Chesterfield County Library Director Mike Mabe takes on role as area leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Stake President Mike Mabe, center, with first counselor Jamil Corbitt (left) and Duane Stafford (right)

On November 18th, CCPL Director Michael R. Mabe accepted the call to be the new stake president of the Richmond Virginia Chesterfield Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The change in area leadership was announced at the church’s semiannual Chesterfield Stake Conference, which was held at Hopewell High School to better accommodate the large number of local Latter-day Saints in attendance for the historic meeting. Leaders from the Church’s headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah—including Area Seventy Elder Richard J. DeVries and Elder Robert C. Gay of the Presidency of the Seventy—presided at the meeting.

President Mabe replaces James Matthew Scott as the leader of the stake, which comprises nine different Latter-day Saint congregations south of Richmond down to the North Carolina border, totaling about 3,266 members. President Mabe selected Jamil Khalid Corbitt, of Chester, and Duane Stafford, of Chesterfield, to serve as counselors with him in the presidency.

Former President Scott, who served as stake president for the past nine years, said, “It has been a time of great love, learning and service. We sought to inspire others to exercise faith in Jesus Christ, to repent, and to stay faithful. I received the love of many during my service and it has blessed me and my family.  I'm certain President Mabe will enjoy this same support.”

When asked about balancing his job as Executive Director of Chesterfield County Public Libraries and being a stake president for the Church, President Mabe said, “Chesterfield County encourages its employees to volunteer in the community.  Over the years that I have volunteered at CCPL, I have used my professional skills as a librarian and an administrator in a number of training, teaching, and leadership assignments.” Some of those previous assignments have included serving as a bishop (pastor), a director of public affairs, and as a full-time missionary for the Church.

With the exception of the highest levels of church leadership, all clergy within the Church of Jesus Christ are lay clergy. They receive calls to serve based on divine inspiration, and most serve in the Church while also holding full-time employment outside of the Church. Church leaders conducted dozens of interviews with several local Church leaders before extending the calls to President Mabe and his counselors.

President Scott said, “There is no politicking, no consensus building, and no predetermined outcomes.  Two priesthood leaders who live outside our area and have had little contact with members of our Stake interview a select group of leaders and then prayerfully consider those who they feel inclined to recommend to God.  They listen to the Spirit, and when confirmed they call the new stake president.  This is consistent with how Jesus Christ organized his Church and it’s a wonderful witness to us today that this is His Church and He directs it.”

Members of the Church on the Chesterfield Stake News Facebook page expressed their support of the new leadership through comments of congratulations, praise, and gratitude for the new presidency.

President Mabe said of the assignment, “I feel humbled and overwhelmed.”

This change in local leadership follows the April announcement made by President Russell M. Nelson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that the Church would be building a temple in Richmond, Virginia. Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ are widely known as impressive and beautiful landmarks and reverent places of worship, with notable east coast examples being the Washington D.C. Temple, and the Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple.

Richmond Latter-day Saints Travel to North Carolina to Begin Massive Hurricane Relief Effort

Tents pitched outside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New Bern, North Carolina, where 275 Richmond volunteers camped while they helped with hurricane cleanup efforts.

375 members and friends of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from the Richmond, Virginia area traveled to Eastern North Carolina over the weekend of September 28th-September 30th to provide much-needed disaster cleanup assistance to residents in hurricane-ravaged New Bern and Harkers Island. The weekend was the first in an ongoing effort by The Church of Jesus Christ to assist North Carolina residents with Hurricane Florence cleanup. An additional 230 Latter-day Saint volunteers from Virginia Beach were deployed to Morehead City and Harkers Island locations as well.

Tents pitched outside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New Bern, North Carolina, where 275 Richmond volunteers camped while they helped with hurricane cleanup efforts.

Richmond Latter-day Saints camped in tents outside of the New Bern and Harkers Island Church of Jesus Christ buildings, which have been converted into disaster relief command centers for the areas. Volunteers were responsible for their own food and accommodations during the weekend.

