Tag Archive for: LDS Church

LDS Church in Camas Continues to Grow; Local Members Sustain Creation of New “Ward” at Special Sunday Meeting

Local members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) addressed their growing numbers on Sunday by gathering in a special session to create a new “ward” in the Camas area.

A “ward” within the LDS Church is a geographical area, and is similar to a parish or precinct. Each ward has a congregation of roughly 500-600 followers.

A week ago, local leaders said that growing numbers in the Prune Hill area necessitated the creation of a third ward out of two that currently meet at the Prune Hill building on 18th Street in Camas. Until Sunday, only two wards, Grass Valley, and Prune Hill, met at the building.

The new ward, called Forest Home, was created by carving out new boundaries from both wards, and contains the eastern portion of Prune Hill and extends to downtown Camas.

Local leader, President Brad Gillespie, who helps preside over the local stake (which now oversees 11 wards) announced the new boundary lines at a special session of both wards at the faith’s Stake Center, which is located in Vancouver, near Harmony Sports Complex.

Members were presented with the new boundaries and asked to vote, or sustain, the changes. The local members voted unanimously in support of the change.

LDS Temple
This is a photo inside one of the temples of The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint.

 

 

Gillespie said the Prune Hill Ward saw amazing growth over the last several years and that realignment was necessary.

In 2008, three local wards were realigned into five to accommodate growth. Yesterday’s changes surprised local members.

Greg Gillespie was sustained as the new Bishop of the Forest Home Ward. His counselors are Bret Clayton and Jeff Clark. All reside within the new boundaries and are not paid for their efforts, which usually require 20-30 hours of service per week.

Church members are expected to attend the ward that aligns to their residence.

The ward is not only a geographical boundary, but it is also the heart of spiritual and social activity for the LDS Church, which was restored in 1830 in New York.

The creation of the new Forest Home Ward signifies continued and sustained growth for the LDS faith within Camas. Growth comes through new move-ins and baptisms. Camas wards now include Prune Hill, Grass Valley, Fern Prairie, Parker’s Landing , Washougal River (includes some of Camas), and now Forest Home.

To learn more about the LDS faith, visit www.lds.org

 

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1,600 Youth Lend Helping Hands at 14 Service Projects in Southwest Washington

By Ernie Geigenmiller

More than 1,600 youth and adults from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathered in Vancouver over the weekend to aid in 14 service projects that benefitted local communities.

The group used Skyview High School, in Salmon Creek, as their main hub of activity from Thursday afternoon to Saturday night, and spent half of Friday lending a helping hand of service throughout Southwest Washington. They also used the time to fortify their beliefs and aid teens in a fun-filled, but spiritual youth conference.
Nathan Puffer, Colby Allen, and other youth prepare to
landscape the Pacific Park Demonstration Garden in Vancouver.
Weiss
Adam Weiss, forefront, and Daelin Jensen listen to a speaker.
Dozens of teens at each location worked hard for more than four hours pulling weeds, painting, cleaning, planting, landscaping, stocking food, removing debris, removing garbage, etc.

“I think we made a difference,” said Dallin Buck, of Woodland. “I enjoyed working and meeting new people this weekend.”

The youth worked at the following sites:

  • Pacific Park Demonstration Garden
  • Clark County Food Bank
  • Heritage Farm
  • Lacamas Park
  • Lewisville Park
  • Salmon Creek Greenway
  • Frenchman’s Bar Park
  • Second Step Housing
  • Remme Residence
  • DNR Rock Creek Campground
  • DNR Washougal Farm
  • Pioneer Cemetery
  • Share House

“It’s really fun doing this,” said Nathan Puffer, of Camas, one of the group’s volunteers. “It feels good to help the community.”

Buck
Dallin Buck pulls weeds at the Pacific Park Demonstration Garden.

The super activity brought in LDS teens from areas as far north as Longview and Kelso, and as far east as The Dalles, OR. Dozens of local families hosted between 2 and 5 teens in their homes, and shuttled their guests to and from service projects and the youth conference. The conference itself featured several workshops, musical performances, and spiritual discussions.

Pugmire
Rebecca Pugmire dances with friends at Skyview High School in Vancouver.
“It’s been several months in the planning,” said event organizer, Sue Sprague. “And things are turning out great. We have a lot of kids and some very helpful families who have opened up their homes to host these great kids. We’re grateful for the outpouring of support.”

The youth were divided into several large groups that moved into the various classes and workshops throughout the three-day event. They also participated in outdoor games and singing. Friday night concluded with a dance, and Saturday night ended with a musical concert.

“I really enjoyed some of the talks that were given,” said Camas resident Daelin Jensen. “I learned a lot.”

Dude
The youth participated in various outdoor games during the 3-day event.

Jake Murphy, from Kelso, said “I really liked the dance and the music. It was a lot of fun, and there were some cute girls here.”

The LDS Church has a strong focus on the family and encourages its youth to reach out, said Heather Norton, whose family hosted several teen girls.

“It’s important to stay close to our kids and make sure they have what they need,” Norton added. “They need to know they’re loved.”

Sprague said the youth discussed their faith in Jesus Christ and how to apply Christian teachings into their daily lives.  “We wanted to reinforce these sacred beliefs and remind the kids how much they are appreciated,” she added.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or commonly referred to as the Mormon Church, is headquartered in Salt Lake City, UT. Local church leaders have held major events like this in recent years. In 2010, they put together a major Dance Festival for local residents.
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