Father’s Day Message Thousands Of Mormons Offered Guidance Of Scripture, Personal Testimony At Gathering
As a struggling medical student, Russell Nelson accumulated a debt of $37.50. Small, but incongruent with the teachings of the Mormon Church.
He and his wife - who was working two jobs to support the family - decided they each would sell a unit of blood for $25 to cover the debt.
“I picked her up in between jobs, took her to the hospital and bled her,” Nelson told 7,500 fellow church members gathered Sunday at the Spokane Arena. “And as the needle was being drawn from her arm, she said, ‘Sweetheart, don’t forget to pay tithing on my blood money.”’
Nelson and Robert Hales, both members of the Council of Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, were in Spokane over the weekend to inspire the church’s followers.
Along with their wives, the church leaders - modern-day equivalents of the 12 Apostles of Jesus Christ - used a combination of Scripture and personal testimony to deliver their message of faith and fatherhood.
“The spirit that they bring with them gives you goose bumps,” declared Judy Blair, who drove from Ephrata, Wash., for the service.
The gathering was important for the Latter-day Saints, who claim almost 25,000 members and 180 missionaries in Eastern Washington and North Idaho.
An American-born religion, the church has 9.4 million members, more than half of them living outside the United States.
However, the church has no paid clergy and relies entirely on local volunteers, making such gatherings vital for teaching the doctrine of the denomination.
From the age of 12, all males are eligible to be priests. Church doctrine says the world was void of priestly authority from the time the original Apostles died until 1829, when founder Joseph Smith restored that authority among his followers in North America.
“By Scriptural assignment, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are to regulate the affairs of the church in all the world,” Nelson explained. “It really is a remarkable system for conformity and uniformity - and yet, individual expression in the church.”
The two apostles - along with Glenn Pace, a member of the Quorum of 70, another ruling body within the church - met with as many as 2,000 local church leaders Saturday to give guidance.
The gathering Sunday was open to area Mormons and their guests.
The men and their wives shared their personal stories of inspiration.
Nelson, father of 10 children, shared dozens of tips on parenting. He suggested prayers every morning, Scriptural study, scheduling things to do that are fun, writing a keepsake letter to each child and planning small surprises.
Pace spoke of his father’s recent death, saying that even in death, loved ones still are involved in the lives of those they leave behind.
“They have not lost interest in us; you are not alone,” he said.
Hales urged the worshipers to devote their lives to returning to heaven to live with God.
Latter-day Saints believe that families will be restored in heaven, provided members are worthy.
All three men talked about the importance of fathers in God’s plan during the Father’s Day service.
“I want to remind them of their responsibility of nurturing their children as well as providing for their needs,” Pace said.
It was a message many of the men pacing the aisles with fussy babies or chasing after rambunctious toddlers in the hallways took to heart.
“Nothing they said was new, but hearing it come from people who are so in touch with the Spirit was absolutely inspirational,” Jerry Newman of Spokane said as he carried a baby and herded four more children toward his car.
“It just reminds me that the Father has a plan and we know we are following it.”
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo
MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: THE NUMBERS About 7,500 people attended Sunday’s gathering. The church has about 25,000 members in the region.