Groups, Technology and Activities a Part of How Young Single Adults Minister

Young single adults in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are ministering to others by fulfilling their assignments, inviting others, noticing individuals and working in groups to help all feel involved.

Ministering is learning of and attending to others’ needs. It is the Lord’s work, explains ministering.ChurchofJesusChrist.org, and it is how people become disciples of Jesus Christ.

“Young single adults” is the classification for unmarried Latter-day Saints ages 18 to 35. Whether in a YSA unit or family ward, they receive ministering assignments from their Relief Society and elders quorum presidencies.

In some places, young single adult members of the Church live closer together and can visit each other’s residences and minister in person. In other areas, they minister when they meet for a Church meeting or activity. And many are using technology to connect with each other.

Inviting Others to Fulfill Assignments and Find ‘the One’

Tlotlo Majafe, who serves as the elders quorum president of the Gaborone West YSA Ward in the Gabarone Botswana Stake, said ministering is done by looking out for individuals — just as the Savior Jesus Christ went after the one lost sheep.

“One goal that we made is to help only one person to come to church and give them a calling and so that they can also help one person, just like Jesus Christ taught,” Majafe said.

His ward made it a goal to help more priesthood holders get to church, send in referrals and help the missionaries. They also invite members and friends of the Church for soccer games so they feel a sense of belonging.

“Through doing that, the Lord was able to show us the fruits of our labors by helping them come to church,” Majafe said. “Just like Alma taught, ‘by small and simple things are great things brought to pass,’ (Alma 37:6) and doing those small things we see those blessings.”

Tshepo Mokgosi, who is the Gaborone West YSA Ward Relief Society president, said there are gaps when it comes to ministering among young single adults.

“At the core of these gaps is that people are going through their struggles on their own, people are selective in friendships, and some are having trouble opening up, people are scared to open up, trust and receive help from each other,” she said.

But as she has invited her Relief Society sisters to serve in the Lord’s way, she has seen the fruits of their efforts and answers to prayers. She has seen friendships blossom and members of the ward look out for each other.

“Some are calling each other and letting us know when they are having celebrations and funerals. It’s been really a bliss to be there for them in their happy moments and to be there to mourn with them,” Mokgosi said.

She knows that ministering will help young single adults become more like the Savior. “We will be blessed as we always look out for each other and seek out the lost sheep of our Heavenly Father to plant a seed or bring them back to the fold,” she said.

Ministering in Groups

The recently created Blue Ridge YSA Branch draws members from both the Winchester Virginia Stake and Martinsburg West Virginia Stake. Branch President Jason F. Wright explained that the branch covers many hundreds of square miles.

Because the branch boundaries are so large, ministering assignments are divided into groups by geography — there is a north, central and southern district. Each ministering group has its own WhatsApp group — the name for an invited space in the app— where members have daily communication and discussions.

“We use technology to shrink the distance, and we found that to be a big blessing,” President Wright said.

Melissa Pierson, the branch’s Relief Society president, said dividing into ministering groups has helped the young single adults get to know each other better and see to each other’s needs.

A lot happens in the WhatsApp groups and through individual texting or messaging, and the branch holds many activities and events where ministering also takes place, Pierson said.

Despite the distance from one end of the branch to another, “We do want to hang out more, we do want to connect more,” she said. “We have these groups so that all the sisters in the geographical region can get together and minister to each other in the group, but then they have a special sister that they are assigned to.”

Download Photo

Pierson moved to Virginia for work after going to college in Boston, Massachusetts. She said the biggest thing she has noticed in both places is that young single adults could focus more on inviting and noticing.

“Being noticed matters to a lot of people,” she said. “When people notice, ‘Hey, what’s been going on? I haven’t been hearing from you lately,’ it makes a big difference.”

3 Kinds of Ministering

In their first branch conference recently, President Wright talked about three kinds of ministering for young single adults: assigned ministering, ministering to others and ministering to self.

Ministry assignments are the tangible result of prayer and council from leaders, President Wright said. “If you sustain your elders quorum presidency, if you sustain your Relief Society presidency, then you do not take that assignment lightly.”

Ministering outside of those assignments is done by following the Savior Jesus Christ’s teachings in John 13:34-35, which says: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

He suggested replacing the word “love” in those verses with “minister.”

“These are the people that we’re not assigned to who may not even be members of our ward or or faith but who the Spirit says, ‘Go sit by that person,’” President Wright said.

The third kind of ministering he calls “mirror ministering,” which is particularly important among young adults — looking in the mirror every day and learning how to better care for themselves and their testimonies, spirits and bodies.

Ministering as a YSA in a Family Ward

Vivian Fong, of the Setúbal Ward in the Recife Brazil Boa Viagem Stake, said she and her companion have a few sisters assigned to them. They often give them treats or messages for special occasions, which are appreciated.

“However, I’ve found that the most important thing — and what makes them feel like they truly matter to me — is to check in on them, touch base whenever you can, take them out somewhere occasionally and truly become a friend,” Fong said.

It hasn’t worked with all the people she has been assigned to, but her Relief Society presidency changes assignments as necessary as they look at each companionship and the needs of different women.

Fong said she often finds herself ministering to others of any age or demographic in her family ward — some who might have been previously assigned to her and became her friends and others who became her friends without any assignment involved.

“I think that’s the purpose, slowly making sure that everyone is connected and no one is left out,” she said.

In her calling in the ward Young Women presidency, Fong has noticed how many teens prefer not to socialize or put themselves out there.

“It only gets worse as they get older, unless they have some sort of breakthrough,” Fong said. “I have seen how encouraging them to minister amongst themselves has improved their confidence and overall mental health, so I try to apply that to myself as well.”

Her suggestion to other young single adults is don’t be afraid of rejection and don’t get discouraged when doing a ministering assignment.

“It’s hard, but most people need much more than a half-hearted attempt before they trust you and start believing you are really interested in their well-being — which you have to be, or it doesn’t work either — and not whether they are going to be sitting at church on Sunday,” Fong said.

YSA Gathering Places

More of the Church’s areas around the world are creating YSA gathering places. These are designated locations — such as in a meetinghouse or institute building — for YSAs and their friends to gather and participate in activities and experiences.

The Church’s website explains that this is also a place where ministering can take place. This makes a gathering place more than just a facility for young single adults to meet; it can be a center of spiritual strength.

Johannesburg [South Africa] YSA Branch President Mark H. Cunningham said it is a wonderful thing to have a place that the young single adults can call their own, because it gives them a sense of belonging.

“This is important as it creates a sense of purpose and gives the opportunity to invite friends to share in the social aspect of things,” he said. “However, when the spiritual side is there and YSAs are given the opportunity to grow and serve, it creates a special bond among them that only the Spirit can nurture.”