Building self-reliance
CONFERENCE The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints October 2021 General Conference
2 | September 25-26, 2021
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General Conference Guide – Fall 2021
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General Conference Guide – Fall 2021
CONFERENCE
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Church courses, Employment Services promote temporal selfreliance
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Self-reliance in a world of want and upheaval
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Church, President Nelson preach refining spiritual self-reliance
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General Conference Guide – Fall 2021
Church, President Nelson preach refining spiritual self-reliance BY GENELLE PUGMIRE Daily Herald
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ince the very first beginnings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1830, European converts were streaming into American strongholds of the church, including Kirkland, Ohio; Independence, Missouri; Nauvoo, Illinois; and onward to Salt Lake City. They came because of faith and testimony. Now, in 2021, relying on a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ is paramount for members of the church to have, develop and draw upon, according to their Prophet Russell M. Nelson. In the April 2018 Annual General Conference of the church, when Nelson was sustained as prophet, seer and revelator, and president of the church, the message of gaining spiritual self-reliance was established as the clarion call to members. With the belief that the resurrected Jesus Christ will return to claim his own in what Christians call the Second Coming, Nelson has made it clear that members must COURTESY INTELLECTUAL RESERVES develop a solid faith and testimony President Russell M. Nelson asks members to let God prevail in their lives. through the Holy Ghost to withstand the times before His coming. “We will see miraculous indications “Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus that God the Father and His Son, Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and Jesus Christ, preside over this Church when He comes again. We will see in majesty and glory. But in coming miraculous indications that God the days, it will not be possible to survive Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, spiritually without the guiding, preside over this Church in majesty and glory. But in coming days, it will directing, comforting and constant not be possible to survive spirituinfluence of the Holy Ghost.” ally without the guiding, directing, — President Russell M. Nelson, speaking at the comforting and constant influence April 2018 Annual General Conference of the Holy Ghost,” Nelson said at
the April 2018 conference. President Dallin H. Oaks, selected to be the First Counselor in the First Presidency that includes Nelson, Oaks and Second Counselor President Henry B. Eyring, has spoken succinctly about knowing how the Holy Spirit speaks to us individually. “Personal revelation — sometimes Oaks called ‘inspiration’ — comes in many forms. Most often it is by words or thoughts communicated to the mind, by sudden enlightenment, or by positive or negative feelings about proposed courses of action. Usually it comes in response to earnest and prayerful seeking. ‘Ask, and it shall be given you;’ Jesus taught, ‘seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you’ (New Testament, Matthew, 7:7). It comes when we keep the commandments of God and thus qualify for the companionship and communication of the Holy Spirit,” SPIRITUAL SELF-RELIANCE Self-reliance is the ability, commitment and effort to provide for the spiritual and temporal wellbeing of ourselves and of our families, according to teachings from the Relief Society. The Relief Society is the church’s organization for women ages 18 and over and is considered the largest women’s organization in the world. “As we learn and apply the principles of self-reliance in our homes and communities, we have Please see SELF-RELIANCE, Page 6
General Conference Guide – Fall 2021
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Self-reliance From Page 4
opportunities to care for the poor and needy and to help others become selfreliant so they can endure times of adversity,” the Relief Society teaches. “We have the privilege and duty to use our agency to become self-reliant spiritually and temporally.” Speaking of spiritual self-reliance and our dependence on Heavenly Father, Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught: “We become converted and spiritually self-reliant as we prayerfully live our covenants — through worthily partaking of the sacrament, being worthy of a temple recommend and sacrificing to serve others.” In the Relief Society manual on the Teachings of Heber J. Grant, there are numerous references to his hard work and spiritual self-reliance. President Heber J. Grant, seventh president of the church, had “the will to labor” in his spiritual endeavors as well as his temporal pursuits. He was an untiring worker as a father, a gospel teacher and a special witness of the Lord Jesus Christ. All aspects of his life reflected a principle he often taught: “The law of success, here and hereafter, is to have a humble and a prayerful heart, and to work, work, WORK.” Grant counseled: “If you Grant have ambitions, dream of what you wish to accomplish and then put your shoulder to the wheel and work. Day-dreams without work do not amount to anything; it is the actual work that counts. Faith without works is dead, so James tells us, as the body without the spirit is dead [see James 2:17, 26]. There are any number of people who have faith, but they lack the works, and I believe in the people that have both the faith and the works and are determined to do things.” In order to give members of the church
