In response to an EQ president who disagreed with the Area Seventy's authorization of taking the sacrament into homes at least once a month

27 March 2020

Hello President,

I strongly disagree with Elder Blunk on this item. Whether legal or not we should not be going into members homes in an organized and official capacity.  This creates health risks for all participants and a PR risk for the church and potential liability for the church and those in leadership positions.

This needs approval of a general authority and probably church legal representation.

This does not seem in harmony with the direction we are seeing from the general authorities with the temples being closed world wide and missionaries being sequestered or sent home.

-(Name)



Dear Bishop Kato and President Hokanson...

Thank you for sharing your sentiments on the subject. I respect your feelings and recognize how strongly you feel about this.

First, let me say that your handling the administration of the sacrament in your ward this Sunday is solely up to you. We have no plans of communicating to the members anything more beyond the original announcement made a couple of weeks ago that March 29 is sacrament Sunday.

You decide whether or not you want to organize worthy priesthood holders to take the sacrament into the homes of those who consent to receiving visitors. You did a wonderful job last weekend in taking the sacrament—at the last minute—into more homes than any other ward in the stake. Thank you and well done!

As you know, the First Presidency gave us the following directive: "Bishops should counsel with their stake president to determine how to make the sacrament available to members at least once a month.” Your ward members have had two opportunities to receive the sacrament in March (March 1 and 22). So if you choose not to make it available this Sunday, that’s your choice.

However, the First Presidency has not rescinded that directive. So, if things are the same as they are now, we’ll need to address this  subject again in April to make sure your members have the option of receiving the sacrament in their homes in April.

As for your concerns about legality…

If the governor’s executive order required everyone to stay home and they would bring food to our doorstep, that would be one thing. But, as you know, the governor’s directive allows all of us to leave our homes to go to work (for “essential” businesses) and to go to the grocery store and for other essential services.

Many of us go to the store and are exposed to other people while shopping. And we buy food, most of which was touched by food handlers. The governor’s order allows us to provide for our physical nourishment, even with such a risk.

If a government official or even a neighbor challenged a ministering brother about going into the home of another to take them the "bread and water of life," I would hope every disciple of Jesus Christ could persuasively defend why we personally need spiritual nourishment as much as physical nourishment. For many, hopefully for all of us, it’s an “essential service.” 

We appreciative ministering brothers taking all the precautions possible, such as washing hands thoroughly, keeping a distance, and using bread and water from the member's home.

As for your concerns about PR…

Our meetinghouses and temples are closed because they are gathering places.

In my opinion, our missionaries are told to stay home for three reasons, beyond the appearance: (1) safety--there’s a big difference between one or two ministering brothers going into a single home for a few minutes once a month and a couple of missionaries flitting from house to house like bees in search of pollen; (2) the Church has always been extra cautious and protective of the full-time missionaries for the parents’ sake; and (3) the maturity level of missionaries knowing some may not take this seriously.

Finally, receiving the sacrament is a personal matter. We each make that choice in sacrament meeting. My counsel to you is to make it available “at least once a month” to all members and allow them to decide if they want to have visitors come into their home for this special purpose.

I hope this is helpful.

President Lewis