"It Is All about People"

This week in Relief Society, we discussed Bishop Gérald Caussé's April 2018 General Conference talk titled "It Is All about People". Bishop Caussé taught, "The definition of the Church might be derived from a passage in the Book of Mormon that states, 'And they [meaning the Lord's disciples] who were baptized in the name of Jesus were called the church of Christ.'[3 Ne 26:21] In other words, the Church is all about people. It is all about you, the Lord's disciples—those who love and follow Him and who have taken His name upon them by covenant." He told of an experience he had while preparing for the construction of the Paris France Temple. Prior to granting approval for a building permit, the city mayor organized a team to investigate the church; they attended church meetings to observe the congregation and met with neighbors to find out "what kind of people you Mormons are". During Relief Society, we applied this question to our own lives and discussed what kind of people we are or can be as disciples of Jesus Christ.

• What do/can we as a ward do to demonstrate that we are disciples of Christ? Below are some thoughts that were shared during class. What other ideas do you have? What will you work on this week? this month? this year?
• Engage in missionary work
• Offer service in the community
• We could collaborate more with other organizations or churches in the community as a whole ward or in small groups or as individuals to reach out and know and be known by the community.
• www.justserve.org is a wonderful resource for finding service opportunities in the community!
• Provide social opportunities
• Social activities can help us achieve unity.
• Fun activities are great opportunities to invite friends or family members who are not active or not members.
• We can have fun and be friendly; this helps others feel like they can relate to us better.
• Provide a diverse community of saints
• We can learn a lot from and be enriched by the different perspectives and experiences of others.
• We have a wonderful opportunity to cultivate a community where everyone feels comfortable to participate and share their own thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
• Love and be quick to serve others within the ward
• Continuously try to do the will of God and follow Christ
• We can educate others about our church and beliefs and help them understand that we truly are Christians.
• We can invite others to attend church with us and take time to learn more about their beliefs.
• We can be an example to friends and family in our community and homes by the way we live the gospel.
• Be committed to the gospel
• We're all trying to improve, become more like Christ, and be more willing to sacrifice.
• Provide a spiritual haven on Sundays

• What do/can we do in our homes to demonstrate that we are disciples of Christ? Take some time this week to ponder this question on your own and discuss your ideas with your family or other household members. We'd love to hear your thoughts! Please share with us in the comments below.

Bishop Caussé posed the following questions: "Have you ever asked yourself what it would be like if the Savior visited your ward or branch next Sunday? What would He do? Would He be worried to know if the visual aids were good enough or if the chairs were positioned properly in the classroom? Or would He find someone He could love, teach, and bless? Perhaps He would seek out a new member or a friend to welcome, a sick brother or sister in need of comfort, or a wavering young person who needed to be lifted and encouraged. ... Can we do likewise?"

Missy challenged us to "do likewise" next week at church and find a way to reach out to someone as He would. Please share your experience fulfilling this action item with us in church next week or in the comments section below!