Highlights of Stake Conference

Last week we were uplifted and taught by all the speakers and music at both the Adult Session and the General Session of Stake Conference, as well as the special temple meeting on Friday night.  I apologize that I am not sharing my notes from all the talks.  I felt impressed to focus this post on the instruction and testimony given by our Stake Presidency.  I hope it will be a helpful reminder to us of what we heard and felt in those meetings.  I know my family and I were grateful for their words and especially for their testimonies and for all those who participated in the Conference meetings.

-Lorie Pierce


President Mitchell

In the Saturday evening session, President Mitchell referenced a General Conference talk given by Elder Carlos E. Asay in 1981.  You can read that talk here:  Opposition to the Work of God

On Sunday morning, President Mitchell bore testimony of Jesus as the Christ and our Redeemer.  He taught us that the Lord's atonement provides us grace to grow into the exalted beings our Father in Heaven desires us to become and to draw nearer to our Savior in life's experiences.

He encouraged all of us ages 12 and older to be worthy of and hold a temple recommend - to take part in this work by attending the temple and seeking out our ancestors.

He spoke of Lehi's vision of the Tree of Life, which represents Jesus Christ and the fruit, His atonement.  He taught us that we must personally partake of the fruit - or the atonement - that we can't eat for someone else.  He talked of the iron rod - that it represents the word of God and leads us to Christ.  In the darkness and distractions of life, the only way to make it safely is to hold onto the iron rod.

He said that there are 3 ways to hold onto the iron rod:

1. Read and study the scriptures
Never before in the history of the world have we had such access to the scriptures.  We can individually study and learn.  The world has never before needed such access to the word of God.  We can use our smart phones for a smart reason - Gospel Library app.  The scriptures lead us to Christ.  Nephi promises, "whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction." (1 Nephi 15:24)

2. Follow the living prophet and apostles
We have access to a living prophet and twelve apostles.  They receive the word of God and make it known to us.  We should seek out their teachings and be quick to obey.  We need to live by every word which proceeded forth from their teachings.  We have General Conference, the Engisn magazine, the lds mobile apps and lds.org to help us know what they are saying to us.

3.  Seek for and listen to the Holy Ghost.
The Gift of the Holy Ghost entitles us to His constant companionship as we live worthy.  By studying the words of God and seeking the Spirit - you will receive guidance.

He concluded with his testimony of Christ and exhorted us to study the Book of Mormon and promised that as we continue to study it, we will feel the Spirit and power that is there.  He reminded us that our safety in these last days comes from following the prophets.

President Towne

In the Saturday evening session, President Towne referenced the newly compiled version of the First Vision.  He commented that we are fortunate to have records that afford us the opportunity to see Joseph Smith's perspective as he related his experience to various people.  These various records have been compiled into a joint document that we can read via lds.org.  https://history.lds.org/article/joseph-smiths-accounts-of-the-first-vision?lang=eng

On Sunday morning, President Towne spoke directly to the Primary children.  His message to them was about the Savior - His sacrifice and resurrection.  He explained that we can remember our Savior by making the Sabbath Day a special day.  He told them of a new Primary song called "His Day" and encouraged them to go to our Stake Public Affairs Facebook page to hear that song.

He also told the children that the scriptures testify of Christ.  He told the story of Thomas from the New Testament, who wouldn't believe the Lord had been resurrected until he saw for himself.  He encouraged us to read the scriptures and pray to know that those witnesses of the Savior are true.

He said that the knowledge of Christ is so important - we need to share it with other people.  God is our Father and that means that everyone we meet is our brother or our sister.

He concluded with his testimony of the Savior and encouraged us to share our testimonies of the Savior with others.

President Peterson

In the Saturday evening session, President Peterson introduced "Teaching in the Savior's Way" which is designed to help all of us as teachers or future teachers learn from the Lord's pattern and from one another through Teacher Council Meetings.  The new booklet "Teaching in the Savior's Way" is available online and printed copies will be coming to ward/branches soon.  He also bore testimony of the importance of discussing the Gospel and the Scriptures through Sunday School and encouraged us all to make attending our Sunday School classes a priority where callings in Primary don't conflict.

On Sunday morning, President Peterson bore a tender testimony of the Savior.  He testified that the Savior will come again and that is our Faith.  He told us that is was faith that brought us to Conference to have the opportunity to associate as Saints and to hear testimony and be taught.

He spoke of the power of testimony - to be able to say "I know".  He talked about how we reach that point through a process of coming to believe and coming to feel as we learn of and testify of Christ.  He reminded us that as Alma taught using a seed to compare to faith and testimony - our testimony grows through our experiences and we receive knowledge.

