The Last One

Archive of messages sent while serving as a bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

Dear Ward Family,

Please see this short video for some great ward news and the announcement of next week's special sacrament meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dws53qglWdE Then read on to see the meeting schedule for September 27.

Two important announcements for everyone:

1. Ward Youth Fireside tonight at 7 pm at the chapel. All youth invited and there will be refreshments!

2. Next week we will meet again in person. The Stake Presidency will be there to conduct ward business and has extended an invitation to anyone who can attend. We will follow the same safety protocols we have the last two meetings. Please come at your assigned time below:

9:00 am - Last names A-M

10:30 am - Last names N-Z

Some important reminders:

The maximum capacity has been changed to 150.

We will start weekly services after General Conference.

If you can't make it, we will miss you!!! You are still authorized to administer the sacrament at home.

Please arrive on time, but no earlier than 10 minutes before your assigned time.

Masks are strongly encouraged, especially when distancing is difficult to maintain.

NO JUDGING!!!! Everyone in the ward is going through a lot at this time, please be kind and gracious as we worship together.

I look forward to a very special meeting with all of you!

With Love,

Bishop Sullivan

Hear Him

Archive of messages sent while serving as a bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

Have you noticed how closely our 'Come, Follow Me' reading has aligned with world events? The Book of Helaman seemed to be taken straight from the headlines of today. If we follow that trend then this week would bring us some great news; the visitation of Christ to the Americas!

While I wouldn't be completely surprised by a visit from Jesus Christ in 2020, I think I might need to adjust my expectations. What I do see happening in just a few weeks is General Conference where we have the chance to hear the voice of the Lord through His prophets and apostles on the earth today.

At last week's amazing ward activity (thank you Binghams!) everyone received a handout hearkening back to President Nelson's talk from last conference, "Hear Him."

Along with your 'Come, Follow Me' studies, I invite you to revisit this talk and look for ways that you can hear Him. It is vital that we are prepared to hear the words of the Lord at this time. Now, more than ever, the direction that we get from the prophet and our own personal revelation are needed to lead us to Christ and peace in the world.

I am grateful for inspired leaders like President Nelson. I know he is called at this time to help guide us to Jesus Christ. With you, I look forward to the messages in just a few weeks.

With Love,

Bishop Sullivan

Forgetting

Archive of messages sent while serving as a bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

Dear Ward Family,

**SEE BELOW FOR THE IMPORTANT SACRAMENT DATE CHANGE INFORMATION**

Last time I wrote, I talked about remembering. I feel like this idea of remembering is important enough to address again. This week, we're reading about the Nephites at the time of Christ's birth. A sign was given them, a truly miraculous sign, where everyone witnessed a full night that appeared to be day.

Even with this incredible display of God's power, we read in 3 Nephi 2, "[T]he people began to forget those signs and wonders which they had heard, and began to be less and less astonished at a sign or a wonder from heaven, insomuch that they began to be hard in their hearts, and blind in their minds, and began to disbelieve all which they had heard and seen."

The miracles did not create believers. They quickly forgot the signs and turned again to wickedness in just a few years.

I greatly worry about this very thing. It has been a few months that we have not been able to meet regularly and gather as saints. During this time, I have witnessed many miracles. But, I also worry that many people are forgetting the great things the Lord has done, even in just the last few months!

If we choose not to remember, if we don't actively worship, if we don't look to the Lord for all our blessings, then we can forget. We can forget the great blessings of Sabbath worship. We can forget the great blessings of the Spirit in our home or life. We can forget the simple things that bring joy and happiness in our life.

Please heed the counsel we have read in the scriptures and remember. Take time this week to remember the Lord in your life. Count your blessings and remember that God is in the details.

I cannot wait until we can meet more regularly and remember the Lord and His goodness together.

With Love,

Bishop Sullivan

**Sacrament Date Change**

The Brookside 1st Ward will hold it's next Sacrament Service on Sunday, September 27, not September 20 as previously announced.

