Member involvment

Hello everyone, Yesterday our Mission President came to our ward and shared a message on member involvment, as part of a major push for the help of the members. In the church handbook for Mission presidents, it says that the primary function of the full time missionaries is to TEACH. Missionary work is for the members. The finding, searching, contacting, fellowshipping, baptizing, confirming, and retaining is primarily the responsibility of the members. When they find people to teach, they call the missionaries to their home. Ideally, the members offer their home to be able to control the atmosphere of the lesson, and the members make themselves available to the investigators (phone calls, invitations to ward events, etc) to be able to answer questions in the absence of the missionaries. President shared the message using the new testament story of Zacchæus in Luke 19. He was an investigator who wanted to see Christ. The multitude blocked him out, so he climbed a Sycamore tree and waited the passing of Christ. Christ saw him and told him to get down and that he was to lodge him in his house. Sometimes as members, we are like the multitude, going about our church duties, but never acknowledging that sometimes, people not of our faith watch us, wondering, with a curiosity. Or as members we can be as the tree, which served its purpose in helping others to come unto Christ. Everything we do in the church is to invite and help others to come unto Christ...the meetings, conferences, activites, planning, everything. If it doesn´t serve that purpose, why do it? WE are just wasting time. If a tree, which doesn´t walk, talk, have talents, etc. served its purpose in helping someone come unto Christ, how much more should we, who walk, talk, and have talents, do the same. Let´s hope the tree doesn´t beat us. That´s my invitation today. That everyone of you can find your Zaccheus, someone who is curious, wondering, waiting, wishing, not knowing how to come unto Christ. Talk to him, invite him, and call the missionaries to come and teach your investigator, your convert, your soul with which you will rejoice in the kingdom of God. I love you all. keep serving. elder bunker