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

Message from the Bishopric

Dear Banbury Ward,

There are at least four kingdoms on earth today, one from Heaven, the kingdom of God, and three worldly kingdoms, of the devil.  The three are well represented by Satan's three temptations to Christ after his communion with God.  When Satan said "Command these stones to be made bread" he was appealing to the appetite.  "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God," was the Savior's reply. (As an aside, I've been known to tell my teenage boys that man does not live by breaded chicken alone!)

The next temptation was a dare--an appeal to His pride, to His vanity--and the devil even quoted scripture (he can find scripture for his purposes).  From the pinnacle of the Temple, Satan “saith unto him: If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone."

But the Savior answered him in terms of scripture, “It is also written, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God”.

What was the third temptation? An appeal to [the] love of power, domain, wealth: “All these [the kingdoms of the world and the glory thereof] I will give you,” said the tempter, “if thou wilt fall down and worship me”.

“Then Jesus saith unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve”.

Nearly every temptation that comes to you and me comes in one of those forms: (1) a temptation of the appetite, (2) a yielding to the pride, fashion, and vanity of those alienated from the things of God, or (3) a gratifying of the passion or a desire for the riches of the world or power among men. (Pres. David O. McKay, The Test of One)

"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." (1 John 2:16)

The kingdom that appeals to our physical appetites is ever present in the many forms of media of the world.  Advertisements show only a façade, typically of young, beautiful people with bright smiles and hardly a care in the world.  There are many allurements, calculated to appeal to our carnal side.  Substances such as alcohol, tobacco, and harmful drugs are forbidden by the Lord. We have similarly been warned about the evils of pornography and unclean thoughts. Appetites for these degrading forces can become addictive. All of us are enticed by the temptations of this worldly kingdom, but especially our youth. 

Thankfully, we have many tools to help guard against these temptations.  One tool the Lord has given us to overcome the temptations of this first kingdom of the world is fasting.  Isaiah, an Old Testament prophet, wrote of the Lord’s rich promises to those who fast. We are promised peace, improved health, and spiritual guidance. Isaiah tells us of the blessings that come when we fast: “Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am!”

The second kingdom’s temptations are the pride, fashion, and vanity of the world.  Lehi saw in his dream of the Tree of Life a great and spacious building.

The third kingdom's temptations can be strongest as we age.  The allure of riches and wealth can cause us to spend our time and energy on worldly pursuits.  We can be distracted from the things of the Kingdom of God by our work, by our children's sports, hobbies, or even talents.  I can look back and see times in my life when I've been so focused on my work that I've lost the proper perspective, that all these tasks and performance objectives and urgent meetings can, if I'm not watchful, crowd out the most important things in life:  My relationship with God, my relationship with my wife, my relationships with my children, and my relationships with my neighbors.

This final worldly kingdom’s temptations can be overcome by obedience to the laws of tithing and consecration.  Paying tithing shields us from want.  Worldly power and prominence lose their former significance.  The Master said: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”.

President Brigham Young said: “All Latter-day Saints enter the new and everlasting covenant when they enter this Church. They covenant to cease sustaining, upholding and cherishing the kingdom of the Devil and the kingdoms of this world. They enter the new and everlasting covenant to sustain the Kingdom of God and no other kingdom. They take a vow of the most solemn kind, before the heavens and earth, … that they will sustain truth and righteousness instead of wickedness and falsehood, and build up the Kingdom of God, instead of the kingdoms of this world”.

I think every one of us would benefit from some reflection about the temptations of these worldly kingdoms and where we are most susceptible.  If you've become so ensnared by the temptations of any of these worldly kingdoms that you need help, please come talk to me.  I invite all of us to see fasting, tithing and consecration as a means to overcome the world!  Qualify for the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.  You can help build the kingdom of God on the earth today! Just as the Savior overcame the world, so too can we, through enduring faith on His name, with a determination to serve him to the end!

Love,

Bishop Price 

• Daylight savings time starts next Sunday, Mar 8.  Don't forget to "Spring forward"!

• Choir Practice - Sundays at 2:00 p.m.

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

• Sunday Youth Assignments

  1. • March Chair Set-Up - Priests

     • March Greeters - Young Women 14-18 Class

• He is Risen - Stake Easter Program - The Stake is presenting a musical program in celebration of the Easter season and we need your voices! Adults, youth and children are all invited to participate. Rehearsals are as follows:

  1. • Adults: March 1, 8, 15, 22 at 7 p.m.; March 28 at 9 a.m.

     • Youth: March 8 at 6:30 p.m. 

     • Children: March 28 at 8:30 a.m.

• All rehearsals are important, but we are flexible if you can’t attend every time. The March 28 rehearsal is mandatory. The performance is March 29 at 6 p.m., participants should be available from 4-8 p.m.       

• For questions or to join, please contact: 

  1. • Adult choir: Tricia Gale(614-668-4499)

     • Youth and Children’s choirs: Daralyn Kynaston (208-921-2524)

• March 12 - Joy Luncheon - Thursday March 12 from 12-1pm at the Stake Center (for sisters 65 and older)

• 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) 477-8903.

• 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/