General Conference Guide – Fall 2021
encouragement to engage in being spiritually self-reliant, Nelson has introduced a variety of suggestions and programs during his presidency to give guidance. In official messages from the church, one might more often here comments including, “let God prevail” or “stay on the covenant path” and presently “#HearHim.” In everything Nelson says, the last and foremost message is to find that testimony by attending, or preparing to attend, the temple. Over the past two years, a number of church leaders have shared by video on YouTube and the church’s website how they #HearHim. This marketing effort is meant to help all those who listen to gain or develop a personal relationship through prayer, scripture study and temple attendance. In Nelson’s October 2020 Semiannual General Conference address, he posed a powerful question, “Are you willing to let God prevail in your life?” LET GOD PREVAIL Popular author and “Real Talk” podcast co-host Ganel-Lyn Condie shares seven key concepts that illustrate what the invitation to “let God prevail” means in a person’s life and how that will build an individual’s spiritual self-reliance. Those concepts include: God promises to love you unconditionally. God promises that you are never alone. God promises to save you because you are worth saving. God promises to forgive you. God promises to strengthen you. God promises to hear your prayers. God promises to inspire you. Condie asks, “Are you willing to let God be the most important influence in your life? Will you allow His words, His commandments and His covenants to influence what you do each day? Will you allow His voice to take priority over any other? Are you willing to let whatever He needs you to do take precedence over every other ambition? Are you willing to have your will
COURTESY INTELLECTUAL RESERVES
Personal prayer is a tool the helps build spiritual self-reliance.
swallowed up in His?” “Mighty miracles are coming,” Condie said. “God has invited you to choose to let Him prevail in your life and He will prevail in every aspect of your life if you let Him because He always keeps His promises.” HEAR HIM Ronald O. Barney served for 34 years as an archivist and historian in the History Department of the church. He is a former associate editor of the Joseph Smith Papers and creator and executive producer of
“The Joseph Smith Papers” documentary. In Barney’s book “Joseph Smith: History, Methods & Memory,” he speaks of the early saints. “One of the significant factors influencing the 20th century silent and baby boomer generations’ perceptions of what a prophet was in the ancient world, especially among the Mormons, arguably came from the mid-1950s Cecil B. DeMille’s ‘The Ten Commandments,’” Barney said. “Depiction of God’s thunderous voice and fiery stylus left no mystery to the audience
about how God captured the attention of His designated appointee. It was then up to the chosen one to deliver the message with courage and without restraint.” Today, the “chosen one,” Nelson, 97, has the age of technology and social media to help him deliver God’s messages. He does it with a soft-spoken, tender voice and in some cases a near whisper so members of the church must intentionally listen. “It is the same if an individual wants to hear God in his own life,” Nelson said. “The adversary is clever. For millennia, he has been making good look evil and evil look good. His messages tend to be loud, bold and boastful. However, messages from our Heavenly Father are strikingly different. He communicates simply, quietly and with such stunning plainness that we cannot misunderstand Him.” “We live in the day that our forefathers have awaited with anxious expectation. We have front-row seats to witness live what the prophet Nephi (from the Book of Mormon) saw only in vision, that ‘the power of the Lamb of God’ would descend ‘upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.’” Nelson said. “You, my brothers and sisters, are among those men, women and children whom Nephi saw. Think of that!” “As individuals seek to be disciples of Jesus Christ, their efforts to hear Him need to be ever more intentional. It takes conscious and consistent effort to fill a person’s daily life with His words, His teachings, His truths,” Nelson said. “We simply cannot rely upon information we bump into on social media. With billions of words online and in a marketing-saturated world constantly infiltrated by noisy, nefarious efforts of the adversary, where can we go to hear Him?” Nelson asks. “We (also) hear Him more clearly as we refine our ability to recognize the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. It has never been more imperative to know how the Spirit speaks to you than right now,” Nelson said. “In the Godhead, the Holy Ghost is the messenger. He will bring thoughts to your mind which the Father and Son want you to receive. He is the comforter. He will bring a feeling of peace to your heart. He testifies of truth and will confirm what is true as you hear and read the word of the Lord.”
