The original article was posted on Church News and can be found by clicking HERE.
Registration is open for RootsTech 2015, the world’s largest family history conference with tens of thousands of participants worldwide.
Sponsored by FamilySearch, RootsTech 2015 will be February 11–14 at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The global conference will feature an innovator summit, expo hall, well-known keynote speakers, more than 200 classes, hands-on computer labs, nightly entertainment, and a free family history day for Church members.
This is a service opportunity open to all residents in Douglas County. We thought we would share!
Learn more during our open house January 24 and in our video
DOUGLAS COUNTY – The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is holding its first Reserve Deputy Academy to train residents who have the time, talent and desire to wear a badge and help protect and serve. The volunteers will allow the sheriff’s office to provide better—and more expanded service—across the county.
“We’re looking for individuals who actively want to give back to their community,” Sheriff Tony Spurlock says. “This isn’t just about driving a patrol car. This is for people who really care about their community and can volunteer time to serve side-by-side with us. We are incredibly thankful to our current reserves who help us protect Douglas County.”
The reserves work in every area of the sheriff’s office, including on patrol, with Investigations and in the jail. Residents who graduate from the new academy will be Colorado P.O.S.T. (Peace Officers Standards and Training) certified as reserve deputies. Reserves are actual law enforcement officers. They are required to maintain the same standards, receive the same training and follow the same rules and laws as full time, paid law enforcement.
The DCSO would like to increase its number of reserve deputies from 6 to 20. Most of the reserves have full-time paid jobs and are business owners, financial consultants, security officials and other professionals.
“When I became a reserve, I realized it was my calling. I love the department, the people who work here and the overall atmosphere,” Felix Claudio, DCSO Reserve Deputy and business owner said. “Helping people and seeing the smiles on their faces after you’ve lent a hand feels really good.”
Also, attend our open house onSaturday, January 24, 2015, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Highlands Ranch Law Enforcement Training Facility at 6001 Ron King Trail, Littleton, CO 80125.
Please RSVP for the open house to Lauren Lekander at LLekande@DCSheriff.net and 303.660.7511. During the open house, you’ll be able to learn more about requirements and training.
Rachel B. from the Westridge Ward found a serious problem and decided to do something to fix it.
The problem: A school full of impoverished children. Her solution: Step up to help them.
Here are her words:
Lately I have felt overwhelmed by the amount of sad things happening to
children. I have come to the conclusion that instead of being a
helpless bystander, it is time to add joy to the lives of children.
Here’s what I’m going to do: give every child at Crawford Elementary School in Aurora, Colorado, a book for Christmas.
Why Crawford?
Through
her church, one of my co-workers has helped establish a food pantry
that works exclusively with the school. Crawford has 699 students, 89.7%
of which are on the free/reduced lunch program. Many of these kids
don’t get enough to eat. Some are homeless.
Why books for Christmas?
Every
child should get a book for Christmas.
Rachel got to work. She raised close to $1400 and then went bargain shopping at the Scholastic Book Warehouse Sale. She also collected food items so that the children would not go hungry over Christmas break.
She organized a wrapping party to get the presents wrapped. Then yesterday she took everything to Crawford- along with Santa!- and brought Christmas to almost 700 children who deserved a Christmas miracle.
Buying 700 books at the Scholastic Warehouse Sale
Santa with the volunteers who went to Crawford to distribute the books:
Food items donated for the children:
Thank you, Rachel, for reminding us that we don't need to wait for a program or a person to serve those around us! We all have the power to step up and change the world in our own sphere of influence.
This article was posted to the LDS Newsroom and Contributed By Ryan Morgenegg, Church News staff writer:
The Church is launching a new initiative designed to reach millions of people around the world this December.
The monthlong initiative—“He Is the Gift”—is designed to share the
message of Heavenly Father’s love, which He demonstrated in giving the
sacred gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world, that
he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should
not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
Organized by the Missionary Department of the Church, the initiative is
being promoted through multiple mediums such as social media, displays
in visitors’ centers, member and missionary tools, online paid
promotion, and billboard and video displays in New York City’s Times
Square. The Times Square advertisements will be seen throughout the
month, including during New Year’s Eve festivities.
