Wednesday, March 6, 2002
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Wednesday, March 6, 2002 |
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Olympic spotlight illuminates Mormon faith By JANET
McGREGOR
The Olympics may have ended, but for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, in many ways it is a beginning. Salt Lake City and the Mormons, as LDS members are often called, have been in the spotlight of the world for the past few weeks. Seventy percent of Utah's population is Mormon and roughly 50 percent in Salt Lake City are Mormon. With over 11 million members, the faith is considered to be the world's fastest growing religion. Slightly less than 2 percent of the United States population are members of the church over half of the fast-expanding religion live outside the U.S. Fayette County is home to approximately 1,000 Mormons. Local members of the LDS were excited and proud to have the eyes of the world focusing on the home of their church as they hosted the 19th Winter Olympics. Many Fayette County Mormons have strong ties to Utah. Some grew up in the state, some have relatives living in the state, and some attended Brigham Young University. "There are a lot of misconceptions about the church. The Olympics were an opportunity for the world to look at the church and members of the church, to see the normalcy," said VelDean Fincher, a local marketing communications expert and a lifelong Mormon. Fincher was born in Utah and is related to the original pioneers who settled the state on both sides of her family. Regarding being brought up as a member of the LDS, she added, "I have a deep faith and deep convictions that come from my own searching." There are two Fayette County LDS "wards" or congregations the Peachtree City Ward led by Bishop Reed Galli, and the Whitewater Ward led by Bishop Gary Moore. Wards are divided along geographic lines members attend the church that serves their geographic location. Both bishops are volunteers, serving for five or more years each. In fact, all leaders in the local church are volunteers, typically serving in positions for up to two years before rotating. Members of the church are active overall teaching, watching the children, helping with youth activities and generally stepping in where needed. "Members do a lot everyone usually has a calling," said Moore. Moore's wife, Laree, runs the church nursery. Moore and Galli hold full-time jobs, are involved in the day-to-day activities of their children and are very much a part of the community in addition to their duties as bishops. LDS members are encouraged to be active in their community typically church members are involved in Scouting, organized sports, political activities and civic groups. The church does not hold the belief that government or politics and religion should be kept separate. The call to be active and involved in the community may explain the high number of Mormon volunteers who assisted with the Olympics. Moore noted, "The people in Salt Lake City were really excited. What impressed me most were the skaters in the opening and closing ceremonies. Only 39 were professionals, the rest were volunteers." A lot of the volunteers came from Brigham Young University. Five LDS members also participated in the Olympics Rowean Bright, Australia, downhill skiing; Sabine Ruckauer, Germany, women's ice hockey; Tamami Tanaka, Japan, women's biathlon; Werner Hoeger, Venezuela, Luge; Chris Hoeger, Venezuela, Luge. Werner and Chris Hoeger are father and son. For many in Fayette County, prior to the Games, the only awareness they had of the LDS was the occasional sighting of pairs of neatly dressed young Mormon missionaries riding their bikes across the county. Local Mormons are hoping that will change as a result of the Olympics. Moore was excited about the Olympics. "I can't see anything but good from the Olympics being in Salt Lake City," he said. "This was good exposure for the church to the world. It will show the world that we're friendly, and shine a good light on the church." Galli also was pleased with the Olympics. "It's great publicity for the church," he said. "The press was very positive and I see good things coming out of it. Many people don't think we are Christians - if they just keep hearing the full name of the church it will be good." Young men and women are strongly encouraged to volunteer to serve as missionaries. Nineteen-year-old men generally spend two years as missionaries, while the ladies begin their missionary stint at 21, serving for 18-months. The young people do not work during their service and usually must support themselves either through working prior to service or through help from their parents. The church gives strong support to those who are financially unable to afford to pay their own way, Moore said. "Some families may have three boys out at the same time. If there are no funds, the ward may ask for contributions or a family may volunteer to pay their expenses for a month or longer," he said. The missionaries' primary mission is to proclaim the gospel. The Mormon religion is very efficient. Churches are often shared by multiple congregations. In Fayette County, the Peachtree City Ward meets from 9 a.m. to noon, Whitewater from 1 - 4 p.m Sundays. Visitors are welcome. The three hours are broken into three parts with breaks in-between. First-time visitors may want to plan to be part of the Sacrament meeting, which is 70 minutes long and is first on the agenda. Members participate in the Sacrament giving talks regarding designated subjects. Sunday School follows the Sacrament. There are a number of meetings and activities available to members during the week. The youth receive a large amount of attention they are involved in the Sunday services and many activities center around them. Currently the two wards are sharing space on the corner of Ga. Highway 54 and the Peachtree Parkway. In June, if all goes according to plan, the congregations will share a new home on Redwine Road next to High Grove subdivision. The new 14,000-sq. ft. building sits on a seven-acre tract. As another example of the churche's efficiency, a standard plan is used for all new churches of the same size. Alleviating a lot of the stress and time involvement of local volunteer leaders, the central office in Utah is responsible for land acquisition, architectural designs and contracting with builders and others. Mormons believe in modern day revelations, something that sets them apart from some other Christian religions. The church and the doctrines play a large part of every aspect of member's lives. A strong emphasis is placed on staying out of debt and being financially stable. The church is helpful to those in need and, said Galli, "has a tremendous welfare system for helping the poor and those in need." Members also are encouraged to keep a one-year supply of food on hand. Like most religions following the tenets of the Bible, tithing 10 percent is a component of the LDS beliefs. Moore said, "It is a sacrifice, but it also provides a blessing." The Latter Day Saints use four books to guide them the King James version of the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. The Book of Mormon has been translated into over 100 languages. Currently there are over 60,000 missionaries throughout the world spreading the LDS faith. Roughly 2.2 new churches are being erected each day, said Galli. The church has experienced such high growth in Fayette County, expectations are that soon there will be three wards here. For information on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, see www.lds.org. For information regarding the local wards, phone 770-461-7636 or 678-364-6656.
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