General Conference Guide – Fall 2021
“I renew my plea for you to do whatever it takes to increase your spiritual capacity to receive personal revelation. Doing so will help you know how to move ahead with your life, what to do during times of crisis, and how to discern and avoid the temptations and the deceptions of the adversary, Nelson added. The church has developed many tools, such as websites, magazine, lessons, videos and more, to help today’s members learn how to develop a self-reliant testimony by learning how the Holy Spirit speaks to them and how they can #HearHim. The church’s new program for children and youth is built on the foundation of learning to seek revelation, discovering what the Lord would have them do and then acting on that direction, according to Sister Michelle Craig of the Young Women’s Presidency. THE TEMPLE Nelson is famous for his devotion to building temples close to the Saints. In April’s conference, he announced an unprecedented 20 temples to be built. Those temples will serve the people from Oslo, Norway; Brussels, Belgium; Vienna, Austria; and Kuasi, Ghana; to Beira, Mozambique; Singapore; Cali, Colombia; and Smithfield, Utah. With that announcement, the church now has 251 temples announced, under construction or operating. In temples, Latter-day Saints learn about Jesus Christ, the purpose of life and the importance of marriage and family, according to church information. The temple is a place where the most cherished human relationships are made eternal. Latter-day Saint couples are joined together in marriage in a temple ceremony called a sealing. Church members believe this bond unites the couple and any children they have together forever, according to church information. Members consider the temple to be the House of the Lord, holy ground, where they can build their spiritual self-reliance and receive revelation for their personal use. This coming Semiannual General Conference of the church will most likely continue the commitment for members to let God prevail in their lives and to learn how to #HearHim, so as the world gets harsher, tougher and crueler, members can find peace in knowing they can rely on their own faith in God and in Jesus Christ.
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SELF-RELIANCE IN A WORLD BY GENELLE PUGMIRE Daily Herald
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n the Old Testament telling of the story of Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis, we learn they lived in a beautiful garden, called Eden. They wanted for nothing. The ground gave off mists that watered and produced food spontaneously for them to eat. The Bible says that after the couple were tempted by Satan and they partook of the forbidden fruit, they could no longer stay in the garden, nor could they converse face to face with God. Adam and Eve were sent into the world where they had to till the ground, herd sheep and cattle, and live by faith and prayer — they had to be self-reliant both temporally and spiritually. And so it has been since that time until the present day; men and women must care for themselves, then their family and then their neighbors and so on. According teachings from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, accepting and living the following principles of self-reliance will help individuals receive the spiritual and temporal blessings promised by the Lord: 1. Exercise faith in Jesus Christ. 2. Be obedient to God’s laws, principles and promptings. 3. Act. Individual accountability and action activate blessings. 4. Serve and be united. “Only when we are self-reliant can we truly emulate the Savior in serving and blessing others,” said Elder Robert D. Hales (19322017), of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The Church has developed numerous tools for its members to use that will help them become self-reliant on topics such as debt, education, employment, family finances, food storage,
PHOTOS COURTESY INTELLECTUAL RESERVES
Early families in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had rely on themselves and then help others.
gardening and health. After the Latter-day Saints had gathered in the Salt Lake Valley, which was an isolated desert, President Brigham Young wanted them to flourish and establish permanent homes. This meant the Saints needed to learn skills that would allow them to become self-sufficient. In this effort, President Young had great trust in the capacities, talents, faithfulness and willingness of the women, and he encouraged
them in specific temporal duties. While the specific duties of Relief Society sisters are often different today, the principles remain constant: Learn to love work and avoid idleness. Acquire a spirit of self-sacrifice. Accept personal responsibility for spiritual strength, health, education, employment, finances, food and other life-sustaining necessities.
