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Act. Index 2021
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Act. Index 2021
December 6–12
"We Believe"
The Articles of Faith contain foundational truths of the restored gospel.
From Come, Follow Me:
Consider how your family could create “mini-lessons” for the Articles of Faith. For example, throughout the week, each family member could pick one article and find a related scripture, picture, hymn, or children’s song or share a personal experience.
Click to enlarge (print copies here)
When creating mini-lessons” for the Articles of Faith, in addition to sharing personal experiences, consider finding and sharing stories from the lives of your living relatives and ancestors. See 10 Ways To Discover, Gather, and Share Ancestor Stories.
You may consider creating a collection of the stories of the first converts in your family lines and even having family members illustrate them. Perhaps you are the first member in your family and would like to preserve and share your conversion story to inspire generations to come.
Watch President and Sister Nelson's RootsTech 2017 presentation (story at 2:13) in which Sister Nelson describes creating a storybook illustrated by her great nieces and nephews about their 4th great grandmother.
After 1842, the Articles of Faith became available to help members bear witness to the truthfulness of the gospel.
In addition to learning about and being inspired by ancestors who were converted to the gospel, the conversion stories of church leaders and others can also influence us. Share with each other some specific Articles of Faith that relate to conversion stories.
For example:
In our efforts to gather Israel, we all can benefit in incredible ways by memorizing the Articles of Faith. Spencer W. Kimball writes about a young boy’s experience sharing them with a non-member he met on a plane in Know What We Believe. Read a similar story by Thomas S. Monson.
Invite each family member to memorize the Articles Of Faith. See 13 Ways to Memorize the 13 Articles of Faith, and Learning the Articles of Faith and many additional helpful sites by searching the Internet. Make this a family history memory by recording family members reciting the Articles of Faith and preserving the video.
Articles of Faith 1:9; Official Declarations 1 and 2
The Church of Jesus Christ is guided by revelation.
From Come, Follow Me:
“We believe that [God] will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God” (Articles of Faith 1:9), even when those things mean changing Church policies and practices.
Consider recording your feelings about continuing revelation to the Lord's prophet, changes to Church policies and practices, and how your life and the lives of those you love (past and present) have been affected by new revelations. Check out the 15 Major Church Announcements since President Nelson became President. What do you want to share with generations to come about your reactions?
The work of God moves forward.
From Come, Follow Me:
In the “Excerpts from Three Addresses by President Wilford Woodruff regarding the Manifesto” (at the end of Official Declaration 1), what reasons did the prophet give for the Lord ending the practice of plural marriage? What does this teach you about God’s work?
Where were your ancestors living when the Manifesto was published in 1890? What else was happening in their lives and in the church? Did any of them move elsewhere at that time?
The FamilySearch TimeLine feature displays recorded events and dates in an ancestor's life.
You can select which events to display and also select to show a map to see where the events occurred. See FamilySearch Timeline and find more information by searching "TimeLines" in The Family History Guide.
Check out FamilySearch Person Pages: Ancestral Profiles (learn more here). How does additional information add to your understanding of their lives in 1890? Write about or audio record your feelings, and share your discoveries.
We can trust in the Lord, even when we do not have a perfect understanding.
From Come, Follow Me:
...many devout members of African descent trusted the Lord and stayed faithful throughout their lives.
We can all be inspired through the study of Official Declaration 2, how the revelation was given, and the stories of Church members of African descent who trusted the Lord when priesthood ordination and temple ordinances were denied them and stayed faithful throughout their lives. Come, Follow Me resources for this lesson include the following accounts (see history.ChurchofJesusChrist.org):
(see also The Autobiography of Jane Manning James, and Jane Manning James)
Learn more: African American Research Series • RootsTech Connect 2021
On December 6th, 2016, FamilySearch presented a newly indexed Historic Freedmen's Bureau Database to the Smithsonian National African American Museum of History and Culture in Washington, D.C. The database contains genealogical information of freed African Americans after the Civil War.
Elder D. Todd Christofferson “I can think of no better way to honor the unprecedented commitment of these [indexing] volunteers, as well as the bravery and resilience of those whose names have now been found on these records, than to have this database symbolically housed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.” Read more here.
Another project demonstrates how the church leaders are constantly working to help people everywhere connect with their ancestors. At the 9th annual RootsTech family history and technology conference held in 2019, Elder David A. Bednar presented Michael Moore, president and CEO of the International African American Museum (IAAM), with a donation of 2 million dollars from the church to support the creation of the IAAM Center for Family History (read more here).
This gift will enable greater family history discoveries for African Americans at the site where nearly half of all enslaved Africans arrived in the United States. Deseret News reported that upon receiving the gift, Michael Moore brought his hands to his face in an expression of joy, then with a big smile he gave the apostle a fist bump. "We have such high hopes and aspirations for the work that we will do for lives we will touch," Moore said. "To be able to partner with the church and with FamilySearch in this very important work, it's just an amazing opportunity and it will fortify our capabilities and extend the reach of our ability to touch people. It's an amazing gift. We are so grateful."
Elder Bednar said that the church is pleased to be part of an effort that will help connect Heavenly Father's children to a heavenly family, regardless of skin color, cultural background or language. “We want to support the museum and the Center for Family History because we both value the strength that comes from learning about our families. The museum will not only educate its patrons on the important contributions of Africans who came through Gadsden’s Wharf and Charleston, it also will help all who visit to discover and connect with ancestors whose stories previously may not have been known.”
Read more here. The Groundbreaking was held October 25th, 2019, and the museum is set to open in the spring of 2022.
President Nelson: "I encourage you to make a list of all that the Lord has promised He will do for covenant Israel. I think you will be astounded! Ponder these promises. Talk about them with your family and friends. Then live and watch for these promises to be fulfilled in your own life." Let God Prevail
Identify promises by searching The Articles of Faith and Official Declarations 1 and 2. Write or audio-record about the influence of these promises in your life.