Gift from the LDS Church Helps in the Construction of the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia

Check out these articles that highlight the Church's donation to aid in the construction of Philadelphia's American Revolution Museum! 

The museum is scheduled to open at the end of 2016.

Rendering of the Museum

LDS Newsroom Article

Museum of the American Revolution Press Release

Deseret News

Uniting Sisters Worldwide

Maybe you heard the recent announcement about changes to the annual General Relief Society Meeting/Young Women Meeting. Check out the November 2013 article, First Presidency Announces New General Women’s Meeting. The article states that "The general women’s meeting will be held the Saturday before each general conference and will be conducted by the general presidencies of the Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary organizations. All women, young women, and girls age eight years old and older will be invited to attend."

How exciting for the opportunity to have women of all ages in the same room, learning together about what it means to be a Daughter of God!

In the past week, there have been even more changes in the auxiliary programs of the Church (Primary, Young Women, and Relief Society) in order to reach more sisters worldwide and unify efforts to serve the women, young women, children, and families of the Church. As a way to represent Young Women and leaders internationally, the newly called Young Women general board includes members outside of Utah and outside of the United States. 

Additionally, auxiliary training "will now be delivered to sisters worldwide through an integrated, global, web-based training effort that will be provided in key languages." The auxiliary training used to take place in Salt Lake in conjunction with the April General Conference. The new worldwide training will be held at the beginning of June, so as to allow the general auxiliary leaders the opportunity to be inspired by recent General Conference messages as they prepare for the training. 

Check out the Church News article to learn more about the growth and changes that will affect all of us and our families! Auxiliary Changes Designed to Unify Sisters Worldwide

Sister Rosemary M. Wixom, Primary general president; Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson, Young Women general president; and Sister Linda K. Burton, Relief Society general president, talk about changes that will help their organizations reach out to a growing international Church membership.

What's this about wearing pants to church?

Maybe you've seen something on your social media networks about this call to wear pants to church tomorrow.

I caught wind of it on Twitter and decided to do some reading, to get me some "edumacation."

Mormon Women Declare “Wear Pants to Church Day” December 16
"A new Mormon feminist organization called “All Enlisted” has declared Sunday, December 16 “Wear Pants to Church Day”—an event conceived as an expression of Mormon feminist visibility and solidarity and a gentle challenge to traditional gender inequalities in Mormonism."

Ask a Feminist: What do you feel is unequal in the church?
"I recognize that some of these issues are church wide, some local, and some unchangeable. Some of them are simple and some of them are deeply ingrained. All of them, nevertheless, make me feel unequal and are worth talking about." See article for full list.

The Worst Thing Is Pants
The Worst Thing Is Pants, Part II
"It's about our hearts. It's not about the pants."

Wearing Pants
"What I am doing is listening to other women’s stories about how they feel at church, and telling my own. It means that I’m participating in discussions and thought experiments that analyze cultural and institutional problems and explore possibilities to change things for the better."

Mormon women plan 'Wear Pants to Church Day’, Salt Lake Tribune

Mormon women wearing pants love the gospel, Washington Post

Poll: Pants in church? Who cares?, Utah Daily Herald

Hmm, food for thought. Hope you were able to see several points of view, before making a judgement.

In my view:
It's not really about pants vs. dresses, is it.

It's about inclusion..."I see you." "I hear you."

It's about opening our eyes, asking questions, having conversations.

It's about breaking down cultural traditions that make others feel unequal. Whether or not you are bothered by the inequities in our Mormon culture, some are. Those inequities do exist, more or less, in our wards and stakes.

It's not about choosing sides. It's about making church life better for all women.

It's influence and persuasion to make things better, to improve a lay church with lay leaders, to seek for a broader view and more awareness.

It's about having a voice and being heard, or maybe just listening and supporting those that do speak up.

It's about caring for the welfare of our souls. (Words of wisdom. Thanks A.!)

It's about lifting all.

A rising tide lifts all boats.

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Philly Temple - Big Hole by October 1

From the Philly.com:

When tents went up on a vacant parking lot near Logan Square and leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hoisted ceremonial shovels, the rise of Pennsylvania's first Mormon temple seemed imminent.