Richmond volunteers from the Mormon Helping Hands (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) help remove a fallen tree from the yard of a New Bern resident in North Carolina.

Administrative volunteers used CrisisCleanup.org to claim work orders that were prioritized by need, then assigned jobs to work crews made up of approximately ten volunteers each. The Church provided tools such as wheelbarrows, shovels, crowbars, and chainsaws to each team to facilitate mucking out homes and clearing debris. Most volunteers brought their own sturdy boots and work gloves. Volunteers were also provided with yellow "Mormon Helping Hands" vests and shirts to clearly identify them as organized volunteers on work sites.

A boat sits in front of a home in New Bern, North Carolina, after Hurricane Florence flooded the area with five feet of water. 

Kathy Moore's home, on the banks of the Neuse River in New Bern, was flooded with five feet of water from the storm, and when the water receded it left muck six inches deep inside and out, along with debris from neighbors' homes, including part of a deck, a shed roof, furniture, lawn decorations, and a hot tub. Moore said that Hurricane Florence was, in a word, "devastating," and that the damage to her home left her feeling "numb, sad, broken-hearted."

Richmond volunteers from the Mormon Helping Hands (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) with New Bern resident John Rol. Volunteers mucked out Rol's home, which was flooded with six feet of water from Hurricane Florence.

When asked how she felt when the Mormon Helping Hands volunteers arrived to help, Moore said, "Relief. I can't say enough about the compassion and awareness for seeing what the needs were and responding so quickly to it all and expecting nothing in return." Moore also said she hopes the work will continue. "[The effect of the] hurricane is far from over. People still need a lot—a lot of help with cleanup and repairs."

Sandra Molko, of Lawrenceville, Virginia, volunteered with the Latter-day Saints from Chesterfield. She said of the experience, “My heart was overwhelmed with gratitude to be able to be of service to many of those people who had lost everything. This is what the Church is all about... service and love to our brothers and sisters in need.”

Richmond volunteers from the Mormon Helping Hands (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) serving New Bern residents over the weekend of September 29-30 2018.

Virginia volunteers gave a total of 5,584 man-hours of service on Saturday and Sunday, completing work orders for nearly 200 homes.

Richmond volunteers from the Mormon Helping Hands (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) help push a flood-damaged car from the garage of a New Bern resident in North Carolina. 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will continue to operate command centers for weekend cleanup efforts in Eastern North Carolina until the work is completed, with a goal to have 1,000 volunteers in the state every weekend through the end of November. Those interested in assisting with the Church's relief efforts can find out more at JustServeNC.org, or email JustServeNC@gmail.com.

Richmond volunteers gather for a brief church service at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New Bern, North Carolina, on Sunday morning, September 30th, before going out into the community to help with hurricane cleanup efforts.

Latter-day Saint Teens Spruce Up Petersburg Park and High School

On Friday, July 13, forty-four teen members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ages 14-18 and twenty-one adult leaders from Chesterfield, Chester, Colonial Heights, and Petersburg gathered together in a volunteer effort to clean up Poplar Lawn Park and paint the interior of Petersburg High School. The event was part of the youth group's annual Youth Conference held from July 12-14 at Richard Bland College. This year's theme was "Serving God by Serving Others." 

When asked why youth and leaders chose these particular service projects, leader Whitney Royster said, "We wanted them to be able to see the direct impact they would have on the community and help them increase their desire to serve and have a positive impact where they live."

The teens attending the conference were divided into two groups so that both projects could happen simultaneously. Leaders and older youth coordinated with Petersburg community leaders, including Mayor Parham and Deputy City Manager Darnetta Tyus, to identify local needs and arrange transportation for the youth.

At Petersburg High School, the teens taped off cabinets, light switches, and door frames and then painted a total of six rooms in the building. It took the group a little over two hours.

Tyson Tross, 14, who participated in painting the high school said, "I liked how even though it wasn't backbreaking work, it was still hard stuff that many kids hadn't done before, and I liked knowing that we were helping out people who had a huge job ahead of them, and we were able to help them get it done."