“Christmas is a time of reflection on what we can become because of God’s sacred gift,” said Elder Russell M. Nelson
of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and chairman of the Missionary
Department. “As we discover the gift, we learn of the immeasurable love
of God and our absolute need for a Savior. As we embrace the gift, we
strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ and our desire to become more like
Him. As we share the gift, we follow in the Master’s footsteps, who
invited all to hear His message.”
A photo of the billboard that can be seen in New York
City's Times Square throughout the month of December. Photo by Mark
Louis Weinberg.
A photo of the billboard that can be seen in New York
City's Times Square throughout the month of December. Photo by Mark
Louis Weinberg.
The website Christmas.mormon.org will have a variety of items about the Savior that can be shared with others.
A meme that can be shared in conjunction with the “He Is the Gift” initiative this holiday season.
On December 7, the Church’s “He Is the Gift” initiative will be on
the masthead of YouTube in seven countries, with a potential audience of
220 million viewers. Those countries are the United States, Canada,
Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Brazil. The masthead will
feature a short video and an invitation to visit the website christmas.mormon.org.
On the website, visitors can view a longer version of the YouTube video
designed with the theme “He Is the Gift.” The video reminds viewers
about the commercial and stressful nature of the Christmas season and
then transitions to images that highlight the true meaning of Christmas.
The website also contains pages that tell the Christmas story,
show #ShareTheGift ideas, and give links to additional resources
focused on Jesus Christ. Members are encouraged to share content through
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, Instagram, and Pinterest. In
addition, there is a social media aggregator on the site to share
member-generated content in several languages, including English,
Spanish, and Portuguese.
“We hope the members do three things with this initiative,” said Elder David F. Evans
of the Seventy and Executive Director of the Church's Missionary
Department. “First, that they deepen their discovery of the Savior
personally. Second, that they deepen their embrace of the Savior and His
teachings personally. And finally, that they share the gift with
others.”
Members are encouraged to participate in the initiative and be creative
in how they share content. In the United States distribution of the Ensign magazine, nine pass-along cards
were inserted for members to share with friends. All English-,
Spanish-, and Portuguese-speaking missions have pass-along cards
available in their respective languages as well through the
missionaries.
Fifteen Church visitors’ centers in the United States and overseas,
including Temple Square, are offering guests “He Is the Gift” displays
to enjoy during the Christmas season. Other locations include Hill
Cumorah; Hyde Park Chapel; Idaho Falls; Independence, Missouri; Laie,
Hawaii; London England Temple; Los Angeles; Mesa, Arizona; Mexico City;
New Zealand; Oakland, California; Park City, Utah; Portland, Oregon; and
St. George, Utah.
Overall, members should follow the counsel of Elder David A. Bednar
of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from his remarks in the “He Is the
Gift” pamphlet: “I invite each of us to flood the earth with the
messages of righteousness and truth found in the He Is the Gift
initiative. Visit christmas.mormon.org to find inspiring content to help
discover,embrace, and share the gift of
God’s love for us, made manifest in His Only Begotten Son. By using the
hashtag #ShareTheGift, we can sweep the earth with timeless—and
timely—messages of the Savior Jesus Christ.”
Members
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will soon begin
receiving an email message from the First Presidency for the first time.
The first email is being sent this week to a small group of about
10,000 members in the United States as the system is tested. Emails will
be sent to millions of Church members throughout the world in 10
languages on December 3 and 4, 2014. The
newsletter contains a message from the First Presidency and two
announcements concerning the Christmas season, including a greeting and
information about the upcoming “He Is the Gift” initiative and the First
Presidency's Christmas devotional.
“We are pleased to announce
this new Church email newsletter that we will regularly publish and
share with members throughout the world,” writes the First Presidency in
the email message. “This newsletter is part of our effort to find more
effective ways to communicate with our growing global membership in
order to share timely and valuable messages that can strengthen our love
for Jesus Christ, for our families, and for those around us.”
Church members will receive the messages at the email address they have listed in their online LDS Account.
If members have already registered, they will need to make sure their
email address is current, and those who have not registered can do so at
any time. Church members who choose not to receive the messages may
unsubscribe to the emails.
