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

Message from the Bishopric

Banbury Ward

I have been impressed recently by a number of friends and acquaintances who have been great examples of faith in difficult situations. Multiple of these people have found themselves in difficult circumstances with no easy or upcoming exit. Some involve career challenges, some involve relationships, and a few are due to significant health challenges. 

One way to define faith is by one’s ability to trust and rely on the Lord. There are countless scriptural references pointing toward this. In 2nd Chronicles 32 “with him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord.” In Psalms 20 “some trust in chariots…but we will remember the name of the Lord.” In Psalms 44 “I will not trust in my bow.” Proverbs 3 “lean not to thine own understanding.” Proverbs 11 “He that trusteth in his riches shall fall.” Proverbs 28 “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool.” Isaiah 11 “cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils.” 2 Nephi 4 “I will not put my trust in the arm of the flesh.”

That is a pretty good list and it is only a small sample. It is interesting that it is still perfectly applicable. Do we choose to trust more in people? The works of our own hands? Wealth? Or do we look to the Lord first? I’ve seen people in crisis who find strength and happiness in the Lord despite their challenges. I’ve also seen very wealthy and intelligent people who can’t seem to find happiness, often because they put their trust in the wrong places. 

I invite you to look around you for pillars of faith among us. They are here and have something to teach all of us. My son Reece recently sent us a great quote from Elder Holland saying “nothing is so bad whining can’t make it worse.” I think faith also teaches us the opposite…that trust in the Lord can lighten any burden and bring comfort in the most difficult of circumstances.

Spencer Miller

Banbury Ward Bishopric

• Choir Practice - Sundays at 2 pm in the Relief Society Room

• Preparing to Sing the New Hymns - New hymns are now on your Gospel Library app or the Church's Music App. You can find them by clicking on "Hymns--For Home and Church". Here you can study the words, listen to the music, and sing along with a vocal rendition. Please also consider joining the Choir for what promises to be a very spiritual experience!

• Cleaning Assignments for September - Every Saturday at 8:00 am. Text reminders will be sent.

  • Sept. 14 - Yorgason, Young, Adamy, Anderson, Asetre, Azzarito, Bates, Bernhardt, Bevan, Bird, Bliss, Bull

  • Sept. 21 - Cambron, Chaffin, Christensen, Clark, Coil, Colt, Coltrin, Covino, Cranney, Crawford, Crawford, Daniels, Davis, Dawson

  • Sept. 28 - De Burgh, Dean, Deehr, Denison, Dittman, Finlinson, Frew, Froerer, Gates, Hancock, Hanson di Bartolo, Hartman

• Upcoming Youth Events:

  • • Stake Young Mens Campout - See flyer below - Join us for a full blown Treasure Hunt in the Idaho Wilderness!!! We invite all Young Men turning 12+ in 2024 to bring their father figures to PineTop Campground near Idaho City on September 20th and 21st for an amazing campout. The camp opens at 5:00 pm on Friday and we will be finished by Noon on Saturday. The theme for the event is Seek and Ye Shall Find. We will be serving fantastic food in camp with Dinner on Friday, and Breakfast and Lunch on Saturday. Our events include corn hole under the stars, outdoor music, ping pong, shooting sports, tug of war, capture the flag and a wilderness treasure hunt. Plan to camp in your tent, a cabin, or the lodge for the night.  You won’t want to miss this campout.

    • Stake Youth (14+) Kickball Game - All youth 14+ in 2024 are invited to Kick off Fall with a kickball night at the Stake Center ball fields on September 25th from 7:00 to 8:30 pm.  Put on your game face, get your running shoes on and dust it up with all your friends!

    • 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.

    • Ignite Your Faith for Graduating Seniors - Sunday, October 6 - Ignite Your Faith is a discussion series that will grow your testimony, build your faith, and prepare you for discipleship, missionary activity, and life. Discussions are led by the youth with additional insights provided by recently returned missionaries and selected young adults. Graduating seniors and their friends are invited to join in Gospel discussion each Fast Sunday at 7:00 pm 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. It lasts one hour. There is no end date. Help us spread the word! Encourage all high school seniors to join in, let them know they can bring their friends, and plan to attend this youth led discussion each month on Fast Sunday.

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

• September 11 - Alan Poole Funeral - Brother Poole passed away this week. He was a valued member of this ward and will be greatly missed. His funeral service will beheld at our church building on Wednesday, September 11 at 11:00am.

• September 12 - JOY Luncheon - Noon at the Stake Center. For sisters 65+

• September 14 - Friend to Friend for Children - 10:00am (Church wide event)

• September 14 - Banbury Ward Luau - 5:00pm in the Ranstrom's backyard 🌴

  • • Please bring a salad/side dish, lawn chair/blanket and your best Hawaiian attire.

    • There will be authentic entertainment featuring Star Siaki, games, and activities.

• September 17 - Relief Society Progressive Dinner - Please join us for a fun evening of friendship and food! Meet at the Bristol Heights building at 6:30pm to carpool to welcoming homes for a great meal and to enjoy each other's company!

• September 19-21 - Widows and Widowers Conference - CLICK HERE for conference information.

• September 22 - Banbury Ward Primary Program - The Primary will be presenting what they've learned this year through speaking and singing for sacrament meeting. This is a great time to invite neighbors and friends to see the children. Don't miss this special presentation!

• September 26 - 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.

• Growing our family trees - If you add a memory or an ancestor to your family tree this year or submit an ancestor's name to the temple for ordinance work this year, then add a leaf or two or three to the tree on the bulletin board by the south chapel doors.  Our ward goal is to have at least 100 ward members add a memory and/or an ancestor to their trees this year and 135 ward members submit ancestor names for ordinance work. Adding leaves to the tree is a great way to visualize our progress in this work which we all have in common.  Let's fill the tree!  If you need assistance with anything having to do with your family history, please contact a member of the ward council or the Temple and Family History Leader.

• 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.

• "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/