Colorado Springs North Stake (CSNS)

Ward Council and Ward Youth Council Bulletin

Aug 16 - 22, 2021

All That My Father Hath

18 August 2021

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

In 1980 President Ezra Taft Benson, of the Quorum of the Twelve gave what we consider a landmark discourse on how and why we follow the prophet of God: Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet. It has been a wonderful resource for us to personally review and share with others who may feel unsure as to the role of the prophet in our daily lives.

He outlined these 14 fundamentals:

1. The prophet is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything.

2. The living prophet is more vital to us than the Standard Works.

3. The living prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet.

4. The prophet will never lead the Church astray.

5. The prophet is not required to have any particular earthly training or diplomas to speak on any subject or act on any matter at any time.

6. The prophet does not have to say “Thus saith the Lord” to give us scripture.

7. The prophet tells us what we need to know, not always what we want to know.

8. The Prophet is not limited by men’s reasoning.

9. The prophet can receive revelation on any matter—temporal or spiritual.

10. The prophet may well advise on civic matters.

11. The two groups who have the greatest difficulty in following the prophet are the proud who are learned and the proud who are rich.

12. The prophet will not necessarily be popular with the world or the worldly.

13. The prophet and his counselors make up the First Presidency—The highest quorum in the Church.

14. The prophet and the presidency—the living prophet and the First Presidency—follow them and be blessed—reject them and suffer.

Let us briefly review just a few of them.

The prophet does not have to say “Thus saith the Lord” to give us scripture.

President Benson said “Sometimes there are those who argue about words. They might say the prophet gave us counsel but that we are not obliged to follow it unless he says it is a commandment. But the Lord says of the Prophet, “Thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you.” (Doctrine and Covenants 21:4.)

And speaking of taking counsel from the prophet, in Doctrine and Covenants 108:1, the Lord states:

“Verily thus saith the Lord unto you, my servant Lyman: Your sins are forgiven you, because you have obeyed my voice in coming up hither this morning to receive counsel of him whom I have appointed.”

Elder Anderson said in his general conference talk, Follow the Prophet, “In 1982, two years before being called as a General Authority, Brother Russell M. Nelson said: “I never ask myself, ‘When does the prophet speak as a prophet and when does he not?’ My interest has been, ‘How can I be more like him?’” And he added, “My [philosophy is to] stop putting question marks behind the prophet’s statements and put exclamation points instead.” This is how a humble and spiritual man chose to order his life. Now, 36 years later, he is the Lord’s prophet.”

The prophet tells us what we need to know, not always what we want to know.

“Thou has declared unto us hard things, more than we are able to bear,” complained Nephi’s brethren. But Nephi answered by saying, “The guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center.” (1 Nephi 16:1–2.)

Said President Harold B. Lee: “You may not like what comes from the authority of the Church. It may conflict with your political views. It may contradict your social views. It may interfere with some of your social life … Your safety and ours depends upon whether or not we follow … Let’s keep our eye on the President of the Church.” (Conference Report, October 1970, p. 152–153.)

But it is the living prophet who really upsets the world. “Even in the Church,” said President Kimball, “many are prone to garnish the sepulchres of yesterdays prophets and mentally stone the living ones.” (Instructor, 95:527)

The prophet and the presidency—the living prophet and the First Presidency—follow them and be blessed—reject them and suffer.

President Harold B. Lee relates this incident from Church history: “The story is told in the early days of the Church—particularly, I think, at Kirtland, Ohio—where some of the leading brethren in the presiding councils of the Church met secretly and tried to scheme as to how they could get rid of the Prophet Joseph’s leadership. They made the mistake of inviting Brigham Young to one of these secret meetings. He rebuked them, after he had heard the purpose of their meeting. This is part of what he said: ‘You cannot destroy the appointment of a prophet of God, but you can cut the thread that binds you to the prophet of God, and sink yourselves to hell.’” (Conference Report, April 1963, p. 81.)