That was last September. Today, the asphalt remains undisturbed at 1739 Vine St.

"We thought groundbreaking would be in April, then July," said church spokeswoman Corinne Dougherty.

Architects now expect excavation for the 53,000-square-foot, $70 million temple to start in early fall and construction in the spring, with two years to completion.

"There should be a big hole in the ground by Oct. 1," said Michael Kihn, a principal at the Philadelphia office of Perkins & Will, an architecture firm based in Chicago.

A demolition and excavation contractor has yet to be chosen, Kihn said, and the designs for the interior and exterior are still being refined. Once church leaders give the nod, those designs must be submitted to city agencies for approval and permits.

The entire site of 1.6 acres will be opened below grade, Kihn said, and prepared for a two-story underground parking garage.

Read the the rest of the article from July 26, 2010.

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What Does It Mean to Be a Mormon

Did you miss the ABC news clip?

Here it is:



Look for Aubrey in the the choir and Brigham Hood during a service project.

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New Relief Society Book

Diversity and Strength of Mormon Women Highlighted in New Relief Society Book  LDS Newsroom

From LDS Newsroom: All Mormon women over the age of 18 belong to Relief Society, which helps women in their efforts to follow Jesus Christ, increase their personal faith, strengthen families and serve others. This work and Relief Society women both past and present are the focus of a new book soon to be released by the Church, Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society.



Copies of Daughters in My Kingdom will be distributed to women around the world to be used as a resource for personal study and for teaching in the Church and in the home. The book will be mailed next week to all English-speaking Church congregations and will be printed in 25 other languages in the next few months. With this diversity of cultures among the 14 million Church members, President Beck said the book needed to have broad appeal.

It sounds wonderful and very inspiring!  We'll be eagerly awaiting arrival of the book to our area!

Devon

Mormons Are Square, Mormons Share

A variety of recent news about Mormons. Could be a great topic of conversation with your friends, family, neighbors.

They're here, they're square, get used to it!, The Economist

I like Mormons, as it happens, and here are some of the reasons why:

• Mormonism is the only major world religion that originated in the United States, and the religion reflects some of America's flagship virtues as well as some of the country's notorious flaws. Mormonism has an entrepreneurial ethos, a willingness to break with tradition, a restless tendency to travel and a focus on the world outside of America's borders, a healthy dose of hucksterism and audacity, and an anti-authoritarian stance to government that is sometimes obscured by its paternalism at the family level. I'll leave it to the commenters to sort out which are the virtues and which are the flaws.

• Most Mormons are unusually upstanding citizens and, correspondingly, you rarely catch a Mormon doing something horrible. Except for Ted Bundy, a convert, the worst person on this list of "infamous Mormons" is Butch Cassidy.

• They are, as a group, really nice.

 Mormon NYC Ad Campaign 'Very Savvy Branding', ABC News

Now splashed across an electronic billboard in the middle of Times Square, the ad includes photographs of individuals from different walks of life, all under a headline that reads "I'm a Mormon."

The campaign, which has also rolled out taxi toppers and subway advertisements, inserted the billboard blocks from the theater showing the Tony Award-winning musical "The Book of Mormon," which takes a satirical look at two Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints missionaries as they travel through Uganda.

Mormon Tabernacle Choir Flash Mob [video], LDSLiving.com

Yesterday at Williamsburg, choir members throughout the crowd of tourists, burst into song and then asked everyone to sing along with Yankee Doodle Dandy.

Who are the missionaries, Mormon.org

Has a reference form to fill out and explains what the Missionaries will do when they come to your house.

Sharing the gospel through Social Media, MormonTimes.com

I think one of the major appeals to these social networking sites is that they are short, simple and straight to the point. It really just requires you to sign up, find some people who share common interests and start a discussion.

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Group Rides Out Storm in LDS Church Building

"We were very blessed. We were very fortunate. We felt hands protecting us -- all of us felt that." -Lee Allphin, Joplin tornado survivor.

Compelling. 


Group Rides Out Storm in LDS Church Building - video/article here.

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Church to Restore Historic Site in PA...near us!