Pray for faith and courage to meet challenges. Strengthen others who need assistance. President Brigham Young instructed the Saints, “Instead of searching after what the Lord is going to do for us, let us inquire what we can do for ourselves.” (Discourses of Brigham Young, sel. John A. Widtsoe, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1978, p. 293.) President Heber J. Grant declared, “Nothing destroys the in-
dividuality of a man, a woman or a child as much as the failure to be self-reliant.” (Relief Society Magazine, October 1937, p. 627.) The history of teaching selfreliance in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints goes back to its founding. It was in 1831 when the Prophet Joseph Smith received by revelation the Law of Consecration. “An 1828 dictionary defined ‘consecration’ as ‘the act or ceremony of separating from a
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OF WANT AND UPHEAVAL
Volunteers at a church cannery prepare peaches to be canned.
common to a sacred use,’” notes Casey Paul Griffiths in his paper “A Covenant and a Deed Which Cannot Be Broken.” Griffiths contends that, over the decade’s, members of the church have placed consecration in the past as something that saints used to practice, or far into the future when it will be practiced again. “While the law of consecration
for the early Saints in Kirtland or Nauvoo was markedly different than today’s present practice, Saints in all ages make the covenant to offer their resources to the sacred us of God’s kingdom,” Griffiths said. The Law of Consecration is basically this: Members take what they need and are ready at any time, if needed, to give their ex-
cess to the church to help raise up others in need. Griffiths notes that the earliest mention of an organized form of caring for the poor is found in the January 1831 revelation in which the Lord commands the Saints that certain men should be appointed among them to “Look to the poor and the needy, and administer to their relief that they
shall not suffer.” (Doctrine and Covenants 38:35). “A mistaken impression has arisen within the church that the law of tithing, given in 1838, replaced the law of consecration,” Griffiths said. “In many ways, the law of tithing required a greater sacrifice than the Law of Consecration; consecration required members to give their surplus af-
ter their needs were satisfied, but tithing required 10% before any of their needs were met.” Griffith’s contends that the most “enduring practical implementation of the Law of Consecration was born out of one of the worst economic catastrophes in history.” Please see CARING, Page 10
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General Conference Guide – Fall 2021
Caring From Page 9
Elder Robert D. Hales (1932-2017) was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and was very involved with the Welfare Department. COURTESY INTELLECTUAL RESERVES
It was during the Great Depression of the 1930s the idea of a storehouse where food and commodities could be gathered to distribute to the poor and needy came about. This new “storehouse” was called the Church Welfare Program. “Church leaders of the founding generation never became comfortable identifying the Church Welfare plan as the same thing as the law of consecration, but the ensuing generations began to recognize the fulfillment of the principles of the law in the new plan,” Griffiths said. As time progressed, church leaders became more comfortable in seeing the Church Welfare Program as another iteration of consecration, Griffiths added. The latest iteration is the combining the Church Welfare and Self-Reliance programs. “The program blossomed and grew over time and every stake (compare to diocese) had a welfare project,” said Gordan Carmen, director of production and distribution in the Welfare Department. At one time, there were more than 65
“Our responsibility is to rise from mediocrity to competence, from failure to achievement. Our task is to become our best selves. One of God’s greatest gifts to us is the joy of trying again, for no failure ever need be final.” — President Thomas S. Monson canneries owned by the church throughout the United States. With modern technologies and the need to adapt to society and become more efficient, there are few canneries now, but they are open yearround with multiple shifts. The old canneries were open just a few weeks a year, Carmen added. While the Welfare Department is set up primarily to help members of the church become more self-reliant, the humanitarian arm including Latter-day Saint Charities focuses on people in need no matter what religion they may be, according to Carmen. The Welfare and Self-Reliance programs offered by the church have become so
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well-known that leaders of organizations, nonprofits, religious leaders and elected officials from around the world have requested tours through Welfare Square in Salt Lake City. Welfare Square includes a bishop’s storehouse, a cannery, a dairy, grain storage, a Deseret Industries thrift store and an employment center. This could only happen through the generous donations of members of the church, Carmen said. “Our members are encouraged to live the law of the fast and go without food for 24 hours or two meals. The amount they would spend on those meals is given as a fast offering. The only purpose is to help those in need,” Carmen said. Recently, the church has added free classes for members to study and lift each other by learning principles of self-reliance by not only growing their own food, but also by furthering their education, understanding how to control personal finance. They learn how to seek employment and then how to get better employment or develop entrepreneurship. “Our responsibility is to rise from me-
General Conference Guide – Fall 2021
diocrity to competence, from failure to achievement,” said President Thomas S. Monson. “Our task is to become our best selves. One of God’s greatest gifts to us is the joy of trying again, for no failure ever need be final.” Hales added, “The Lord expects us to help solve our own problems. ... We are thinking, reasoning human beings. We have the ability to identify our needs, to plan, to set goals and to solve our problems.” “The Lord cares enough about us to give us direction for serving and the opportunity for developing self-reliance. His principles are consistent and never changing,” said Elder Marvin J. Ashton (1915 to 1994) of the Quorum of the Twelve in the November 1981 Ensign church magazine. The Daily Herald/Standard Examiner in the next few pages will offer the reader insight as to the Church Welfare Program, becoming not only temporally self-reliant in our homes, but also individually spiritually self-reliant. We hope these messages will help the reader as they look at their own skills of self-reliance and use these commentaries to make life’s journey a more enjoyable trip.