In a general conference of the Church, President N. Eldon Tanner stated: “The Prophet spoke out clearly on Friday morning, telling us what our responsibilities are …

“A man said to me after that, ‘You know, there are people in our state who believe in following the Prophet in everything they think is right, but when it is something they think isn’t right, and it doesn’t appeal to them, then that’s different.’ He said, ‘Then they become their own prophet. They decide what the Lord wants and what the Lord doesn’t want.’

“I thought how true, and how serious when we begin to choose which of the covenants, which of the commandments we will keep and follow, we are taking the law of the Lord into our own hands and become our own prophets, and believe me, we will be led astray, because we are false prophets to ourselves when we do not follow the Prophet of God. No, we should never discriminate between these commandments, as to those we should and should not keep.” (Conference Report, October 1966, p. 98.)

“Look to the Presidency and receive instruction,” said the Prophet Joseph Smith. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 161.) But Almon Babbitt didn’t, and in the Doctrine and Covenants section 124, verse 84 [Doctrine and Covenants 124:84], the Lord states:

“And with my servant Almon Babbitt, there are many things with which I am not pleased; behold, he aspireth to establish his counsel instead of the counsel which I have ordained, even that of the Presidency of my Church.”

We invite each of you to review each of these fundamentals in following the prophet for your benefit and gain access to the fullness of God’s blessings as you strive to walk along the covenant path.

With much love and appreciation,

President Sterling L. Rogers
President Jeffrey A. Johnson
President Christian K. Lovejoy

Most announcements should be electronically distributed weekly prior to Sunday so they do not take time in sacrament meeting; the bishopric may give essential announcements briefly before the opening hymn (see General Handbook 29.2.2.2).

From Elder Quentin L. Cook's general conference talk Deep and Lasting Conversion to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ (after President Nelson's two-hour meeting block announcement), "To help members prepare for the Sabbath, some wards already send an informative email, text, or social media message midweek. In view of this adjustment, we strongly recommend this type of communication. These invitations will remind the members of the Sunday meeting schedule for that week, including the upcoming class lesson topic, and support continuing gospel conversation at home."

Upcoming Events

1. Face to Face for Young Adults with Elder and Sister Bednar: “Ask, Seek, Knock”, Sunday, September 12th, 4pm

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Sister Susan Bednar will be the featured guests at a Face to Face for young adults on September 12, 2021, titled “Ask, Seek, Knock.”

View the broadcast on Sunday, September 12, 2021, at 4:00 p.m. mountain daylight time on the Church satellite system, Broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org, YouTube, Latter-day Saints Channel and other digital channels.

All young adults, whether single or married, are invited to participate. Full-time missionaries are also invited to attend and to bring those they are teaching when possible. All ages and demographics are welcome. Local leaders are encouraged to determine a viewing date and time that best serves the young adults in their area.

Prior to the event, young adults may submit questions on the event page on Face2Face.ChurchofJesusChrist.org .

2. 2021 Church Music Festival [Online], Friday, September 17, 2021, 6pm

All individuals and families are invited to participate in the Church Music Festival.

Recurring Events

1. Colorado Springs Institute, for Young Adults (ages 18-30, married and single):

1. • Register using the Seminary and Institute app (for Apple or Android) or at myinstitute.churchofjesuschrist.org. All meeting link and other information will come once students are registered.

• All of our information is on our website: cospringsinstitute.org. Please helps us spread word!