“In a world where communication
channels are so numerous and fragmented, delivering a message that does
not become distorted along the way is increasingly difficult,” said
Elder Anthony D. Perkins of the First Quorum of the Seventy. “The Church
has a unique advantage in that millions of faithful members have
entrusted their email address to us. We feel the time has come to
utilize these personal email addresses to improve the effectiveness of
our communications to Church members.”
“One purpose of email
newsletters is to assist members in becoming aware of Church resources
that will strengthen their faith in Christ, bless their families and
help them serve in the community,” said Elder Perkins.
The first
email is part of the “News and Inspiration” email subscription. “We plan
that over time members will have a few more specific choices in
newsletters they would like to receive,” said Elder Perkins.
Church
leaders say the email channel could also be used to notify members
during emergency situations or for matters of urgent importance to the
First Presidency or the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
For more information, read the Church News article.
President Eyring, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, was invited as one of only 17 faith leaders throughout the world to meet with the Pope at the Vatican to discuss traditional marriage.
For more information- including video and a transcript of President Eyring's speech, click HERE.
If you are doubting the impact of Meet the Mormons, just read this article (the original article is posted HERE.):
Salt Lake City —
More
than 500 invited guests gathered in Utah this week for the premiere of
“Meet the Mormons,” a feature-length documentary produced by The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The crowd at the "Meet the Mormons" movie premiere.
They
included well-known Latter-day Saint and community figures, including
business leaders, educators, artists, performers, filmmakers, sports
figures and politicians. The cast of "Meet the Mormons."
The
cast of the movie was on hand at the Megaplex Theatres on 7 October
2014 in Sandy, Utah, to greet the guests and watch the much anticipated
movie that has been in the making for three years. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles greet the movie audience.
The
festivities included a reception and a welcome from Elders Jeffrey R.
Holland and David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles who
have asked moviegoers to share their impressions of the film on social
media channels. The Sullivans with Neon Trees drummer Elaine Bradley and bassist Branden Campbell.
Many
of the attendees captured photos with the six Mormon families who were
showcased in the 70-minute production, ranging from a humanitarian to a
football coach to a missionary mom. Some of the children in the cast enjoy time together at the movie premiere.
The
inspirational movie takes viewers on location around the world to
introduce them to diverse families in Costa Rica, Nepal and four cities
in the United States. The families featured in the film say it has been a
positive experience. In fact, friendships have been formed between the
cast and crew members. Singer
Marie Osmond, former presidential candidate Mitt Romney and Elder
Jeffrey R. Holland attend the "Meet the Mormons" premiere.
Producers
hope the documentary will change negative stereotypes people may have
about Latter-day Saints. The film was designed to show the audience that
Mormons are Christians who lead normal lives. The Halvorsens at the "Meet the Mormons" movie premiere.
Col.
Gail Halvorsen is celebrating his 94th birthday as the film debuts.
Halvorsen was known as “the candy bomber” during the Berlin Airlift in
the 1940s. He brought his wife to the premiere. Humanitarian Bishnu Adhikari and his family meet artist David Archuleta at the movie premiere.
Engineer
and humanitarian Bishnu Adhikari, originally from Nepal, attended the
Utah event with his wife and children. The family of Ken Niumatalolo
participated in Tuesday’s premiere. He’s the head football coach of the
U.S. Naval Academy. Kickboxer Carolina Muñoz Marin attends the movie premiere with her husband.
Carolina
Muñoz Marin, an amateur kickboxing champion from Costa Rica, runs a
charity with her husband. They traveled to Utah for the movie’s opening. The Sullivan family attended the movie premiere with their sons.
The movie features a Mormon bishop
and his family from Atlanta, Georgia. That bishop and now stake
president, Jermaine, and his wife, Kembe, were in Utah with their boys
to see the movie. The Armstrong family poses with Dan Reynolds, singer of Imagine Dragons, at the "Meet the Mormons" premiere.
Utah missionary mom Dawn Armstrong, her husband, and their children also enjoyed meeting those who attended the premiere. The crowd inside the theater at the "Meet the Mormons" movie premiere in Utah.
