Helpful suggestions to bishops preparing to begin virtual sacrament meetings

30 June 2020

Bishops and Branch Presidents…

Thank you for moving forward on the request that we hold weekly virtual sacrament meetings beginning in July.

Here are a few notes that may be of help:

1. ORGANIZED: For those who logged into the Kenmore, WA virtual meeting last Sunday, you noticed that they had some challenges: (1) technical problems using a YouTube recording of Primary children singing in their homes, (2) silly chatter between two people on the program before the meeting started, and (3) a late entrance by the bishop’s counselor so the meeting got started late.

Hopefully we can learn from these miscues and exercise a bit more planning and testing beforehand.

2. TESTIMONIES: You may have begun wondering what to do on the first Fast Sunday, Aug. 2, and how to handle testimony bearing. Here are some thoughts (I welcome you sharing other ideas so we can share with everyone):

• Video conferencing should allow participants to “raise their hand” virtually so the member of the bishopric conducting can call on those who desire to bear their testimony;

• The bishopric member conducting may want to call on some members in advance to share their testimony and switch to them as you would to those assigned to give talks;

• Bishopric members and maybe a ward council member or two bear testimony as ward leaders and then close the meeting encouraging everyone to conduct a family testimony meeting in the home (those living alone could be encouraged to write their testimony and share it with a family member via email or social media).

3. TECHNOLOGY: One of the most important aspects of choosing and operating a video conferencing platform is that attendees cannot be seen and are muted when they join the meeting. Some wards offer a “linger longer” sharing a second link where members can jump on after the sacrament meeting and interface with other ward members using sight and sound.

4. BROADCAST FROM THE CHURCH: I believe most wards have their sacrament meeting so everyone is at home. It gets a little trickier technology-wise, but it’s being done. However, I was so impressed by a recommendation from the Sandy River Ward Council, who asked for permission to broadcast the entire program from the Relief Society room, that we actually drafted a proposal to allow all the units in our stake and submitted it to the Area Presidency. The proposal has been approved and so now all units in our stake can use this format, if you want and as long as you comply with social distancing and sanitizing guidelines.

See the attached document for details on the Sandy River proposal.

If more than one ward in each building wants to use this approach, please coordinate start times so there’s time in between meetings to sanitize. Feel free to call Bishop Kato if you have any questions.

Finally...

5. FOLLOW GUIDELINES: No matter how you conduct your virtual sacrament meetings, please remember to follow these guidelines as stated in the June 11 document:

a) Do not show the administration of the sacrament;

b) Do not record the sacrament meeting;

c) Do not invite or share the link for your sacrament meeting to anyone outside your ward/branch boundaries (if members share the link, we can’t stop them…but don’t encourage it, please);

d) If you choose to broadcast from your ward building, make sure only those on the program are invited and that social distancing is always applied (everyone wearing masks unless speaking or praying over the pulpit).

I hope this is helpful. Feel free to ask any questions.

President Lewis and the Stake Presidency

P.S. When finally scheduled, will you please share with the stake presidency the date and time you plan to begin holding virtual sacrament meetings and other organization meetings? And would you also share the link for your sacrament meeting each time with Presidents Lewis, Hansen and Christiansen and your assigned High Councilor?

PP.SS.

Two more things regarding virtual sacrament meetings…

1. Thank you for your efforts to identify your members, especially those living alone, who are not able to receive the sacrament meeting broadcasts and find a solution for them.

2. Please remember to communicate to your ward or branch members that they are not to feel obligated to attend the online meetings. If they prefer their “home church” they certainly may continue. That’s why you’re going to make sure all attendees are muted and not visible when they log on to sacrament meeting so there’s no hint that you’re taking roll. 

If you decide to have a second-hour class immediately following sacrament meeting, I suggest you do it with a different link where all attendees are visible and with audio when they log in so they can interact with the instructor…and so there’s no hint that you’re trying to identify who attended the sacrament meeting.

Hopefully your video conferencing platform will give you a count of how many attend meetings so you can determine if you’re ward / branch even desires these virtual meetings or not.

Hope this helps!

Explaining to members why a delay in returning to meetings

17 June 2020

Dear Mount Hood Stake Members,

You may be wondering when will we return to meetings again?

We know this has been a trying time, especially for those living alone and those who find isolation extra challenging. We appreciate your patience and faith through all of this.