• Reed Romney, Institute Director - Colorado Springs, 719-377-8056

2. Young Single Adults (YSA), ages 18-30

• • Colorado Springs YSAs Facebook and Instagram groups

3. Middle Single Adults (MSA), ages 31-45, Events and Information

• • Colorado Springs LDS Midsingles (ages 31-45) Facebook group and email: CSMidsingles@gmail.com

4. Single Adults (SA), ages 31+, Events and Information

• • Colorado South Single Adults (CSSA) Website

  • Colorado Springs LDS Multi-Stake Single Adults 31+ Facebook group

  • Denver LDS Singles Website

  • Castle Rock LDS Singles crssingleadults@hotmail.com email

5. BYU-Pathway Worldwide

• • A one-year program that helps members of the Church start or return to college

  • Students earn 15 credits toward a degree and upon completion, may continue working toward a skills-based certificate, an Associate's degree, or a Bachelor’s degree online through BYU-Idaho – at a GREATLY reduced cost

  • Learn more and apply online or contact your local Pathway missionaries: Elder & Sister Zenger (ages 18-30) 503-290-9933 or 503-684-6073; or, Elder & Sister Riding (ages 30+) 719-761-2955.

6. Temple Ordinance Workers and Temple Volunteers are Needed at the Denver Colorado Temple

• • If interested, contact your bishop

7. Colorado Springs Home Storage Center and Bishops' Storehouse normal weekly schedule:

• Wednesday: 4pm-7pm

• Thursday: 9am-12pm

• Saturday: 9am-11am

The online stake calendar provides event details: e.g. event start/end times, participants invited, point of contact for questions, address, reserved building room(s), setup/cleanup times, etc.

This Week: Monday, Aug 16th - Sunday, Aug 22nd

Thu, Aug 19, 2021

• Institute Summer Term Ends

• Stake Temple Recommend Interviews (by appointment only) [LX] 6 - 9pm

• Institute [JB] 6:45 - 8:30pm

• Multistake Support Meeting for Women [DS] 7 - 8pm

Sun, Aug 22, 2021

• Fourth Sunday: Priesthood quorums, Relief Society, and Young Women (Primary held every Sunday)

• High Council Meeting [LX] 6:30 - 8am

• Multistake Support Meeting for Men [JB] 6 - 7pm

Next Week: Monday, August 23rd - Sunday, August 29th

Mon, Aug 23, 2021

• Family Home Evening

• Multistake Adult Education Gospel Study Class [ML] 12 - 1:30pm

• Multistake Middle Single Adult Home Evening Group [LX] 6 - 8pm

• Multistake Single Adult Home Evening Group [CSCSC] 6 - 7:30pm

• Institute [USAFA] 6:20 - 7:50pm

• Stake Young Single Adult Home Evening Group [JB] 7 - 9pm

Tue, Aug 24, 2021

• North America Central Area Service Mission Conference [LX] 6 - 7pm

Thu, Aug 26, 2021

• Stake Temple Recommend Interviews (by appointment only) [LX] 6 - 9pm

• Institute [JB] 6:45 - 8:30pm

• Multistake Support Meeting for Women [DS] 7 - 8pm

Sun, Aug 29, 2021

• Fifth Sunday: youth and adult meetings under the direction of the bishop (Primary held every Sunday)

• Stake High Priests Quorum Meeting [LX] 6:30 - 8am

• Stake Youth Musical Devotional [LX] 5 - 6:30pm

• Multistake Support Meeting for Men [JB] 6 - 7pm

Updates to the Stake Calendar of Events

The following meetings and activities on the stake calendar are changed due to state and church-wide announcements:

Tue, Jul 27, 2021 through Sat, Jul 31, 2021

• Rescheduled: Stake Young Men Aaron's Camp [CF] to Tue, Jun 6, 2023 through Sat, Jun 10, 2023

Thu, Aug 5, 2021 through Sat, Aug 7, 2021

• Rescheduled: Stake Young Men Deacons Camp [CF] to Thu, Jun 1, 2023 through Sat, Jun 3 ,2023

Ward Meeting Times for 2021 starting Sunday, August 15th

• Unless an exception is noted below, all wards hold sacrament meeting first and ward weeknight activities are at the same building as Sunday meetings

