Welfare in the Church is more than just an institutional program. It is a set of principles that guide the individual actions of every member in caring for the less-fortunate as the Savior intended. That is the clear message that emerges from a new, three-gallery exhibit at the Museum of Church History and Art.

"Practicing Pure Religion: Latter-day Saint Welfare and Humanitarian Service" opened March 13 with a formal ribbon-cutting (please see article on this page) and will run through Feb. 13, 2000.

"The Latter-day Saint belief of serving those in need is grounded in the teachings and example of Jesus Christ," explained exhibit curator Mark L. Staker. "How we serve may change over time, but the principles that guide these efforts remain constant."

The phrase in the exhibit title, "pure religion," is, of course, derived from James' classic definition in this scriptural passage: "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world." (James 1:27.)

That Latter-day Saints over the years have found ways to fulfill that injunction is reflected in several stories told through interpretive scenes with artifacts in the exhibit.

One recounts the story of President Harold B. Lee's efforts as president of the Pioneer Stake to meet the needs of his people during the Depression. Over 60 percent of the wage earners in his stake were unemployed. He formed a committee that developed a work and relief program that collected produce from farms in the area and established a bishop's storehouse. The Church Welfare program developed in 1936 was patterned after the efforts of President Lee's stake.

Another scene tells of Pieter Vlam, a Dutch soldier imprisoned during World War II in a military prison camp in Poland. As a Church member, he exercised his faith and continued to live his religion despite his adverse circumstances. He lived the law of the fast and shared his rations with other prisoners. He also formed a camp choir to sing hymns to raise the prisoners' spirits. Sharing the gospel, he gained a small following of men who believed what he taught.

The "Candy Bomber," Gail Halvorsen, is featured in another scene. He participated in the Berlin airlift after World War II. Concerned about the children in Berlin, he attached pieces of candy to small, homemade parachutes to drop to them as he flew over in his military aircraft.

Among the more striking elements in the exhibit is a restored 1939 Chevrolet truck with the Deseret Industries name on the side, illustrating that Church members' donations were picked up for redistribution through the bishops storehouse.

Also displayed is equipment used in the welfare production system in the 1940s, such as an apple peeler, canner, retort (a type of pressure cooker), and a labeler.

Photos show Church members' humanitarian efforts around the world, including literacy and education in the Middle East and relief aid in the wake of Hurricane Mitch in Honduras and Nicaragua.

The exhibit is organized into five sections plus a title panel. In the West Gallery, 19th and early 20th Century welfare principles are highlighted, including the Law of Consecration and the United Order, the law of the fast and bishops storehouses and Relief Society wheat storage.

In the West and North galleries are elements about the importance of work and self-sufficiency and the development in the 1930s of modern-day welfare programs.

The North Gallery contains portions telling of welfare assistance to postwar Europe. The East Gallery portion emphasizes self-reliance and personal preparedness and the final section, expanding the focus to worldwide humanitarian service.

Several newly commissioned art works illustrate the example and teachings of the Savior in showing compassion to those in need. They include "Christ and the Rich Young Man" by William Whitaker, "Such as I Have Give I Thee" and "The Good Samaritan" by Walter Rane, and "The Forgotten Man" by Maynard Dixon.