Counsel to bishops following a video conference training meeting

15 May 2020

Bishops and Branch Presidents,

Thank you for joining with us in our video conference last night. We appreciate all the time and inspiration you put into your sacred callings. There’s a lot of talk about those “on the front lines” in the news. For the true Church of Jesus Christ, that’s YOU! And we can’t express enough how grateful we are for your tireless and faithful service.

I had several thoughts come to me this morning in my personal devotions:

1. TRAINING VIDEO: Please consider sharing the member and leader video with your ward or branch council members and ask them to come to your next council meeting with an answer to these two questions:

a. What is one idea or thought that stood out to you in the training for your responsibility?

b. How do you and your counselors (where applicable) plan to apply that idea in your service during these challenging times?

2. IN PLACE OF SINGING: As you’ll remember, we shared the guidance from the Interfaith conference call that we not sing when gathering in small groups, including when we take the sacrament into another’s home. (So that there’s no misunderstanding, a family singing in the home is not only appropriate, but strongly encouraged.)

This morning when I read again the account of Alma and his people in Mosiah 23...where they were commanded not to pray vocally or they would be killed…so they turned to praying in their hearts.

The thought came to me what a wonderful blessing the sacrament hymns are in helping us prepare for that sacred ordinance. Please consider encouraging the priesthood holders, who go into homes, to have those in the home quietly read the lyrics of a selected sacrament hymn while preparing to partake of the sacrament. They could also play a recording of the hymn being played or sung from the Gospel Library.

Speaking of the sacrament in homes... I was also reminded this morning of what a brother-in-law, who serves as a bishop in another state, shared with me: how in their family they noticed the sacrament ends too quickly when there are only a few in the home. So they pause for a full minute or two and sit in silence between the administration of the bread and water; a time to reflect as we do when we meet at church.

Thank you again for your service and for giving the above your consideration.

President Lewis