Gilbert Temple Dedication

The Gilbert Arizona Temple will be dedicated on Sunday March 2nd.  The dedication will take place and be broadcast to both the Marana Building and the West Stake Center during three sessions held at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm.    Each session will have different speakers and musical numbers.  You are invited to attend any or all sessions.  Each member who attends must be at least 8 yrs old, be baptized, and have a special Temple Dedication ticket.  Tickets are available from a member of the Bishopric after a worthiness interview.

4th Sunday Lesson

The topic of this Sunday's lesson will be from Elder Bednar's October 2013 General Conference Talk, 'The Windows of Heaven'.  We invite you to reread this talk before Sunday so we can be prepared to receive the message prepared for the lesson.

Save Your Glass Jars

Cathy Ross is needing glass jars for her daughters wedding reception in April.  Jars need to be 1-3 cup size and do NOT need to be mason jars.  Pickle, salsa, jam, etc. jars would be perfect.  Please contact Cathy Ross if you have any.

Ward BBQ Saturday January 18th!

Saturday January 18th at 4pm we will be having a Ward BBQ at the Red Rock Park. This is a great opportunity to mix and mingle with everyone at the start of the new year! 

Please bring the following:

• BYOM (Bring Your Own Meat) to grill
• A side dish to share
• Chairs/blankets to sit on for your family

We hope to see you there!

Gilbert Temple Open House/Dedication

The First Presidency has announced the open house and dedication dates for the Gilbert Arizona Temple.  The public is invited to tour the temple during an open house from Saturday, January 18, through Saturday February 13, 2014, excluding Sundays.  Free reservations for the open house can be made through the www.gilbertmormontemple.org website in the coming weeks.

The online ticket system will begin accepting reservations on 30 December 2013. Reservations will be issued through the online reservation system or by calling (855) 537-2000. Reservations will be critical to ensure that all who wish to attend can participate. Please bring a copy of your confirmation during the designated time listed on your reservation.  

The temple will be formally dedicated on Sunday March 2, 2014, in three sessions.  In conjunction with the dedication of the temple, there will also be a cultural celebration featuring music and dance on Saturday, March 1, 2014.

The Gilbert Temple is the largest temple the Church has constructed in 17 years. Additional information about the temple can be found in the official Church News Release: http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/public-invited-tour-gilbert-arizona-temple

Tucson Mormon Heritage Festival

Standing in the middle of downtown Tucson, not far from the Pima County Courthouse, is the monument to the Mormon Battalion, remembering the first time the United States military came to the Old Pueblo in 1846.  They were the only religious unit to serve in the American military and their trek of 2,000 miles was the longest continual march in U.S. history.

 A number of the 500 men, women, and children were impressed with what they saw in Arizona.  One of them, Erastus Bingham, returned with his family years later and settled the area along the Rillito River, which was running in those days, near Ft. Lowell and Alvernon Roads.  Of the hundreds of early Mormon pioneers that came to Tucson in the early 1900’s, many of them were refugees, chased out of Northern Mexico by Pancho Villa.   The Binghams took many of them in, helped them start their own farms and helped them get settled in a community which became known as Binghampton.

 In honor of these early settlers of Pima County, their families, and our veterans, the Arizona Historical Society’s Fort Lowell Museum is sponsoring The Tucson Mormon Heritage Festival, a free event open to the public.

Bette Richards, curator at the Museum is the director of the event.  She has enlisted the help of Randy and Kathy Madsen to tell the story of the Mormon Battalion.  Duane Bingham, will provide historical presentations of Binghampton.  There will be many other booths and demonstrations including the history of the early Hispanic Mormons in the Tucson area; rope-making and lassoing; frontier activities for children, such as games, a kid’s rodeo and doll making; a cowboy poet; spinning and hand weaving; family history experts; a mining demonstration, and the Fort Lowell Museum will be open to the public.

 The event will include music throughout the day, culminating with the traditional 4^th Regiment Cavalry Band, followed by a presentation by Ted Vogt, director of the Arizona Veterans Administration followed by the striking of the colors at 3:30 PM. The activity is planned for Saturday, November 9^th, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, at the Ft. Lowell Park at 2900 N Craycroft in Tucson.

http://www.arizonahistoricalsociety.org/event/tucson-mormon-heritage-festival/

Searching For Our Ancestors

The Church and our Stake are focusing on members searching for their ancestors.  The Church has made the search easier.  Look on the website for FamilySearch.org (not family history, the name has changed).

We should be working individually and together as a family for our ancestors.  We can gain the spirit of Elijah with our efforts.

Involve the youth.  It will help convert them to the gospel, strengthen the family, and increase missionary work.  Elder David A. Bednar's talk in the October 2011 General Conference (published in the November 2011 Ensign- The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn) was directed toward the youth.

Encourage other adults to become involved.  Increased temple attendance  will result.

If needed, contact Sister Karen Eicholtz for help- 682-2557.