Just Like Everyone Else
The St Paul Minnesota Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints held their Stake Conference this past weekend. Stake Conference is when several Wards (congregations) gather together to listen to various speakers. These include people who live in the Stake,local church leadership and sometimes General Authorities (people with leadership positions over the church at large). One of the speakers at this fall's conference was Elder Gerrit Gong.
Elder Gong was called to his position in the church this past April. He is 56 years old and married with four sons. He was educated at Brigham Young University and Oxford where he obtained his Ph.D. He was worked for the State Department and the United States Embassy in China. He was also a professor at Georgetown and Johns Hopkins Universities.
One would think that reading the above paragraph a dry talk was in store. College professors have a stereotype of being rather stuffy,delivering boring "I know it all" type lectures.
Elder Gong does not fit into the stereotype.
His talk on Saturday was on the LDS ads that have been aired on television and radio recently. If you live in one of the nine markets where these are being aired you may have heard one. If not the ads feature people who talk about their lives, hobbies,professions,beliefs and end by saying their name and the phrase "and I am a Mormon."
There has been some speculation about these ads. Some say that it is an effort to refresh the Church's image after the bad publicity following California's Proposition 8. Some thought it an effort to rebut certain television shows featuring polygamous families that might hint at a connection to the LDS Church. There have even been a few who think it is paving the way for Mitt Romney to run for President in 2012.
According to Elder Gong, the purpose of the ads are to correct misconceptions about the church and it's members. They can also help make it easier for people to get information about the church and to facilitate conversations between members and others about the Church. In other words, we are just like everyone else.
I must admit I was taken aback. I can't wrap my head around the concept that someone would think that LDS church members are different from everyone else. I know people of many faiths, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist, Jehovah's Witness, Methodist,Quaker and LDS. I've also known a few Wiccans, an atheist and an agnostic. They look and act just like everyone else. With the exception of a few,most people do not wear outward signs of faith,so the only way to know what a person believes is to ask them or stalk them and see what church they go to. So how can you say a certain faith is not like everyone else? I digress.
Elder Gong, after showing an ad and a local television news clip about the ads,asked people to talk about what experiences they have had. He wanted to hear what effect the ads had and was genuinely interested in what people had to say. He had assistants ready with microphones to go to people willing to share.
There were many stories. A man who brought gas for a stranded driver, refusing to take payment and explaining that he was Mormon and happy to help. Another gentleman got though some of the beginning lessons about the church on a car ride with a coworker. My favourite was a nurse who heard one coworker say his name and end with "and I am not a Mormon." She said, "We can fix that." There were others.
It seems that the ads are working. there is also a website, Mormon.org, where people can see profiles of church members (members are encouraged to post profiles), find information about what LDS church members believe and even chat with a Missionary. Elder Gong pointed out that given the choice people would prefer to connect with someone they can relate to. I would agree, I do remember the older ads. (Yes, this is not the first time the LDS has done ads.) These are much more personable and the website is user friendly. (Even for me who is not good with computers.) It's a good place for the curious to look.
Elder Gong gave a very good talk. Several times during his talk he mimicked the ads. He is a Ph. D. and an advisor to Presidents. He is Gerrit Gong and he is a Mormon. He likes to climb trees and sometimes walls, he has been to Antarctica and threw a Frisbee there. He is Gerrit Gong and he is a Mormon. He is a husband, father,grandfather, and (I think ) the 35th generation in his family. He is Gerrit Gong and he is a Mormon. In other words, just like everyone else.
Information about Elder Gong taken from the Wikipedia website. I have recollected Elder Gong's Saturday evening talk to the best of my abilities. Any errors are mine. I welcome all corrections to the above column.
Elder Gong was called to his position in the church this past April. He is 56 years old and married with four sons. He was educated at Brigham Young University and Oxford where he obtained his Ph.D. He was worked for the State Department and the United States Embassy in China. He was also a professor at Georgetown and Johns Hopkins Universities.
One would think that reading the above paragraph a dry talk was in store. College professors have a stereotype of being rather stuffy,delivering boring "I know it all" type lectures.
Elder Gong does not fit into the stereotype.
His talk on Saturday was on the LDS ads that have been aired on television and radio recently. If you live in one of the nine markets where these are being aired you may have heard one. If not the ads feature people who talk about their lives, hobbies,professions,beliefs and end by saying their name and the phrase "and I am a Mormon."
There has been some speculation about these ads. Some say that it is an effort to refresh the Church's image after the bad publicity following California's Proposition 8. Some thought it an effort to rebut certain television shows featuring polygamous families that might hint at a connection to the LDS Church. There have even been a few who think it is paving the way for Mitt Romney to run for President in 2012.
According to Elder Gong, the purpose of the ads are to correct misconceptions about the church and it's members. They can also help make it easier for people to get information about the church and to facilitate conversations between members and others about the Church. In other words, we are just like everyone else.
I must admit I was taken aback. I can't wrap my head around the concept that someone would think that LDS church members are different from everyone else. I know people of many faiths, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist, Jehovah's Witness, Methodist,Quaker and LDS. I've also known a few Wiccans, an atheist and an agnostic. They look and act just like everyone else. With the exception of a few,most people do not wear outward signs of faith,so the only way to know what a person believes is to ask them or stalk them and see what church they go to. So how can you say a certain faith is not like everyone else? I digress.
Elder Gong, after showing an ad and a local television news clip about the ads,asked people to talk about what experiences they have had. He wanted to hear what effect the ads had and was genuinely interested in what people had to say. He had assistants ready with microphones to go to people willing to share.
There were many stories. A man who brought gas for a stranded driver, refusing to take payment and explaining that he was Mormon and happy to help. Another gentleman got though some of the beginning lessons about the church on a car ride with a coworker. My favourite was a nurse who heard one coworker say his name and end with "and I am not a Mormon." She said, "We can fix that." There were others.
It seems that the ads are working. there is also a website, Mormon.org, where people can see profiles of church members (members are encouraged to post profiles), find information about what LDS church members believe and even chat with a Missionary. Elder Gong pointed out that given the choice people would prefer to connect with someone they can relate to. I would agree, I do remember the older ads. (Yes, this is not the first time the LDS has done ads.) These are much more personable and the website is user friendly. (Even for me who is not good with computers.) It's a good place for the curious to look.
Elder Gong gave a very good talk. Several times during his talk he mimicked the ads. He is a Ph. D. and an advisor to Presidents. He is Gerrit Gong and he is a Mormon. He likes to climb trees and sometimes walls, he has been to Antarctica and threw a Frisbee there. He is Gerrit Gong and he is a Mormon. He is a husband, father,grandfather, and (I think ) the 35th generation in his family. He is Gerrit Gong and he is a Mormon. In other words, just like everyone else.
Information about Elder Gong taken from the Wikipedia website. I have recollected Elder Gong's Saturday evening talk to the best of my abilities. Any errors are mine. I welcome all corrections to the above column.
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