Service. Love. Sacrifice. Charity. Good works.

Scores of LDS Church members are heeding the call to such principles as a growing number of LDS groups hold semiannual conferences and seminars coinciding with the 170th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

At least two new volunteer organizations will meet in Salt Lake City following general conference, both looking to marshal the expertise and resources of LDS Church members in reaching out to those in need.

Though their missions focus on different populations — one on mental health and the other on humanitarian aid — their underlying principles are the same: to network a host of widely diverse "helpers" through the Internet as a resource bank for LDS members.

"We're kind of like the Deseret Industries concept of social/emotional concerns," said Rick Hawks, an Ogden psychologist who helped found Hidden Treasures Institute, a private, nonprofit group dedicated to providing information on how to deal with a host of addiction and mental-health concerns, including alcohol and drug abuse, bipolar disease, depression, eating disorders, family violence, marriage relationships, pornography, same-sex attraction, schizophrenia, suicide and death.

The all-volunteer organization came together in its current form two years ago when Hawks and his associates began brainstorming on how they could gather as many sermons, professional papers, pamphlets and books together as possible in one location.

While there are many separate LDS resources and professionals dedicated to dealing with such problems, to this point there has been no "clearinghouse" for professional social and emotional materials. Hawks said the institute's new Web site LDSmentalhealth.org is an attempt to provide a virtual library for LDS members and ecclesiastical leaders who are faced with helping their members cope with such problems.

Indexed by subject, the site offers full-text copies of LDS General Conference talks on each subject, along with many full-text professional articles and papers that detail coping methods consistent with LDS teachings. Because religious belief and practice has historically been frowned on by the psychological elite, many church members have had a difficult time finding a professional whom they felt would respect their beliefs.

That dilemma, coupled with the need for LDS therapists to network and support each other, resulted in the creation 25 years ago of the Association of Mormon Counselors and Psychotherapists. That group meets every six months on the same weekend as general conference and is meeting Thursday and Friday at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.

While much has changed regarding mental-health care in the past quarter-century, Hawks said the vast majority of LDS members — particularly those outside Utah and the United States — still have difficulty finding information and resources to help deal with mental and emotional issues in a spiritual way.

"What does a bishop do when he's faced with a situation he knows nothing about? We respect the bishop's priesthood, but we also recognize that they are not mental health professionals. We see the church as the shepherd and our Web site as the online veterinary clinic, created so people can come and find the help they need."

Creating a user-friendly Web site can reach people 24 hours a day around the world, he said. The nonprofit status of the institute means there is no paid staff. "It forces us to function primarily on miracles," Hawks said.

The institute is not an official church organization but is "closely related to them," Hawks said. The group's second annual conference will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Elder Marion D. Hanks, an emeritus general authority, will be the keynote speaker. Call 801-621-8484 or toll-free 800-723-1760.

Another LDS organization dedicated to humanitarian efforts worldwide will hold its first meeting Tuesday, Oct. 10, at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.

Unitus was formed by a group of LDS businessmen who hope to provide a clearinghouse for dozens of private humanitarian efforts worldwide. Started by LDS Church members with a variety of medical and economic goals, the number of small private groups is growing rapidly, according to spokesman Mike Murray. Add to that a larger number of non-LDS, nonprofits with the same goals, and there is a great potential for sharing information and resources, and networking volunteers, he said.

Some groups provide medical care, while others seek to help with micro-credit lending, job training, infrastructure improvements and education. Tuesday's meeting will bring representatives of such far-flung groups together for the first time to discuss their common goals and to determine how they can work together in attracting volunteers and resources.

Murray said Unitus will focus on groups working in the Third World, where he has spent time trying to determine what people need most.

The historic approach to helping such people has been "handouts in the form of charity and donations. That's a fine approach but not permanent in terms of creating permanent improvements in quality of life."

In the future, organizers plan to open each semiannual meeting — always coinciding with LDS General Conference — to the public, where volunteers and donors will find out about service and donation opportunities, while LDS leaders in countries who need help will be able to network with a variety of service providers.

For more information, see the Web site at www.unitus.com or call 801-932-2404.

E-mail: carrie@desnews.com