• Lexington building, 8710 Lexington Dr, Colorado Spring CO 80920

  • Pine Creek Ward: Sacrament meeting 8:30am - 9:30am, quorums and classes 9:40am - 10:30am, Wednesday weeknight activities at the Jamboree building

  • Cordera Ward: Sacrament meeting 10:00am - 11:00am, quorums and classes 11:10am - 12:00pm, Tuesday weeknight activities

  • Gleneagle Ward: Sacrament meeting 11:30am - 12:30pm, quorums and classes 12:40pm - 1:30pm, Tuesday weeknight activities

  • Northgate Ward: Sacrament meeting 1:00pm - 2:00pm, quorums and classes 2:10pm - 3:00pm, Wednesday weeknight activities

• Monument building, 950 West Colorado Highway 105, Monument CO 80132

  • Jackson Creek Ward: Sacrament meeting 8:30am - 9:30am, quorums and classes 9:40am - 10:30am, Wednesday weeknight activities

  • Monument Ward: Sacrament meeting 11:00am - 12:00pm, quorums and classes 12:10pm - 1:00pm, Tuesday weeknight activities

  • King's Deer Ward: Sacrament meeting 1:30pm - 2:30pm, quorums and classes 2:40pm - 3:30pm, Tuesday weeknight activities

• Black Forest building, 6950 Shoup Rd, Colorado Springs CO 80908

  • Meadow Run Ward: Sacrament meeting 8:30am - 9:30am, quorums and classes 9:40am - 10:30am, Tuesday weeknight activities

  • [Black Forest Ward (Colorado Springs High Plains Stake): Sacrament meeting 11:00am - 12:00pm, quorums and classes 12:10pm - 1:00pm, Wednesday weeknight activities]

  • High Forest Ward: Sacrament meeting 1:30pm - 2:30pm, quorums and classes 2:40pm - 3:30pm, Thursday weeknight activities

• Jamboree building, 8295 Jamboree Cir, Colorado Springs CO 80920

  • [Chapel Hills Ward (Colorado Springs East Stake): Sacrament meeting 9:00am - 10:00am, quorums and classes 10:10am - 11:00am, Tuesday weeknight activities]

  • Cheyenne Mountain YSA Ward: Sacrament meeting 12:35pm - 1:30pm (chapel), quorums and classes 11:30am - 12:25pm, Monday and Thursday weeknight activities

  • Mount Herman YSA Ward: Sacrament meeting 11:30am - 12:25pm (cultural hall), quorums and classes 12:35pm - 1:30pm, Monday and Thursday weeknight activities

  • Pikes Peak YSA Ward: Sacrament meeting 11:30am - 12:25pm (chapel), quorums and classes12:35pm - 1:30pm, Monday and Thursday weeknight activities

The church’s Official Communication Library messages may contain confidential or privileged information and are only accessible by and for the use of the individual(s) addressed in the letter/policy.

New This Week

• 2021 Church Music Festival

  • Notices | August 19, 2021: On September 17, 2021, we invite all individuals and families to participate in the Church Music Festival.

• Performing Missionaries in Historic Nauvoo, 2022

  • Notices | August 17, 2021: Single members of the Church ages 18 to 25 are invited to audition to serve as performing missionaries, helping with musical and stage productions in Historic Nauvoo.

Selection of Previously Released

• Revised General Handbook Chapters

  • Notices | August 4, 2021: Four chapters and other content have been revised in General Handbook: Serving in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

    • General Handbook: Summary of Recent Updates - July 2021 (links to updated sections)

    • Church Newsroom: See the July 2021 Update to the General Handbook

• General Conference

  • First Presidency | July 27, 2021: The Saturday evening session of general conference will be continued in a different format.

• Young Adult Face to Face with Elder and Sister Bednar

  • Notices | July 23, 2021: A Face to Face event will be held on September 12, 2021, with Elder David A. Bednar and Sister Susan Bednar.