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Image of the Prophet Joseph Smith, who received by revelation the Law of Consecration. COURTESY INTELLECTUAL RESERVES
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General Conference Guide – Fall 2021
PHOTOS COURTESY INTELLECTUAL RESERVES
An associate at the new Deseret Industries in Houston, Texas, helps customers on April 15.
CHURCH COURSES, EMPLOYMENT SERVICES PROMOTE TEMPORAL SELF-RELIANCE BY SARAH HARRIS Herald Correspondent
Personal agency is one of the greatest gifts of God, according to Presiding Bishop Gerald Causse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “It is crucial for our earthly progress and our eternal salvation,” Bishop Causse said in a July 2018 Ensign magazine article. “By becoming self-reliant temporally and spiritually, God’s children progress in their abil-
ity to make choices independently and thus fulfill the measure of their creation.” Self-reliance is about planning and preparing in a way that empowers one to exercise agency when faced with a challenge, according to Tim Robbins of the church’s Welfare and Self-Reliance Services department. “If we take personal finance as an example, we each have different financial circumstances and challenges that we may face, but there are some principles that
can help us create better financial stability,” Robbins said in an email. Two of the ways the church promotes temporal selfreliance are through its self-reliance courses and Employment Services. SELF-RELIANCE COURSES The church offers self-reliance courses on personal finances, employment and education along with ones for starting and growing a business. The classes are available
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to both members and friends of the church in more than 130 countries and 36 languages. “Self-reliance courses were created to help individuals learn and put into practice principles of faith, education, hard work, and trust in the Lord,” Robbins said. “During each course participants are invited to study and apply practical skills and spiritual principles, as well as teach them to their family members.” Groups in the course consist of “small, action-oriented councils” of about eight to 12 individuals that meet for two hours a week for up to 12 weeks, according to Robbins. “In the group, every participant has knowledge, experiences, and gifts that can help others learn and grow,” he said. Facilitators from the local community lead the groups through course materials and invite all in the group to participate, rather than lecture. “They also create an environment of love and support,” Robbins said. The classes have continued virtually during the coronavirus pandemic when groups couldn’t meet in person. “Self-reliance groups combine practical skills with spiritual principles to help people help themselves,” Robbins said. Vivian Sapkin, left, Deseret Industries employee, receives instruction from Ben Maradiaga, manager of the Sugarhouse D.I., and Christy Peterson, manager of the Sugarhouse ERC.
Please see AGENCY, Page 14
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General Conference Guide – Fall 2021
PHOTOS COURTESY INTELLECTUAL RESERVES
Angelia Call, center, meets with Employment Resource Center staff in Sugarhouse.
