The Associated Press: Mormon genealogy efforts rooted in focus on family
Reporter Brady McCombs writes about RootsTech 2013, a family history conference hosted last week by FamilySearch, a nonprofit organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Nearly 7,000 people attended the three-day gathering, the largest family history conference in the U.S.
McCombs correctly notes that “the focus on genealogy by Mormons is rooted in their belief that families should be the focal point of their lives, and that family relationships continue into eternity.”
Read McCombs’ entire story at ap.org.
Wairarapa Times-Age (New Zealand): Mormon Helping Hands spruce up sacred Polynesian space
The Wairarapa Times-Age reports that 150 Mormon Helping Hands volunteers helped spruce up the Papawai Marae earlier this month in New Zealand. A marae is communal or sacred place that serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies. Volunteers painted, pulled weeds and cleaned up the grounds and the cemetery.
Mormon Helping Hands, the article correctly says, “encourages the members of the church to give something back to the community.”
See the story and photo at times-age.co.nz
Brush News-Tribune (Colorado) and Southern Maryland Newspapers: Mormon women seek to serve those in need
All across the world, Mormon women seek to serve those in need. Two news reports (one from Maryland, the other from Colorado) illustrate this point.
In Maryland, members of the Church’s Relief Society (the Mormon organization for women) recently donated 126 blankets to Project Linus of Charles County, an organization that provides care and security to children who are ill, traumatized or otherwise in need. See the full story at somdnews.com.
In Colorado, local Relief Society members recently donated nearly 100 dresses and skirts to Caring Ministries, an organization that helps those in need. The article correctly notes that the Church’s Relief Society is designed to “inspire area women and families through their ‘Charity never faileth’ motto.” Read the entire article at brushnewstribune.com.