Moving On

Well, the “skinny” on the changes to the Millstream Ward, as well as to the other singles wards in Davis County, was delivered to us at a meeting at the Conference Center Thursday night and again today at a reorganization meeting in the Viewmont High School assembly hall. Major changes included: (1) dissolving of all student wards; (2) the formation of new singles ward boundaries, as well as the formation of singles stakes; (3) and the aforementioned reinforcing of the rules, including the age and boundary factors. A Bountiful YSA stake was created, consisting of 12 YSA wards from North Salt Lake to Farmington.

The old Millstream Ward was split two ways: the Central and South stakes became the new Bountiful YSA Ward, and the Heights stake portion of the ward was combined with the YSA of the Bountiful and North stakes to become the new (and improved?) Millstream YSA Ward. Bishop Lake was retained and assigned as bishop of the Bountiful YSA Ward, which will meet at a chapel across the street from the Bountiful cemetery; and the Millstream YSA Ward will meet at a chapel just off of Pages Lane and 400 East.

Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presided at Thursday night's meeting and also spoke to us about the reasons for these changes. It's regarding his comments that I now wish to focus. I gleaned three important concepts from his message (which aren't necessarily the words he spoke but the impressions I had):

1) Our Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us, and singles wards have been designed to help assist us in achieving our part of the plan by providing us opportunities to make lasting friendships, to serve others, and - most importantly - to find someone to take to the temple to be sealed to.

2) We are a people who believe in eternal progression, and these changes allow us yet another opportunity to progress and to move ahead into the next stage of our lives.

3) Elder Ballard issued each of us an assignment to reach out to and to invite at least one of our peers back into the fold of activity in the Church, according to our age group and/or situations. As my group is no longer the singles ward bracket, I'm going to invite as many of those 31 and older as I can to take part in the Davis County-based mid-singles Institute group that I've recently joined. It's been a great way to stay active socially with those in relatively the same situation and a good way to meet many new people so far.

So, that's it, Mouseketeers; out with the old, and in with the new.