Banbury Ward of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Message from the Bishopric

Dear Banbury Ward,

I recently spent a week with my oldest daughter Allison and my two precious grandchildren. I stood in awe watching my daughter in action as she role modeled motherhood at its peak. She fed them, she clothed them, she shared with them, she played with them, she read with them, she had to discipline them, she had to show care and kindness to them, she taught them, she cleaned them, she explained things to them, she prayed with them, etc., etc. I saw so much of her mother Cindy in her, that it reminded me of the great blessing it is to see these characteristics move to the next generation in my family. Cindy has been a wonderful example of motherhood and of being a strong woman of God to my four girls. She has truly provided them with a foundation of charity and love. I have expressed my profound gratitude for this to my Heavenly Father and to her. Women of faith and courage are so inspiring!!

For Come Follow Me, we are reading the book of Ruth, a tender story of conversion, courage, determination, loyalty, and faithfulness. The compassion and love shared by Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth can inspire us to examine our relationships with others both inside and outside our families. The book of Ruth also demonstrates how the Lord watches over and blesses those who follow Him and obey His teachings.

President Thomas S. Monson said, “A model of ideal womanhood is Ruth. Sensing the grief-stricken heart of her mother-in-law Naomi—who suffered the loss of each of her two fine sons—feeling perhaps the pangs of despair and loneliness that plagued the very soul of Naomi, Ruth uttered what has become that classic statement of loyalty: ‘Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.’ [Ruth 1:16.] Ruth’s actions demonstrated the sincerity of her words.

“Through Ruth’s undeviating loyalty to Naomi, she was to marry Boaz, by which she—the foreigner and Moabite convert—became a great-grandmother of David and, therefore, an ancestor of our Savior Jesus Christ” (“Models to Follow,” Ensign, Nov. 2002, 61).

From the seminary introduction into the Book of Ruth, it states: The book of Ruth is one of only two books in the Old Testament named after a woman and presents an example of a woman of faith, strength, and kindness. The book is characterized by hope and optimism, describing Ruth and Naomi’s journey from sadness to happiness and from emptiness to fulness.

One prominent theme in the book of Ruth is that of redemption, which applies to all of us. Ruth was a foreigner, childless, and a widow, which left her in complete poverty with no source of support. Nevertheless, Ruth faithfully accepted the gospel and joined the Lord’s covenant people. Though she could not deliver herself from her destitute condition, she was ultimately “redeemed” by her kinsman Boaz, a man of Bethlehem. Because of Ruth’s faith-driven actions and the kindness of her redeemer, Ruth married again, was fully accepted as an Israelite, became a woman of some wealth, and was blessed with children. Like Ruth, we cannot save ourselves but must rely on a Redeemer from Bethlehem, one who is able to lift us from our fallen state and secure our happiness as part of His family.

Sister Aileen H. Clyde, who was then a counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, noted: “Ruth confidently met hardships not uncommon in our time—the death of a loved one, loneliness in a new place, and the need to work hard for her bread. Her small efforts, linked significantly to a later great event, tell me that each of us can take seriously the importance of our daily lives and decisions as we choose to follow God” (“Confidence through Conversion,” Ensign, Nov. 1992, 89).

Our Ward is filled with amazing women who, like Ruth, are faithful, courageous, loving, loyal, strong, brave, spiritual, caring, etc. etc. I want to extend my sincere thanks to all of the women in our ward who shine so bright as examples of what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ. May you be blessed for all that you do for us! May everyone in the ward know that Heavenly Father loves all of us for our efforts as none of us are perfect. He loves to see how kindness spreads throughout our ward family. He loves to see us all trying to be better through daily repentance. He knows us personally. He sent us His Son to redeem us and to save us. I testify of this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Love,

Bro. Ron Thomas

• Sunday Youth Assignments

  • • June Chair Set-Up - Deacons. Please come at 8:30 a.m. to help set up chairs. July will be the Priests quorum.

    • June Greeters – Builders of Faith. July will be the Messengers of Hope class.

