Discipleship And Charity The Common Themes Of The 2011 LDS General Relief Society Meeting

Note: All posts on the October 2011 181st Semiannual General Conference available HERE, with the most recent post appearing first.

The 2011 General Relief Society Meeting of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints took place before a capacity crowd of over 20,000 at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on September 24th, 2011, and the common theme promoted by all speakers seemed to be discipleship, although charity was a secondary theme. As expected, speakers referred at times to the newly-released Relief Society manual, "Daughters in My Kingdom: the History and Work of Relief Society" (14 MB file, may take up to five minutes to download).

A video archive is now available HERE. KSL news video embedded below:

LDS women hear messages of faith, worth | ksl.com

LDS Church News has provided summaries of the addresses, while a more personal perspective is available from the live-blogging on Scholaristas. A Well-Behaved Mormon Women also weighs in. Highlights from the LDS Church News provided below; click on the link to go directly to the summary:

-- President Julie B. Beck: Sister Beck explained that Relief Society today is organized after a pattern of discipleship that existed in the Church in ancient times, noting that when the Savior organized His Church in New Testament times, women were vital participants in His ministry. She added that as the Lord began restoring His Church through the Prophet Joseph Smith, He again included women in a pattern of discipleship.

Sister Beck further explained that the Lord inspired the Prophet Joseph Smith to organize the women of the Church under the priesthood and after the pattern of the priesthood, which makes it possible for the presidency to receive direction from the Lord and His prophet for a specific work. Although under the priesthood, the Relief Society has been given authority to teach, inspire and organize the sisters as disciples to assist in the Lord's work of Salvation. One of those works emphasized at this meeting was visiting teaching, which is to be considered an extension of the bishop's charge to care for the Lord's flock. Sister Beck concluded by saying that Sister Beck concluded by noting that these and other essential teachings about Relief Society are now available for study in "Daughters in My Kingdom: the History and Work of Relief Society."

-- Sister Sylvia H. Allred, First Counselor: Sister Allred spoke at length about charity, characterizing it not as a single act or something we give away, but as a state of being, a state of the heart, kind feelings that engender loving actions. Individuals must first have the desire to increase in charity and to be more Christ-like. Then, they must pray to be filled with love. Those who truly possess the spirit of charity are willing to serve and help others even when it is inconvenient, and with no thought of recognition or reciprocation. When charity becomes our very nature, we react when we see a need rather than wait to be assigned to help. Sister Allred also put out a pitch for visiting teaching, noting that through effective visiting teaching, we have many opportunities to love, minister and serve others. She added that it is through the countless acts of charity performed daily by visiting teachers all over the world that individuals are able to follow the Savior and act as instruments in His hands. And it is through providing service and extending charity towards others that individuals are able to overcome their own difficulties, making them seem less challenging.

-- Sister Barbara Thompson, Second Counselor: Covenants were her hot topic as Sister Thompson noted that as individuals cleave unto their covenants, joy and happiness come into their lives. In the scriptures, we learn of men and women who have made covenants with God, who instructed people on what to do to honor those covenants, and then as those covenants were kept, God released the promised blessings. Referencing the new "Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society" book, Sister Thompson spoke of the importance of making and keeping sacred covenants and the blessings that come as individuals live worthy of their covenants. Sister Thompson also pitched a subtle reminder that temples still exist, more are being built, and that they've been built to be used.

-- President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency: President Uchtdorf used the forget-me-not flower, which has five petals, as a metaphor to illustrate five things he would like the women in the Church to remember.

(1). Forget not to be patient with yourself.
(2). Forget not the difference between a good sacrifice and a foolish sacrifice.
(3). Forget not to be happy now.
(4). Forget not the 'why' of the gospel.
(5). Forget not that the Lord loves you.

The Money Shot: "My dear Relief Society sisters, you are closer to heaven that you suppose. You are destined for more than you can possibly imagine. Continue to increase in faith and personal righteousness. Accept the restored gospel of Jesus Christ as your way of life. Cherish the gift of activity in this great and true Church. Treasure the gift of service in the blessed organization of Relief Society. Continue to strengthen homes and families. Continue to seek out and help others who need your and the Lord's help."

Gay LDS Man Bryan Michael Egnew Excommunicated After Coming Out, Commits Suicide After Wife Allegedly Cuts Him Off From His Kids

The pro-gay media is reporting that a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who was excommunicated after coming out of the closet and who lost his family as a result has committed suicide, although both the man's brother and an attorney representing the family have posted comments to the pro-gay sites disputing some of the facts presented (those comments are included towards the end of this post).

