Section 51

Edward Partridge was the Church’s first bishop in this dispensation.  He had the stewardship for the saints moving into Ohio.  The Lord wanted him to help the new families locate a place to live and to help them get enough food and shelter.  He commanded Bishop Partridge to organize a bishop’s storehouse.  We likewise administer to the wards’ temporal needs through the bishops.  When I was a bishop in Laramie my ward had about 350 members.  If anyone in the ward could not provide enough food for their family, it was my responsibility to use the fast offering funds to assist them.  The same for other needs such as rent, car payments, gas, repairs, utility bills, medical bills, and the like.  If we had not received enough money from our ward’s fast offerings, then the bills would be sent to the stake president and paid for through surplus funds from other wards.  In some cases, bills would be sent to church headquarters in Salt Lake.  It amazed me how generous and giving my ward members were with their care for the poor and needy in our ward.  Rarely did I seek more funds than we had raised in our ward.  I was also humbled by the knowledge that the Lord wants all of his children everywhere to have their basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter met.  I have been very proud of our members for sending enough fast offerings to the church to help all over the world with humanitarian aid.