We will then await any further instruction from General Conference the first weekend of October. After that, we will schedule the rest of the year accordingly.

Remember, Remember

Archive of messages sent while serving as a bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

Remembering is a major theme in the Book of Mormon. From Nephi recounting his life experiences to Moroni sharing letters from his dad, the entire book is about remembering the great things the Lord has done for them, and really, for all of us.

This week's 'Come, Follow Me' is a direct invitation to remember. Helaman (who named his kids Lehi and Nephi to help them remember) recounts many miracles from the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon, exhorting his children to remember. In the midst of their own nation turning wicked, Helaman reminds them to remember "the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God." (Hel 5:12)

This instruction to remember is most relevant in our times. We can remember the great things the Lord has done for others by reading the scriptures and General Conference talks, we can remember the great things the Lord has done for our family through family history work, and we can remember the great things the Lord has done in our own lives through journals, prayer, and pondering.

I invite everyone to take time to remember this week. Remember the goodness of Jesus Christ and His everlasting gospel. Just like Helaman preached to his sons, this is the remedy we each need in our lives today to survive the turmoil around us.

With Love,

Bishop Sullivan

The Power of God

Archive of messages sent while serving as a bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

Dear Ward Family,

I echo President Walker's email message from Sunday and encourage all Melchizedek Priesthood brethren to offer blessings to your family, your neighbors, and those to whom you minister. I invite everyone to seek the power of God in your life and use it to serve others.

Please view my invitation here: https://youtu.be/3B1LlF-uybw

We had an amazing meeting on Sunday! We were happy to see so many of you and we missed those that still cannot make it. We will hold our next in-person services on September 20.

Have a great week everyone!

Bishop Sullivan

God's Hand

Archive of messages sent while serving as a bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

I've been driving a lot lately. A last minute trip to Nebraska to pick up my dad, fun in southern Colorado (involving two flat tires!), and a few trips to the airport. This time on the road lends itself to so many thoughts passing through one's mind.

Archive of messages sent while serving as a bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

One recurring thought I had in my 40+ hours of driving was recounting the many times I've seen the Lord's hand in my life. Whether it was a small memory of comfort or an actual miracle, I realized that I have been witness to God's hand over and over.

I see it in simple things, like the new families that have moved into our ward, the new found family time during COVID, or a farmer in the middle of nowhere with the tool I needed to fix my flat! (Literal middle of nowhere, look up Disappointment Valley for reference.) I've been witness to healings, fulfilled promises, and the most miraculous of all, great changes of heart.

One could describe some of my experiences as mere coincidence. However, this would deny probability and my own strong confirmations of the Spirit. While I have not physically seen God's hand like the Brother of Jared, my experiences are just as real.

God is real. He loves you and want what's best for you.

Our Heavenly Father is in the details. He is in the midst of these crazy times. If we look, we will see Him. If we listen, we will hear Him. Please seek to see and hear your Heavenly Father each day.

With Love,

Bishop Sullivan

Remember

Archive of messages sent while serving as a bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

It was so great to see so many of you last Sunday! We missed those we still cannot see, but we understand the importance of everyone's safety as well. We will meet again on August 16.

This week's Come, Follow Me reading is one of my favorites. I've always loved reading Alma the Younger's advice to his three sons. There are so many nuggets of wisdom in this fatherly advice. Something that stands out the most to me is Alma's recounting of his own conversion story.

Decades later, and many, many miraculous mission stories later, the visitation of an angel and Alma's subsequent conversion is still the most important thing he wants to leave with his sons.

In doing so, Alma also tells his sons to remember. To remember the captivity of their fathers and the many miracles that scripture has recorded.

With our very infrequent meeting, remembering is more important than ever! Feelings of peace from the Holy Ghost can quickly be forgotten in the craziness of life. Without regular opportunities to meet and feel those things, those feelings can become distant memories until they are completely forgotten.