At Poplar Lawn Park on Sycamore Street, city workers provided the teens with rakes, gloves, and trash bags. The group completed an overall park cleanup, as well as cleaning and painting the fence and fountain. Several neighbors of the park approached the group to express gratitude for their hard work.

Petersburg resident Rick Strom, whose home borders Poplar Lawn Park, offered the use of his facilities to the group as they worked. He said, "You hear so many negative things about this area and the people in this area, but it's a pleasure to see well-organized, well-disciplined youth that have a purpose, and that youth group just exemplified that. They just went to work and did a fantastic job."

Isabell French, 15, who helped with the tidying of the park said, "During the service project I got to feel and see how cleaning the community can benefit the community. Many people driving by smiled and thanked us for our service. The peace I felt while serving those people was extreme. I definitely would do it again."

As part of the conference, leaders also encouraged the teens to serve one another by doing secret acts of service. In addition to the service project, the conference also included group games, daily devotionals, guest speakers, dance lessons, and a dance. The conference concluded with a meeting where youth shared their feelings about the three-day experience.

Tross said, "It was awesome. I wish I could go back."

Tri-Stake Firefighter Appreciation Day 2018

by Kasey Tross, Assistant Director of Chesterfield Stake Public Affairs, Media Relations

Fire and water may not mix, but despite heavy rains across Richmond over May 17th-19th, over 300 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) from across the Richmond area gathered at the LDS church building on Pump Road on Saturday morning, May 19th, for the church's Firefighter Appreciation Day.

Church leaders presented fire department representatives from Chesterfield, Henrico, Hanover, and the City of Richmond with 250 smoke alarms purchased using $3,750 donated by church members across the four localities. Fire departments will use the donated alarms to provide working smoke detectors to underserved households in their communities.

Following Saturday's event, over a hundred volunteers from the LDS Church dispersed to deliver care packages containing treats, cards, and signed posters of appreciation to forty firehouses across the Richmond area. 

 Church leaders and members hope to hold similar events to honor local first responders and other community public servants in the future.

A Day in the Life of a Philadelphia Temple Bus Patron

Here's the info about the trip and the basic schedule for the day (although this is for our upcoming October trip). In the following pictures and captions, you'll see what it's like to be a patron on the Philadelphia Temple bus!

Around 9:15am: Everyone checks in with Brother Ruckart and loads their temple clothes and anything else they won't need on the drive up into the storage compartment under the bus. Our driver helps us get everything situated. 

9:32am: Everyone is settled in and we're on our way to Philadelphia! Most people chat with seat mates, read, sleep, or watch videos on the way up. The bus has Wi-Fi, so you have internet access the whole trip, even if your device doesn't have a data plan. 

12:00pm: The temple bus makes a quick stop at a highway rest area so everyone can get out and stretch their legs and use the restroom. The bus has a restroom as well, but we try to save it just for emergencies. Once we get back on the bus, most of us will eat the lunch we packed so we can be ready to go to work when we arrive at the temple.

2:30pm: We've arrived safely at the Philadelphia temple. We're a little behind schedule, but it's okay because we've allowed some extra time just for that reason. 

We have some time to relax in the beautiful Arrival Center before the temple opens at 3pm for our scheduled sessions that begin at 4pm. Many of us use the opportunity to walk around and take photos of the lovely Philadelphia temple.

From 3pm to 7:30 we spend our time serving in the House of the Lord doing baptisms for our ancestors, along with initiatory ordinances, endowments, and sealings. It's such a privilege to be able to serve our loved ones on the other side of the veil and worship with them.

It's 7:45pm and we've had a beautiful day in the House of the Lord. We meet up with the rest of the group at the Arrival Center and wait for the bus to arrive to pick us up at the curb.

As the sun sets, we board the bus and prepare for another relaxing ride as we travel back to Richmond. We won't arrive home until after midnight, but that just means that the traffic will be lighter and we can close our eyes and rest on the way home, grateful for a successful first temple bus trip to Philadelphia.

If you'd like to be a part of one of the upcoming temple bus trips, here's some more information:

We'd love to have you along!