Church today -- Kaneohe 1st Ward, 14 April 2013

Sacrament Meeting

• Presiding: Bishop Bert Oshiro
• Conducting:  Robert Carlile, Bishopric 1st Counselor
• Opening hymn:  #142 "Sweet Hour of Prayer" (chorister Kanoe Tani, organist Isabella Lesa)
• Invocation: Sister Kanoe Tani
• Stake business:  Released John Rodriguez (ward executive secretary);  called and sustained Lehi Livingston (ward executive secretary).
• Ward business:   Sustained--Nicholas Santiago (Aaronic priesthood, office of deacon).
• Sacrament hymn:  #180 "Father in Heaven, We Do Believe"
• Sacrament administration by Priesthood
• Testimony bearing: Robert Carlile, Herman Kanahele, Garth Gertsch, Chauna  Faumuina, Filipo Filiaga, Odetta Nesmith, Kanoa Kanahele, Lauryn Cullen, David Suficiencia.
• Closing Hymn: #193 "I Stand All Amazed"
• Benediction: Sister Vivian Filiaga

Sunday School

• Gospel doctrine:  Lesson 14 -- "The Law of Consecration"
• Gospel Principles: see manual

Elders Quorum

• Announcements:  
• EQ is responsible for chapel cleanup on 4/20 Sat.  Meet at 7 a.m.
• Sign-up for team-ups with missionaries on Wednesday evenings. 
• Mahalo to quorum members who participated in service project to trim trees in a member's yard.  We will have another service project to trim trees in another yard on an upcoming Saturday.  Date/time/place TBA.
• The EQ will be looking into hosting a Blood donation drive in the coming months.
• Business Meeting: 
• Redeem the Dead committee:  
• Worldwide Indexing Challenge.  
• Baptism for the dead:  Our ward will be doing baptisms for the dead at the Laie Hawaii Temple on May 24 Friday, 5pm.  Every family in the ward is challenged to bring the name of one family member for temple work.
• Billion Graves.  Another possible project to undertake.
  
• Perfect the Saints committee:  
• Family Fireside.  Friday May 17 at Parkway Rec Center.  5 p.m. to 8 p.m.  Potluck.
•  Proclaim the Gospel committee:
• "Will you?" challenges from the Hawaii Mission President:  Will you pray for the success of missionary work in our stake? Will you identify and invite someone to be taught by the missionaries?
• Proposal to conduct a "missionary week" once a month beginning in May.  Every day will have a designated activity to promote missionary work and proclaiming the gospel.
• Home teaching.  District Leaders (Turner, Sellers, Tamashiro) will be contacting home teachers for reports on home teaching assignments for April .  Goal is 100%

Elders Quorum tree trimmers unite

President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “It will be a marvelous day, my brethren … when our priesthood quorums become an anchor of strength to every man belonging thereto, when each such man may appropriately be able to say, ‘I am a member of a priesthood quorum of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I stand ready to assist my brethren in all of their needs, as I am confident they stand ready to assist me in mine. Working together, we shall grow spiritually as covenant sons of God. Working together, we can stand, without embarrassment and without fear, against every wind of adversity that might blow, be it economic, social, or spiritual.’"  
“Welfare Responsibilities of the Priesthood Quorums,” Ensign, Nov. 1977, 86.

Today, quorum members assisted another quorum member who needed help trimming trees in his yard.   Job well done, Elders.

Family Fireside cancelled

The Family Fireside scheduled for Friday April 12 at the Parkway Rec Center has been cancelled.

The Fireside will be rescheduled for a future date.

183rd Annual General Conference -- Priesthood Session

President Dieter F Uchtdorf conducted

A priesthood choir made up of YSA from the Salt Lake City area sang Arise, O God, and Shine

Elder Ronald A Rasband offered the invocation

The choir sang Nearer, My God, to Thee

Elder Robert D Hales

• His father taught him about wearing the armor of God.
• If we are faithful in the priesthood, this armor will be given to us as a gift from God. We need this armor! (Ephesians 6:13-17)
• In past ages, when someone wanted trouble he generally had to go searching for it. Today temptation finds you!
• The gap between the world and the Church is getting wide
• Satan desires to have you, and sin lieth at the door. How will you resist his aggressive tactics? Put on the whole armor of God.

