Recommendations on how to help prepare young people who have received a full-time mission call

After several heart-breaking experiences, where young men faltered in their preparation and integrity in the days leading up to their departure as full-time missionaries, I asked the bishoprics and priesthood executive committees to consider implementing the following steps for all young people with mission calls:

January 1, 2013

Dear Brethren,

As we anticipate a growing number of full-time missionaries being called from our stake, both young men and women, please follow these guidelines for helping them become more prepared before their departure:

·   Meet with newly called full-time missionaries and their parents to review the guidelines and expectations in this document (share this document with them). Remind them that “Preach My Gospel” and the new Youth Curriculum offer a wealth of online support material for teaching in the home.

·   Extend a ward calling (such as ward missionary) to young people, even if it is for only a month or two. Extend ward callings to all young people as soon as they graduate from high school, even if it is only for three months in the summer.

·   Ensure all young men, as they enter the elders quorum, are called or continue to serve as a home teacher and are assigned to a companion, who will strive to make their home teaching resemble a full-time missionary experience. Teach Relief Society leaders to assign and train young women as visiting teachers as soon as they leave the Young Women’s program.

·   Encourage all youth (17 and older) considering a mission to attend the Missionary Preparation class conducted at the Gresham Institute each Tuesday at 7:00 pm.

·   Arrange with the Ward Mission Leader for prospective or newly called missionaries to assist and accompany as often as possible the full-time missionaries in making visits, teaching lessons, locating less-actives, etc. Consider “calling” them to serve “mini-missions.” (Contact mission office for details.)

·   As soon as young people have a mission call, urge them to receive their endowments as soon as possible. Assign the parents, if they’re endowed and active, to teach the Temple Preparation course to their missionary son or daughter before their temple interviews. Provide parents with a copy of the teacher’s manual for the Temple Preparation course and encourage the young person to read the booklet, “Preparing to Enter the Holy Temple.”

·   Once endowed, consider submitting a recommendation for the newly called missionary to serve in the temple, such as veil worker or volunteer.

How service can be the key to helping prepare our youth to be missionaries and covenant parents

Following the April 2012 General Conference, my first as stake president, I had a feeling come over me about the potential impact service can have on the lives of young people. It was impressed on me that service may be our most effective tool for preparing youth for full-time missionary service, temple marriage and parenting. This letter was drafted and distributed to help bishops understand this principle and how they can change the emphasis in their youth program to encourage more service.

Dear Bishops,

Like you, I have been concerned at what’s happening in society and how it is impacting our youth.

• How do we “unplug” our young people long enough to feel the Spirit?

• How do we help them not become self-centered when so many of their activities, and even some Church programs, are focused on THEM?

• How do we reverse the trend of only 25% of the young men in our stake serving full-time missions?

Since General Conference I have had a feeling settle over me that placing a greater emphasis on service—even establishing a tradition of service—among our youth holds great potential and promise for changing our current course.

Teaching youth to become "other-focused" through service will help prepare young men to exercise the priesthood righteously as missionaries, husbands and fathers and will help young women prepare to become wives, mothers and nurturers.

Please know this is not to say that wards are not having enough service projects. Many of you are very consistent in providing service opportunities for your youth, for which we are most grateful.

What I am recommending is that we increase our emphasis on service by each ward designating one Mutual night per month as a Service Activity.

We believe this is consistent with the handbook where it lists service as the first purpose of Mutual activities, even before developing "spiritually, socially, physically, and intellectually." (Book 2, 8.13.1 and 10.8.1)

We ask you to consider, beginning in September…

• That we establish each first Wednesday of the month as “Service Activity” night for all youth in our stake.

• Service activities can be done on a class, Young Men or Young Women, combined YMYW, or even multi-ward basis, as determined by the Bishops Youth Committee.

• If a service activity would be more effective or convenient on a Saturday (or another day), then cancel Mutual that Wednesday and have the service project on the other day.

Does it really need to be the same Mutual night throughout the stake?

Have you ever wondered why we have an established Fast Sunday? Of all the forms of our worship, fasting may be the most personal and private. And yet the Lord has formalized it as part of a public meeting. Why? In my opinion, one of the reasons is so that we do not forget to include fasting in our personal devotion at least monthly.

More importantly, it becomes a fixed meeting. Whenever there is a scheduling conflict, such as General Conference, we are instructed to reschedule our Fast and Testimony meeting, not drop it. Such is the power of establishing the First Wednesday as our Mutual Service Activity. It reminds us that when there is a scheduled conflict, we reschedule our service activity because it is the most important Mutual activity we have in the month.

