The Bayview Ward

In a special meeting, of the northern units within our stake today, it was announced that we are now a Ward!  We've had a few baptisms and we've reactivated some of our less active members and our home teaching and attendance have been up but they also realigned the boundaries to give us the healthy numbers we need to become a ward.   Our Branch President (now Bishop) will be putting in the paperwork immediately to get approval for a full phased building.  With the added members we will be bursting at the seems.

One of the noteworthy additions to our Ward is Bishop Mullins.  Bishop Mullins was the Bishop of the Newark 1st ward and when I got to the area I was living within his boundaries and he really took care of me.  He made reference to me and my family on Sunday when he related to the stake that he had told me they were going to organize and divert the course of the river that marked the boundaries between the Rising Sun Branch and the Newark 1st Ward because our house is/was not within the boundaries of his Ward.  As it turns out the new boundary is another river farther east which means he is now a part of my Ward and not his.

He mentioned to me on Sunday that he considered me one of his own and he certainly showed it by taking me under his wing the way that he did.  I can remember I was in Utah one weekend and because he had not seen me at church he called to make sure I was ok and that I didn't need anything.

The bigger building is still several months away because they have to build it once it is approved and I'm not sure if we'll continue to meet in our existing building or if we'll have to find a new temporary home.  In any event it is exciting to think we will have a cultural hall/gym within a year or so and we can play basketball as an Elder's Quorum.  Just one of many fun things that we'll be able to do.  I think that one of the coolest parts of our smaller building has been that from the very first phase there was, and still is of course, a baptismal font.

We have had several baptisms in the branch/ward since moving in, the very first being none other than my son Carter.  More than half of the baptisms have been men.  This means that they are potential priesthood holders which is always important.  As it turns out one of those men, Juan Gonzalez, has prepared for and will receive the Melchizedek Priesthood next Sunday.  He has asked me to confer this priesthood on him and I am honored and humbled by this opportunity.  I have only done this once before so it is a special and significant thing to me.