• Youth Camps this year will be the week of June 22-27.

  • • Young Women's Camp - It will be at Hayfork campground near Idaho City (an hour away)

      • • Girls Camp: YCL's will leave Monday, June 22 to set up camp. The rest of the girls will come up Tuesday morning, June 23rd. Everyone will clean up camp and go home Thursday, June 25th.

    • Young Men's Camp – June 24-27th at Northwest Passage Campground - McCall & Garden Valley.  All Young Men - Deacons, Teachers, and Priests are invited.

• Upcoming Ward Baptisms in June – Baptisms are always held at the Stake Center

  1. • June 13th @11:00 a.m. for Bridger Armstrong

     • June 27th @ 4:00 p.m. for Easton Wahl and Zane Clark

• June 7 - Stake Primary Devotional – Sunday June 7th @ 4 p.m. at the Stake Center (For Valiant aged Primary children + their parents + Primary Presidency members)

• June 23 - Relief Society Activity - Blind Date with a Book Swap - 7pm at the DeBurgh residence. Bring a friend to chat with, a copy of a book to trade and a chair or blanket to sit on. Snacks, book wraps and fun provided. See flyer below.

• June 25 - Stake Humanitarian Workday - 10am-1pm at the Stake center. Child care provided. Projects for every age and skill!

  1. • Donation focus: Individual size kids snacks for the Ronald McDonald House: fruit roll-ups, snack crackers (goldfish, teddy grahams, pirates booty, ritz, animal crackers), yogurt snacks (Yoggies), fruit pouches (Go Go pouches) and stickers

• June 26 - The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square - Watch Party - Friday June 26 at Scentsy Commons (2901 E. Pine Ave., Meridian).  Activities: 5:00-6:30 p.m., Concert 7:00-9:00 p.m. See flyer below.

• July 5 - Unified Fast - On Sunday, July 5, all are invited to participate in a unified fast to express gratitude for religious liberty and to pray that it be strengthened throughout the world. Please consider prayerfully the focus of your fast. 

• The Remember Him Area Initiative, which invites us all to focus on Becoming Lifelong Disciples of Jesus Christ, is featured on the Area website. All members are invited to:

  • • Share the Remember Him Video featured on the Area Website.

    • Invite families and individuals to visit the site and discuss the video message at home.

• Missionary Meals - We can invite the missionaries to dinner any day or night of the week; there is no longer the requirement to have a non-member present. Please reach out to our Ward Missionary Leader, Larry Nelson, if interested, and for further details and options. The missionaries will not be passing a calendar around, you will need to schedule directly with the missionaries. 

• Are you interested in being called as a Temple and Family History Worker with the assignment to work in the Family Search Center? Like a temple worker, this would be a weekly commitment, however each shift is only 2.5 hours. This is an extremely fulfilling calling and an opportunity for anyone to serve the Lord in a meaningful way.  Those who work at the center are witnesses to the miracles that happen there and the joy that the work brings into their lives.  Please reach out to a member of the bishopric if this is something you would like to discuss.

• "To allow for greater access to the words of the living prophets, printed copies of Church magazines are now available at no cost. These magazines include the Liahona, For the Strength of Youth, and Friend. This policy will eventually apply to every area of the Church.

  • • • Members can use their Church account to choose their preferred subscription(s) on a yearly basis at MagazineSubscriptions.ChurchofJesusChrist.org"

      • Please contact a member of the Bishopric, Relief Society Presidency, Elders Quorum Presidency, or your ministering sisters/brothers if you have any questions about this change or if you need assistance with subscribing for no-cost print magazines.

• For temple recommend interviews with the Bishopric and other meetings with the Bishop, please call or text David Swenson at (208) 447-8903.

• All temple recommend interviews with the Stake Presidency must be scheduled ahead of time. There are no walk-in appointments at this time.  For recommend renewal interviews, please visit https://calendly .com/minorth/temple to see available times and schedule an interview with the stake presidency.

Worldwide Church Events

The following link will take you to the church website with a list of all the upcoming and recent church events

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/events/