Meet the Mormons

You may hear soon about the movie, "Meet the Mormons" which will be premiering on October 10th in selected theaters. Richmond is not on the list yet. However the Church is providing information on how to increase the likelihood of the movie being shown here.

The movie was produced by the Church and has been approved by the First Presidency.  Any profit made from the movie will be donated to the Red Cross. Missionaries will not be at the theatres nor will they be using it as a  proselyting  tool.

The movie looks at the lives of several LDS families around the world. It is not a movie full of doctrine and teachings but more reflective of the LDS lifestyle and what is important to us. It is not "preachy". It is a movie that provides insight into a variety of LDS families, their backgrounds and values. It is more of a documentary on the featured LDS families.

The Church is aware that going to the theatre can be expensive and does not expect members to attend if it is not in their budget. The movie will come out later in visitor centers and other Church venues so it will be available to all members at some point.

The Church did several focus groups with non-members about the movie and a high percentage of the viewers think the movie is positive, provides more insight about the Church and would recommend it to non-member friends. Of course it helped the non-members with their misconceptions about the Church.
What the Church would like us to do is go to meetthemormons.com<http://meetthemormons.com> and watch the trailer and submit a request online that the movie be shown locally.  Please consider taking a moment to look at this website and make the request.

Thank you,

Bishop Rich

Christmas Tree Craft

October 8 at 7pm

Hey ladies, our ward's quarterly Relief Society Meeting is just a few weeks away. The Wednesday after General Conference we are gathering to make a Christmas tree craft. We really want you to be able to make something that you will like, so there are quite a few options. Great for individual creativity, a little tricky to explain.

Before getting into the what's and how's, here is a video about why. Elder Uchtdorf explains that creating is part of who we are in his talk "Happiness, Your Heritage".

Now for the fun stuff, what you can make!

Advent Calendar:
A count down for the 25 days until Christmas. (If you prefer 24, don't put in the top nail.) This craft will require hammering, so if you have one please bring a hammer. Nails and tags are provided. Tags are blank on the back for you to put on scriptures, numbers, etc.

advent calendar

Decorated Tree:
If the advent calendar sounds too busy, just decorate your tree. We've got lots of things to make your tree beautiful.

decorated tree

Chalkboard Tree:
Want to write messages on your tree? Use chalkboard paint. For the best coverage, use a roller brush.

chalkboard tree

Clothesline Frame:
This is a fun way to hang Christmas photos, a few Christmas cards, or mini ornaments. For this craft you will get hemp and 10 mini clothespins. It does require some hammering, so please bring a hammer.

clothesline frame

Decorated Frame:
If you'd rather have the frame without the clothesline, that is fine. Leave the tree cutout blank, or fill with wrapping paper, chalkboard, an enlarged photo, etc. Sorry, we aren't providing materials big enough to fill the hole, but you are welcome to bring stuff and glue/nail it on at the activity. The frame is 2 feet tall and 16 inches wide.

decorated frame  

Check back later for more details.