Priesthood Quorums

(Priesthood Quorums Effective, Whole-hearted Supervision of the Aaronic Priesthood By Former Bishop Julius A. Rockwood, Now Chairman of Aaronic Priesthood Supervisors, Yale Ward,- Liberty Stake I am convinced that there is no more important work now before us than that of directing and supervising the energies of the men of tomorrow. The boy who is to assume the responsibilities and do the work of carrying on the great message of this Church should be prepared. President Edward J. Wood struck the keynote of success in this work when he said that his bishops and his supervisors are converted. When you use the term "whole-hearted supervision" it means that you are going to have someone occupying the position of supervisor who can put bis heart and soul into the work. That is the greatest requisite to be considered. It is more essential that a man should feel that he would like to do something for the advancement of these boys than that he should be brilliant. He should be one who can get down to the level of the boys and talk to them in the kind of language they understand, so that the boys will not chafe. Boys in the adolescent age do not like to be preached to, censured nor con- demned because of their weaknesses, but rather to be loved and counseled and spoken to like one boy would talk to another. The supervisor should be a man who knows how to plan his work and carry it through in a systematic manner. The supervisors of the Lesser Priesthood should get together regularly in council and plan their work. In our ward, we have three men as a supervising committee, We meet every Wednesday evening. We plan our work, keep an exact and compre- hensive report of the work. We are going to do this work in the way it ought to and can be done. The man who has it in hand should not be burdened with a lot of other responsibilities that divide his interest. He should be a whole-hearted "boy's man," who can see the possibilities of making fine missionaries for the field, future presidents of stakes, and bishops of wards and other leaders out of the material at hand. The bishopric should have heart-to-heart talks with the man or men whom they are going to select as supervisors, and know that they are fully converted to the work they are to undertake, and that they are whole-hearted in their efforts so that they can do it with credit and honor resulting in everlasting joy to them. What do you mean by a man being whole-hearted in his work? Have you ever seen anyone going at a task whole-heartedly? What has inspired him to his effort? The artist has an ideal in his mind as to what he is going to do before he commences his work, and he sets to work with all his heart to do that thing. He is what a Lesser Priesthood man should be: one who will think and reflect, "What am I going to do in this position? Am I going to build up these boys and make them a credit to the Church to which they belong?" As a Lesser Priesthood supervisor, have you an ideal of what you are going to accomplish in your calling? Have you resolved that no young man shall go into the field and say tbat that is the first time he has addressed a congregation, or spoken in a sacrament meeting? You say it is hard to get these boys to talk. Get in with them, and let them know you are their friend. It will not then be hard to get them to talk.

PRIESTHOOD QUORUMS 745 There is no greater field for a man's accomplishment of good than among our boys of the Lesser Priesthood. Plan for them. The bishop of the ward has said, "We expect you to carry on the administering of the sacrament in our ward from beginning to end," and the boys have taken care of it. There must be system in supervision. Submit your methods to the boys in a business-like manner. Understand what you are going to do, record it in the minutes of your meeting and then carry it through. It is suggested here in the outline that the supervisor should be a "self-starter." "He is a slothful servant who has to be commanded in all things." The bishopric of my ward has named activities that we may plan for our boys, and we know that we shall never be hampered or held back. "Go ahead and plan what you want for the boys and no one will interfere with you." It appears to me as being necessary that the Lesser Priesthood quorums should have an identity in the ward, that should be recognized and honored. It can be done. When a member of the Priests' quorum goes into the mission field, let the quorum members give him/ some small, but useful gift. Let it be presented to the missionary at his farewell party by a Priest repre- senting the quorum. Many people have said, "My boy is 1 2 years old. Are you going to ordain him a Deacon?" "I think so, if he is twelve years old. We will ordain him a Deacon." Is that the only qualification? Is that the attitude of a father or a mother or of a bishop? He is not ordained on that qual- fication in our ward. We have a preparatory class. No boy is ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood until he puts on record his willingness to be or- dained to this calling and to fulfil his duties. After a boy absents himself three times from his quorum, the secretary of the quorum to which the boy belongs notifies the supervisor and the boy is visited. In our ward every family in which there was a Lesser Priesthood member was visited during the month of January, and the young man solicited to come and take part in his quorum. FIELD NOTES Ward Teaching Treasureton Ward, Oneida Stake Bishop Charles M. Shumway is having grand success with the ward teachers completing their work on scheduled time each month. This ward has eight teachers' districts and sixteen acting ward teachers; 66% of the acting ward teachers belong to the Lesser Priesthood quorums; 100% of the ward teachers were present at teachers' report meeting held on the third Sunday of March. Each pair of teachers reported a complete visit in their district, or 100%. All members of the bishopric and the ward clerk were present at the meeting. At the close of the meeting the ward clerk handed the 100% report to the visiting member of the high council. During the past two years the ward teachers, in this ward, have completed their visits each month previous to the teachers' report meeting. Activity of this kind is worthy of special attention. Social Activities It is suggested that during the month of June in every ward throughout the Church, plans be outlined and preparations made to have at least one outing of each of the Aaronic Priesthood quorums, or all of the quorums in the ward together, if preferred, and that the details be worked out by the quorum officers and members themselves with the advice and assistance of the bishopric and the supervisors. The nature and program of such outings should, of course, conform, in orderliness, mutual considera- tion and real enjoyment, to the fraternal spirit of these organizations.