Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are taught from an early age the importance of serving others, and the blessings that are reaped from such service. They understand that when they are in the service of their fellow men, they are in the service of their God, and so they are always at the ready to volunteer their time and service to help those in need.
Honor to Whom Honor is due
At a luncheon held in late June 2015, volunteers from The Church of Jesus Christ who had given their time and talents last year were honored by GRACE (Grapevine Relief and Community Exchange), a faith-based, nonprofit relief agency, providing food, clothing and other emergency assistance to people in need in northeast Tarrant County, Texas while encouraging self-reliance. At the luncheon, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was named Volunteer Group of the Year.
The award was accepted by Ben Siebach, a coordinator for JustServe, an online service which was developed by the Church to match organizations that need volunteers with volunteers who are willing to help. He commented, “By partnering with the GRACE organization, our efforts in the community are more focused and impactful. GRACE identifies the needs. We bring the resources and efforts to fill the needs.” Lara Hohweiler, GRACE volunteer manager remarked, “Often times I have called with last minute needs for volunteers. The response, without hesitation, is always, ‘How many and where?’ Then they magically appear.”
Keith L. Brown is a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, having been born and raised Baptist. He was studying to be a Baptist minister at the time of his conversion to the LDS faith. He was baptized on 10 March 1998 in Reykjavik, Iceland while serving on active duty in the United States Navy in Keflavic, Iceland. He currently serves as the First Assistant to the High Priest Group for the Annapolis, Maryland Ward. He is a 30-year honorably retired United States Navy Veteran.