Plus, a set day throughout the stake will make it easier to coordinate combined projects, including multi-ward service activities.

Will it be hard to find service projects for evening Mutual nights?

That may be the most difficult obstacle. This is one reason we recommend this begin in September, to give your ward leaders plenty of time to anticipate this new emphasis. We assume there will be no shortage of service opportunities within the ward (hopefully the ward council will provide ideas for the AP and YW). Moreover, to give additional support, the stake has compiled a resource database listing dozens of service opportunities available in the community.

You also may want to consider calling a ward service project specialist, who can assist the APYW leaders to come up with projects and tailor them to their size of group.

Won’t this detract from youth working on Personal Progress and Scouting advancements?

Service is a key component to both Scouting and Personal Progress so this direction should complement both programs. Furthermore, it may serve as a reminder that parents are ultimately responsible for their children earning Scouting and Personal Progress awards, not youth leaders. Service may be the most important activity the Church can provide young people for their growth and preparation for adulthood.

Will this be confining to our youth leaders in preparing their monthly programs?

Hopefully it will be liberating. Service can be performed in so many ways. For instance, it means you can cancel Mutual on the First Wednesday (offering a “breather” for families and youth leaders from the week-to-week routine) and perform a service project on Saturday in its place, rather than in addition to the regular program.

It will open opportunities for leaders to teach youth the many ways they can perform service, as outlined in “For the Strength of Youth” (see pages 32-33). For instance, temple trips can now serve as that week’s Mutual activity. Youth can be taught how to serve at home and report back about their experience.

Group service activities will also lend favorably to youth inviting their non-LDS friends. When a Mutual activity is built around Personal Progress or completing a merit badge, it can be awkward for a non-LDS friend to join in on that activity. But with a service project, anyone can participate and feel fully engaged.

Is this a new stake program?

No, this is simply a change in emphasis. There is no program, no new leadership, no accountability, no reporting. We are simply asking every ward to make service the number one priority in your monthly youth activity program. The Bishops Youth Committee, under the direction of the bishopric, ensures that it happens and coordinates the different groups. The stake simply provides support by serving as a resource for service project ideas or to help coordinate multi-ward service activities.

So aren’t we doing enough service already?

If service is “an important characteristic of a disciple of Jesus Christ,” (see For the Strength of Youth, page 32), then we can never do too much service anymore than we can pray, exercise faith or be kind too much. The blessings that come from service are so enriching and life changing that it is no wonder the Church Handbook places it as the preeminent Mutual activity (see Book 2, 8.13.1 and 10.8.1).

As stated in For the Strength of Youth…

“As you devote yourself to serving others, you will draw closer to Heavenly Father. Your heart will be filled with love. You will learn that service and sacrifice are ways to overcome selfishness. You will enjoy happiness that comes only from giving service to God and others. Your capacities will increase, and you will be an instrument in God’s hands to bless the lives of His children.”

Is there any other Mutual activity that offers such a promise for our youth?

We invite you to join with us in changing the emphasis of Mutual in our stake, enthroning service as the number one priority in our youth activity program. Our prayer is that by making service first in our youth activity program, in time it will become the central activity of families as parents recognize that service brings forth the blessings of Heaven in the lives of their children in a much more powerful way than an emphasis on any other program, activity or interest.

Thank you for your deepening desires to rescue our youth. May the Lord bless our rescue efforts as we contemplate changing the priority and emphasis of our Mutual activities.

President Lewis

Service is the key: how to rescue our youth through a change in emphasis

Dear Bishops,

Like you, I have been concerned at what’s happening in society and how it is impacting our youth.

• How do we “unplug” our young people long enough to feel the Spirit?

• How do we help them not become self-centered when so many of their activities, and even some Church programs, are focused on THEM?

• How do we reverse the trend of only 25% of the young men in our stake serving full-time missions?

Since General Conference I have had a feeling settle over me that placing a greater emphasis on service—even establishing a tradition of service—among our youth holds great potential and promise for changing our current course.

Teaching youth to become "other-focused" through service will help prepare young men to exercise the priesthood righteously as missionaries, husbands and fathers and will help young women prepare to become wives, mothers and nurturers.

Please know this is not to say that wards are not having enough service projects. Many of you are very consistent in providing service opportunities for your youth, for which we are most grateful.

What I am recommending is that we increase our emphasis on service by each ward designating one Mutual night per month as a Service Activity.

