Reminder

The Relief Society Presidency is collecting good condition church clothes of any size. If anyone has any gently used church clothes that they would like to donate, please contact someone in the Relief Society Presidency or bring them to church on Sunday. Thanks so much for your support.

Happy Fourth of July!

The Declaration of Independence



"The Declaration of Independence . . . is much more than a political document. It constitutes a spiritual manifesto—revelation, if you will—declaring not for this nation only, but for all nations, the source of man's rights. Nephi, a Book of Mormon prophet, foresaw over 2,300 years ago that this event would transpire. The colonies he saw would break with Great Britain and that 'the power of the Lord was with [the colonists],' that they 'were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations' (1 Nephi 13:16, 19).

"The Declaration of Independence was to set forth the moral justification of a rebellion against a long-recognized political tradition—the divine right of kings. At issue was the fundamental question of whether men's rights were God-given or whether these rights were to be dispensed by governments to their subjects. This document proclaimed that all men have certain inalienable rights. In other words, these rights came from God."

Ezra Taft Benson, "Our Priceless Heritage," Ensign, Nov. 1976, 33

The Message of the Restoration

Peter, James. and John conferring the priesthood on Joseph Smith

In keeping with the long-established pattern of the Lord, several key events had to occur for His Church to be restored:

The first occurred in 1820, when, through the First Vision, the heavens were opened and Joseph Smith learned the true nature of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, and received instruction from Them.

Second was the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, providing a second witness of the divinity of Jesus Christ and confirming that Joseph Smith was a prophet.

Finally, the restoration of the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood provided the authority to administer the ordinances necessary for salvation.

“We declare to the world that the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth.”

—Elder L. Tom Perry

June Activity

Don't forget sisters, tonight is the RS activity for June. It starts at 6:30. We will spend the time learning about different cultures. Please come and join us.

Typo

On the June newsletter, it lists the RS weekly activity as an Evening of the Arts to be held on the 28th at 6:30. This is actually the wrong activity and date. The weekly activity will actually be held on the 21st of June at 6:30 and will be a Cultural Night. Sorry about the confusion, I was relying on an old activities calendar.
Thanks,
Jaime

Farewell Brunch

Due to scheduling conflicts, Marcie Christensen's brunch has been moved from Tuesday, May 17 to Wednesday, May 18. The time has not changed, it will still be at 10:00 a.m. at Tonya Follett's house. The address is 12394 Simpson Road, Gulfport.

Big Changes

Two weeks ago our ward got a new Bishopric. Our new bishop is Bishop Leon Allen. Brother Douglas Capps is the new First Counselor, and Brother Jeff Blackstock is the Second Counselor. Brother Barry Jackson was called as the Ward Clerk and Brother Brian Rugg as the Executive Secretary. Congratulations to all these brethren on their new callings. We are behind you and know that you will do a great job.
To our departing Bishop, Bishop Reynolds we would like to express our sincere gratitude for all the hard work, dedication, and sacrifice he and his family have expended on behalf of the ward. Thank you and may the Lord bless you for all that you have done and all that you continue to do. We love you all very much.

The Relief Society