Planting Seeds
Sharing the gospel is a fundamental part of our beliefs. As members of the church, we lovingly seek to plant seeds of faith in the hearts of our friends and family, and hope those seeds might grow into a living and vibrant testimony of our Savior. As you have considered how and with whom to share the gospel, you may have wondered if your friend has ever heard of the church. If so, what have they heard? What perceptions do they have, both of the church as an institution and of the individual members? This is where a sometimes little-known organization in the church comes into the picture: Public Affairs.
The church has a large and busy Public Affairs department that makes sure we have resources such as Mormon Messages, mormonnewsroom.org, and mormon.org to help the world know about the worldwide church. Our stake has a Public Affairs committee dedicated to helping everyone in our area to know about the church in our part of Maryland. Right now our committee is Cari Larkins (CL), Teresa Cochran (C1), Kellie Nuss (YSA), Patti Gardner (EC), Jeff Link (EL) and President Steve Peterson (EC). We are glad for this chance to introduce the work of Public Affairs in this stake and how it relates to you.
Preparing the Soil
In the context of a gardening metaphor, if missionary work or sharing the gospel is indeed planting seeds, then the work of Public Affairs is preparing the soil. We seek to remove rocks and weeds, and nourish the soil so that it is ready to receive those seeds. In other words, we want to influence your friend’s perception of the church so that when you are ready to talk about your faith, they might be more prepared. We sum up our efforts as follows:
The MESSAGE of Public Affairs is: We follow Christ
The EVIDENCE of that message to those not of our faith is:
• We love our neighbors so we participate in interfaith and community activities.
• We care for the poor and needy so we serve in our community and encourage self- reliance.
• We believe that families last forever so we enable the work for the dead in our temples.
The TASK of Public Affairs is to get that core declaration of our discipleship out to the wider community in a context they can understand.
The EVIDENCE teaches the MESSAGE. If that message is spread in clear and undeniable ways through evidence, then the soil is better prepared for the work of salvation in this area.
•We can only spread that message through contact and interaction.
•Contact and interaction take place in three primary ways—community service, social media, and church leaders meeting and developing relationships with other leaders in the community.
What can you do?
As members of the church, you make a difference as you serve in your community and let people know you are a member of the church. This simple connection does amazing things for the perception of the church in this area. Don’t underestimate your influence. As you serve in the church, you can help organizations pivot their efforts and be more outward facing. Plan the same activities you are already planning, but prayerfully seek to involve the community in some way. We are here to offer you ideas, contacts and resources for pivoting activities, plus the spirit will teach you as you seek guidance.
In 2013, Elder Bednar counseled us that “a technology known as social media is evolving in our day and playing an increasingly important role in hastening the work of salvation.” You can be involved in our social media efforts as follows:
• Like our Facebook page @ColumbiaMarylandMormons and our Instagram feed @columbiamdmormons
• Share your personal involvement in church activities on social media, such as the fun you had at an activity, or your trips to visit temples while the DC Temple is closed.
• Hashtag these posts with #columbiamarylandmormons and tag our pages, and others will know that the church exists in our area.
• Let us know if an activity would be good to share with the larger community and send us some photos, or invite us to attend and report on the activity.
Many of these efforts are subtle, take place over a long period of time, and may not seem like they have any immediate result. Elder Bednar asked us to use social media to “sweep the earth as with a flood” with news of the gospel, but he reassured us that this only needs to happen drop by drop. As more and more of us share just a few things, our influence will grow.
Preparation for the rededication of the Washington D.C. Temple
We would like every person living within the boundaries of our stake to receive a personal invitation to the Washington DC Temple open house that will happen in 2020. Part of preparing to invite is letting people know we are here. Believe it or not, there are many who are not aware that LDS congregations are functioning right here in their neighborhood.
As you seek to learn more about Public Affairs and participate in sharing the evidence that we follow Christ, you will be blessed to know what to do and say, and you will have influence. Your light matters, so share it, as Sharon Eubank counsels: “Each of us needs to be better at articulating the reasons for our faith. . . . Use your voice and your power to articulate what you know and feel—on social media, in quiet conversations with your friends, when you’re chatting with your grandchildren. Tell them why you believe, what it feels like, if you ever doubted, how you got through it, and what Jesus Christ means to you. As the Apostle Peter said, “Be not afraid … ; but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you.”
-Kellie Nuss
Stake Public Affairs Committee
