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





Message from the Bishopric


Dear Banbury Ward,

Many years ago on the Utah State University campus in Logan Utah, I was a brand new freshman, one of over 800 enrolled in English 101.  We had three writing assignments that were the majority of our grade that quarter.  I was particularly proud of my second paper (I’ll share that story another time), so I was very upset that Wednesday when the graduate assistant teaching our course came into class and told us we were all losing points on our assignment.  The dean had looked at the class averages across the many sections of English 101, and finding ours to be inflated, had made the unprecedented decision to drop every grade in our class, and only our class, by 10 points.

She quieted our protests and said she too was incensed by this decision, so instead of what she had planned for the day, we were going to each write a letter to the editor.  She would combine them, and submit them to the student newspaper (which 30 years ago was widely read and published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday).

I left class still upset at the injustice, and went directly to the computer lab and wrote another letter to the editor, signed it, and went straight to the newspaper office.  No one was there, so I left it on a desk.

My class was Monday, Wednesday and Friday after lunch.  Friday morning I grabbed a paper and looked for my letter, but they hadn’t printed it.  I re-read the little blurb about submitting letters to the editor and realized my mistake:  “No letters will be printed if they don’t include the student’s name, student number, and address.”

And thank heavens, because in class that afternoon our teacher told us it had all been a ruse to get our creative juices flowing!  I even told her that I’d submitted my own letter but had forgotten my student number and address.

Imagine my horror when the next Wednesday at lunch my friend sat down and said “Wow, that was quite the zinger of a letter to the editor!”  At first I thought he’d just read the copy I’d left him, but he produced the paper and showed me.  They had in fact printed it, every word.

I left the cafeteria and walked slowly to the English building, and into the main office, needing a signature to enroll in English 201 the next quarter while still a freshman.  The two secretaries and two graduate assistants were talking about my letter!  I waited with my head hung, got what I needed, and finding myself with just one secretary, told her sheepishly that I was the one who wrote the letter.  She looked at me for a long time before saying “Well, young man, you certainly have a good grasp of the English language.”

I walked into my classroom, found a seat in the middle of the room, and slumped down into my chair, not sure what was going to happen, but certain it wasn’t going to be good.  Our teacher walked in, and told everyone what had happened, and that it was partly her fault.  She then said the dean had prepared a rebuttal to be printed in the paper, and that he was going to read it to our class.

He walked in, and everyone around me scooted their chairs away from me!  I was alone in the middle of that class, and listened in growing shame to the dean’s response to my letter, regretting more and more my inflammatory language that culminated in calling for his resignation.

What a fool I’d been!  One day so sure of my righteous superiority, and in an instant, more aware than I’d ever been of my poor judgment and unworthy response.

I learned a valuable lesson that day, one that I’ve had to relearn from time to time.  Relying on my own wisdom, I have made mistakes and been ashamed and wrong since, and needed to apologize and repent, just as I did that day 32 years ago.

My reasons for sharing this story are two-fold.  One, to encourage everyone to not be so sure of the righteousness of a cause that you forget to ask God if the course you are on is good. I’m sure if I’d stopped and asked Him if what I was doing was just, if I would have listened, He was telling me to slow down.  I could have avoided a lot of unnecessary embarrassment and shame.  Things are not always what they seem; we don’t always have all the facts, and the best course of action is to slow down, be still, turn to God, counsel with Him in prayer, and then trust Him, even more than you trust yourself.

And two, to draw your attention to the need for a Savior.  There are times when you feel completely and utterly alone.  When you’ve done something wrong, and everyone scoots their chairs away from you and averts their gaze.  Or when you’re the only one doing something right, holding firm in the face of opposition or disdain. In those times of deepest loneliness, remember: Jesus Christ will never forsake you or leave you comfortless.  He will succor you.  He will bind up your broken heart and heal your unseen wounds.  He will be your friend when it feels like no one else will.

May God bless each of us to rely on Him and His Son, both before we act in haste, and when we have no one else to turn to!

Love,

Bishop Price

Announcements


























STAKE FAMILY HISTORY & TEMPLE CHALLENGES FOR APRIL:  


Youth:  Record your earliest memories of the homes you have lived in. And what do you remember about visiting your grandparents’ and other relatives’ homes? These memories will fade—write them down now while you can remember them!


Adults: Record the timeline of all the places you lived during your lifetime (including college, mission, military service, etc.). Include dates, addresses, why you were there, and details about the rooms and neighborhood. Share these stories with your family and put the summary into your Family Search file. 


“Where I’m From” Online Activities:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/activity-ideas/in-home-activities/about-me/where-im-from?lang=eng

 

https://www.familysearch.org/discovery/explore/generations

Our local FamilySearch Center has a new slide scanner to quickly digitize your slides and negatives--this and all services are FREE! Visiting the Center is a fun family or group outing. They can also host Wednesday evening youth groups (by appointment) and walk-ins are welcome any time during regular hours. Email id_meridianeast@familyhistorymail.org for an appointment. The Center is located at 11443 W. McMillan Rd, Boise. See flyer for hours and more information.

May 29 - June 1 - Young Single Adult AREA CONFERENCE: 

THIS WILL BE SO AWESOME!! 

YSAs & high school seniors should sign up now! The price now is only $50, but it will increase after April 30. That small price includes a service project, a dance, Wahooz, beloved speakers Hank Smith & John Bytheway, a Nashville Tribute Band concert, and keynote speaker Sis. Yee.


Click here to register!


Institute Mission Prep for HS Seniors: Ending soon with last class April 18! Attendees are encouraged to then attend "Answering My Gospel Questions" class which will begin on April 23. All classes are Tuesdays, 7pm, Nampa Institute, 6111 Birch Lane, Nampa.




Summer Institute classes: See attached schedule.











The resources from the "Planning for Life" firesides are available here:

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/