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

Message from the Bishopric

Banbury Ward 

In 2nd Nephi chapter 32 we are told to "pray always and not faint." Alma 34 encourages us to pray about all the aspects of our daily lives. Personal prayer has always been a great source of guidance for me. As I've spent time considering why this is, many answers came to mind. It is interesting to consider that our Heavenly Father wants us to pray to him, which requires us to humble ourselves and seek input outside of ourselves.

When making a decision, or dealing with a frustrating or challenging situation, seeking outside input is often key to finding help. When we ask a close friend or family member to look at a situation for us, a good source of advice would step back and consider all sides of the equation and make sure they are understanding what is really happening. That process often changes the way we see a problem. This is the same reason why great leaders and decision makers are good at inviting the involved parties to weigh in and help fully evaluate a situation before reaching a conclusion. 

If I take a frustration or challenge to God in prayer, I often find myself pondering (during the prayer) whether I am asking a reasonable thing or presenting the full picture? Obviously, God can see the full picture and understand all aspects of an issue. It is a moment of self reflection that is required if I am going to ask God to give me guidance or tell me if I am right or wrong to pursue a certain course of action. Sometimes just the process of bringing an issue to God, and asking myself if I have fully considered how he would see it, opens my eyes to perspective I didn't have and changes my assessment of the problem. I think this is one of the ways the spirit can reach us and enlighten our thinking. 

Prayer is about seeking God's perspective. A heartfelt, sincere prayer offers us all a great opportunity for humility, self reflection, honesty, and guidance. I invite you to bring the deepest desires, fears, and concerns in your heart to God in prayer. Bare your soul to Him. Be humble and honest about your fears and frustrations. Invite Him to help you see his perspective. It will help you.

Spencer Miller

Banbury Ward Bishopric

• Upcoming Youth Events:

  • • Stake Youth Pickleball starts October 3rd 

      • • We will be replacing the Youth Game Nights that were held on Thursday evenings in the Stake Center Gym with a series of Youth Sports Leagues.  Youth Sports Leagues will run for about 6 weeks and be focused on one sport. The first session is a Pickleball League that starts on October 3rd and continues to November 21st (skipping Halloween) on Thursday evenings from 7 to 9 pm in the Stake Center Gym. All youth turning 14 to 18 years old in 2024 are invited to join the league and bring their friends with them. Please bring a paddle if you have one. We will have limited supplies available for use.

    • Youth Fireside - October 13 at 7:00pm at the church. Nice casual dress.

    • Young Women's Fall Retreat - October 25-26

    • Ignite Your Faith for Graduating Seniors - Sunday, November 3rd at 7:00pm - It will grow your testimony, build your faith, and prepare you for discipleship, missionary activity, and life. All graduating seniors are invited to join in Gospel discussion each Fast Sunday at President Allan Hall’s home located at 1011 River Heights Drive in Meridian. The dress is casual. The desserts are stellar. The discussion will be epic. Help us spread the word! All high school seniors are encouraged to join in, bring your friends, and plan to attend this youth led discussion each month on Fast Sunday.

• October 5-6 - General Conference

• October 10 - JOY Luncheon - Noon at the Stake Center for Relief Society sisters 65+

• October 12-13 - Stake Conference

  • • • • Saturday, October 12, 2024 at 4:00pm: Ward and Stake Council Leadership Meeting. (Those to attend: Ward and stake council members and presidencies (including secretaries).

        • Saturday, October 12, 2024 at 7:00pm:  Saturday evening Session (All adults)

        • Sunday, October 13, 2024 @ 10:00pm:  General Session

• October 18 - Emptynester's Activity - Come As a Song Dinner Party - 6:00pm at the Nation's home (6326 N Talcrest Place, Boise). Please come as a song. You may wear a full-blown costume if you choose or bring prop(s) that will give us hints about the song you have chosen. We will have fun trying to guess which song you are. You may choose a song as an individual or choose to pair up with someone as a song. Please RSVP: 661-709-9411

• October 24 - Stake Humanitarian Workday - Stop by anytime between 10:00am-1:00pm at the Stake Center. It's more than sewing! No special skills needed. Come gather, make new friends, and work on service projects that benefit others in our community.

