My beloved Country Park 3rd Ward family,
My testimony that this is the Lord’s church and He is indeed directing the work through His Prophet has been strengthened by what is currently taking place in the world. The “Come Follow Me” program, that was presented to us nearly 2 years ago, has prepared us for this day when our homes need to be sanctuaries of faith and gospel learning. As you now know, The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have announced that all church meetings have been temporarily suspended to help prevent spread of the COVID-19 virus through “social distancing”. Please take this opportunity to keep the Sabbath Day a delight by preparing and teaching the “Come Follow Me” lessons each Sunday in your homes. President Nelson said, “I promise that as you diligently work to remodel your home into a center of gospel learning…Changes in your family will be dramatic and sustaining.”
The ordinance of the sacrament makes sacrament meeting the most sacred and important meeting in the Church. The sacrament should always help us to focus our attention on the Atonement and teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. After consulting with President McCoy, I authorize every Melchizedek Priesthood holder or Priest in the Aaronic Priesthood to bless and administer the sacrament on the Sabbath Day in their home until church services resume. This will allow us to continue to receive the blessings that come from partaking of the sacrament. Water and bread should continue to be used for the emblems of the sacrament. The bread should be broken, blessed and passed to family members by a Melchizedek Priesthood holder or Priest (deacons and teachers in the home can assist by passing the emblems). The water can be placed into individual cups, I do not recommend sharing a cup. Once again, the water is blessed and passed to family members. The Sacrament prayers can be found in Doctrine and Covenants 20:77&79.
There are some in our ward family who may not have a priesthood holder in the home. The Lord has also planned for this through the Ministering Program. We treasure His words: “Love one another; as I have loved you”. “Feed my lambs. … Feed my sheep”. “When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren”. “Succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees”. I whole-heartedly support the email President Warren Young has sent out to the Elders Quorum asking them to watch more closely over their assigned families during this time. In addition, I would like to invite the Ministering Brothers in our Ward to administer the sacrament to those whom they have been assigned who do not have a priesthood holder in the home. When needed, a member of the Priest quorum can be utilized to help the Ministering brother. I also invite the Ministering Sisters to regularly check on their assigned families by text, phone, email and visits. If there are any members that are not getting the sacrament in their home, please notify a member of the Elders Quorum Presidency or Bishopric, we will go and administer the sacrament to them. Please follow the current guidelines of hand washing with soap, avoid shaking hands or hugging while making visits or administering the sacrament.
Finally, please help by being calm and avoiding any panic during this pandemic. Follow the counsel of government and health leaders to prevent the spread of illness as far as possible. “Human beings like certainty. We are hard-wired to want to know what is happening and to notice things that feel threatening to us. When things feel uncertain or when we don’t generally feel safe, it’s normal to feel stressed. This very reaction, while there to protect us, can cause all sorts of havoc when there is a sense of uncertainty and conflicting information around us.” (Doreen Marshall, Ph.D.) We do not need to let fear takeover our lives if we are prepared. In D&C 38:30 we are taught, “Yet, through all of this, the Lord Jesus Christ has said: ‘… if ye are prepared ye shall not fear.” Please follow the instructions of healthcare professionals. This link will keep you be up to date on recommendations, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html. The Lord has also given us the watchmen on the tower, our prophet and apostles. “Here then is the key—look to the prophets for the words of God, that will show us how to prepare for the calamities which are to come.” (President Ezra Taft Benson). We have seen this come to pass.
I believe that this will prove to be a blessing of sacrifice and love. In these challenging times, we will draw closer together as families and as a ward family. The Lord will pour out His spirit upon us as we receive the revelation He is ready to give each of us.
May God bless us all,
Bishop C. Reese Davis
I have attached an agenda that could be used for our Sabbath Day family service.
Also, below are a few links for information that President Warren Young shared with me that I found useful.
https://afsp.org/taking-care-of-your-mental-health-in-the-face-of-uncertainty/
