Policies and Announcements
"News of the Church," Ensign, July 2005, 74
A recent letter from the First Presidency to priesthood leaders reads:
"With the additional members of the Fourth Quorum of the Seventy approved at a recent general conference, the Seventh Quorum of the Seventy has been organized from a division of the Fourth Quorum.
"Members of the Seventh Quorum are drawn from the Brazil North, Brazil South, Chile, and South America South Areas. The Fourth Quorum is composed of brethren serving in the Central America, Mexico North, Mexico South, South America North, and South America West Areas.
"In addition, the large geographic area covered by the Third Quorum of the Seventy has made it advisable to create the Eighth Quorum of the Seventy. The new quorum is composed of Area Seventies from the Asia, Asia North, Australia, New Zealand/Pacific Islands, and Philippines Areas. The Third Quorum consists of brethren serving in the Africa Southeast, Africa West, Europe Central, Europe East, and Europe West Areas."
The geographic areas covered by the Third and Fourth Quorums of the Seventy have been divided to create the new Seventh and Eighth Quorums of the Seventy.
"News of the Church," Ensign, July 2005, 74
More than 3.5 million Church records, manuscripts, publications, photographs, and audiovisual items of historical value will soon find a new home in Salt Lake City thanks to the announcement of plans for a new Church History Library.
The library, which will be built across the street to the east of the Conference Center, will be a five-story, 250,000-square-foot (23,000-m2) building that will visually complement the Conference Center. Because the new library will be much larger than the existing one, the Church will have more archival space to which it can add more materials.
The new library, which will replace the library currently located inside the Church Office Building, will include reading rooms and a special collections area that will be open to the public.
"The new Church History Library will be a welcome resource for those who wish to learn more about Latter-day Saint history," said Elder Marlin K. Jensen of the Seventy, who serves as Church historian and recorder.
Construction on the building is scheduled to begin later this year. The Church expects the building to be completed by late 2007. The library will be built on a site that is currently a 272-space parking lot. Bill Williams, the Church's director of architecture and engineering, said the Church will create interim parking during construction.
Brother Williams also said the library will have a similar feel to the Main Street Plaza and that it will have "the same kind of character" as Temple Square.
[illustration] The new Church History Library will be a five-story, 250,000-square-foot (23,000-m2) building constructed to the east of the Conference Center.
"News of the Church," Ensign, July 2005, 75
More than one-third of the missions worldwide will receive a new mission president this year. One hundred and twenty-two mission presidents will begin their new assignments on or around July 1. The total number of missions worldwide is now 339, the newest being the Mozambique Maputo Mission, which was created on January 1, 2005.
Mission
New President
Alaska Anchorage
Randy C. Lewis
Albania Tirana
Paul D. Clayton
Argentina Buenos Aires West
Alfonso Ramos
Argentina Mendoza
Juan C. Ávila
Argentina Resistencia
Donald V Shakespear
Argentina Rosario
Richard C. Hutchison
Argentina Salta
Israel Rubalcava
Arizona Phoenix
C. Scott Gill
Arizona Tucson
Douglas F. Higham
Arkansas Little Rock
Gary N. Batchelor
Baltic
Russell N. Watterson
Bolivia Cochabamba
Ronald E. Dalene
Brazil Brasília
Marcos A. Aidukaitis
Brazil Florianópolis
Lamonte J. Dansie Jr.
Brazil Fortaleza
Victor A. da Silva
Brazil Maceió
B. Bruce Muir
Brazil Manaus
Paulo H. Itinose
Brazil Recife
Mark B. Woodruff
Brazil Ribeirão Prêto
R. Blair Condie
Brazil Rio de Janeiro
Milton H. Brinton
Brazil Rio de Janeiro North
João L. Oppe
Brazil Salvador
Jarbas F. Souza
Brazil São Paulo Interlagos
Dale H. Bradford
Brazil São Paulo North
Michael J. Bertasso
Brazil São Paulo South
Jose A. Teixeira
California Anaheim
Randall G. Harmsen
California Arcadia
Stephen W. Owen
California Fresno
John C. Beck
California Riverside
Robert A. Ewer
California Roseville
Lee T. Perry
California Sacramento
R. Randall Huff
California San Diego
Robert N. Packer
California San Jose
Oscar W. McConkie III
California Ventura
Richard M. Ellsworth
Canada Montreal
Alain A. Petion
Canada Toronto East
Tad R. Callister
Canada Vancouver
Anthony W. Middleton Jr.