• October 26 - Fall Harvest/Halloween Party - Please join us for a CrockpotFest/Carnival/Trunk-R-Treat on Saturday, October 26th at 6:30 pm at the church. SIGN UP to bring a main dish of whatever you can make in a crockpot!!!  Or you can sign up to bring cornbread or cookies. Salad will be provided by the ward. Thank you and we can't wait to see you there!!!!

• November 7 - Stake RS HOPE Fireside  - 7:00-8:30pm at the Stake Center - All is Safely Gathered In--Spiritual and Physical Prepardness (church dress/nice casual)

• We are inviting all ward members, young, old and in-between, to deepen their connections to their ancestors, both living and deceased, by adding a memory to your Family Search family tree in 2024 and/or by adding an ancestor to your family tree and/or by submitting an ancestor’s name to the temple for ordinance work.  If you do, then add a leaf or two or three to the ward tree on the bulletin board.  Let’s fill the tree!  If you need assistance with any aspect of your family history, please contact a member of the ward council or the ward Temple and Family History Leader.

• "To allow for greater access to the words of the living prophets, printed copies of Church magazines are now available at no cost in your area as of February 1, 2024. 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 Phil Pfleger at (208) 409-9633.

• 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.

• Photos for LDS Tools: If you don't already have a picture in LDS Tools you are encouraged to get your picture taken or upload a picture of your own.  You can also get your photo updated.  If you need help uploading your pictures, please contact Ann DeBurgh at 208-789-4148.

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/

• REFUGEE NEEDS - Local LDS refugees in the Boise Swahili Branch need your help! A few families are in need of Winco gift cards to buy groceries. They also need car seats to help bring their kids to church. If you’re able to help, please contact Dan Stone at 208-957-0647. Used car seats are welcome. Thank you for helping these faithful members!

• UKRANIAN REFUGEE FAMILY IN NEED - A Ukrainian refugee family needs our help. They are a family of 6 with two small boys and girls. The dad is working as a stonemason, but doesn’t speak English and while doing his best to help the family make ends meet, they have some needs. Here’s a list of what they need. New items are not necessary, gently used is perfectly fine. Please bring items to Dan Stone. He can be reached at 208-957-0647 or feel free drop them off at 14497 W Guinness Dr in Bristol Heights.

  • Diapers (Walmart gift cards will work to get these too)

  • Size 4 Pull ups

  • Vacuum cleaner

  • Gently used clothing, toys and books for the following ages and genders: 

    • Boy - 6 (6T)

    • Boy - 5 (4T or 5T)

    • Girl - 3 (3T)

    • Girl - 1 (12-18 months)

    • Here are some specific clothing needs:

      • Boy t-shirts - size 4T - 6T

      • Boy church clothes - dress pants, dress shirts, little suits - size 4T - 6T

      • Size 9 (toddler) sandals

      • Girl dresses - size 12 - 18 months 

      • Bike for 6 year old boy, no training wheels needed

      • Single stroller

      • Wagon

      • Little trampoline

      • School supplies for 1st grade boy, including backpack 

      • Women Sunday dresses (ankle length and 3/4 length sleeve or long sleeve) - size S

      • Women assortment of modest clothes - Size S

      • Men sandals - size 9

      • Men cowboy boots - size 9

      • Men athletic shoes - size 9

      • Men shirts and t-shirts - size M

      • Home decor • Picture frames

• MISSIONARY MEALS

  • • • Just a friendly reminder that our day to feed the missionaries is on Fridays. There are a couple of options available.

        • • We can have them come teach a lesson in our home to us or friends, and then feed them.

          • We can provide them a meal to pick up and take home.

          • Please reach out to our Ward Missionary Leader, Daniel Michalsky if interested, and for further details and options.