Elder Tad R Callister

• Shared an experience from the life of his great-grandfather, George F. Richards, who found out that the priesthood of a boy is just as powerful as the priesthood of the man when exercised righteously.
• As a mission president, he observed a dramatic increase in the spirituality and leadership skills of young men during their missions as a result of three factors: [1]  these young men are trusted as never before, [2] there are high but loving expectations of them and [3] they are trained and re-trained so they can fulfill those expectations with excellence.
•  These same factors could be employed with deacons quorum presidents (and other church leaders) and thereby accelerate their spiritual and leadership growth.

Brother David L Beck

• Told of a young woman, Chy, who, when she started high school last year, was victimized by bullying.  Chy was ministered to by members of the school's football team led by Carson Jones, an Aaronic Priesthood holder who was the starting quarterback of the team.
• What does it mean to minister?
• Brother Beck reminded us that we received the power, authority and sacred duty to minister the moment we were ordained to the priesthood.
• In your own home is where you can do your most important ministering.
• We are always priesthood men — we have a duty to minister wherever we stand. Ministering is not just something we do — it defines who we are.

The choir and congregation sang Hope of Israel

President Dieter F Uchtdorf

• We identify ourselves by titles four titles that apply to all priesthood holders
  1. Son of Heavenly Father
     • No matter what we do, we are God’s literal spirit children
  2. Disciple of Christ
     
     • We are united in our testimony of the restored gospel and our commitment to keep God's commandments, but we are diverse in our cultural, social and political preferences.
  3. Healer of Souls
     • We are to practice the Healer’s art
     • We need to build up, repair, uplift
     • We should reach out to those in need
  4. Heirs to all that He has
     • We are joint-heirs with Christ
     • Does it make sense that so many of us spend time on wealth, prestige, or what is cool?

President Henry B Eyring

• Example 1: a faithful 16-year-old priest in the Aaronic Priesthood who lives in a country where missionaries arrived just a year ago.
• Example 2: being an officer in the U.S. Air Force in 1955 and his bishop gave him a blessing just before he left for Albuquerque, N.M. He was blessed that his time in the Air Force would be missionary service. Two years later, church membership had grown so much that the first stake was organized there, and today there is now a temple.
• Example 3:  a deacon  in a strong ward that emphasizes missionary work through the efforts of the ward council and the ward mission leader.
• The commonality: we are one in our charge in the priesthood. We sanctify ourselves and fulfill our individual duties to take the gospel to all of our Heavenly Father's children.

President Thomas S Monson

• Missionary work is an identifying feature of the Church
• Within two years, all currently serving missionaries will have returned home, and their replacements will be found in the ranks of the Aaronic Priesthood of the Church. "Young men, are you ready to respond? Are you willing to work? Are you prepared to serve?" he asked.
• Suggested a formula that will ensure success in missionary work:

1. Search the scriptures with diligence
2. Plan your life with purpose
3. Teach the truth with testimony
4. Serve the Lord with love

The choir sang Ye Elders of Israel

Brother Larry M Gibson offered the benediction

183rd Annual General Conference -- Saturday afternoon session

President Henry B Eyring conducted

A choir made up of students from Brigham Young University sang Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee

Brother Russell T Osguthorpe offered the invocation

The choir sang Did You Think to Pray?

President Dieter F Uchtdorf presented officers for sustaining. There were lots of releases and new calls with Area Authorities.  There was also a new Young Women Presidency called: Bonnie Lee Green Oscarson, Carol Louise Foley McConkie, and Evelyn Neill Foote Marriott.

Brother Robert W Cantwell, Managing Director of the Church Audit Report read the audit report for 2012

• Based upon audits performed, the Church Auditing Department is of the opinion that, in all material respects, contributions received, expenditures made, and assets of the Church have been recorded and administered in accordance with appropriate accounting practices, approved budgets, and Church policies and procedures.