He taught us that faith in Christ helps us understand that trials and challenges are opportunities to exercise faith, patience and understanding as we work through those trials and challenges.

He concluded with his testimony - with his "I Know" - of the Savior as our Redeemer.

A Legacy of Faith and Service - Post Seven

Sister Susan Reinsch and her counselors, Cheri Meiners and Marsha Searle, have been released as our Stake Relief Society Presidency.  They have served together since Fall 2012.  Susan's family is moving back to Nebraska as her husband retires.  They will be missed.

The role of a stake auxiliary presidency is to provide training and support to ward/branch leaders.  Susan and her counselors tried to fulfill this role as they visited throughout the stake.  They spent many hours counseling and training ward/branch presidencies.  Much of their efforts in their service as a Stake Relief Society presidency was unseen.  They tried to relieve the burdens on ward/branch leaders by putting themselves to work on assignments - such as zone conferences meals, stake conference meals, visitor's center meals, etc.

During the time they served, changes were made to the meetings associated with General Conference.  Previously held separately were a Young Womens General Meeting and Relief Society General Meeting.  The changes brought together all the women ages 8+ for a General Womens Meeting held each Spring and Fall prior to General Conference.  Susan and her counselors, working with the Stake Primary and Stake Young Womens presidencies, strived to create an atmosphere of welcome at a pre-broadcast social.  They wanted the sisters, young women and Primary girls to come together and feel that bond of sisterhood.  Their efforts bore fruits as we have seen a continued increase in attendance at the General Womens Meeting broadcast at our Stake Center.

Susan and her counselors continued planning Stake Relief Society Spring Activities.  Each year being a little different from the one before - a women's conference with workshops and service project; a day at the Temple Visitor's Center; a morning of humanitarian service projects.  They understood the busy lives of sisters around the stake and tried to plan activities that would be of value.

These sisters have set a quiet example through their love of the Gospel, their understanding and love of the scriptures, their love of the Lord and their love of their Relief Society sisters.  We are grateful for their willingness to serve and express our love to them.

-Lorie Pierce

Did You Know? Pathway Education Program

This past Sunday, our ward held a joint Priesthood and Relief Society meeting.  Brother and Sister Brown (Pathway Church Service Missionaries) came and gave a presentation on the Pathway program for LDS Church members.  I was very impressed with the opportunities afforded by the Church through this education program.  One thing that struck me as I listened to their presentation was a statement made that we ourselves might not be in need of this program, but that we might know someone who could be.  Below is just a bit of information about this education program.  Feel free to share it with someone you may think of.

-Lorie Pierce


Are you looking for a low-cost, flexible way to pursue a college degree online?

Pathway is a one-year (3 terms) Church program that helps people start or return to college.

Students complete coursework online, earning 15 BYU-Idaho credits toward a degree.  They also gather every Thursday evening at the Columbia MD Stake Center with other local Pathway students to participate in course-related discussions and activities.

Upon successful completion of the Pathway program (minimum 3.0 GPA in their online courses and obtaining an ecclesiastical endorsement), students can pursue a BYU-Idaho degree online.

Pathway tuition is currently $68/credit, and students who continue on to become BYU-Idaho online students will continue to pay the low Pathway tuition rate.

For more information or questions, please contact Elder & Sister Johnson, Pathway Church Service Missionaries, at 410.465.0430 or stevenjunkojohnson@hotmail.com.

Also, please see the attached Pathway handout or check out the website, pathway.lds.org.

If you are interested, you must apply no later than August 23rd and our Pathway site is known as the "Maryland Baltimore" location on the website.

Save the Dates - Stake Conference

Stake Conference is an opportunity to be uplifted and receive inspiration.  Our Stake Conference is in a couple weeks.

Below is the meeting schedule:

Friday, June 10th, 7pm -  Meeting in the Priesthood Room of the temple for all endowed members. Please dress in white.

Saturday, June 11, 7pm - Adult Session at the Stake Center

Sunday, June 12, 10am - General Session at the Stake Center with satellite broadcasts at Clarksville and Eldersburg.

We are encouraged to be seated early for each meeting, allowing us to listen to the prelude music.

In addition to the scheduled meetings, our Stake Presidency has encouraged everyone to spend time in the temple the week prior to help us prepare.

Gathering As Sisters Series - C2

Our "Gathering As Sisters" post series is designed to help us as sisters within our wards/branches see that we are part of a whole - that across the stake there are other groups of sisters gathering together in activities and service to support & teach one another and develop friendships as they fulfill the purposes of the Relief Society in building faith, strengthening families and providing relief.  Each month through the end of this year, we will share one or two highlights from activities within our Relief Societies.

