When Ensign Stake, 3rd Branch had its annual
Conference recently, the statistical report showed that of the 220 Branch members,
only 218 were present, and remarkably, 100% of the branch members are currently
serving full-time missions. The Stake
President noted how much our Branch contributes to the good health of the
Stake’s statistical reports, and that ours was the highest baptizing mission in
the Church!
Well I wouldn’t know too much about the statistics, but I
do know it’s a fun branch to be part of, with all our members senior
missionaries, mostly of U.S origin, but a few from overseas. There is no program for children, and none
for youth, because we just don’t have any, unless somebody’s family or friends are
visiting. Even the so-called ‘young
elders’ that are part of our mission aren’t part of our branch, though they do
come on Sundays to practice their teaching skills on pairs of us older folks.
We meet in the refurbished old Utah Hotel, now known as
the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. It
was built under Brigham Young’s direction, and used for over 100 years to host
dignitaries visiting Salt Lake City.
From my 1976 visit I recall a plush red carpet, and colonnaded entrance
floor featuring a huge, magnificent chandelier, and although the carpet is
changed, the chandelier remains. Our
chapel is a refurbished concert hall, complete with alabaster light-fittings,
and organ pipes; and the Relief Society room is decorated with medieval picture
panels above the coffered walls. Photo
shows Christmas ‘Concert of the Bells’ in the entry hall.
But of course the Church is always so much more than the
building.
Everyone loves our Branch President Elder Klopfer and Sr. Klopfer, our dear Relief Society
President. As well as being delightful,
spiritual people, both are very talented musicians, and to the delight of all
our branch members, one or other often plays the grand piano in the Church
Office Building cafeteria, to entertain folks at lunch.
Because everyone is
already devoting all their time to serving in the church, there are no assigned
teachers, and each week a different volunteer teaches the lesson in Priesthood,
Relief Society and the three Gospel Doctrine classes. Also, there are no assigned Visiting
Teachers, and it is just expected that anyone seeing a need, will fill it.
Every
second month the new senior missionary intake of about 15-20 joins our ward,
and of course those that have finished, go home. The new arrivals, and imminent departures are adorned with colourful
leis and celebrated at the Branch’s bi-monthly Aloha Dinner. President and Sister Klopfer are the most
genial of hosts, and we are usually also treated to some delightful musical or
other local entertainment.
Picture here shows
sisters preparing for our weekly Relief Society women’s meeting in the Jade
Room.
About 150 chairs are
set out, and one week we still ran out of seats for all who came! It has a rather different feel to the
cosiness of such meetings in my old Ward, and people wanting to speak need a
roving microphone, but the Spirit is strong.
Another fun musical get-together
involved members of the LDS and Baptist Churches sharing some favourite
Southern Baptist music at a recent ‘fireside’ evening. Everyone was particularly charmed by these
delightful young girls, who had a great spirit for the music.
Sounds like it's all going well Patricia.
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