“If we take personal finance as an example, we each have different financial circumstances and challenges that we may face, but there are some principles that can help us create better financial stability.” — Tim Robbins, the church’s Welfare and Self-Reliance Services department
Agency From Page 13
EMPLOYMENT SERVICES Employment Services offers tools, programs and services in addition to the skills taught in the church’s self-reliance courses. The church has been helping people find employment since its early years, according to Megan Burt, the director of the church’s Employment Services Division, and Joseph Doria, the manager of employment support. “This is directly connected to the Church’s divinely appointed responsibility to care for the poor and needy, and has taken many forms through the years,” Burt and Doria said in an email. “The earliest efforts date back to church-
sponsored building and construction projects in Kirtland, Nauvoo and in the Salt Lake valley.” The church’s Public Works Department was officially created during the winter of 1850 “to provide employment through the construction of public buildings and the establishment of manufacturing enterprises,” according to Burt and Doria. “At the time, Brigham Young said, ‘The reason we have no poor who are able to work is because we plan to set every person to work at some profitable employment and teach them to maintain themselves,’” Burt and Doria said. The church then established an employment bureau in 1896, the Employment Bureau for Women in 1921, Deseret Industries in the 1930s and the Salt Lake Region Employment
Office in 1948. “By the end of 1978, there were twenty-four employment centers in operation,” Burt and Doria said. The church now operates 74 employment centers throughout the U.S. and Canada as well as an employment website. The church began offering various virtual services and programs amid the coronavirus pandemic. “The success of these virtual offerings proved to be one of the unique blessings of these challenging times,” Burt and Doria said. “Now, while physical employment centers are reopening, the virtual services offered during the pandemic will continue and are available to members throughout the US and Canada.” Employment Services offers one-on-one help
General Conference Guide – Fall 2021
Church service missionaries instruct students in the career workshop.
with job leads and resumes. “Additionally, members can join local church-sponsored Active Job Search groups where they can meet with other job seekers in their local area (inperson or over Zoom) on a daily basis to share job leads, network, practice job search skills, and receive spiritual and emotional support,” Burt and Doria said. One past participant overwhelmed with finding new employment thought the task was a one-person job until the Active Job Search group showed “there is a better way.” “It was heartwarming yet very humbling as well to see so many of my friends come to my aid,” the participant said. “People are willing to help if they know you need it.” Other services include daily Zoom workshops on skills from preparing for interviews to networking as well as a daily open
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forum for job search support and assistance questions. “In addition to these options, our website, http://employment.ChurchofJesusChrist. org features many wonderful articles and resources to help job seekers, such as how to create a brief introduction, a ‘Me in 30 Seconds,’ or tips for dressing professionally for an interview,” Burt and Doria said. Employment Services’ purpose is to “help members of the Church all over the world qualify for and obtain employment that leads to temporal self-reliance,” according to Burt and Doria. “We believe that self-reliance is a principle of salvation, allowing members not only to provide the physical and spiritual necessities of life for themselves and their family, but also enabling them to serve others and live a life more like that of the Savior Jesus Christ,” Burt and Doria said.
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16 | September 25-26, 2021
General Conference Guide – Fall 2021
Church’s global welfare program focuses on service and self-reliance BY SARAH HARRIS Herald Correspondent
The year was 1936 and many in the United States, including members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, were struggling amid the Great Depression. “There was obviously a great need,” said Gordon Carmen, the director of production and distribution in the church’s Welfare and Self-Reliance Services department. “Many, many people were unemployed. The economy was in trouble.” Members of stakes in Salt Lake City wondered what they could do to help. With stake presidents’ input, the church organized its welfare program locally under the direction of then-President Heber J. Grant. “It kind of blossomed and it grew over time that we wanted every stake really to have a welfare project — a bishops’ storehouse, a farm, a cannery, something like that that they could participate in the welfare program,” Carmen said. The program now serves people of all faiths across the world, aiming to care for those in need while promoting also self-reliance.
PHOTOS COURTESY INTELLECTUAL RESERVES
Funds known as fast offerings support significant welfare efforts of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, like these at the Bakery on Welfare Square in Salt Lake City. Now it appears that fasting may have health benefits, too.
GROWTH The subsequent years saw the advent of bishops’ storehouses, Welfare Square and Deseret Industries in Salt Lake City. The church later began operating other welfare facilities, including the Deseret Mill and Pasta Plant, as well as other processing plants throughout the U.S. and Canada. The welfare program now includes everything from dairies to gardens, canning and distributing many thousands of cases of vegetables each year through the bishops’ storehouse system, according to Carmen. Agreements with local grocery stores help where there aren’t bishops’ storehouses. “My stake, when I was a young man growing up, we had a cattle ranch, out in Fairfield, Utah,” Carmen said. “That still exists as part of a larger cattle ranch that we operate today, and it’s part of our Nephi livestock project.” Stakes’ individual projects helped the program grow immensely and remain part of the welfare program today. “We’re hoping that if the stake doesn’t have a welfare project that the members of that stake can and are involved in helping those in need in other ways, a humanitarian effort of some sort that could be done locally, supporting a local charity, something like that,” Carmen said.
