Joy in the Cultural Hall
Joy in the Cultural Hall started when I walked in for my first priesthood meeting in 2 1/2 years. It was held in our cultural hall. Prior to that I’ve been meeting with the Valiant 9 primary kids and handing them cookies each week.
The Opportunity
Not long after walking into the cultural hall the Bishop called me over and introduced me to a guy name Mike. This was Mike’s first week at church and the Bishop wanted me to meet him. I was happy to do so.
The Introduction
I introduced myself to Mike and asked a little bit about him. I verified it was his first time at our church, found out generally where he lived, and asked him how he had come to learn about the church. (The missionaries had tracted him out.)
The Invitation
Soon it was time for priesthood meeting to start so I invited Mike to sit with me. We sat one chair apart at which point I started to introduce Mike to the people around him.
Helping Mike Feel at Home in the Cultural Hall
I introduced him to MARTY, who sat right in front of him. Marty joined the Church almost 4 years ago.
I introduced him to CHRIS who sat right behind him and to the right. Chris had a pacemaker put in earlier in the week. He also joined the Church about three years ago.
Seated next to Chris was DAVE, who immediately picked up on the trend and introduced himself directly to Mike.
A few minutes after the class started a young man walked in and sat down in-between Mike and me. I found out his name was NICK from the Twin Falls Idaho area. I quickly introduced Nick to Mike as well.
A few minutes later our former Bishop, KIM, walked in and sat down directly behind Mike. I quickly introduced Mike to Kim.
Helping Mike Understand
At this point the gentleman teaching our lesson started to refer to a talk by Elder Dallin H. Oaks. I pulled up the talk on LDS.org and handed my phone to Mike so he could follow along.
More Introductions
At the end of the lesson we folded up the chairs and Mike slipped out into the hallway. My good buddy BEN was helping put away the chairs so I took him out into the hallway and introduced him to Mike.
At that point RANDY, another good friend, was standing close by so I introduced him to Mike and told Mike that Randy had joined the church a number of years ago. Randy then quickly related his conversion story to Mike.
Explain the Meeting Schedule
At the beginning of priesthood meeting I explained to Mike how our meeting schedule works. I explained quickly what the priesthood was and how we were gathered together for instruction. I also explained that every other week instead of having a priesthood meeting we have what I called Bible study. I also explained that our next meeting, which I called a “worship service”, would last for one hour and Mike was welcome to join us.
Don’t Overdo It
At that point the chapel doors opened up and it was time to go in for sacrament meeting. Mike took the initiative and said he wanted to get a good seat which, of course, was on the back row.
I decided to give him a breather and go sit by some other people who were feeling a little lonely lately. I noticed midway through the meeting that the full-time sister missionaries were sitting next to Mike. That worked out just fine.
The Prompting
Somewhere during sacrament meeting I got the prompting to give Mike an articles of faith card. That would be easy since I keep them in my truck.
An Articles of Faith card
Acting on the Prompting
At the end of the meeting I went out to the parking lot, grabbed an articles of faith card that showed Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist, wrote my phone number and name on the back of it, and went back into the church. I then went up to Mike and gave him the card.
I quickly explained that this was what Mormons believed and it would be a good reference for him. He appreciated it. In fact he grabbed one of his business cards from his wallet and gave it to me. That’s when I learned he was an attorney with the Environmental Protection Agency.
Focus On What You’re Learning
I quickly asked him if he knew Jeff Holmstead. He said no. I explained Jeff had been one of the top attorneys at the EPA and was also a member of our church.
With that it was time to run and I told Mike he was welcome to come meet with us anytime.
A Summary of Joy in the Cultural Hall
Sometimes member missionary experiences walk right in the door at church. Joy in the Cultural Hall is one of those. All you have to do is be a friend and try to make someone feel at home. You do that by introducing them to other people, make sure they understand what’s happening in the meeting, and invite them to come back again.
It also helps to have an articles of faith card nearby. That way you can give them your phone number and give them a relevant piece of information that summarizes in condensed detail what we believe as a church.
It’s that easy.
articles of faith card, church, Cultural hall, follow the spirit, god, priesthood meeting