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will restore a historic site in Pennsylvania that played a significant role in the growth of the Church from humble beginnings to a worldwide faith with 14 million members.

Formerly known as the town of Harmony, the site is in Oakland Township in Pennsylvania near the present-day town of Susquehanna.

Read the full article. There are many old-time photos too.

Related articles:
Deseret News article
Elder and Sister Watts' Mission Musings

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Climb Your Family Tree!

Link sent from Brother Hope:

Free Online Classes Help People Climb Their Family Tree
LDS Newsroom

Genealogy is one of the most popular hobbies in the world, and new online classes from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints make it easier than ever to search for your ancestors from the comfort of your own home.

Through the nonprofit FamilySearch organization, the Church provides records and resources to help people with their family history. This effort stems from the Latter-day Saint belief that families can be together after this life, but the Church provides access to genealogical information to everyone, regardless of religious affiliation. These offerings now include a growing collection of free online classes that anyone can access on the Internet at their convenience. These classes help people get started in genealogy, learn how to use different types of records or research in a specific area.

FamilySearch instructional designer Candace Turpin says there are currently about 140 classes available on the familysearch.org website, and that number is growing every month. The variety of classes offers something for everyone, from experienced family historians to curious novices.

“The goal of the initiative is to educate more people worldwide about how to find their ancestors,” Turpin said. “We do it by filming the experts teaching a particular class of interest and then offering free access to that presentation online — complete with the PowerPoint used and any electronic handouts that the user can download or print for future reference.”

From the LDS Newsroom - Thanks Brother Hope!

Image Credit: Jana McCarthy, Heartsong

See Metal Book 2,000 Years Old

Source: news.bbcimg.co.uk

No, it's not the Book of Mormon. Darn.

But it's believed to be an early Christian text. Very interesting article.

A group of 70 or so "books", each with between five and 15 lead leaves bound by lead rings, was apparently discovered in a remote arid valley in northern Jordan somewhere between 2005 and 2007.

...The books, or "codices", were apparently cast in lead, before being bound by lead rings.

Their leaves - which are mostly about the size of a credit card - contain text in Ancient Hebrew, most of which is in code.

If the relics are of early Christian origin rather than Jewish, then they are of huge significance.

...Margaret Barker, an authority on New Testament history, points to the location of the reported discovery as evidence of Christian, rather than purely Jewish, origin.

"We do know that on two occasions groups of refugees from the troubles in Jerusalem fled east, they crossed the Jordan near Jericho and then they fled east to very approximately where these books were said to have been found," she says.

"[Another] one of the things that is most likely pointing towards a Christian provenance, is that these are not scrolls but books. The Christians were particularly associated with writing in a book form rather than scroll form, and sealed books in particular as part of the secret tradition of early Christianity."

Read the full article:

Jordan battles to regain 'priceless' Christian relics

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What's with the Book of Mormon Musical?

I've seen a lot of articles flying around about the irreverent Broadway musical "The Book of Momon".

Some love it, some hate it.

I understand that the f-word is used in abundance and that the stereotypes are out of control.

Sometimes I try to post some provocative ideas just to keep us grounded. But I post these just in case it's a topic of conversation at work or at home or on the playground. You can join the conversation and have an opinion.

Here's a variety. [Disclaimer: No accounting for these opinions]

The Aetheiest Mormon-Trashing Musical, Townhall.com
Frodo and Mormon Share Stage, ReligionDispatches.com
"The Book of Mormon" Opens to Controversy, CBSnew.com
Coffee Cups in He11, New York Times
The Right and "The Book of Mormon", The Atlantic
Zany musical 'The Book of Mormon' will convert you, BostonHerald.com
The Book of Mormon, a review, Guardian.co.uk

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BYU Honor Code in the News

From the Public Affairs Newsroom of the Church:

The suspension of BYU basketball player Brandon Davies has caused a torrent of news coverage across the country debating the merits of the University’s honor code. The majority of news reports have been favorable toward BYU’s decision to adhere to its standards, despite the impact to a “dream basketball season.”

