A year ago, in the general priesthood session of conference, Bishop Gérald Caussé spoke to the men of the Church describing how Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood holders are inseparable partners in accomplishing the work of salvation. That message has been a great blessing in helping the young men who hold the Aaronic Priesthood see the part they play in building the kingdom of God on this earth. Their joint service strengthens the Church and brings about deeper conversion and commitment in the hearts of our young men as they see the value of their contribution and how magnificent this work is.
Today I would like for my remarks to be a bookend to that message as I talk about the young women of the Church, who are equally needed and essential in accomplishing the work of the Lord in their families and in His Church.
Each member should know how much he or she is needed. Each person has something important to contribute and has unique talents and abilities that help move this important work along.
In Handbook 2, we learn that the work of salvation within our wards includes “member missionary work, convert retention, activation of less-active members, temple and family history work, and teaching the gospel.” This work is directed by our faithful bishops, who hold priesthood keys for their ward. For many years now, our presidency has been asking the question “Which of these areas mentioned should our young women not be involved in?” The answer is that they have something to contribute in all areas of this work.
…
Several months ago, I had the opportunity to test an idea with two 14-year-old young women. I obtained copies of two actual ward council agendas and gave Emma and Maggie each a copy. I asked them to read over the agendas and see if there were any action items from the ward councils in which they might be able to be of service. Emma saw that a new family was moving into the ward, and she said she could help them move in and unpack. She thought she could befriend the children in the family and show them around their new school. She saw there was a ward dinner coming up and felt there were many different ways she could offer her services.
Maggie saw that there were several elderly people in the ward who needed visits and fellowshipping. She said she would love to visit with and be of help to these wonderful older members. She also felt she could help teach members of the ward how to set up and use social media accounts. There really wasn’t one thing on those agendas with which those two young women could not help!
Do those who sit on ward councils, or hold any calling in the ward, see the young women as valuable resources to help fill the many needs within our wards? There is usually a long list of situations that require someone to serve, and we often think only of the adults in the ward to meet those needs. Just as our Aaronic Priesthood holders have been invited to labor with their fathers and other men of the Melchizedek Priesthood, our young women can be called upon to provide service and minister to the needs of ward members with their mothers or other exemplary sisters. They are capable, eager, and willing to do so much more than merely attend church on Sundays!
I didn’t hear this talk live (I was busy driving around all of Saturday) but Laura was very excited about it – as was Tamra Adamson apparently based on what Laura told me that night. Little did any of us know at the time how this was laying the groundwork for the announcement regarding ministering that would come the next day.
As we consider the roles that our young women will be expected to assume in the near future, we might ask ourselves what kind of experiences we could provide for them now that will help with their preparation to be missionaries, gospel scholars, leaders in the Church auxiliaries, temple workers, wives, mothers, mentors, examples, and friends. They can actually begin now to fill many of those roles. …
We are grateful for bishops who take the time to visit Young Women classes and who provide opportunities for young women to be more than mere spectators of the work. Thank you for making sure your young women are valued participants in meeting the needs of ward members! These opportunities to serve in meaningful ways bless them much more than activities in which they are just entertained.
The same holds for our young men. I don’t believe we do much better in giving them opportunities to develop the skills that they will need as they enter adulthood.
Leave a Reply