We Are a Worldwide Church

by Tristi Pinkston | More from this Blogger

04 Mar 2008 03:00 PM

What does it mean to know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a worldwide church?

It means that every Sunday, Saints around the globe are meeting together to worship our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, just as we are here. No matter where they live and where they meet, be it a hut, a nice church building, or a member's home, they are singing the hymns we sing and hearing the lessons we hear. If you take a trip and visit a ward or branch somewhere else, you will find everything administrated just as it is in your home ward, from the blessing of the sacrament to the teaching of Gospel Doctrine class. You will find familiarity in the established pattern.

It means that no matter where you go there will always be someone of your same religious beliefs nearby. If you get stranded in Oshkosh, you can look in the phone book and find members who can help you. You are never alone in a crowd - someone in that crowd is also LDS. With over thirteen million members worldwide, you are not isolated in the slightest.

It means that our Heavenly Father loves each of His children immensely, no matter where they were born. The goal of the Church is to be in every country on the planet, leaving out no one. The Lord desires all to hear His word and to know of the truthfulness of the Gospel, and He wants us all to have the opportunity to have our temple work done and be sealed as families. The great and important work of the Lord will not be complete until every person in every nation has had the chance to hear the Gospel and decide for themselves if they want to be a part of it.

It means that we are part of something wonderful and everlasting. It means that we are connected by virtue of our beliefs to brothers and sisters all around the globe, that we have a family of millions upon millions. It means we have things in common with people living in the most remote corners of the world, even though we might not ever have met them. It means that the stone that was cut out of the mountain without hands is rolling forth, and soon will cover the whole earth, and we get to see it happen.

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Learn more about Tristi Pinkston

I've been a blogger for Families.com since August of 2006.

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