Michael Otterson, managing director of the Church’s Public Affairs Department gives an interesting viewpoint on the matter in the On Faith blog of the Washington Post:

Brandon Davies is more than a trending topic on Google. He is a young man full of energy, talent and opportunity, all of which remain present as he moves through what is undoubtedly a difficult time in his life.... Those that care for him, including his church leaders, are reaching out to help, guide and support. Friends, family and true fans likewise. There are a lot of people at BYU who will do all they can to help Brandon get through this trial in his life and come out on top. He isn't just an athlete, but a child of God.

Read Otterson’s entire commentary here.

Read also the 4 March article from Time for additional perspective, including this great excerpt:

Davies may learn a great deal from this experience. "This could be a seminal moment in this young man's life," says Sikahema. "Better that it happens at 20, rather than 50, with four kids. He'll probably be a better man, and that's ultimately what BYU is about, building leaders, building men. If that means missing out a chance at the Final Four, well, that's what happens."

What opportunities has this news coverage on the Honor code given your families?  We've had multiple people ask our opinions, and it's been a great opportunity to share our beliefs.  Good Job BYU!

Devon

Image Credit:

http://www.byucougars.com/

Have a Smart Phone? Get Apps

LDS Scripture Citation Index

After Amanda's inspiring Daily Scripture Study lesson I recommitted myself to more diligent study. Just reading the scriptures straight wasn't cutting it for me. I needed some food for pondering.

So I went look for an App for my iPhone. Free!

We have indexed the scriptures cited by speakers in LDS General Conference between 1942 and the present, and those cited by speakers recorded in the Journal of Discourses between 1839 and 1886.  The citations in Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith come from the special edition, Scriptural Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, edited by Richard C. Galbraith.

When you tap on a citation to view a talk, the app communicates with scriptures.byu.edu to download the talk you requested. If you tap on a scripture link while viewing a talk, the app tries to display the scripture using the Gospel Library app, which we recommend you also install.

You can find it for the Android too.

BUT it's also online! You can find it here at BYU Scripture Citation Index.

I've had such an eye-opening week of scripture study reading what the prophets have said about a particular scripture in Daniel and Esther. It's a great way to tie ancient scripture to modern-day prophecy!

Other Apps for the iPhone

Here are few other church apps that I use:

Gospel Library - Gospel Library is an official application of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Download and study the scriptures, general conference talks, and the many other gospel instruction materials (Gospel Principles, Hymns, Preach My Gospel, curriculum resources, and so on) published by the Church. Free.

Mormon Channel -  The Mormon Channel is the official radio station of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It offers great programming on parenting, self-reliance, improving marriage, and many other topics. You can also hear great music from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, including their weekly broadcast, Music and the Spoken Word. The app also offers uplifting on-demand content, including addresses from Church leaders, as well as audio recordings from magazines the scriptures. Free.

LDS Tools -  LDS Tools is an official application of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that allows you to download Ward and Stake directory information to your iPhone. It also displays events from the Church's new calendaring system which will be rolled out during the second half of 2010. I like that it separates the spouses for separate contact information. Free.

I've used this to replace iWard which was available before the official app came. They do essentially the same thing. $4.99.

LDS Hymns -  The LDS Hymns application features PDF versions of the LDS hymns. The application is designed to be simple, organized, and easy to use. You can search hymns by name, number or full text, access hymns by category, and select your favorite hymns for quick access later! Due to copyrights some hymns may not have the music and/or words.

LDS Hymns now includes English, Spanish and now Portuguese hymns with the ability to quickly switch between languages.

LDS News - Read the latest news as well as numerous other current stories, blogs, and messages of inspiration, all from official Church and Church-owned sources. Watch the Church's The World Report videos. Listen to the talks and music from the latest General Conference.

Currently with 23 different services from which to choose and you never have to leave the app!

The services currently being offered are:
• General Conference streaming audio -- talks and music. Can play in the background on iOS 4 devices while you do other things on your iPhone or iPod.

• The World Report streaming video podcasts.