Brother Brook P Hales, Secretary to the First Presidency presented the Statistical Report for 2012

• 3,005 stakes
• 347 missions
• 591 districts
• 29,014 wards and branches
• 14,782,473 members
• 122,273 children of record were baptized
• 272,330 convert baptisms
• 58,990 full-time missionaries
• 22,961 church service missionaries
• 4 temples dedicated
• 2 temples rededicated
• 140 temples in operation

Elder Richard G Scott

• The world seems to want us to live a hectic life
• We need a place of peace, ideally in our own home
• The Savior is the true source of peace
• Technology can be a protection if we use it right
• Having the scriptures in your pocket (on a phone or tablet) won’t protect you, but studying them will
• A Christ-centerd home will be where covenants are kept and love abounds
• A good friendship is like asphalt that smooths over the holes and bumps
• Recognize the good in others

Elder Quentin L Cook

• He has been reflecting on the doctrine of peace
• There is a difference between world peace and gospel peace
• God is not the author of confusion
• For those who reject God there is no peace
• The Church is a refuge

The choir and congregation sang Rejoice, The Lord Is King!
Elder Stanley G Ellis

• We are not spiritual orphans
• With parents we do not need to be confused
• One of the problems today is that every man walks in his own way
• How we raise our children is more important than where we raise our children

Elder John B Dickson

• Spoke quite a bit about the Church in Africa

Elder David A Bednar

• Why is the law of chastity so important?
• Every impulse of the natural man can be overcome through the Atonement of Jesus Christ
• Love increases through righteous restraint and decreases in unrighteous indulgence
• Let virtue garnish they thoughts unceasingly

Elder Russell M Nelson

• There is great enthusiasm for sharing the gospel
• The youth need to share it with their friends
• Apply to the school of your choice before you serve a mission
• We all need to “catch the wave”
• Our Living God is a Loving God

The choir sang More Holiness Give Me
Elder J Devn Cornish offered the benediction

183rd Annual General Conference--Saturday morning session

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang Redeemer of Israel
President Dieter F Uchtdorf conducted
The choir sang In Hymns of Praise
Elder Randall K Bennett offered the invocation
President Thomas S Monson

• Traveled to Germany and Idaho in the past six months  to dedicate temples.
• Didn’t attend cultural celebration in Calgary because it was Sister Monson’s birthday
• President Uchtdorf dedicated Honduras temple
• Announced new temples in Cedar City Utah and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• In October changes to missionary age announced
• As of April 4, there are 65,634 full-time missionaries with 58 new missions
• We were invited to donate to the general missionary fund of the church

The choir sang Hark, All Ye Nations!
President Boyd K Packer

• He shared a short poem he wrote in 1992 at age 68 (he updated it at 78 and again at 88).
• He is getting older. Although he loses physical ability, there are “great spiritual gains” that come with age.
• We need to protect our homes. The priesthood has been given to protect the home
• There are few things more powerful than the prayers of a righteous mother.

Bishop Dean M Davies

• Talked about experiencing the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in San Francisco.  Many buildings collapsed because they were not built on a sure foundation.
• Just as buildings need to use the right material, we need to be built properly spiritually on a sure foundation to be safe (Helaman 5:12)

Sister Elaine S Dalton

• spoke about the first line in the YW theme… we are daughters of our Heavenly Father who loves us and we love him
• we need to understand "we are daughters of an exalted being"
• women have a significant role to play in building the kingdom of God.
•  Was comforted by remembering What e'er thou art, act well thy part.

The choir and congregation sang Let Us All Press On

Elder Craig A Cardon

• The Savior forgives sin on earth, not just in the eternities
• In this forgiveness the enabling power of the Atonement helps us
• False faith does not justify sin
• The Savior knows our weakness; however, “Notwithstanding your sins, my bowels are filled with compassion towards you”

Elder M Russell Ballard

• “And worlds without number have I created” (Moses 1:33)
• The Milky Way is just one of 200 billion galaxies which for most of us is difficult to grasp.
• The priesthood is power by which these were created and the source of this power is God Almighty and His Son Jesus Christ
• While men administer the priesthood, they are NOT the priesthood.  Just as a woman cannot have a child without a man, a man can’t properly use his priesthood without a woman
• Shared an analogy of growing a tomato plant, its potential, and what happens when it is neglected (it wilts).
• Those who hold the priesthood but don’t honour it will wilt spiritually
• Spoke of the recent Worldwide Leadership Training videos about the role of priesthood and strengthening the family

The choir sang Faith

President Henry B Eyring

• This is the Church of Jesus Christ and we take His name upon us as we enter it.
• The Savior tells us, “I will encircle thee in the arms of my love.” (D&C 6:20)
• Recounted much of the life of Christ
• Great blessings come from faithful service
• Christ has shown us how to hear our Heavenly Father

The choir sang My Redeemer Lives

Sister Jean A Stevens offered the benediction