by brady | Jan 9, 2014 | About Mormons
How Much Do Mormons Pay Bishops?
Brief Answer: In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, neither bishops nor any other ecclesiastical leaders—nor missionaries— are paid for their services.
Detailed Answer: In his first general epistle, Peter reminded the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ that there was to be no paid ministry: “The elders which are among you I exhort [to] feed the flock of God . . . not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind” (1 Peter 5:1–2). Paul echoed the same warning in his letter to Timothy, noting that bishops and deacons were to be “not greedy of filthy lucre” (1 Timothy 3:1–8). And to Titus, Paul wrote: “For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God . . . not given to filthy lucre” (Titus 1:7). (more…)
by Keith L. Brown | Jan 3, 2014 | About Mormons
Greg Whiteley, a director and editor, is known for such productions as Resolved (2007), New York Doll (2005), and the January 2014 scheduled Netflix release of Mitt. The January 2014 release is a documentary about the presidential campaign of Mitt Romney, and follows his life up close and personal from Christmas 2006 to his initial run to become the Republican nominee in 2008, through his Presidential concession speech in 2012. Whiteley also has his own production company known as One Potato Productions.
Success as a Film Producer
Whiteley attended Brigham Young University (BYU) as an undergraduate. Following BYU, he earned a Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) degree from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.
He has had great success with the first two films which he directed and produced. His 2005 production, New York Doll – the story of Arthur “Killer” Kane, a recovering alcoholic and recently converted Mormon of the rock band The New York Dolls – was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, and Blender Magazine named it one of the best rock movies of all time. Whiteley knew Arthur Kane because they were both members of the same LDS Church congregation. (more…)
by Keith L. Brown | Dec 22, 2013 | About Mormons
Josh Groban is well known as an American singer, songwriter, musician, actor, and record producer. In December 2012, he shared a “Kid Snippets” video titled “Drivers Ed,” produced by the Roberts brothers of Utah, on Facebook, and commented, “This is my new favorite online laughy thing.” [1] A collaborative relationship between the two was soon begun.
From Home Videos to YouTube Sensation
Growing up, the Roberts brothers enjoyed making home videos. They would have never imagined that one day they would become a YouTube sensation going viral through a channel they created called Bored Shorts TV. They also never dreamed that someone like Josh Groban would watch one of their videos and agree to film some episodes with them. (more…)
by Keith L. Brown | Dec 13, 2013 | About Mormons
The official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently referred to as the “Mormon” Church” by the media and others) is LDS.org which is “part of a digital communications ecosystem made up of web, mobile, social, and media platforms.” [1] The amount of internet traffic that the site receives each month ranges upwards of 25 million visitors. Jeff Isom, director of LDS.org, commented, “It is believed to be the largest religious website in the world in terms of traffic, design, and content.” [1] With the ever increasing advances in technology, The Church of Jesus Christ is anxiously engaged in developing a website that is informative, educational, and user-friendly, in order for everyone to learn more about the gospel.
Blessing Heavenly Father’s Children with the Gospel
The LDS.org website was launched almost two decades ago, in 1996. Since its inception, the Church has developed, improved, and enhanced the capabilities of the main website, enabling Heavenly Father’s children to partake of the blessings of the gospel. The website is expected to expand even more as the work continues to move forward. One of the greatest challenges in working with a website of this capacity is having all of the various entities of the Church such as welfare, temple work, Church history, and the priesthood become more unified so that members can accomplish the work that they need to do. Since the Church has a lay clergy, every member is serving in some capacity. Resources are available to them on LDS.org. (more…)
by Charlotte Wilson | Dec 11, 2013 | About Mormons
If you have a shot at winning $50,000, you take it, right? For Nancy Judd, resident of Alpine, Utah, the possibility of a $50,000 prize wasn’t enough to get her to depart from her convictions to keep Sunday a special day. Nancy’s a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often inadvertently referred to as the Mormon Church) and takes the commandment to keep the Sabbath day holy seriously.[1]
In the For Strength of Youth booklet published by The Church of Jesus Christ it says the following:
The Lord has given the Sabbath day for your benefit and has commanded you to keep it holy. Honoring the Sabbath day includes attending all your Church meetings. Go to sacrament meeting prepared to worship the Lord and partake worthily of the sacrament. . . . Refrain from activities that would distract you or others during this sacred meeting. . . . As you do these things, you invite the Spirit of the Lord to be with you.
When Nancy Judd won $10,000 in the World Food Championship contest, she had a chance to compete for the larger grand prize. The competition day took place on a Sunday, and she repeatedly declined to attend. The judges were taken off guard by her response and continued asking her to participate–Nancy held to her original stance and officially turned down the invitation. (more…)
by Charlotte Wilson | Dec 9, 2013 | About Mormons
When Nelson Mandela, prominent and visionary South African president, passed away in December 2013, the leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often inadvertently referred to as the Mormon Church) expressed their condolences at his passing. As part of the published statement, The Church of Jesus Christ expressed that “[Mandela’s] courage, kindness and extraordinary moral leadership have been an example to all people.” [1]
(more…)