“Meet the Mormons” is being shown in more than 300 theaters across the United States beginning Friday, 10 October. Visit the website to find viewing locations. Table decorations at the movie premiere in Sandy, Utah.
Proceeds from the film will benefit the American Red Cross.
After the last General Women's Meeting, we posted about some professional pictures that were taken and sent to Salt Lake for consideration in The Ensign (click HERE for the original post). Well, one image was, indeed, published in The Ensign!
And, to further excite the Highlands Ranch crowd, that same image was posted to Lds.org in an article about the upcoming General Conference. To check out our stake center as highlighted on Lds.org, please click HERE.
Do you have any other exciting news or events to share? E-mail us at highlandsranchmormons@gmail.com.
In what is yet another example of the caliber of the Young Men and Young Women of our faith, a local high school recently published an article in their school newspaper about one of our youth- Jessica Harris.
(The editor of this blog apologizes that it is difficult to read. Please click on the images below to make them larger and more readable. If it is still too difficult, you can go directly to the publication by clicking HERE. Scroll to page 13 and you will find the article)
Jessica- Thank you for being such a shining example to all of us!
Volunteers Jacob McGee, left, and
Jason Hawkes help spruce up the
exterior of a Highlands Ranch
home as part of a partnership
between the HRCAand Just Serve.
The projects involve volunteers
improving distressed properties.
In a community of 30,000 homes, there are bound to be a few unkempt yards. But it’s not always due to wanton neglect.Over the summer and fall, the exteriors of a dozen Highlands Ranch homes were spruced up by a group of enterprising volunteers. The homes belong to families in distress, those incurring financial hardships, and those who are physically unable to perform upkeep required by the community’s covenants. “Sometimes they’re elderly or someone who is disadvantaged,” said Mike Bailey, director of community improvement services for the Highlands Ranch Community Association. “A lot of these properties are not necessarily compliance issues; they’re just people who need a helping hand.” That’s where the willing volunteers come in. The series of clean-up projects, mostly focusing on landscaping, marked the beginning of the HRCA’s partnership with Just Serve, a service organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Local Mormon churches were looking to get involved in the community, and the HRCA is identifying those in need and facilitating the work.
With 18 full-time missionaries from the U.S. and other countries currently staying in Highlands Ranch, there are plenty of eager, capable hands to pitch in. Each of the missionaries seeks 10 hours of community service every week.
In fact, there are more volunteers than available volunteer work, and Steve Grover, a member of Highlands Ranch’s Just Serve committee, established an e-mail address, highlandsranchjustserve@gmail.com, to solicit ideas from the public. Grover referred to JustServe.org, the clearinghouse for such endeavors, as “Craigslist for service opportunities.”
Jerry Flannery, president of the HRCA, said he wanted to appropriately address the issue of covenant control at distressed homes, and enlisted Bailey’s help to make sure community volunteers were utilized. The partnership also provides a chance for people to see a different side of the HRCA, he said.
“Sometimes we get identified with just enforcing all the time. I wanted to see if there was a way to show residents and community members that we want to help as well,” Flannery said. “When people are facing a hardship, a crisis, the last thing they need is to get a citation from the community association.”
It is Bailey’s job, in part, to make sure that there are extenuating circumstances in each case that result in a legitimate need. The homeowners who receive aid are “entirely grateful” to the volunteers, some of whom return multiple times to make sure the job is finished, Bailey said. He credited the Just Serve coordinators with diving in head-first and making a big difference.
“One thing we can do is provide a lot of people in a hurry for a lot of different projects,” said Ralph Walker, stake president of Highlands Ranch for the Mormon church.
Flannery said the partnership is a “good symbiotic relationship” that will continue to grow in the coming years. He called it a “win-win-win” for those involved and said the HRCA can keep facilitating creative, organic ways to improve Highlands Ranch.
“Even though we’re not a city and county, we’re a public service agency and our goal is to add value to the community. This is a way to can do it,” Flannery said.
The
newsletter contains a message from the First Presidency and two
announcements concerning the Christmas season, including a greeting and
information about the upcoming “He Is the Gift” initiative and the First
Presidency's Christmas devotional.
