 2, Chapter 5

³ Handbook 2, 3.2.3

⁴ Mosiah 2:17

⁵ John 13:34-35

^6-7 D&C 20:53

⁸ Luke 22:32

⁹ 3 Nephi 11:15, 17:21

¹⁰ Mosiah 23:18

¹¹ Luke 5:31-32

¹² Romans 3:9

¹³ “Emissaries to the Church,”
    Elder Holland, October 2016

¹⁴ 3 Nephi 18:32

¹⁵ “Ministering,” President
    Nelson, April 2018

¹⁶ D&C 18:10

¹⁷ D&C 18:11

Principles of Making Ministering Assignments

2 May 2018

As ward/branch Relief Society and elders quorum presidencies meet together to discuss ministering assignments, we encourage you to consider the following principles to ensure our ministering efforts become so much more than the old home and visiting teaching with a different name.

1. PREPARE TO BE LED BY THE SPIRIT: Consider reviewing examples in the scriptures of Jesus ministering. Because you have been directed by a Prophet to counsel together on making ministering assignments, have confidence the Lord will  inspire you. Watch for that settled feeling that rests upon you as decisions are made.

2. Reduce and Simplify: Avoid burdening your assigned ministering companions by assigning only 4-5 households to each companionship, including no more than three that need focused attention. There may be occasions where households of active couples, especially those with no children at home, may not need double coverage. An example would be to assign only ministering brothers, but not sisters, to those homes.

3. INVOLVE EVERYONE: All members ages 14 and up should be assigned to participate in the ministering effort. Hopefully the added numbers will lighten the load on those companionships already burdened. Remember, some older adults, who are confined by age or disability, may only be able to make contact by telephone, email or social media. They can do that much and it is acceptable, assuming the needs are not great.

4. IDENTIFY NEEDS: Using information from the ward council and from former home and visiting teachers, identify the needs of every household—individual or family. Prayerfully ponder how and who would be best suited to help address those needs. You might ask: Is the priesthood in the home? Do they have temporal or health needs? Are they active? Are they in need often? Do they need frequent personal visits?

5. EVALUATE COMPANIONS: In some ways we should evaluate companionships just as we consider the needs of those to be ministered. Consider all the brothers and sisters in your ward or branch, including those less-active, and ponder on their personalities, their depth of devotion and what type of companionship would fit their personal time and talents. Then ask would they be most effective as a married couple, or as a mentor, or as one to be mentored?

6. MENTOR YOUTH: Work closely with the ward Young Women’s and Young Men’s presidencies to identify all the Mia Maids, Laurels, Teachers and Priests and ensure all are given an opportunity to serve and be mentored in this ministering effort.

7. CONSIDER RELATIONSHIPS: When considering companions and their assignments, remember that some have developed deep relationships after years of  home or visiting teaching. It doesn’t mean a change should not happen, but in some cases those relationships may serve as a foundation of friendship that can lead to more effective ministering.

8. GIVE PRIORITY TO NEEDS: Assign ministering brothers and sisters to no more than two or three households where focused attention is needed. Active members should be assigned, but usually receive much less attention, such as an occasional visit at church or a quarterly visit to the home. In short, identify the needs of the members, whether active or less-active, and assign accordingly sharing your expectations with the companionships.

9. TEACH ACCOUNTABILITY: When making assignments, teach the companionships that they will be held accountable for those assigned to them. Instruct them that both companions (or at least one) will be expected to report once a quarter on the temporal and spiritual condition of the individuals or families assigned to them. Teach them they will be asked questions such as “How is the individual or family doing?”—not “Did you visit them?” Establish a set day, time and place for their quarterly ministering report and provide them with the name and phone number they are to call when a more urgent need arises.

10. SEEK MEMBERS’ DIRECTION: It is appropriate for ministering companionships to ask those they visit for guidance on how they want to be ministered to. Ministering is not to be an annoyance, but customized to the needs and desires of those we minister to. We are to be respectful of their time, interest and acceptance of contact.

11. BE PROMPT: Do not delay. As instructed by Church leaders, take action as quickly as possible to put our ministering efforts into practice. Begin conducting ministering interviews soon and spread them over the three months of the quarter.

Comforting a leader who must feel he's been overlooked

1 May 2018

Email to a few leaders:

Brethren,

My heart aches for (Name). 

In the Church it is not uncommon for dedicated leaders to feel, at times, that they’ve been overlooked by the Lord when changes happen.

(Name), who did many outstanding things while HP Group Leader in his personal ministering and leading an exemplary Temple and FH effort in the TC Ward, has in the past two weeks seen his assistant called into the bishopric and his quorum counterpart (EQ president) called to the High Council.

And (Name) was simply released. I’m confident he is hurting, feeling left out and overlooked after giving his heart and soul to his calling.

For most brethren, it would not matter. Some would even celebrate. :) But not (name). We’ve all “survived” those times of feeling overlooked, but it’s still not without pain—feeling you’re not needed or wanted any more by your associates or the Lord.

I realize President (Name) hopes to use (name) as Temple and FH Committee chair. Brother (Name HC), will you please encourage President (name) to make that assignment as quickly as possible to help (name) know that he’s the top priority of the new EQ presidency in their committee considerations?

If there’s something more we can do to bring comfort, I’d welcome your suggestions. At the least, all of us can take the opportunity to express to him what an outstanding HP Group Leader he was when you see (name). 

I had hoped to invite him into the circle to set apart President (name) but when he requested so many of his family to participate, I didn’t feel appropriate to add to the circle. So I dropped the ball, too. 

Any way, I’d welcome all of us being aware of my concern and try to help address it, if we can.

Thanks,

PrL