Chile Osorno
Carl R. Faulkner
Chile Santiago North
Kevin R. Duncan
Colombia Cali
Horacio J. Nieto
Colorado Colorado Springs
Robert S. Fotheringham
Colorado Denver North
W. Dea Montague Jr.
Connecticut Hartford
Van R. Johnson
Croatia Zagreb
Douglas L. Weight
Dominican Republic Santo Domingo East
Juan A. García
Dominican Republic Santo Domingo West
Larry K. Bair
Democratic Republic of Congo Kinshasa
William W. Maycock
Ecuador Guayaquil North
Randall L. Ridd
Ecuador Quito
José F. Lara
El Salvador San Salvador East
Ricky D. Jones
El Salvador San Salvador West
Robert D. Call
England Manchester
Theodore M. Jacobsen
Fiji Suva
Ian S. Ardern
Finland Helsinki
Phillip Estes
Florida Fort Lauderdale
Noel B. Reynolds
France Paris
Steven H. Pond
France Toulouse
J. Craig Merrell
Georgia Macon
R. Brent Evanson
Germany Frankfurt
K. Eugene Webb
Germany Munich/Austria
Holger D. Rakow
Guatemala Guatemala City Central
Hugo E. Martínez
Guatemala Guatemala City North
Thomas R. Coleman
Guatemala Guatemala City South
Ronald R. Bennion
Guatemala Quetzaltenango
César A. Morales
Honduras Tegucigalpa
Scott D. Farrell
Italy Catania
W. Bryan Colton
Ivory Coast Abidjan
Lindsay T. Dil
Japan Hiroshima
Akira Yafuso
Japan Sapporo
Yoshikazu Yokoyama
Japan Sendai
Asao Miyashita
Japan Tokyo South
Valten J. Tucker
Kentucky Louisville
Dennis C. Brimhall
Korea Busan
Pyung-Jong Song
Louisiana Baton Rouge
Douglas H. Patterson
Mexico Guadalajara
Gary L. Heaton
Mexico Mexico City North
Ricardo E. Castillo
Mexico Oaxaca
Jesús A. Ortiz
Mexico Puebla
J. Phil Freestone
Mexico Tijuana
Brian B. Carmack
Mexico Torreón
Richard J. Hogan
Mexico Tuxtla Gutiérrez
Clifford L. Whetten
Mexico Veracruz
Lester F. Johnson
Michigan Lansing
Dean C Edwards
Minnesota Minneapolis
R. Lloyd Smith
Missouri Independence
James L. Hacking
Mozambique Maputo
Lynn P. Wallace*
Nevada Las Vegas
John J. Wadsworth
New Jersey Morristown
Stephen K. Parkinson
New Zealand Auckland
Carl B. Cook
New Zealand Wellington
G. Michael Finnigan
Nigeria Port Harcourt
Edgar L. Stone
Ohio Columbus
Russell S. Gilliland
Oregon Eugene
Daniel B. Fugal
Oregon Portland
Van C. Gessel
Pennsylvania Harrisburg
Jerrald M Jensen
Pennsylvania Pittsburgh
Jay K. Francis
Peru Lima East
Michael R Lindstrom
Philippines Angeles
Robert J. Stringham
Philippines Cebu
Leonard M Anderson
Philippines Davao
Moises M. Mabunga Jr.
Philippines Manila
David E. LeSueur
Philippines Olongapo
Craig A. Burtenshaw
Philippines San Pablo
Gerald E. Mortimer
Philippines Tacloban
Richard J. Trask
România Bucharest
John H. Ashby
Russia Yekaterinburg
Gregory A. Schwitzer
Samoa Apia
Paul B. Price
South Africa Cape Town
John C. Nelson
South Africa Johannesburg
James A. Bowden
South Carolina Columbia
Kenneth E. Brailsford
Sweden Stockholm
Jan Åke Karlsson
Tahiti Papeete
T. Marama Tarati
Tennessee Knoxville
Ronald S Godfrey
Tennessee Nashville
Mark O. Lords
Texas Dallas
Bart C. Warner
Texas Houston
Travis L. Steward
Texas Houston East
Michael S. Lake
Texas Lubbock
D. Brent Rose
Ukraine Donetsk
Dale E. Andersen
Ukraine Kiev
R. Kim Davis
Venezuela Caracas
Danilo A. Paredes
Washington Tacoma
Kevin W. Pearson
West Virginia Charleston
Joseph F. Cowley Jr.
* Began service on January 1, 2005, when mission was created.
By Adam C. Olson, Church Magazines
Chad Phares of the Church magazines also contributed to this article.
Adam C. Olson, "News of the Church," Ensign, July 2005, 76
Ninety years ago, President Joseph F. Smith (1838-1918) and his counselors in the First Presidency announced the commencement of the family home evening program. Since that time, the program has become an institution in Latter-day Saint households around the world, blessing families in countless ways.
