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Mormons can RUN, but Mormons can't HIDE! - Page 3

I wonder how many decided to 'give til it hurts'?

If you like the above quote you will surely like this one too:

(James E. Faust, "What's in It for Me?" Ensign, Nov. 2002, 21-22)

HIDE cant Mormons RUN Mormons

Another excellent point. I have an internet friend who says it's important to "pay it forward" on a daily basis... tip more than you have to in restaurants, give someone a ride, help a stranger, etc.

I don't know how many chose to "give till it hurts" but I would guess many who were not giving at all may have been shamed into giving *something*, and others may have chosen to give a little more.

Rather off topic, but... I've also felt that tithing involves more than money. My "increase" is every breath I take, every moment of every day. Do I tithe my *time*? Do I give, willingly and joyfully, 10% of my time to the Lord and His work, His people? That's 2.4 hours per day....

IMO
Roz

Mormons can RUN, but Mormons can't HIDE! Studies Doctrine Mormon

Service is one of the most important principles of the gospel, the Saviour set a great example of unselfish service, he spent most of his life serving those around him. He said himself "They that be whole need no physician, but they that are sick"(Matt 9:12). Most of his efforts were to directed to those in need.

One of the Church hymns entitled 'Have I done any good?' has the first verse in the chorus "Then wake up and do something more, than dream of your mansion above". If we sit back and expect the needy to be looked after while we dream of our mansion above I dare say we will never obtain such mansion. It is said that it is 'though others that the Lord meets peoples needs'.

2 Nephi 28:21 speaks of one of the ways the adversary will work on people, "And others will he "pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well". When this attitude is adopted we can be blinded to think that their is no-one that needs our help, everything is good, let us be merry and have fun, when really all is not well in Zion and there are many who are in need.

Although activities and fellowship are good to strengthen the whole, it really is the sick and needy who need the strength and a physician, and the opportunities to extend the hand of service are everywhere, we only need to walk down the street and not turn our back alot of the time.

Page 3 HIDE cant Mormons RUN Mormons

If a family you home or visit teach asked you to not visit in the home, but at the park what would you say and why? What if they said, I don't need you to spend your time visiting, I need...

Why is it a shame? Should people feel obligated to attend such meetings? Is it their duty to attend or maybe a way to sustain people in their callings? Should they love and want to attend? If they don't love to attend, who should change? Them or those putting on the event?

This has been happening in the church from the beginning. The church is not meant to be the celestial kingdom. It is Christ's church and just as Christ is the mediator, so too his church is a mediator between the Telestial and the Celestial World. If you want to see where the real stuff happens, join the Church of the Firstborn and mingle with the general assembly and Church of the Firstborn. You will not find your dreams and hearts desires here, then again, you might be disappointed by that group too. Notice that God with all power and love and ability does not always meet the expectations we set for our fellow men. For example, giving to the poor, God who has everything to give does not give all... I am grateful too because I have the opportunity to do a little.

HIDE cant Mormons RUN Mormons

You missed the point entirely. The shame is in the priority. Attending an activity just for the sake of filling their bellies.

Mormons can RUN, but Mormons can't HIDE!

After having been ward activity chair for the past three years until recently put into RS I have come to truly appreciate and understand the importance of ward activities. They are important to members for fellowship and helping to create a ward family. Without the activities a ward can become disconnected and many people can begin to feel left out and alone. Activities are also very important for the missionary effort. They are excellent opportunities to invite non-members and less active members to. We always kept the missionary efforts in mind whenever we planned an activity. I always made sure to give the ward and full-time missionaries plenty of flyers and invites to pass out. We always encouraged the members to bring a friend or neighbor. We tried to have a good mix of adult only and family activities. It was a good time! Our ward has grown a lot closer due to the fellowshipping that occurred at these activities. We always tried to involve as many people as we could.

Many of our ward activities incorporated service projects to aid those in need. We always had a good turn out. And we never lacked for donations and warm bodies for physical work. We had an awesome Christmas dinner one year that had an amazing turnout. We must have had 200 or more people show up. We had only expected half that many. They just kept coming in the door. It was like feeding the 5000. We just kept dividing the food and setting up more table. Somehow there was enough food for everyone. The cool thing was everyone was to bring something for the Christmas boxes we were putting together for the needy. It was an awesome participation.

We have an annual 4th of July picnic that everyone looks forward to. The ward supplies the meat (Bishopric cooks burgers and hot dogs) and everyone else brings the rest potluck. We have people show up there we don't see in church all year. There are always non-members and investigators. We make sure the full-time missionaries are there to be fed and also to meet those who may be interested in learning more. There are games for the kids, the youth play football, frisbee and volleyball. And there is always the requisite water fight.

Without the ward activities people would go to their meetings on Sunday then go home until the next week. This would encourage the creation of cliques and people feeling ostracized and left out. Activities done right create a loving, cohesive atmosphere among the ward family. I know because I have lived in many wards and have seen it time and again. I have seen it all in this ward. When there are no ward activities the ward members grow apart.

I am now RS Enrichment counselor and will do my best to create the same kind of activities and Enrichment meetings for the sisters in our ward. Each function should meet the needs of the sisters, provide the opportunity for socializing and bonding, provide opportunity for service and missionary work.

Visiting Teaching and Home Teaching are important. They each have their purpose but they do not take the place of activities. Neither can activities take the place of VT & HT. Both are an important and necessary part of the ward. If activities are missing the ward will suffer. If Home Teaching and Visiting Teaching are not getting done the ward will suffer.

As someone mentioned in an earlier post, as people attend activities and grow closer together their service for each other will increase. Their participation in outside service will increase. Their missionary efforts will increase. The people will be blessed, the ward will be blessed, those around them will be blessed.

Message Edited... LDS_Forever: I just separated your text into paragraphs so it's easier to read.

Mormons RUN Mormons can't HIDE! - Page 3

alskann, thanks for sharing your experience. It seems like your ward had reached a good balance of "fun" and "service".

In my opinion, activities are great as long as other areas are not neglected, yes a matter of priorities. Does it make any sense to have a "fun" activity where there is 0% of Home and Visiting Teaching? What about activities that are just for "fun" or "food" and not service oriented ones? I fully understand the need for these type of activities (I enjoy them) at the same time, in my experience , activities are ALWAYS centered on food and fun and almost NONE around service (I don't even recall the last time there was a service activity, probably years!). But I have seen in the past that service oriented activities were poorly attended or no attended at all!

Mormons RUN Mormons can't HIDE! Mormon Doctrine Studies - Page 3

I think it is important to have a good balance. It is perfectly fine to have activities that are just for fun - turn them into a missionary opportunity by inviting non-member friends. We started out by having a fun activity but incorporated some kind of service into the activity. That way people came for the fun and stayed for the service. They learned that it is fun and feels good to do service for others. As people get used to doing the service you can begin to put more emphasis on the service aspect. Of course, every ward is different and each will need to find what works for them. I have lived in wards like you describe in Trinidad. It is difficult, but I believe it can be done. Just takes more effort and patience.

Perhaps as ward members grow closer together through activites and service their Home and Visiting Teaching will increase. You never can tell.

Interestingly enough, one of the most service oriented wards I have lived in was also the poorest. Those who had the least were the most generous with their time and resources.

Edited: alskann on 15th Aug, 2008 - 3:39am