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His Sacrifice Shall Be More Sacred unto Me Than His Increase.
Doctrine and Covenants 115:4-6
The name of the Church was designated by the Lord.
From Come, Follow Me
President Russell M. Nelson said that the Church’s name is “a matter of great importance” (“The Correct Name of the Church,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2018, 87). Think about why this is true as you read Doctrine and Covenants 115:4–6. What does the name of the Church have to do with its work and mission?
The Mission Of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is to “help all of God’s children come to Jesus Christ through learning about His gospel, making and keeping promises with God (covenants), and practicing Christlike love and service. Members of the Church believe in helping individuals and families fulfill the commandments to love God and to love your neighbor. Members do so by living the gospel of Jesus Christ, caring for those in need, inviting all to receive the gospel, and uniting families through family history and temple work.”
In the RootsTech 2021 Leadership Conference, and in the 2020 conference, church leaders teach about ministering through temple and family history work. Elder Bednar encourages us to watch the full 2020 presentation (see intro to it below):
Additional family history ministering resources:
Many family history activities require a FamilySearch account. See Create Account — FamilySearch.org, and FamilySearch Project 1, Goal 1, and Add Ancestors: Project 1, Goal 7.
As they connect to FamilySearch's global family tree by filling in four generations, they could possibly have information automatically filled in that could suddenly stretch back hundreds of years! See also How to Start a Family Tree. Enjoy a myriad of activities to help with research and to have fun getting to know ancestors and living relatives (see below).
First, make sure that the family’s family tree is set up (see above). You could start with exploring alternate views for the fan chart including the “countries” view.
(click to enlarge)
Check out Where Are My Ancestors From? and watch this video to discover ways to explore ancestral homelands:
See also:
See Project 2: Memories. Each section has step-by-step instructions to make it easy.
You can bless the lives of others by helping them (and those they love) take the next step in their progression toward learning about and serving in the temple. Teach about Temple Baptism and Confirmation for the Dead, Temple Endowment, and Temple Sealing.
Help them understand the promised blessings of temple and family history work.
When they are ready, help them prepare names for ordinance work and help them complete the work. Read more in How to Save and Print Family Requests. It is often as easy as using the FamilySearch's Family Tree Mobile App. See: Using the FamilySearch Tree App.
If they haven't used Ordinances Ready yet, look here and read Ordinances Ready—Inspiring Members Around the World with them. Read how to verify names and relationships here. Watch this video:
Perhaps you could take someone to visit a temple (if you live close enough) to talk about how doing work there for the dead blesses those on both sides of the veil. Share stories from your family history about the temple. Enjoy watching videos of temples or seeing pictures of temples, and sharing about temple marriages in your family.
What temples are part of your family history? Use this List of Latter-day Saint Temples (along with maps and photos) to see where the closest temples are to the homelands of your ancestors.
If they were still living in their homelands today, where would they gather at a temple? You may want to make a list of these places and view them using Google Earth Street View. See also: Eight things you can do with Google Earth. Learn to take Google Earth screenshots here.
Discover specific temple details from the lives of those who came before you in My Ancestor's Temples.
See also:
From Come, Follow Me
“The instructions in sections 119 and 120 sound similar to the way the Lord’s work is financed in our time.”
In LDS Charities: How Church Donations are Used we learn how tithing funds are used in part to build and operate temples around the world and administer the world’s largest family history program. Paying tithing is a way all of us can specifically further this work no matter what other areas of temple and family history work we are involved in. We can also Donate to Family History/FamilySearch.
Talk with your loved ones about the above information and the blessings of paying tithing.
The article above also describes the vision of FamilySearch. As you read about this amazing tool, list some of the ways temples and using FamilySearch.org help “sanctify the land of Zion” (Doctrine and Covenants 119:6). See the above temple and family history activities and select some to participate in together.
Farmington Tithing Office (completed in 1909). See Tithing buildings of The Church.
Along with recording any stories of how you and your family have been blessed by paying tithing, what stories from your ancestors’ lives tell about how paying tithing was a blessing? See 10 Ways To Discover, Gather, and Share Ancestor Stories.
You could also search in the scriptures and in church history to find tithing stories to share with each other.
Consider writing a letter of gratitude to an ancestor or living relative for his or her example of being a faithful tithe payer and record it on FamilySearch memories.
President Nelson encouraged us to do the following for six months, but it may be a wonderful opportunity to carry this invitation through your study of the Doctrine and Covenants this year:
"As you study your scriptures during the next six months, I encourage you to make a list of all that the Lord has promised He will do for covenant Israel. I think you will be astounded! Ponder these promises. Talk about them with your family and friends. Then live and watch for these promises to be fulfilled in your own life." (President Russell M. Nelson, Let God Prevail).
Suggestion: Find what the Lord has promised He will do for Covenant Israel in Doctrine and Covenants 115–120. Write or audio-record what these promises mean to you and those you love.