Converted
Unto the Lord
"... Every convert needs three things: a friend, a responsibility, and nurturing with ‘the good word of God’." President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008)
New sisters
of the Church—including Young Women entering Relief Society, sisters returning
to activity, and new converts—need the support and friendship of visiting
teachers. “Member involvement is vital to convert retention and in bringing
less-active members back into full activity,” said Elder M. Russell
Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “Capture the vision that the
Relief Society can become one of the most powerful friendshipping resources
we have in the Church. Reach out early to those being taught and reactivated,
and love them into the Church through your organization.”
As members
of Relief Society, we can help new members learn basic Church practices, such
as:
- Giving a
talk.
- Bearing
testimony.
- Living the
law of the fast.
- Paying tithing and other
offerings.
- Participating
in family history work.
- Performing
baptisms and confirmations for their deceased ancestors.
“It takes
attentive friends to make new members feel comfortable and welcomed at church,”
said Elder Ballard. All of us, but especially visiting teachers, have important
responsibilities to establish friendships with new members as a way of helping
them become firmly “converted unto the Lord” (Alma 23:6).
From the
Scriptures:
From Our
History
“With the
ever-increasing number of converts,” said President Gordon B. Hinckley
(1910–2008), “we must make an increasingly substantial effort to assist them as
they find their way. Every one of them needs three things: a friend, a
responsibility, and nurturing with ‘the good word of God’ (Moroni 6:4).”
Visiting
teachers are in a position to help those they watch over. Friendship often
comes first, as it did for a young Relief Society sister who was the visiting
teacher of an older sister. They had been slow in building a friendship until
they worked side by side on a cleaning project. They became friends, and as
they talked about the Visiting Teaching Message, they were both nurtured by
“the good word of God.”
President
Joseph Fielding Smith (1876–1972) said Relief Society “is a vital part of the
kingdom of God on earth and helps its faithful members to gain eternal life in
our Father’s kingdom.”
What Can I
Do?
- Do I pray
for my companion and ask that the Spirit will guide us as we minister to our
sisters?
- In what
ways do we serve each sister we watch over so that she knows we truly care
about her?
Take me to the Ensign to see the complete message!