A Good Monday Night Model
It was Monday night, and seven-year-old María Fernanda Fernández of the Loma Nueve Ward, San Miguelito Panamá Stake, was in charge of her family's home evening. María Fernanda (Marifer to her friends and family) had chosen the topic of prayer.
After leading the singing and asking her two-year-old brother, Roberto, to say the prayer with a little help from their mother, Marifer told a story her mother had helped her memorize from the Family Home Evening Resource Book, using pictures from the Gospel Art Picture Kit. Then she related a personal experience: "At the beginning of the school year, a classmate always fought with me. One day, I went to the bathroom crying after a fight and prayed that she wouldn't fight with me anymore."
Marifer said after that prayer, their relationship changed. "We invited her to my house and gave her mom a couple of issues of the Liahona. My friend liked them so much that she asked for more." Marifer said she and her friend have talked a lot about the Church.
She ended with her testimony: "I know that Jesus Christ lives, that the Book of Mormon and the Bible are true, and that Jesus lived and died for us."
Her mother, Marisol, and her father, Luis, bishop of the Loma Nueve Ward, shared their testimonies about prayer as well. Then Bishop Fernández offered the closing prayer, and it was time for treats.
Family Night Blessings
President Gordon B. Hinckley, who was a young boy when family home evening was instituted, has said that although it was a struggle at times, his parents always held family home evening, and he and many others were blessed for their diligence.
"I see the fruits of it in my own family and in the families of my grandchildren and in the families of my great-grandchildren," he said. "The principle of family solidarity carries with it a conviction of its truth" ("Inspirational Thoughts," Ensign, June 1999, 4).
In order to receive the blessings promised to those who hold family home evenings, it is important to realize that these blessings are reserved not only for couples with children, but for all members of the Church.
President James E. Faust, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, said love will abound in any home that has family home evening, regardless of how many people live there. "One of the most important ways to foster unity in the home is holding family home evening regularly," he said. "Whether we are young or old, single or married, whether we have children at home or have become empty nesters, family home evening can increase unity and love in our homes. Family home evening is for everyone" ("Enriching Our Lives through Family Home Evening," Ensign, June 2003, 3).
To help members have more meaningful family home evenings, the Church offers many resources that can help families have uplifting experiences. Along with the Family Home Evening Resource Book (item no. 31106), the Gospel Art Picture Kit (item no. 34730) is also available. This can be particularly useful with young children. Online resources are also now available that give tips and suggestions on how to make the evening special (see sidebar on p. 77).
Families are encouraged to plan family home evening together. If all members of the family have a responsibility for family home evening, each person can feel that he or she is contributing to the success of the gathering.
Together Again on Monday Night
It was Monday again, and the Veras family of the Gazcue Ward, Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Stake, was learning about the importance of listening to the prophet. Eight-year-old Shantalle led the singing. Four-year-old Yeraly helped her mother, Awilda, tell the story of Noah and the ark. Aaliya, two, was content sitting with her father, Nelson, as he bore testimony of President Gordon B. Hinckley.
Brother Veras's rendition of "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" sent the three girls into peals of laughter. A prayer followed, then treats.
Family home evening had turned the Veras family's cramped downtown Santo Domingo apartment into a peaceful haven five stories above the busy street. "I love being with my family," Shantalle says of family night.
[photo] Marifer Fernández leads the singing during family night. (Photograph by Adam C. Olson.)
"News of the Church," Ensign, July 2005, 77
Recently, in an effort to help families plan more meaningful family home evenings, the Church added a link to its Web site that gives families hundreds of ideas for lessons, activities, games, and topics of conversation.
Ideas listed on the Church's Home and Family site (www.lds.org/hf) are taken from the Family Home Evening Resource Book, Church magazines, and various other sources. While the site has been operational for about two years, additions and changes are constantly being made to allow even those who use the site often an opportunity to come across new material.
Prophets and apostles have stressed the importance of family home evening since it was instituted. In a letter dated February 11, 1999, the First Presidency counseled members on the importance of the responsibilities of parents and family in the home.
"The home is the basis of a righteous life, and no other instrumentality can take its place or fulfill its essential functions in carrying forward this God-given responsibility," the statement said. "We counsel parents and children to give highest priority to family prayer, family home evening, gospel study and instruction, and wholesome family activities" (see Ensign, June 1999, 80).
In order to encourage these activities, the Web site includes tips that can help families with varying circumstances understand the best ways to make family home evenings memorable. The site includes tips on how to involve teenagers in family home evening, keep the attention of younger family members, and create your own lessons.
While the site is currently only in English, plans are being made to broaden the number of languages available to aid more members.
[photo] Family home evening help can be found online at www.lds.org/hf.