• 2022 Curriculum Materials

  • Notices | June 25, 2021: The 2022 curriculum items are listed in the attachment to this notice.

• Materials for Area, Coordinating, Mission, Stake, Ward, and Branch Councils

  • Notices | June 15, 2021: Materials used in the April 2021 general conference leadership meeting are now available for area and local leaders.

• For the Strength of Youth (FSY) Conferences Schedule for Stakes in the United States and Canada

  • Notices | June 11, 2021: Beginning in 2022 and 2023, all stakes in the US and Canada will attend FSY conferences every other year.

• Notice, 10 February 2021: 2021 Guidelines for Recording Attendance of Stake Conferences, Sacrament Meetings, and Sunday Quorum and Class Meetings

  • Effective January 1, 2021, local unit leaders and clerks should record stake conference, sacrament meeting, and Sunday quorum and class meeting attendance (excluding Primary) in Leader and Clerk Resources or Member Tools.

Recording Attendance

• Effective January 1, 2021, local unit leaders and clerks have been asked to record stake conference, sacrament meeting, and Sunday quorum and class meeting attendance (excluding Primary) in Leader and Clerk Resources (LCR) or Member Tools, including both number of members who attend in person and the number of those who attend remotely. (See Official Communication dated February 10, 2021 – 2021 Guidelines for Recording Attendance in Stake Conferences, Sacrament Meetings, and Sunday Quorum and Class Meetings)

• Attendance recorded will be reflected, as follows, on your Quarterly Report in LCR:

  • Sacrament meeting attendance – Average of the first three months of recorded attendance.

  • Sunday quorum and class meeting attendance (excluding Primary) – Average recorded attendance in March.

  • Primary attendance will be calculated using historical unit reported attendance.

• Note this information cannot be changed on the Quarterly Report page in LCR. Any changes would need to be made on the “Class and Quorum Attendance” or “Sacrament Meeting Attendance” reports in LCR.

Instructions for Discarding Obsolete Materials

• Many bishops’ offices, clerks’ offices, and meetinghouse resource centers contain excess and outdated materials. In considering what to discard, please refer to the list of meetinghouse resource center materials and guidelines on what to discard. Please also consider the following:

  • With the introduction of Come, Follow Me, many manuals have been replaced, including Primary 1–7, Gospel Doctrine, and youth Sunday School manuals.

  • The new Children and Youth program has replaced materials associated with Scouting, Duty to God, Personal Progress, and Faith in God.

  • Online processes in Leader and Clerk Resources (LCR) have replaced most administrative forms.

• Clerks and resource center specialists should identify materials that are not being used regularly or that will not be used again and discard them or offer them to members for use at home. Clerks can also shred outdated stationery, forms, or sensitive materials.

Stake Interviews

1. • To schedule an interview with a member of the stake presidency for temple recommends or BYU ecclesiastical endorsements send an email to stake.interview@csnorth.org or text/call 719-644-6401

     • Interviews are held on Thursday evenings at the stake offices or online (by appointment only) to not interfere with leader/parents commitments to weekly child and youth activity nights on Tuesday and Wednesday; church dress requested

     • Stake presidency interviews are not to be scheduled until after the bishopric interview is completed

     • Stake interviews are usually scheduled within a week of their request and should be completed within 30 days of the bishopric interview

     • Members are encouraged to keep their recommends current and avoid last-minute efforts to schedule an appointment under very difficult-to-fulfill time constraints; please plan ahead when scheduling your appointment

     • The stake offices are located as the southwest corner of the stake center with an access door to the right of the main foyer doors (8710 Lexington Dr; northwest corner of Lexington Dr and Research Blvd)

Latest official General Conference addresses, and BYU-Provo, BYU-Idaho, BYU-Hawaii, BYU Pathway Worldwide, and Ensign College speeches.

Official Newsroom and Church News announcements and articles of interest to our stake.

New videos, images, music, and articles from the church from the Church Media and Come Unto Christ.