In
order to receive makeup credit for this lesson, you need to view the
two videos, read the linked scripture references and answer the
following question:
Caring for the Poor and Needy
Doctrine and Covenants 42:34, 55.
How
does understanding the laws and commandments of God change the way you
feel about participating and sacrificing for our monthly fast?
Caring for the Poor and Needy
“In 1831 the Lord revealed to the
Prophet Joseph Smith that members of the Church should ‘impart of [their]
substance unto the poor, … and they shall be laid before the bishop … [and]
kept in my storehouse, to administer to the poor and the needy’ (D&C 42:31, 34).
“More than 180 years later,
bishops’ storehouses around the world continue to support bishops in the call
to ‘be faithful; stand in the office which [the Lord has] appointed unto
[them]; succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the
feeble knees’ (D&C 81:5).
“Whether it is a building
containing food and other supplies or a set of resources in the ward a bishop
can draw from, bishops’ storehouses are being used to care for those in need.
“The Church manual, Basic
Principles of Welfare and Self-Reliance (2009), says, ‘The Lord’s storehouse is
available to every bishop and exists in every ward. Contrary to conventional
wisdom, the Lord’s storehouse is not limited to a building or a warehouse
filled with commodities awaiting distribution.’
“Where a brick and mortar
storehouse is not available, bishops can purchase needed commodities from local
merchants using fast offerings” (“Bishops’ Storehouse
Opens the Windows of Heaven,” Church News and Events, May 20, 2011, LDS.org).