Education, Church Growth & Second Coming
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President of BYU-Pathway Worldwide Sister Melinda Ashton Sister Ashton: Today, we would like to talk about building Zion. Zion is the Lord’s name for His people who are “pure in heart." Zion can be “both a place and a people." In its fullness, Zion is both a people among which and a place where Jesus Christ would be comfortable dwelling. ... President Ashton: Brothers and sisters, prior to the Second Coming of the Lord — an event that prophets have identified will come in the latter days — we will have to build Zion anew. By building Zion and observing the Lord’s commandments, we will also be enabled to escape the judgments of God upon the wicked in the last days. BYU-Pathway’s Role in Building Zion Sister Ashton: Doctrine and Covenants 97 gives a list of requirements that Zion must fulfill so that “she shall prosper, and spread herself, and become very glorious, very great, and very terrible." Those requirements include having a school (or schools) in Zion. In fact, the Savior declared, “I, the Lord, am well pleased that there should be a school in Zion...." Elder Kim B. Clark, former Commissioner of the Church Education System, taught, “BYU-Pathway is a school in Zion, wherever Zion is." Therefore the requirements in Doctrine and Covenants 97 and the responsibility to help build Zion apply to BYU-Pathway, its students, instructors, employees, missionaries, and academic partners. President Ashton: So, what is our role in building Zion? Doctrine and Covenants 97 gives us one answer. Speaking of BYU-Pathway students, students of other Church Educational System entities, and others, the Lord said: Verily I say unto you, all among them who know their hearts are honest, and are broken, and their spirits contrite, and are willing to observe their covenants by sacrifice — yea, every sacrifice which I, the Lord, shall command — they are accepted of me. For I, the Lord, will cause them to bring forth as a very fruitful tree which is planted in a goodly land, by a pure stream, that yieldeth much precious fruit. Did you catch that? We should have honest and broken hearts, contrite spirits, and observe our covenants even by sacrifice. BYU-Pathway then must produce graduates who are covenant-keeping “disciples of Jesus Christ who are leaders in their homes, the Church, and their communities." Sister Ashton: Elder D. Todd Christofferson, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, gives us another answer to the question, “What is our role in building Zion?” He taught: Zion is Zion because of the character, attributes, and faithfulness of her citizens. Remember, “the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them” (Moses 7:18). If we would establish Zion in our homes, branches, wards, and stakes, we must rise to this standard. It will be necessary (1) to become unified in one heart and one mind; (2) to become, individually and collectively, a holy people; and (3) to care for the poor and needy with such effectiveness that we eliminate poverty among us. We cannot wait until Zion comes for these things to happen — Zion will come only as they happen. BYU-Pathway, along with parents, families, and other Church entities and programs, must help students to learn to be of one heart and of one mind and to live righteously. Learning these skills is a crucial part of your education and helping you to do so is essential to our mission as an institution. In addition, BYU-Pathway has a unique role in making sure that there are no poor among us. No other Church institution has the worldwide reach and access to spiritually based, job-ready certificates and degrees like BYU-Pathway. BYU-Pathway can provide higher education that will help our students get out of spiritual and temporal poverty in nearly every place that the Church is organized. Those students in turn can help others to become self-reliant until there are no poor among us. Some Thoughts on Where You Can Start President Ashton: So, what can you do today to build Zion? We want to start by addressing BYU-Pathway’s instructors, missionaries, employees, and academic partners. Because we must help our students learn to build Zion in their lives, homes, congregations, and communities, we must begin by first building Zion in our own lives and homes. We must be pure in heart. We must incorporate Zion principles into our curriculum and teaching models. And we must do all we can to help students get jobs. We invite each of you to examine your lives, teaching, curriculum, and programs to see if they are in harmony with building Zion and then seek the Lord’s help to make necessary changes. ... President Ashton: Please know that we love you. You are a child of God with divine potential. You were born on earth at this time to help build Zion. Your education at BYU-Pathway will help you to do so. This, in turn, will help prepare the world for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Brian K. Ashton and
President Brian K. Ashton
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Elder Alfred Kyungu
Elder Clark G. Gilbert
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