Gay activist Eric Ethington, an ex-Mormon who left over disagreement with the Church's policies towards gays, explains the situation on Pride In Utah. The individual is identified as Bryan Michael Egnew. In short, Egnew went on a mission when he was 19, was married in a temple to his wife Amy, and sired five children. He served within his local LDS congregation for years, and outwardly seemed to exemplify the textbook LDS man. But it turns out that during this entire period, Egnew was struggling with same-sex attraction, as verified by a former BYU classmate, Jahn Curran.

Finally, Egnew had gone as far as he could go. He decided he had to quit pretending to be someone he was not. And so in August 2011, Egnew came out to his family and his church. This decision seriously backfired; according to Curran, his wife Amy immediately packed up their children and drove them out of state to Tennessee, allegedly refusing to let Bryan see them. In addition, his parents and family also allegedly withdrew their fellowship (although comment #24 was posted by a family member who denies this), and local church leaders excommunicated him, reportedly because he refused to denounce his sexual orientation. Unable to cope with this wholesale rejection, Bryan Egnew committed suicide on September 10th, 2011. He is survived by his wife, Amy, his five children: Chaz, Shelby, Zach, Liam, Jemma; his parents, Edward and Marva Egnew, his four brothers: Mark, Jeff, Brent, Paul; his five sisters: Wendi, Kari Lortscher, Peggi Williams, Mary Ann Castanon, Holli Cahoon, and 31 nieces and nephews.

Pride In Utah does not disclose whether Egnew merely had a homosexual orientation, or if he actually confessed to engaging in homosexual practice. The distinction between orientation and practice is important, because while the LDS Church professes no issue with those who merely confess to a homosexual orientation, they sanction anyone who practices it. Recently, the LDS Church called an openly gay man, Mitch Mayne, to be the executive secretary to the bishopric in the Bay Ward in San Francisco despite his sexual orientation. Mayne practices celibacy. The LDS Church defines authorized sexual relations as only between a husband and wife, and defines marriage as only between one man and one woman. This means that a gay person must practice celibacy in order to remain a member of the Church in good standing. Like polygamy and the Priesthood ban against blacks, this is fundamental doctrine that can only be changed through revelation given to the President of the Church, with spiritual confirmation given to each member of the Quorum of the Twelve.

I find it difficult to believe that Bryan Egnew would be excommunicated merely for disclosing a same-sex attraction. Another LDS blogger, Michael Crook, also wonders if there's more to this story. I also can understand why his wife would bail out; it must come as a shock to find out after all these years that your spouse prefers to swing from the other side of the plate, so to speak. But what's inexcusable, and what may have pushed Egnew over the edge, is when his wife forbade Egnew from seeing his kids. Unless she can show evidence that he behaved improperly towards the kids, his right to visit and interact with them is absolutely non-negotiable, particularly if he would have ended up paying child support after a divorce.

The official obituary about Bryan Egnew understandably made no reference to the fact that he was gay; most obituaries are published to summarize the important facets of one's life. One's sexual orientation is not generally pertinent to an obituary unless that person was an activist for that cause. Egnew's family clearly prefers to remember him for his other accomplishments; that is their right.

Many of the comments appended to the Pride In Utah story are bigoted and hateful towards the Church. One individual with an evident fascist orientation against freedom of speech and freedom of worship posted this utterly ridiculous comment (after the jump):

LDS Senior Missionary Ann Baker Jones Passes Away After Being Severely Burned In House Fire In Texas

Unfortunately, I must now add a new name to my partial list of LDS missionaries who died while on their missions. Ann Baker Jones, 69, of Taylorsville, Utah, a senior missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints serving in the Texas San Antonio Mission, died on Friday September 23rd, 2011 after suffering severe burns in a Thursday night fire caused by a gas leak in a kitchen stove. The most complete story has been published by the Deseret News; additional stories were published by KTVX Channel 4 and KSTU Channel 13 and KSL Channel 5. Each source contribute unique information to the overall story.

