An Invitation to prayerful reflection and pastoral care
In this issue we have devoted the “official’ portion to items which will be considered when we meet together in June for the National Conference and for the biannual Mission Conference. The Mission Conference is a recurring event in the life of the church and as such it is something we are familiar with. The National Conference on the other hand is something new in the life of the church. It emerges out of Section 164 of the Doctrine and Covenants and is intended to focus on issues within a specific area which would be potentially harmful to members around the world if dealt with by the entire church at a World Conference.
Australia has the honour of conducting the first National Conference in the history of the church. It also has the responsibility of conducting this in such a way as to communicate that we can deal with difficult issues in an environment of mutual respect and good will. An important outcome of the National Conference process is to ascertain the level of common consent that exists among us around a specific issue at a specific point in time. It may be that we will have a very low level of consent, or, by contrast a very high level of agreement. Either way, it is important how we conduct our conversations; that we take steps personally and collectively to uphold one another as persons of worth. This way of being together exemplifies the very essence of the signal community
In this lead up to the conferences I would ask that you uphold our gathering in your prayers. I would also ask that if you know of someone who is struggling about what we will be discussing, or who feels marginalised and of little or no worth, that you take the initiative to minister to them in appropriate ways.
Ken Barrows
Mission President