We are encouraged that the state government may soon allow gatherings for religious services of up to 250 people, provided there's social distancing. You may also may be hearing from family and friends in other areas where they are beginning to hold abbreviated sacrament meetings.

While the Church has issued guidelines for safely resuming meetings, due to the continuing risk of Covid-19 outbreaks in the northwest our Area Presidency has asked that all stakes in our area show extreme caution before we return to meetings.

Right now both government and Church guidelines prevent us from holding any in-person meetings in our three buildings, except for an occasional interview, setting apart or baptismal service. 

Among the obstacles that will delay re-opening will be the expectation that we: 

1) implement social distancing and safety measures in all meetings;

2) comply with all government and Church guidelines, including thorough sanitizing after each meeting; and

3) draft a Meeting Plan by each ward or branch that must be approved by the Area Presidency.

As a consequence, we don't anticipate holding in-person meetings until, at the earliest, August and possibly as late as September or October.

As you may be aware, the Church has already announced that General Conference, Oct. 3-4, will be conducted virtually as it was in April. Also stake conferences and leadership meetings have been suspended through the month of October.

In the meantime, we continue to receive wonderful reports on how:

• Families are embracing the Come, Follow Me home-study curriculum;

• Sacrament administered in homes has been an especially sweet experience;

• Ministering—true watch care—has become standard practice;

• Gospel learning and study in the home has been more enjoyable than ever;

• Leaders are going the extra mile to communicate and keep classes and quorums united.

We love you and thank you for your prayers, your patience and your faith as we all press forward on the covenant path. We look forward to a coming day when we can gather again.

Faithfully yours,

The Stake Presidency

Changing our policy on processing Melchizedek Priesthood ordinations

17 June 2020

Bishops and Branch Presidents…

Last week we were notified by President M. Russell Ballard, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, that all stake conferences and leadership meetings up to Nov. 1 are now cancelled. There is a possibility we will be able to live stream stake conference, but for now we are not authorized to meet in-person.

As you already know, General Conference in October also will be held remotely as it was in April.

In light of these developments, we have decided as a stake presidency to no longer delay the conferral of the Melchizedek Priesthood to worthy candidates you feel to recommend. This applies to both young men, who recently graduated from high school, as well as prospective elders, whom you’ve been preparing to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood.

The steps for processing ordinations are:

1. Bishop or branch president conducts a thorough worthiness interview when you feel the candidate is ready.

2. If you find the candidate is worthy and desires to enter into this special covenant (D&C 84:33-42), complete and submit the online recommendation form.

3. A member of the stake presidency will then conduct an interview and make a recommendation to the stake presidency.

4. If found worthy and ready, the stake presidency will submit the recommendation for a sustaining vote by the Stake High Council during a regularly scheduled HC meeting.

5. Once sustained by the HC, a high councilor will be assigned to arrange for and oversee the ordination at the candidate’s home or other appropriate location.

The ordinations will be ratified at the first appropriate in-person stake meeting, 

We look to you to decide when a brother is ready to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood. Please submit the recommendation at least one week before a scheduled High Council meeting to give the stake presidency time to conduct an interview with the candidate and discuss as a presidency.

We look forward to receiving from you priesthood ordination recommendations of worthy and willing candidates.

Gratefully,

The Stake Presidency

Response to friend Mark Skousen who regularly finds fault with Church policies and the Brethren

17 June 2020

Mark,

Thank you for sharing.

I want you to know that I agree with you. I believe we’ve all overreacted. Yet I sorrow for the family of a dear friend, a bishop to whom I served as a counselor and with whom I serve on the same temple shift, who went into the hospital with what they thought was pneumonia. Within 48 hours he was diagnosed with Covid, put on a ventilator and never recovered. He died a week later in ICU. 

He would have survived pneumonia or even the flu, but the Covid took him. He would be alive today. So I have mixed feelings and while I agree with you that this is overblown, I also recognize this is more deadly than the common flu.

While it’s easy to criticize the Brethren for overreacting, I also can see why they reacted so conservatively:

1. President Nelson is also Dr. Nelson and is going to naturally align with the medical perspective (if the Lord didn’t want the Church to respond this way, He could have easily removed Dr. Nelson at age 95 and put in an attorney Pres Oaks or businessman Pres Ballard…but He didn’t);

2. The Church does not want to be seen as a contributor to a pandemic by going against conventional wisdom, but as a good global citizen; to a certain extent it’s about missionary work even though the Church has had to bring home thousands of international missionaries.