Ann Jones and her husband Steven K. Jones had been serving in Texas since February 2011. They were living in a double-wide mobile home on a remote ranch owned by church members in Texas. Late on Thursday night, they were preparing for bed when a gas leak in the kitchen stove triggered a flash fire. Sister Jones suffered severe burns and was flown to the Brooks Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, but despite their best efforts, she passed away on Friday with her husband by her side. KSL news video embedded below:

Flash fire kills LDS sister missionary in Texas | ksl.com

The president of the Taylorsville Utah North Stake, John Jewkes, says both Elder and Sister Jones have family in Utah, including at least three children which are believed to all be heading to San Antonio at this time. Jewkes also paid tribute to Sister Jones, saying "Ann Jones was deeply loved by all who knew her. She was a wonderful wife and mother and a faithful Latter-day Saint. She was excited to serve the Lord in any way she could. Given the circumstances, it's clear she has been called by Him to a greater work."

The last sentence above triggered a rather snarky comment to the Deseret News story about how "god started a fire to call her home". This is incredibly ignorant and insensitive. God does not "start fires" or cause "traffic accidents" to call people home. What President Jewkes undoubtedly meant was that after Sister Jones arrived at the hospital, the Lord may have decided at that point that there was no need for her to suffer through an extended and painful rehabilitation from burns, that she had accomplished all she needed to do in the flesh, and that she could now better continue her service in the spirit world. This, of course, is purely speculative. But to imply that God starts fires to call people home is ridiculous.

LDS Church spokesman Scott Trotter released a statement regard Jones' death, saying in part, "We extend our love and sympathy to Elder Jones, his family, friends and ward members. We pray that the Spirit of the Lord will bring them peace, comfort and healing."

In November 2004, Ensign published an article by Elder Russell M. Nelsen entitled "Senior Missionaries and the Gospel", which provides some insight as to why older couples aspire to serve missions, and relates some of their experiences. The LDS Church continues to recruit senior couples to serve missions. These senior couples tend to focus on service missions rather than proselyting missions, although some seniors will focus on reaching out to inactive members. Through their life experience, senior missionaries can also sometimes unofficially help mission presidents deal with high-spirited younger missionaries and keep them focused.

Local LDS Young Men President Kenny Thomas Released By Bishop In Herriman, Utah For "Not Supporting Scouting"

The Friends of Scouting program is under fire once again in Utah, and it's cost the local president of a Young Men's group his calling. Kenny Thomas, who had served for four months as president of the Young Men organization in his LDS ward in Herriman, Utah, was released from his calling by his bishop for allegedly "not supporting scouting".

As his ward's Young Men president, Thomas was called upon to organize and lead the annual Friends of Scouting (FOS) fund drive, but Thomas first sent an email to ward members cautioning them that FOS money also helps pay high salaries for Boy Scout executives and doesn’t stay with their local scout units. He says that upset his stake president, who persuaded his bishop to release him. Thomas has also created a Reduce Scouting Costs Facebook page to share his concerns with the public at large. Kenny Thomas is not disaffected with the LDS Church or with the fundamental purpose of the Boy Scouts in any way; he merely is concerned about the value and integrity of the Friends of Scouting program. In an interview, Thomas said “I support Scouting and what it can do for the youth, but am concerned about the administration of the BSA. I think there is a lot of waste, and the salaries are too high. I am not attacking scouting or the Church. I would like to see change in BSA administration. I think that most people understand that.”

David C. Roth, president of the LDS Herriman South Stake and also a member of Thomas' ward, told the Salt Lake Tribune that Thomas was actually released because of his unwillingness to support scouting in general, and not just because of what he did with Friends of Scouting. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints decided to adopt the Scouting program as its official program for young boys and an activity arm of the Aaronic Priesthood, and became the first institutional sponsor of Scout troops in the United States in 1913; today it reports that it sponsors more Scouts and Scouting units in the United States than any other organization.

Kenny Thomas' disaffection with Friends of Scouting first surfaced when he saw that his ward was paying far more for “ramshackle” Scout camps than it was for higher-quality girls camps run by the Church. Even though FOS money supposedly helps funds the camps, he questioned whether it was actually percolating down. Upon investigating, he found that FOS money was going to pay high salaries for Scouting executives; this was further confirmed in an August 9th Tribune story. The Tribune reported that four employees of the Great Salt Lake Council received compensation in excess of $100,000 in 2009, and that nationally, the Boy Scouts National Council reported paying 189 employees more than $100,000 each in compensation in 2009, topped by Robert J. Mazzuca, the national chief Scout executive, whose compensation was $1.21 million. The Boy Scouts of America National Council gets some poor ratings on Charity Navigator, primarily because of inflated executive salaries. Charity Navigator has a portal page to numerous local BSA councils for those wanting to check up on them, but for some reason, the Great Salt Lake Council is not listed.