• 6 Church news feeds:
- LDSChurchNews.com
- News Around the Church
- LDS.org Home Page
- Newsroom
- Newsroom Blog
- LDS Tech

• 6 Mormon Times daily news feeds:
- Main page
- Today in the Bloggernacle
- Arts & Entertainment
- Mormon Living
- Studies & Doctrine
- Mormon Voices

• 5 Gems:
- Daily
- Family
- Young Single Adult
- Youth
- Church History

• 4 Deseret News feeds:
- Utah stories
- BYU Sports
- U of U Sports
- Utah State Sports

So those are just few apps that I have. What is your favorite app and why?

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Monson: Most Influential Octogenarian

Slate magaine's 80 Over 80: 2010 lists President Monson at #1.

They list "statesmen, titans of industry, cultural icons, and notorious newsmakers who have remained influential into their ninth decade and beyond."

For the second year in a row, Mormon President Thomas S. Monson stands atop the list. As the divine prophet, seer, and revelator for 5.5 million Americans and more than 12 million people around the world, he's the most powerful 83-year-old we could find. Look for Monson to stay on top for years to come—at least until Boyd K. Packer, octogenarian president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, succeeds him as the alpha Mormon.

Read the article here.

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Show Them By Your Words and Actions

Why are Mormons so good at keeping their children within the faith? Eve Tushnet explains:

Parents who show, by their words or their actions, that the tenets and practices of their faith are vague, unimportant, or only tenuously related to daily life, produce teenagers whose faith is vague, marginal, and unlikely to shape their actions and plans in any significant way ...

Mormons, by contrast, challenge their teenagers and require a lot of time, study, and leadership from them. Mormon parents rise at dawn to go over their church’s history and doctrine with their children. More than half of the Mormon youth in the study had given a presentation in church in the past six months. They frequently shared public testimony and felt that they were given some degree of decision-making power within their community. They shape their plans for the immediate future around strong cultural pressures toward mission trips and marriage. Whatever one thinks of the actual beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it seems obvious that both adult Mormons and the teens who follow them really, really believe.

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Land Deal Closed for Temple Property

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has closed on buying a parcel at 18th and Vine streets in Philadelphia, paving the way for construction of a $70 million landmark temple on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

The parcel, now a surface parking lot, traded for around $7.5 million

Read more: Church of Latter-Day Saint buys land for $70M temple | Philadelphia Business Journal

 

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Who Knew?!

I found this page listing all the Official Church Websites. Who knew there were so many?!

Here are a few that I didn't know about:

It's About Love
This site provides resources and information about adoption for birth parents and adoptive couples.

Gordon B. Hinckley
This is a mini-site in tribute to President Gordon B. Hinckley.

Thomas S. Monson
This is a mini-site of information about President Thomas S. Monson.

Around the Church
This site provides inspiring and informative news about Church members around the world.

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Temple Timeline So Far

 The Church has published a page for the Philadelphia temple. Check out the history of the negotiations thus far.

This piece, especially, interested me.

On September 8, 2010, Mayor Nutter announced the unpetitioned contribution of $300,000 from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Philadelphia's prisoner-reentry program, namely the Mayor's Office of Reintegration Services for Ex-Offenders (RISE). The program assists former prisoners to reenter society through schooling, job training, job placement, housing, drug and alcohol treatment, and "life coaches." Church leaders selected the program because "it fits with the mission of the Church." The month before, the mayor announced preliminary approval of the Church's plan to construct the Philadelphia temple. Renderings of the project have not been released, but the groundbreaking is expected to occur in the spring of 2011 with completion anticipated in 2013.

Groundbreaking spring of 2011 with completion anticipated in 2013!

See Conceptual views of the Temple and visitor's center. 

Speaking of groundbreaking, see two videos from/about the Rome Temple. The conceptual video is most interesting because the temple in Rome looks like it will be the same design as the Philadelphia temple.

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An Apostle...Blogging?!

Elder Quentin L. Cook, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles...contributed a blog post to Patheos.com. It is a site dedicated to religious and spiritual dialogue.

...Elder Cook's blog, titled "Partnering with Our Friends of Other Faiths," may likely be the first publicly posted blog by an LDS apostle.

Becoming partners in the defense of shared moral principles
starts with sincere efforts by religious faiths
to understand and learn from each other.

As reported in Mormon Times, August 18, 2010