Over the next few weeks we have some wonderful Christmas events which will offer some lovely opportunities to invite friends and family to enjoy the season with us. Next Sunday there will be some flyers available to share with friends.
This Saturday evening we have a Stake Christmas Festival which will include a presentation that is being travelling around the LDS chapels in England. It is called 'The Christmas Truce' and a trailer can be viewed HERE We are all asked to bring a cake / cookies and also an empty jar.Saturday 13th December will be our Ward Christmas Party - more details to follow.
Sunday 21st December will be the Ward 'Music and the Spoken Word' with readings and carols. Again more details will follow.
We have received a special request this month from our Stake Presidency with regards to Fast Sunday next week, as below:
"We invite all members of the Ipswich Stake to dedicate next week's fast to Esther Greene of the Witham Ward. Esther is a 15 year old woman who has recently been diagnosed with a cancerous tumour. This is the third time that she has had cancer and this rare tumour occurred as a result of the radiotherapy she had during previous treatment. It is a Spindle Cell Sarcoma and the proposed treatment is surgery. The Greene family have asked us to pray that the treatment plan devised by the clinicians will be inspired and ultimately be successful. Esther is a very special young woman who is full of faith: as we unify our prayers and fasting we know the Lord will bless the Greene family."
Also we have heard that Sister Lisa Stopcyznski recently passed away - Many of you may remember Lisa who lived in the Woodbridge area and was only in her early 40's. We ask for prayers for her children.
The RS activity that was planned for Wednesday December 10th has been postponed due to the various Christmas activities and will be rescheduled in the New Year.
Lesson:
Today's Joint RS / P'Hood lesson was given by Bishop Pentreath and Sister Sara McCullum. At the Saturday evening session of Stake Conference Elder Leimer informed us a new initiative was being introduced with regards to Self Reliance and more information would follow shortly. Today's presentation was the beginning of this.
President Monson said: "Self reliance is an essential element in our spiritual as well as our temporal wellbeing...Salvation can be obtained on no other principle".
With this in mind the First Presidency have introduced 12 new Principles of Self Reliance as follows:
1. Exercise Faith in Jesus Christ
2. Use Time Wisely
3. Be Obedient
4. Manage Money
5. Work: Take responsibility
6. Solve Problems
7. Become One, Work Together
8. Communicate: Petition and Listen
9. Perservere
10. Show Integrity
11. Seek Learning and Education
12. Stay on Task, Receive Ordinances
Bishop and Sara facilitated a presentation on Principle 6 as follows:
Ponder - Why do you feel Heavenly Father allows us to face problems and challenges?
Video Presentation - 'Sheep & Pig' which can be viewed HERE followed by a discussion on what Sheep did to help Pig solve his problem.
Read - Ether 2:18-19, 23, 3:1, 4 and discussed what the Brother of Jared did to solve his problem.
We discussed that we all have problems but the Lord has provided a way for us to face these challenges:
Step One - IDENTIFY - What is the real problem?
Step Two - STUDY OPTIONS - What are possible solutions? Which one is best?
Step Three - DECIDE AND ACT - Pray for guidance. Then act with faith. Good results? If not, try steps 1-3 again.
We then discussed with our neighbours a problem we may face ourselves and how this process might work.
The challenge was to identify a problem within our families and over the next week begin working on the Lords process of solving problems.
We then split into 11 groups and each had a chance to work through another of the 12 Principles of Self Reliance.
Throughout 2015 the Ward will be working more with these 12 principles and other parts of the Self Reliance Initiative led by The First Presidency by concentrating on one of these each month.
The question was posed - Do you believe in the Prophet of God? And that he informs us of what the Lord needs us to hear and do? We thought about this as this letter was read from the First Presidency to us:
Dear Brothers & Sisters,
The Lord has declared. 'It is my purpose to provide for my saints' (D&C 104:15). This revelation is a promise from the Lord that He will provide temporal blessings and open the door of self-reliance, which is the ability for us to provide the necessities of life for ourselves and our family members.
This booklet, My Foundation, has been prepared to help members of the Church learn and put into practice principles of faith, education, hard work and trust in the Lord. Accepting and living these principles will better enable you to receive the temporal blessings promised by the Lord.
We invite you to diligently study and apply these principles and teach them to your family members. As you do so, your life will be blessed. You will learn how to act on your path towards greater self-reliance. You will be blessed with greater hope, peace and progress.
Please be assured that you are a child of our Father in Heaven. He loves you and will never forsake you. He knows you and is ready to extend to you the spiritual and temporal blessings of self-reliance.
Sincerely
The First Presidency
Both Sara (as a member of the Stake Self Reliance Committee) and Bishop have attended training meetings on this new initiative and bore testimony of the truth of these principles and the importance of making these part of our lives and teaching them to our children.
We were invited to review the booklet which can be found in the first link on THIS LINK on LDS.org or within the Self Reliance tab in Gospel Library on devices (Booklet entitled: My Foundation).
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