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September 25-26, 2021 | 17
Workers at Welfare Square.
WELFARE SQUARE The church’s Welfare Square in Salt Lake City is home to a bishops’ storehouse, cannery, dairy facility, Deseret Industries store, employment center, home storage center and grain storage facility, according to Carmen. The grain silos memorialize the efforts of Relief Society sisters who gathered and saved wheat beginning in the 1870s and through much of the 20th century, according to Samantha Butterworth, the director of content and messaging for Welfare and Self-Reliance Services. “Among many charitable efforts, the Relief Society was able to donate wheat to survivors of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake,” Butterworth said in an email. “They were also able to sell some of the wheat, using the proceeds to fund maternity care, child welfare, and general health care for Church members.” Welfare Square welcomes visitors from around the world — from U.S. presidents to foreign dignitaries. For Carmen, the visit from President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s stands out best in his memories. “I think that really maybe brought a light that hadn’t been there before on what the church does as far as helping those in need, and maybe, hopefully, even creating a pattern for other organizations to do the same,” Carmen said. “We’ve got dignitaries from many, many countries, which I
think has helped shine a light on what the church does internationally.” Recent tours have included visitors from A view of the Kaysville Flour Mill in Kaysville with railroad cars 1911. Ethiopia and Sudan, leaders of other aid organizations like the World Food ProAll the things you want in a Realtor & more. gramme and global faith leaders like the secretary general of the Muslim World Meet with one of our Agents Today. League, according to Butterworth. 801-773-1777 “In addition to world leaders and global humanitarian partners, we love to offer tours especially to youth groups and young adults, who are so interested (to) know more about how they can help those in need in their communities and around the world,” Butterworth said.
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GLOBAL REACH The welfare program has expanded over time to include family, self-reliance and immigrant services as well as Latter-day Saint Charities. “Through Latter-day Saint Charities, the Church’s humanitarian aid program, the Church works with global partners to purchase and distribute commodities to people in need around the world,” Butterworth said. The church operates a food supply system in the U.S. and Canada to “produce, process, and distribute food to Church members and others,” according to David Park, manager of planning and operations
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General Conference Guide – Fall 2021
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food and supplies to humanitarian partners,” Park said.
From Page 17
support in the Production and Distribution Division of Welfare and Self-Reliance Services. “In response to natural disasters, this system can respond to immediate needs with food, water, and supplies,” Park said in an email. “It also can partner with other humanitarian organizations in reaching out to those in need.” Park said food supply systems have been significantly impacted during the coronavirus pandemic, but the church has been able to use its food reserves to continue filling bishops’ orders for members in need without any disruption of services. “In addition to this activity, the Church was able to provide hundreds of truckloads of food to our humanitarian partners,” Park said. Donations increased from 16 million pounds of supplies to 32 million pounds from 2019 to 2020, according to Park. “With direction from the Presiding Bishopric, in recent years the Church has dramatically increased the donation of
SELF-RELIANCE The welfare program aims to teach self-reliance as it serves those in need. Church leaders encourage members to be prepared and have a plan to help them navigate challenges that might arise, from natural disasters to changes in employment, according to Butterworth. “Self-reliance is about planning and preparing in a way that allows us to use our agency to its fullest when we are faced with a challenge,” Butterworth said. The church offers self-reliance courses on emotional resilience, personal finances, how to start and grow a business, education for better work, and getting a job, according to Carmen. “When members find themselves in need, local leaders work closely with them to understand their needs, understand what family, community, and Church resources they have available to them, and to help them develop a selfreliance plan,” Butterworth said.
COURTESY INTELLECTUAL RESERVES
More than 270,000 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) near the city of Kinshasa are drinking the benefit of several new water wells. The DRC is a water-rich country; however, three-quarters of the 50 million people there do not have access to clean water. People spend hours traveling each day collecting water for their families, often from contaminated sources.
The key to the church’s welfare pro“Our baptismal covenant teaches us to gram lies in its people, according to But- care for one another and those in need,” Butterworth said. terworth.
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General Conference Guide – Fall 2021
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