By Don Searle, Church Magazines
Don Searle, "News of the Church," Ensign, July 2005, 78
Members of the Church throughout Central America spent Saturday, April 9, working to improve their communities. Before the day was over, they and some of their neighbors who worked with them had donated more than 166,000 hours of service-the equivalent of one person working 24 hours per day, 365 days a year, for just under 19 years.
More than 22,000 Church members, along with some 1,800 friends of other faiths, carried out service projects in 258 locations spread through Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.
The projects not only contributed to improving communities, they also helped make friends for the Church and its members, commented Elder W. Douglas Shumway of the Seventy, First Counselor in the Central America Area Presidency. "It was most gratifying to see so many members of the Church as well as others participating hand in hand cleaning, painting, and repairing as they enjoyed each other's company throughout the day."
Elder Shumway noted that the diligence and the spirit felt among members made an impact on leaders in the communities. He cited as an example a visit by the mayor of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala's second largest city, to Latter-day Saint Church services on Sunday, April 10, the day following the service projects. The mayor had been so impressed by the LDS young people involved in the projects that he said in a Sunday School class, "I congratulate your youth for having principles that help them maintain their moral cleanliness and purity. As you continue to uphold these standards, you will continue to build our community."
In other areas, some residents who saw what the Latter-day Saints were doing joined in the work spontaneously or helped by bringing water or refreshment. In Nicaragua, there were reports that some citizens who joined in the projects were so impressed by the Latter-day Saints that they asked to have missionaries visit them at home. But most simply expressed gratitude for what the Church members had contributed. One man, a member of a community improvement committee in Chalchuapa, El Salvador, explained that a local public park had been allowed to run down badly and that the municipal government had not had funds or manpower to save it. "But now, thanks to the help that the Latter-day Saints have given on this day of service, we've been able to improve it, to make it beautiful again."
It was easy to identify the workers involved in the projects. Throughout Central America they wore white vests with the words "Hands That Help" on the front, along with the letters "SUD," which stand for Latter-day Saint in Spanish. On the back, the vests identified the wearers as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or the Mormons. The identifying vests were an idea that has worked well during similar service projects in other areas, notably Brazil.
Local residents were not the only ones who noticed the work going on in their communities. The news media, alerted by LDS public affairs representatives, paid attention too. News stories appeared afterward in papers in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. Six television channels in El Salvador produced stories about the day of service, as well as one channel each in Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In San Salvador, El Salvador, one local radio station, alerted while the work was being done, had a news story on the air within an hour.
Undoubtedly one of the more lasting effects of the day of service will be the strengthening of ties between Latter-day Saints and community leaders. For many of the projects, local governments furnished materials and supervision while Church members and others offered their labor. Projects were planned in cooperation with local government leaders. In one municipality of San Salvador, for example, a member who has quietly worked with local government over a period of years arranged, at the mayor's request, for a group of volunteers to clean up and paint in and around a community theater. In Santa Ana, El Salvador, the stake Relief Society president is employed at an elder care center operated by an order of Catholic nuns. At the request of the nuns, she arranged for volunteers not only to perform physical labor outside, but also to offer personal grooming and care to the residents of the home.
Many members spoke afterward of the joy they felt in serving. Many said also that they felt the service would help change perceptions of the Church. One said, "It is said that words convince people, but actions pull them in."
[photo] Members of the San Salvador El Salvador Soyapango Stake bag garbage collected along the freeway. (Photograph by Don Searle.)
Testimony in the Magazine
"Comment," Ensign, July 2005, 79
I just finished reading, from the picture on the front cover to the picture on the back cover, the April 2005 Ensign, and I must tell you that it is exceptional. The articles, the photographs, the paintings, and even the comment letters are exemplary and edifying. This issue stands as a beautiful and timeless testimony of our Church.
Franklin E. Walker, Lone Peak Ward, Alpine Utah West Stake
Grateful for Balance
Thank you for your article, "A Balanced Life" (Ensign, April 2005, 26). What a breath of fresh air in the polluted rhetoric of "do more," "try harder," "more is expected of you." I have been trying to live a more balanced life after my own bout with depression. I don't remember ever reading an article that expressed those sentiments quite that way. I truly believe we need to try our best, but some people's best is better than others.' We need to stop comparing ourselves with others and just work on ourselves. Sometimes it is not about praying harder and having more faith. Sometimes it is about relaxing with our family.
Name Withheld
Touched by a Poem
As a mother with young children and the wife of a dutiful priesthood holder, I was touched by "The Wedding Reception" by Sister Martha Taysom in April's Ensign. I was filled with emotion the first time I read it earlier in the month. Today I reread the tender poem and was again moved and grateful for the beautiful words she expressed in her heartfelt poem. Thank you.
Kim Mantz Swallow, Spring Hollow Ward, American Fork Utah West Stake