We have truly been blessed with our current Handbook of Instruction that allows each ward/branch to counsel together and then plan with inspiration according to their specific needs. We hope that by sharing some of the wonderful things happening within our wards/branches, we can understand better the individual yet similar needs we share as sisters in the Columbia Maryland Stake.

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Our Columbia 2nd Ward Sisters:

In May the Columbia 2nd Relief Society gathered for a dinner and to be uplifted by shared experiences.  Their theme was "by their fruits you will know them".  Three graduating Laurels and three Relief Society sisters shared personal experiences with standing for truth and righteousness.  Their experiences were simple and yet powerful examples of how our daily living of the Gospel and following the Spirit is so important.

Did You Know? - Copies of Patriarchal Blessings

In a recent Church News and Updates email, I noticed a blurb about patriarchal blessings.  Two things caught my attention.  By logging into your account on lds.org you can do both of the following:

1.  Request a digital copy of your own patriarchal blessing which can then be available for reading on your mobile device.

2.  Request a copy of a deceased direct-line ancestor's blessing.

When I received my own patriarchal blessing, my father who was actually the patriarch, gave me the original and told me to put it in a safe place.  But before putting it safely away, he had me make a copy.  He told me to use the copy for marking and notations just as I would my scriptures.  He also told me that he would send a copy to the archives in Salt Lake, so that if I ever lost my blessing I could request a new copy.  I am sure if my father were alive today, he would be amazed at the advances in technology that provide digital copies.  Having acted as his secretary in his calling as patriarch, I know the countless hours spent typing, proofing and retyping blessings before they would be sent to the recipients.  He kept a copy for the Church archives of each blessing in a binder. When the binder was full, he then shipped it to Salt Lake for archiving.  Each patriarch across the world has followed the same procedures to ensure that copies of the blessings were archived.  Those archives are what make this digital copy request possible.

My mother loved family history.  She collected not only the stories from her ancestors, but she actually also had patriarchal blessings and missionary blessings for many of her grandfathers.  I sometimes wondered why having copies of those blessings mattered to her.  But I have come to see the value in being able to read her patriarchal blessing and my father's patriarchal blessing.  Those blessings are a witness.  I know my parents lives and the trials and blessings they experienced.  When I read their patriarchal blessings I see clearly the hand of the Lord in their lives.  Being able to access those archived blessings can bring strength and hope to the younger generations of a family.  On a personal family level, we can see that the Lord keeps His promises as we live faithful to our covenants.

If you are interested in requesting digital copies simply log into lds.org and in the "my account and ward" tab select "patriarchal blessing" then click on "get started" and follow the instructions from there.

- Lorie Pierce

Gathering as Sisters Series - EL & HA

Our "Gathering As Sisters" post series is designed to help us as sisters within our wards/branches see that we are part of a whole - that across the stake there are other groups of sisters gathering together in activities and service to support & teach one another and develop friendships as they fulfill the purposes of the Relief Society in building faith, strengthening families and providing relief.  Each month through the end of this year, we will share one or two highlights from activities within our Relief Societies.

We have truly been blessed with our current Handbook of Instruction that allows each ward/branch to counsel together and then plan with inspiration according to their specific needs. We hope that by sharing some of the wonderful things happening within our wards/branches, we can understand better the individual yet similar needs we share as sisters in the Columbia Maryland Stake.

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Our Eldersburg Ward Sisters:

As a ward Eldersburg is focusing on preparedness and family history this year.  Their Relief Society is holding activities that are helping the sisters build their 3 month supply of foods they would normally eat and on increasing their knowledge of the online tools for doing family history and preparing names for temple ordinances.  In April they held a double activity as a follow up to ones previously held in February and March.  Sisters could either continue their work on building a menu plan for their 3 month supply or they could receive one-on-one assistance with familysearch/family tree and ancestry.com questions.  As a fun and useful treat, they asked sisters to bring items for a taster's table that were made from store brand or generic brand products - demonstrating that those items were not only less expensive for their storage, but tasted just as good as a higher priced version.

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Our Hampstead Ward Sisters:

Gardens were the theme in April for the Hampstead sisters.  They had two classes - 1 on herb gardens by Sylvia Burciaga and 2 on basic gardening and container gardening by Jeanette Frye.  It was a fun, casual and informative evening.  We tasted lemonade with fresh mint leaves, homemade pesto, and mint jelly.  There were seeds and mini pots for sample planting and of course the traditional dirt cakes with gummy worms.