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

Message from the Bishopric

Dear Brothers & Sisters,

Bishop Price asked me to prepare the Banbury Ward message this week while he is away with the Young Men Quorum’s on their High Adventure Camp.

Last Sunday afternoon my family had the pleasure of having the full time Missionary’s in our home for them to share a message. They each shared a scripture verse and talked about it briefly. In a slightly comical moment, they both shared and read the same verse. After sharing the verse, we were asked “what are we doing on a daily basis to become more Christ-like and to feel his presence in our lives on a daily basis?”

After pondering for a moment, we all felt that the core simple means of consistent daily personal prayers and scripture study can do so much to draw us nearer to our savior Jesus Christ and to feel of his presence in our lives. While it’s easy to say we all should be doing both of these things consistently, like me it’s likely that we have all had times in our lives that we have been less consistent than others.

When the Book of Mormon prophet Alma was passing down and entrusting his son Helaman with the records he stated the following in Alma 37 5-6:

• 5 And now behold, if they are kept they must retain their brightness; yea, and they will retain their brightness; yea, and also shall all the plates which do contain that which is holy writ.

• 6 Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.

As Alma conveyed it was important to keep the records “kept”, in this instance, referring to their physical appearance, but also by maintaining the record of their people which would be handed down.

The way that we keep our scriptures (record) kept, is by diligent reading and studying the words of the prophets, our savior Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father contained within them. Doing so keeps us spiritually kept.

Often time that is easier said than done. I have found that by making my scripture study a priority in my day, specifically by starting my day reading early in the morning, then my entire day is more Christ centered, with my thoughts often drawn to what was studied earlier in the day. As I follow this process, I don’t get stuck in trying to read a verse or two before falling asleep at night, then in turn having limited time to ponder and grow from the studied word.

Personally, it is helpful for me to pray before I read, praying that I will read and remember the things that our Heavenly Father would have me to learn and to know pertaining to me and my family.

From time to time we may have had to refocus on the consistency of our personal prayers. As we have been instructed, pondering some beforehand on what we are grateful for as well as blessings needed. Consistent daily prayers beyond meals, anchored in meaningful sincere communication, help us each to grow a lasting, loving relationship with our Heavenly Father and in His Son Jesus Christ.

We may have heard answers to questions such as “reading scriptures and saying prayers” referred to as “Primary answers”, in a way demeaning their importance. But, they truly are “small and simple things” in which great things can be brought to pass and confound the wise as Alma stated.

The Lords plan is not complex; he desires all to draw close to him. Doing these small and simple things not only applies to our salvation, but also to tasks or goals that we seek to accomplish in our daily lives. We don’t eat our dinner in one bite; we take small bites to consume the meal or to accomplish our goals. So is it with feeling the presence of Christ in our lives consistently.

It is my testimony that reading our scriptures daily and offering consistent prayers with real intent will help us all to draw nearer to our savior Jesus Christ as well as to grow and refine Christ-like attributes.

Love,

Brother Clark

Banbury Ward Clerk

• 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.

• July Building Cleaning assignments

  • • July 4: De Burgh, Dean, Denison, Dittman, Frew, Froerer, Gates, Hales, Hancock, Hanson Di Bartolo, Hartman, Herbster, Hibler

    • July 11: Holland, Hope, Jackson, Jetsel, Johnson, Kohlwey, Laird, Leach, Lewis, Lish, Marlatt

    • July 18: Meck, Michalsky, Miller, Moss, Mower, Muir, Nate, Nelson, Nelson, Nielson, Oleson, Patton

    • July 25: Peterson, Poole, Poole, Price, Price, Ragsdale, Ranstrom, Roth, Sasser, Schlosser, Schrum, Shreeve

• We are creating a Ward Mission Plan video!  Bro. and Sis. Nelson (Larry and Sharon) are organizing this, and we are looking for about 70 ward members, adults, youth and children, to say a sentence each on camera, to help teach about our Ward Mission Plan and the simple ways to Love, Share and Invite all to come unto Christ.  Please accept their invitation to participate.

• June 28 - Single Adult Fireside (36+) - 7pm at 1985 N Black Cat Rd, Meridian

• June 30 - Empty Nesters & All Singles - Tuesday, June 30th at 6:00pm at the Nelson's (591 W Bogus View Dr, Eagle). Join us for a night of "Founding of America" trivia game, salads and finger foods. Bring your favorite salad if you would like. RSVP to Sharon Nelson at 916-768-6517.

• July 1 - Banbury Ward Independence Day Celebration Party - Wednesday July 1st @ 6:00 p.m. at the Stake Center pavillion and ball fields. Please join us for dinner, outdoor activities, and a short patriotic program.

• 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.

• July 23 - Stake Humanitarian Workday - 10am-1pm at the Stake center. Child care provided. Projects for every age and skill!

• 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/