By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one for another. — John 13:35

Photo by Cari Hicken

Skip Redfern holds umbrella for Corniesha Robinson, part of a recently converted family.

Photo by Barry Chrietzberg

John Enslen, second from left, and his wife, Dianne, help in firewood project with friends they helped fellowship: from left, Danny Carpenter, Greg Robinson and Ken Bailey.

While investigating the Church, LaVonne Huntley, now a convert of some two years, never went to a meeting alone.

A member — actually a friend from a volunteering experience — attended her first missionary lesson, and Sister Huntley was warmly welcomed at Church, week after week.

If she had not felt welcomed, would she have joined the Church?

"Probably not," she said. "I was looking for a church that was more than just a religion."

However, said Sister Huntley, "the membership was fantastic. I was impressed with the people; I liked their values." She said she also received "excellent" callings, and has continued to learn of the doctrine. With these strengths she weathered some small slights and hurt feelings "that are part of life." Today she is first counselor in the Relief Society presidency of the Anaheim 1st Ward, Anaheim California Stake.

Friendship such as that which surrounded Sister Huntley, say those involved in missionary work, is vital to the central purpose of the Church, that of bringing people to Christ.

"I plead with you people that you will put your arms around those who come into the Church and be friends with them and make them feel welcome," said President Gordon B. Hinckley, touching on a frequent theme. "You know something of the loneliness that you felt when you came into this Church." (Maracaibo, Venezuela, 1999.)

Another time he explained: "It isn't easy to join this Church. A convert has to leave old friends and clean up his life. . . . He needs help. He needs friends." (Leon, Mexico, 1998.)

Behind every convert is a great deal of effort and sacrifice, said Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve, chairman of the Missionary Executive Council. "All of the sacrifice, effort and exhaustive preparation of missionaries may be in vain if those who accept the gospel do not receive a loving and warm welcome by Church members."

Working with members to ensure that investigators and new members are befriended, President R. Gene Moffitt of the California Anaheim Mission said, "We find that where a member is involved in the baptism and conversion, that candidate is more likely to stay active in the Church. It is easier if they have a friend."

He said that some wards are very active in fellowshipping new people.

"Those are the wards that are getting the growth," he said.

One of these is the Anaheim 1st Ward, under the leadership of Bishop Douglas J. Sereno. Bishop Sereno said his is a typical ward struggling to fill callings and having a difficult time with home teaching because of too few active priesthood holders.

But that is better now because "we have had six or seven converts this year," nearly all of whom have stayed active after their baptisms. Converts attended meetings for a month or two before baptism and when they were baptized, they were ready for the commitment of membership. From the first missionary contact, "as early as possible" these people are surrounded by friends, said Bishop Sereno.

One of six or eight ward missionaries accompanies full-time missionaries as they teach missionary lessons. Ward resources are coordinated weekly in a half-hour ward council specifically on missionary work. Ward leaders, he said, "are on fire with this thing; all have got the spirit of it" and the "result has been exceptional converts."

The ward still has struggles, but "we are counting on missionary work to help temple work. We like to get the converts doing family history work and get them involved in going to the temple."

Most members in the Wetumpka Ward, Montgomery Alabama Stake, are converts so they have a pretty good idea of what the investigators and new members are going through, said John Enslen, a ward member and first counselor in the Alabama Birmingham Mission.

"There is one thing about which I am absolutely certain," he said. "Missionary work will never be successful on a large-scale basis until there is a member involvement from the beginning to the end — wherever the end of the missionary process is — getting the family through the temple."

Members try to resolve concerns and "we are successful as we set them at ease, as we make them fit in and know that they are wanted, that they are needed, that they are loved, that they are looked upon as a brother or sister."

Among the most challenging aspects for members is when people who don't fit in the mainstream begin to investigate the Church, he said.

"There are a small handful of members who have a vision that every person, no matter how different, is a child of God, but for the vast majority of people, their natural inclination is to shun, or stay away from people who have a different appearance, whether economic, race or handicap. But if we look at it right, that shouldn't be an obstacle."

He encouraged any with this perspective to draw on gospel principles that "clearly establish the worth of every individual soul and to see their potential as opposed to their present status."

"However far a person is from living the gospel standards, he can be brought into it," said Brother Enslen.

Another missionary-minded member is Skip Redfern of the Williamsburg Ward, Newport News Virginia Stake. Each year at Christmas he holds an open house for his neighbors, a social at which he introduces them to the full-time missionaries. He does this because "our family is fortunate in that we feel innate love for people in general. There is no special program we follow. Barriers that may exist crumble when love is extended — that is our core experience."

While the Church has many resources to share the gospel, including the recent Christmas DVD, Pass-Along cards and copies of the Book of Mormon in many languages, "the message may fall on barren ground if people are not comfortable with the messengers, meaning the members."

Prayer leads members to those who are seeking the truth, he believes. "What better spirit accompanies the declaring of the gospel?" he asked. He said his family has seen individuals and families come into the Church, atheists become believers and others reactivated in their own church.

"It is a joint effort of people working together; it is the aggregate total of many influences," he said. "The most powerful influence is when many share their testimonies, and love and influence — when we are doing what the Savior asks, which is to love our brothers and sisters. That is it."

E-mail: jhart@desnews.com