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Every
convert
'a great
and serious
responsibility'
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Putting an
arm of friendship around new members and easing them
through a major adjustment period as they become active members of the
Church has been a major emphasis during the five years President Gordon
B. Hinckley has presided over
the Church.
"It is not an easy thing to become a member of
this Church," he
said during the priesthood session of the April 1997 general
conference. "In most cases it involves setting aside old habits,
leaving old friends and associations,
and stepping into a new society which is different and somewhat
demanding.""With the ever-increasing number of converts, we must make an
increasingly substantial effort to assist them as they find their way. Every
one of them needs three things: a
friend, a responsibility
and nurturing with 'the good word of God.' "
To emphasize his point, President Hinckley told
a personal
experience of a young man he baptized while serving a mission in the
British Isles.
"I felt he had all of the qualifications [to]
someday. . . become a leader among our people," President Hinckley said.
The young man was in the course of making "the
big adjustment from convert
to member when he was given a small responsibility in the London
Branch."
"He knew nothing of what was expected of him.
He made a mistake.
The head of the organization where he served was. . . short on love and
strong on criticism.
"In a rather unmerciful way, he went after my
friend who had made the simple mistake.
"The young man left our rented hall that night
smarting and hurt by
his superior officer. He said to himself, 'If that is the kind of
people they are, then I am not going back.' "
He drifted into inactivity. Over the years,
after losing contact
with him, President Hinckley learned of his location and wrote letters.
"I went out of my way to find the village where
he lived,"
President Hinckley said, describing a trip to Switzerland. "We spent
the better part of the day together. . . but it was evident that the
fire of faith had long since
died.
"I tried every
way I knew, but I could not find a way to rekindle it," said President
Hinckley, describing his efforts to bring this man and his wife into
the Church.
"He died a few months ago. His wife wrote to
inform me. She said, 'You were the best friend he ever had.'
"Tears coursed my cheeks when I read that
letter," he said. "I knew
I had failed. I have only one comfort: I tried. I have only one sorrow:
I failed.
"The challenge now is greater than it has ever
been because the number of converts is greater than we have
ever before known. A program for retaining and strengthening the convert
will soon go out to all the Church. I plead with
you, brethren; I ask of you, each of you, to become a part of this great
effort. Every
convert
is a son or daughter of God. Every convert is a great and serious responsibility.
"This is a work for everyone. It is a work for
home teachers and
visiting teachers. It is a work for the bishopric, for the priesthood
quorums, for the Relief Society, the young men and young women, even
the Primary. . . . Your
sense of responsibility is needed."
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