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

Message from the Bishopric

Dear Banbury Ward,

I sure love our Bishop. He is such a humble man and is always so full of compassion and care for everyone in the Ward. When you look up the definition of humble, James Price is listed there. Bro. David Swenson, his Executive Secretary, and Bro. Sean Clark, our Ward Clerk, are also very humble servants who have such a calm demeanor and spiritual focus regarding our Ward members. Bro. Cade Coltrin, our Bishopric Second Counselor, is an amazing humble person who is always willing to serve without thinking about his own needs first, and with a good heart, does whatever he can to help others. These are men I look up to and who I am grateful to serve with. Being humble is not easy because as soon as you think you are, you’ve lost your humility. Some people may view humility as weak or that meekness means you are not strong enough. Jesus Christ shows us that is simply not true.

Meekness is not weakness; it is the quiet strength that comes from trusting God and putting His will above our own. The Savior declared, “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). Likewise, the Book of Mormon teaches that we should be “humble, and submissive, and gentle; easy to be entreated, full of patience and long-suffering” (Alma 7:23). As we cultivate meekness, we become more like Jesus Christ, who showed perfect restraint, compassion, and obedience even in the face of suffering. Meekness opens our hearts to the Spirit and enables us to serve others with humility and grace.

Love unfeigned is the pure love of Christ expressed without hypocrisy, selfish motives, or desire for recognition. The Apostle Paul taught that “charity suffereth long and is kind... seeketh not her own” (1 Corinthians 13:4–5). In modern scripture, the Lord instructs that influence should be maintained through “gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:41). Moroni also reminds us that “charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever” (Moroni 7:47). When our love is sincere and Christlike, it heals wounds, strengthens relationships, and reflects the Savior’s love to all around us.

Meekness and love unfeigned are inseparably connected. A meek heart is prepared to love without judgment, and genuine love grows through humility. As we follow the Savior’s example, we learn to “be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love” (Romans 12:10) and to “pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love” (Moroni 7:48). In a world often marked by contention and pride, disciples of Christ can stand as lights by demonstrating meekness in our actions and love unfeigned in our relationships. Through these Christlike attributes, we draw closer to God and become instruments of His peace and mercy.

My prayer is that all of us will do what we can to demonstrate more humility through our meekness and love unfeigned. Jesus Christ has invited us to be like Him and to “Come Follow Me”. He has shown us the right path. I want to express my sincere love to all of you and to let you know what a privilege it is to serve the Lord alongside you.

Love,

Bro. Ron Thomas

• Sunday Youth Assignments

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

    • July Greeters – Messengers of Hope and Gatherers of Light combined classes. August will be the Builders of Faith class.

• 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.

• July 26 - Regional Single Adult Fireside (36+) - Meridian West Stake Center at 7pm.

• July 29 - Stake YM/YW 14+ Combined Activity - 7:00pm at the Stake Center

• August 18 – Red Cross Blood Drive - 9:00 am to 3:00 pm at the Stake Center

• August 27 - Stake Humanitarian Workday - 10am-1pm at the Stake center. Child care provided. Projects for every age and skill!

• September 9 - Summer Music Festival - For ALL YOUTH. 7:00 pm at Scentsy Commons & Amphitheater. A night for all youth in our stake to come together and be uplifted through music. 

• 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/