We believe this is consistent with the handbook where it lists service as the first purpose of Mutual activities, even before developing "spiritually, socially, physically, and intellectually." (Book 2, 8.13.1 and 10.8.1)

We ask you to consider, beginning in September…

• That we establish each first Wednesday of the month as “Service Activity” night for all youth in our stake.

• Service activities can be done on a class, Young Men or Young Women, combined YMYW, or even multi-ward basis, as determined by the Bishops Youth Committee.

• If a service activity would be more effective or convenient on a Saturday (or another day), then cancel Mutual that Wednesday and have the service project on the other day.

Does it really need to be the same Mutual night throughout the stake?

Have you ever wondered why we have an established Fast Sunday? Of all the forms of our worship, fasting may be the most personal and private. And yet the Lord has formalized it as part of a public meeting. Why? In my opinion, one of the reasons is so that we do not forget to include fasting in our personal devotion at least monthly.

More importantly, it becomes a fixed meeting. Whenever there is a scheduling conflict, such as General Conference, we are instructed to reschedule our Fast and Testimony meeting, not drop it. Such is the power of establishing the First Wednesday as our Mutual Service Activity. It reminds us that when there is a scheduled conflict, we reschedule our service activity because it is the most important Mutual activity we have in the month.

Plus, a set day throughout the stake will make it easier to coordinate combined projects, including multi-ward service activities.

Will it be hard to find service projects for evening Mutual nights?

That may be the most difficult obstacle. This is one reason we recommend this begin in September, to give your ward leaders plenty of time to anticipate this new emphasis. We assume there will be no shortage of service opportunities within the ward (hopefully the ward council will provide ideas for the AP and YW). Moreover, to give additional support, the stake has compiled a resource database listing dozens of service opportunities available in the community.

You also may want to consider calling a ward service project specialist, who can assist the APYW leaders to come up with projects and tailor them to their size of group.

Won’t this detract from youth working on Personal Progress and Scouting advancements?

Service is a key component to both Scouting and Personal Progress so this direction should complement both programs. Furthermore, it may serve as a reminder that parents are ultimately responsible for their children earning Scouting and Personal Progress awards, not youth leaders. Service may be the most important activity the Church can provide young people for their growth and preparation for adulthood.

Will this be confining to our youth leaders in preparing their monthly programs?

Hopefully it will be liberating. Service can be performed in so many ways. For instance, it means you can cancel Mutual on the First Wednesday (offering a “breather” for families and youth leaders from the week-to-week routine) and perform a service project on Saturday in its place, rather than in addition to the regular program.

It will open opportunities for leaders to teach youth the many ways they can perform service, as outlined in “For the Strength of Youth” (see pages 32-33). For instance, temple trips can now serve as that week’s Mutual activity. Youth can be taught how to serve at home and report back about their experience.

Group service activities will also lend favorably to youth inviting their non-LDS friends. When a Mutual activity is built around Personal Progress or completing a merit badge, it can be awkward for a non-LDS friend to join in on that activity. But with a service project, anyone can participate and feel fully engaged.

Is this a new stake program?

No, this is simply a change in emphasis. There is no program, no new leadership, no accountability, no reporting. We are simply asking every ward to make service the number one priority in your monthly youth activity program. The Bishops Youth Committee, under the direction of the bishopric, ensures that it happens and coordinates the different groups. The stake simply provides support by serving as a resource for service project ideas or to help coordinate multi-ward service activities.

So aren’t we doing enough service already?

If service is “an important characteristic of a disciple of Jesus Christ,” (see For the Strength of Youth, page 32), then we can never do too much service anymore than we can pray, exercise faith or be kind too much. The blessings that come from service are so enriching and life changing that it is no wonder the Church Handbook places it as the preeminent Mutual activity (see Book 2, 8.13.1 and 10.8.1).

As stated in For the Strength of Youth…

“As you devote yourself to serving others, you will draw closer to Heavenly Father. Your heart will be filled with love. You will learn that service and sacrifice are ways to overcome selfishness. You will enjoy happiness that comes only from giving service to God and others. Your capacities will increase, and you will be an instrument in God’s hands to bless the lives of His children.”

Is there any other Mutual activity that offers such a promise for our youth?

We invite you to join with us in changing the emphasis of Mutual in our stake, enthroning service as the number one priority in our youth activity program. Our prayer is that by making service first in our youth activity program, in time it will become the central activity of families as parents recognize that service brings forth the blessings of Heaven in the lives of their children in a much more powerful way than an emphasis on any other program, activity or interest.

Thank you for your deepening desires to rescue our youth. May the Lord bless our rescue efforts as we contemplate changing the priority and emphasis of our Mutual activities.

President Lewis