Newsletter February, 2010

Granite South Stake Young Men’s
NEWSLETTER--February, 2010

"Be Strong and of a Good Courage" Joshua 1:9

Presidency Message:

Ward Conferences have been rich, rewarding experiences for me. Thank you for providing opportunities to minister to your young men. As an example of the great ministering effort, this past week I was able to go with Dave Morgan, YM President of the Highland Ward. We visited a 15-year old unordained young man who lives alone with his single mother. We had a nice visit and then Dave invited him to attend Mutual for the following night. Although he had never been, he agreed to go. The following night he was picked up by a leader and taken to Mutual. Hopefully this young man is on his way to being “rescued”!

Throughout the month we visited several other “at risk” young men. Some are active but are still a concern; still considered at risk. May I suggest that each presidency do a thorough risk assessment of each young man in your quorums? Here are a few possibilities you might consider:
• Testimony – How strong is his testimony? Does he really believe?
• Circle of friends – What kind of friends does he have?
• Home life – are there healthy family relationships; is the gospel being
taught in the home; is it a single-parent home?
• Social challenges – Does he have many friends; is he awkward in social
settings; does he get out much or mostly stay to himself; does he have
healthy male associates?
• Physical condition – Is he physically active – could he handle the physical
rigors of a mission (if there are weight issues this could be a risk in
qualifying for a mission)?
• Church activity – How is his attendance?
• Work ethic – Is he a hard worker or is he lazy?
• Communication skills – Can he express himself effectively?
• Girlfriends – Does he have a steady girlfriend?

These are some points to ponder that could be impacting a young man’s spiritual health and general mission preparation. Once we’ve identified the concerns then we can more effectively minister to the needs of our young men.

Years ago I noticed a very active young man disappear from Church activity following high school graduation. I was stunned. I thought all was well. His activity level appears to have masked some serious concerns that appear to have slipped under the radar. Perhaps a more carefully assessment of his overall circumstances could have led to preventive measures being taken to keep him strong in the Church. May the Lord bless you as you minister to the young men of the Stake. Thank you for your diligence!
--Matthew Clarke, Stake YM President

Question: What is the primary responsibility of the ward Aaronic Priesthood advisor? Answer on next page.

Congratulations to:

Peter Morgan and Brandon Call, Karalee ward, received their Teacher Duty to God Certificate.
Ryan Morgan, Karalee ward, received his Deacon Duty to God Certificate.
Kevin Goldsmith, Karalee ward, was named Utah Prep basketball player of the week ending 1/2/10.
Jacob Hatch and Adam Walter, Sego Lily ward, were named to the All State Band.
.
Please send us info on your young men so that we can congratulate them on their accomplishments.

Please notify us of Duty to God awards both final and Deacon, Teacher and Priest. We have something we would like to present to them from the stake.

Upcoming Calendar:

2/6/10 Sat. 7 AM Ashley Park Priests (2) set up chairs for stake baptisms. Call
Bro./Sis. Wilde (Will-dee) at 801-942-2042
8:30 AM 11 year old scouts Winter Camporee at Murray Park
2/11/10 Thur. 7 PM BSA Zone meeting
7:30 PM Roundtable training at: 1850 E. 8600 S., Sandy E. Stake Ctr.
2/13/10 Sat. 10 AM Scout merit badge class at Park building—Citizenship in the
World. Eastdell ward will supply merit badge counselor.
2/17/10 Wed. 7 PM Stake Laurel/Priest activity at Stake Center
2/18/10 Thur. 6-10 PM BSA Basic Training for Scouts, Varsity, Venturer at 2535 E.
Newcastle (8890 S.). Also, merit badge training for new
counselors
2/21/10 Sun. 5:30 PM Stake Youth Fireside at Stake Center
2/25/10 Thur.6-10 PM BSA Basic Training for Scoutmasters only (no Venture or
Varsity)Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church--1745 E. 9800 S.


ANSWER: They minister to individual young men in the ward, helping them grow spiritually by loving, serving and teaching them. They give special attention to new members and less-active young men. (p. 181 Church Handbook of Instructions)

Scout Training status (% complete): (We will be filling this out soon with info you send us)
Ward Fast Start Youth Prot. Basic Outdoor Skills
Karalee
Parkview
Sego Lily
Ashley Park
Aspen Hills
Eastdell
Falcon Hills
Highland

We encourage all wards to start their scout leaders training. You can start it by going to www.myscouting.com click on the training link and do the Orientation Fast Start E-Learning course that corresponds to your calling. Our goal is 100% of our YM leaders trained in Fast Start (online) by January 31, 2010, Basic training by February 28, 2010 and Outdoor Skills by June 1, 2010. BBQ dinner for the ward with the highest % by 7/1/10.

Ward YM secretaries should gather the completion information and email it to robhaertel@gmail.com on the 4th Sunday of each month.

Important websites:
Duty to God resources: http://www.lds.org/pa/display/0,17884,4688-1,00.html
Church Aaronic Priesthood: http://www.lds.org/pa/display/0,17884,4645-1,00.html
AP Instructional Resources: http://www.lds.org/pa/display/0,17884,7588-1,00.html
Quorum Presidency training: http://www.lds.org/pa/display/0,17884,7966-1,00.html
BSA Training: www.myscouting.com and http://www.ldsbsa.org/resources.html
Stake YM information: http://GraniteSouthStakeYoungMen.blogspot.com/

Young Men Basketball Standings as of 2/8/10

TEACHER / PRIEST – BASKETBALL STANDINGS
AH – Aspen Hills FH – Falcon Hill PV – Parkview
AP – Ashley Park HL – Highland SL – Sego Lily
ED – Eastdell (P/T Combined) KL – Karalee

PRIESTS
WINS LOSSES/FORFEIT
KL 3 2
AH 2 4
FH 3 2
PV 4 2
ED 1 4
HL 0 6

TEACHERS
WINS LOSSES/FORFEIT
AH 4 3
AP 3 4
FH 2 5
HL 6 2
KL 3 4
PV 4 3
SL 0 8