Belonging to a quorum is a blessing
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Priesthood quorums of the Church, including the Quorum of the Twelve, exist to provide learning, to bring special brotherhood and to be of service, said Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve in his Saturday afternoon conference address.
As one of the senior members of the Quorum of the Twelve, he welcomed to the quorum the two newly sustained apostles, Elders Dieter F. Uchtdorf and David A. Bednar, whose callings were announced during the conference's opening session Saturday morning.
The Quorum of the Twelve has a rich tradition of serving that includes the early apostles Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball being "sent forth" to Great Britain while they were ill, and leaving behind ill families, he explained.
Apostles of today continue to be "sent forth," he said. "The conditions we face are different from those of the early brethren as they made their journeys to fulfill their assignments. . . . However, our assignment remains the same as that which was given by the Savior as He instructed His called twelve to, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:19-20).
"For you two new Brethren, I can promise you that there will be a new understanding of what it means to belong to a quorum," he said. "I wish the feeling and respect we have for our Council could be transported to every quorum of the Church. Would you deacons, teachers, priests, elders and high priests quorums listen for a minute to what I believe is one of the greatest blessings one can receive from being a bearer of the priesthood? That special blessing is belonging to a priesthood quorum."
He quoted the late Elder Stephen L Richards, then of the Quorum of the Twelve, who defined a quorum: "A quorum is three things: first, a class; second, a fraternity; and third, a service unit" (Conference Report, October 1938, p. 118).
"I see this genius so manifestly apparent in the functions of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles," Elder Perry said. "We are a class as we study the doctrines of the kingdom together. . . . This same blessing can be yours in each of your quorums. The words of the apostles, past and present, live in the scriptures, conference addresses, Church magazines, devotionals and so forth. They are available to bring the power of the doctrine of the kingdom into your quorum class. Make of your quorum a class to increase your knowledge of the gospel of our Lord and Savior."
Elder Perry said that in the Quorum of the Twelve, "we lift, inspire, and bless each other with the spirit of our calling. When one is burdened, there are eleven others anxious to help lift and share that burden."
Further, he said,"We would encourage each priesthood quorum in the Church to cultivate such a brotherhood."
As the whole earth "is ripening in iniquity, the Zion of God should be prepared for the coming of the bridegroom," he said, quoting President Wilford Woodruff, then president of the Quorum of the Twelve. "We should humble ourselves before the Lord and be in a position to be filled with the spirit of our calling, with the Holy Ghost, and with the revelations of Jesus Christ, that we may know the mind and will of God concerning us, and be prepared to magnify our calling and bring to pass righteousness, and be valiant in the testimony of Jesus Christ to the end. There never was a time when the work of God required a more faithful testimony and labor from the Apostles and Elders than today" (Deseret News Weekly, Nov. 24, 1886).
"May God bless each of us in our calls to serve," Elder Perry said. "May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments. May our testimonies ever grow stronger as we seek to find the fountain of eternal truth. May the brotherhood that exists in our quorum be of comfort and of strength and of security as we progress through this phase of our mortal existence. May the joy of gospel service ever abide in our hearts as we go forward to fulfill our duties and responsibilities as servants of our Father in Heaven's kingdom."