Like Alma admonished his sons, I invite you to do the same: Remember! If you were able to attend on Sunday, remember what you felt when we finally got to meet together again. Remember your own conversion like Alma. Remember your last great spiritual experience, even if it was a long time ago. Remember that the gospel of Jesus Christ brings peace. Remember that you have covenanted to follow Him and He has promised His peace to you.

I can't wait until we meet again next month on August 16. I will post more updates and details as we get closer.

Thank you for all you do,

Bishop Sullivan

Welcome Back to Church

Archive of messages sent while serving as a bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

I'm so excited to invite everyone back to church tomorrow!

Please watch this short video to know what to expect when you arrive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCKe0Vx2WP4

A few thoughts about tomorrow's services:

• If you cannot attend for any reason, you are still authorized to hold sacrament services in your home
• Please come to be unified in worshiping our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, leave all judging behind
• We will follow all guidelines from the Church and from the state to create a clean and safe environment for you

For those that cannot attend - I miss you! Please reach out to your ministers, the Elders Quorum, Relief Society, or me even if it's just to say hi.

A reminder on the schedule:

9:00 am - Last names A-G

10:30 am - Last names H-P

12:00 pm- Last names Q-Z

We have made a slight buffer during the 9 am meeting for anyone in a slightly higher risk category that would feel most comfortable attending the first meeting.

See you tomorrow!

Bishop Sullivan

Gathering

Archive of messages sent while serving as a bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  

Gathering on July 19th

I believe an important part of the gospel of Jesus Christ involves gathering. We gather as a Zion people to better ourselves and to lift others. We gather to live up to our covenants of mourning with those that mourn and comforting those that stand in need of comfort. We gather to feel the Spirit, share our struggles, rejoice, and worship our Heavenly Father.

While our current circumstances make it difficult to gather regularly, I am excited to invite everyone back for Sacrament Services on Sunday, July 19. Details on how we will do so safely are to follow, but before I get to that, I want to discuss how important it will be that we help, lift and support one another as opposed to being judgmental.

When we meet, there will be many that will not be able to come for a variety of reasons. We will miss you. You will not be judged for making those decisions for you and your family.

When we meet, masks will be strongly encouraged; however, a few people may not wear a mask for any variety of reasons. Those wearing masks and those not wearing masks will not be judged for making those decisions for you and your family.

When we meet, we will take the sacrament together to help us renew our covenants and to invite the Spirit to help us be better. We are all at different spots in our disciple's journey back to our Heavenly Father. No one will be judged with where we are falling short or trying to be better.

In short, there is no room for the prevalent divisiveness of today's culture inside our chapel and among a Zion people. This is a great reason we must gather: to exercise faith, charity, and hope for a better world. The answer to today's problems and all our problems is always Jesus Christ.

Welcome back to church.

With Love,

Bishop Sullivan

Return to Church

Archive of messages sent while serving as a bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

Dear Ward Family,

Mark July 19, 2020 on your calendars. We have tentatively scheduled that Sunday for our ward to return to Sunday Services at church. We will have more specific details about the return between now and the 19th, but we will follow these basic guidelines:

• We will follow all state and local guidelines for social distancing and group meetings
• No meeting will have more than 99 attendees
• Masks will be strongly encouraged
• Those in high risk categories are discouraged from attending
• The Sacrament will be authorized to be done in all homes until it is safe for everyone to return

We are very excited to enter this phase of gathering together again. As we prepare for the return next month, please pay special attention to what is making your at-home services so special. Our altered Sunday Services must be better when we return.

I also highly encourage everyone to plan on maintaining a similar practice to at-home services even when we gather together again. Plan on studying together in your homes. Plan on gathering for a short time to worship together in your homes. While we go through these crazy times, take all the good that has come from it and keep those things.

I look forward to seeing you at the chapel again next month! In the meantime, please let your neighbors know of the update and we will do our best to get all details to you in the coming weeks.

