A recent stake conference in Akron, Ohio, became the catalyst for an in-depth look into the devotion and lives of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). The article, written by reporter Colette M. Jenkins, originally appeared in the Akron Beacon Journal but has been subsequently republished in various newspapers, ranging from the Kansas City Star to The Bellingham Herald in Washington state.
Highlighting aspects of Latter-day Saint history, devotion, belief, outreach and family life, Jenkins interviewed Church leader Elder Craig C. Christensen, a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy.
“We believe in Jesus Christ, and we believe in the Bible as the word of God,” said Elder Christensen in the article. “We also believe that prophetic words come in our time. We invite people to get to know us — we welcome visitors — and they will find that we are traditional, conservative Christians, faith-filled people trying to live out our faith.”
As evidenced in the piece, Jenkins spent a considerable amount of time interviewing local Church members and leaders in order to better understand who Latter-day Saints are and what they believe. Lynn Watkins, a stake Relief Society president who was interviewed for the article, later described her experience working with Jenkins.
“I really appreciated that she took an inordinate amount of time in person with our local leaders and members to understand our faith and devotion to Christ,” Watkins said. “She attended our stake conference and made phone calls to members. All this had to have contributed to the accuracy of the article. We were so grateful for the opportunity to tell our story.”
Read the entire article at Ohio.com.