I know you’re upset, Mark. But please don’t constantly find fault with the Brethren. Take it out on Trump, Congress, the medical industry, etc. if venting will help you feel better, but not the prophets. While your testimony may be firmly in tact, as you say, your criticisms of Church leaders can create doubt about the Church and gospel and thus weaken the faith and testimony of others.

I always enjoy hearing your opinions and insights. But when it comes to finding fault with the Brethren, if you insist on continuing, please vent to someone else.

Thx,

Crismon

Sharing an idea on how to resume sacrament meetings with very small numbers

5 June 2020

Bishops and Branch Presidents…

Following our video conference last night I’ve had a thought come to me this morning…

As you know I suggested that when we start to consider returning to meeting…maybe as early as August…that it would be nice if Estacada Ward and/or the Pioneer Branch were the first to put their “toe in the water” and help the rest of us by what they learn.

I’ve wondered if there’s a better way, something most of you can do, if you’re interested.

What if you invited only single adults or sisters without active husbands to your first sacrament meetings? As you know…

…singles are more susceptible to the emotional challenge of isolation and likely would benefit the most from meeting again;

…singles, especially sisters, felt left out when the sacrament was first administered in homes;

…singles consistently feel marginalized in this family-centered church;

…a number of sisters with less-active husbands may not be receiving the sacrament in the home, but the husband will allow his wife to attend sacrament meeting (of course, some of these sisters are visiting in the homes of families to receive the sacrament, which is great).

If you invited only single adults and sisters with less-active husbands to sacrament meeting…

…they would know they’ve been remembered;

…there would be no small children;

….attendance would be low (maybe as few as 5-10 at first; or more if you combined with another unit) so room for social distancing, including sacrament administration, would not be an issue;

…they might be willing to attend where they know that only other “senior citizens” will be in attendance (similar to stores having “senior citizen hours” to limit exposure risk).

Member families would not resent singles being invited first remembering how many singles were “left out” when the sacrament was first authorized to be administered in homes, but not taken into homes.

I know this may sound like I’m pushing for you to open sooner, especially right after giving you 101 reasons NOT to resume sacrament meetings. That is not the case. I simply want to give you confidence that all of you can put your "toe in the water" when you decide the time is right. 

And I wanted to share this thought while it’s fresh on my mind.

So just plant this as a seed in your mind. If it grows this summer, then it will give you confidence that reopening may not be that daunting at first. If you choose to try it, I’ll be happy to help you draft a Meeting Plan in July or August to submit to the Area Presidency for permission to start with this approach. If you’re not interested, it’s OK, too. Feel no obligation.

Just want to help you with the task ahead.

President Lewis

Email announcing possible resuming sacrament meetings

3 June 2020

Bishops and Branch Presidents,

Thank you to those who have already submitted answers to the attached Resuming Sacrament Meeting Worksheet that was sent to you last week.

In preparation for the Video Conference with our Area 70 this evening, I have received a copy of the Area Presidency’s Supplement to the First Presidency’s Guidelines to Returning to Church. I will be sharing details with you tomorrow (Thursday) in our conference call at 8:30 pm after I receive more details my conference call with Elder Blunck tonight.

As anticipated, final decision as to when we resume meeting will rest with the stake presidency, in counsel with you. So your responses to that worksheet (attached) are extremely helpful and timely. Please submit your answers by tomorrow, as requested.

A few highlights from the Area Presidency’s document:

• We will not be able to resume meetings until allowable gathering limits reach 99 (you can ignore question 1.1 on the worksheet, it’s now answered);

• Only sacrament meeting is to be held; youth meetings and activities are to continue virtually;

• How to handle multiple wards in the same building will be left to us to decide;

• We are asked to draft and present a “Meeting Plan” for approval before we resume meeting.

So again your feedback is needed for the stake presidency to begin drafting a proposal for your approval and then the approval of our Area 70. There is no rush, we’re still a ways off yet, but at least we can begin planning so we’re ready when Clackamas County moves into the next phase of reopening.  We want to give ourselves plenty of time to discuss and draft our return-to-meeting proposal, so everyone has ample time to review and prepare.

My guess is that we could resume sacrament meetings in some form, if we (stake and ward leaders) choose to, as soon as mid- or late-July. But I confess I’m probably naive and overly optimistic.

We look forward to counseling together as we move closer to sacrament meetings being held again in our stake.

President Lewis