With Love,

Bishop Sullivan

Preisthood Keys

Archive of messages sent while serving as a bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

Enjoy this quick, 5 min, Sunday School lesson this weekend.

"What are Priesthood Keys and How are You Using Them in your Home Today?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkQFMCfnK18&t=10s

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there and have a great weekend!

Bishop Sullivan

Bridges of Cooperation

Archive of messages sent while serving as a bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

 Dear Ward Family,

I cannot say anything better than our dear Prophet, President Nelson. Please read his remarks from today and consider what you can do to “build bridges of cooperation rather than walls of segregation and alienation.”

Read his remarks here: https://medium.com/.../locking-arms-for-racial-harmony-in...

At this time of unrest, seek for peace, truth, and happiness at its source, Jesus Christ.

With Love,

Bishop Sullivan

Spiritual Preparation

Archive of messages sent while serving as a bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

I cannot wait until we can return to gathering at our chapels. As that day approaches, there are two areas of preparation to consider: logistics of returning and spiritual preparation.

Logistics

As I mentioned in my message two weeks ago, we do not have a date scheduled for return. We are following the guidelines from the First Presidency that advised, “Wards with large attendance at meetings may need to wait to begin holding meetings at the phase-2 level.” There are simply parts of phase-1 that would make it difficult to have a reverent, spiritual meeting at this time. We will be looking for the state of Utah to ease their guidelines and for the Church to allow for phase-2. This will allow for our ward to meet together appropriately and for more members to enjoy the Sabbath together.

I anticipate having an update on our return within the next two weeks.

Spiritual Preparation

In the meantime, I want to point out the very important spiritual preparation that should be taking place before we return. It has to do with what we have learned during our home-centered worship. Ask yourself some or all of these questions:

What have I learned about worshiping Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ at home?

What is the importance of gathering in the gospel?

What insights have I gained about the importance of the Sacrament?

Have I been a better minister?

How will my home worship continue when we return to Sunday worship at church?

How can I apply the insights I’ve gained at home to worshiping together at the church? (No, the answer to this question is not to continue home church only )

Before we return, I hope we can all understand better how to properly worship at church and at home. I hope we can find areas of our worship, and life, that we will continue to simplify. I hope we continue to care for one another at the level I’ve seen the last couple months. I hope we can keep the importance and reverence of the sacrament in our minds.

Most of all, I hope to see you very soon and live the gospel along side you each Sunday and throughout each week.

With Love,

Bishop Sullivan

Coming Back to Church?

Archive of messages sent while serving as a bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

Dear Ward Family,

Most of you have seen the Church's announcement about returning to church by now. You've seen that there are instructions to follow a two-phase plan while honoring all local and government guidelines. We are also to council with the Area and Stake leaders on how to implement these phases in our wards and stakes.

We met as bishops and with the Stake Presidency tonight to discuss the timeline and procedure for going back to church. At this time, we have not set a date to return. We will continue to monitor the situation and look for further updates before setting a date.

A few thoughts that went into this decision:

1. Home centered church is largely going well.

2. We don't want undue pressure put on any at risk individuals to return before they should.

3. Logistically, it would be very difficult to coordinate a meeting schedule with the size of wards we have in the stake and the current restrictions on numbers of people and strict sanitizing guidelines.

The Sacrament remains authorized to be performed in the home and will continue to be until it is safe for everyone to return to church. Please continue holding at-home services and ensure that your neighbors and those you minister have the opportunity to partake of the Sacrament.

I feel this is the best decision at this time and ask for your support as we continue to navigate these crazy times. Your hope, faith, and prayers are needed on behalf of all those suffering. Whether that be physically, emotionally, mentally, or financially.

The brightness of hope is shining on the horizon. We will be back together soon. If you have any thoughts on returning to church, please share them with me by replying to this email or emailing me at rsullivan137@gmail.com. Thank you for all you are doing to serve where you are.

With love,

Bishop Sullivan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0UnA47tmDI&t=10s