On February 15, 1998 at the Temple City congregation there will be a mass meeting of the Melchisedec from 3:00 to 5:00 pm. The meeting will provide an opportunity for dialogue on Transformation 2000 and how it might be understood and effectively utilized in congregations and GLAS.

Other events for Melchisedec Priesthood during 1998 include the following. On Sunday April 19, 1998 there will be a Melchisedec Priesthood mass dialogue session to consider any remaining topics from the February meeting plus discussion of World Conference items. On May 1-3 there will be an Aaronic/Melchisedec Priesthood retreat with Mojave District. Finally a High Priest retreat has been tentatively scheduled for September 25-27 at Buckhorn with San Diego and Mojave districts. Since the present president of the High Priest Quorum, Paul Edwards, has recently retired from world church appointment, we hope to arrange to have his probable successor to meet with us in Southern California in a retreat setting. This can’t be finalized until World Conference.

Beginning January 1 the "Committee for Enabling Participation in Activities" or CEPA has a new name. CEPA will now stand for "Congregations Enabling Participation in Activities." The name change is keyed on the fact that instead of applications being sent to the Stake for funding, the new program will be congregationally centered. All the processing of requests will be at the congregation level or for groups through Henrietta Kaleikau, with either the pastor, stewardship commissioner, or Henrietta doing the final approvals. CEPA funds are available to help any person attend any Stake function for which there is a registration fee. The one exception is Spectacular at Graceland College which has a separate funding source in the Stake budget. CEPA will pay 50% of costs with a maximum limit of $200 per person or $500 per family during any given calendar year. Over the last two years CEPA has made participation possible for a number of youth and adults in the various activities of the Stake. We look forward to this continuing opportunity in the new program.

On March 8, 1998 there will be a meeting of all delegates for the 1998 World Conference at the Temple City congregation at 3:00 pm. The meeting is intended to preview the resolutions which will be considered at the conference and prepare the delegate to have a successful experience in Independence.

Although the priority of the meeting is to empower delegates, other interested persons are welcome to sit in on the meeting.

The 1998 Greater Los Angeles Stake Reunion has been scheduled for July 11-18 at Camp Buckhorn. Apostle Jac Kirkpatrick will be our guest minister. This year’s theme is "Transforming Community with Christ." If it’s been a while since you’ve been to reunion, why not plan now to attend. Contact Lesley at the Stake Office (800) 454-2222 to make your reservation.

California State University at San Bernardino is sponsoring the eleventh annual Morrow-McCombs Memorial Lecture on Wednesday, February 18, 1998 at 7:30 pm in the Recital Hall of the Creative Arts Building on the campus. This year the lectureship will feature a dialogue between Hugh Hewitt and Rabbi Daniel Lapin, "What Christians and Jews Should Know About Each Other . . . But Are Afraid to Ask."

The event is free but there is a $1.50 parking fee. A light reception will immediately follow the lecture. We encourage all persons to consider attending this event. It is within the spirit of Transformation 2000 which calls for articulating a theology of peace and justice which would necessarily include a greater appreciation of and participation in interfaith dialogue.

The Thunderbird West Congregation of the Arizona District will hold its Winter Reunion from Sunday, February 9 through Friday, February 13.

Guest ministers will be President Kenneth Robinson and Apostle Alex Kahtava.

Registration brochures are available at the Stake Office. Just call 800/454-2222 and we’ll mail one to you.

During December and January the members of the GLAS program staff and Stake High Council met in two retreats - one in Orange County and one in Santa Barbara. Both retreats provided time for discussion of various stake and world church concerns with attention given to Transformation 2000. Last October there was a "Round Table Meeting" in which congregational leaders were asked to provide input for the setting of the 1998 GLAS Goals and Objectives. The two retreats considered the input from the "Round Table Meeting" and the goals and objectives of the Stake staff have been adjusted accordingly. The resulting overall staff goal statement is as follows:

The Greater Los Angeles Stake staff goal for 1998 is stated in one word - Transformation. We understand this to mean that we will nurture persons on their spiritual journeys. The Transformation process will be embodied in the following commitments of ministry:

The International Academic Center Corporation (a Japanese non-profit organization) is looking for host families in Orange, Anaheim, Anaheim Hills, and Tustin areas for Japanese students who wish to learn and experience an American way of life. Duration of stay is one week to three months. Compensation to host family for one (1) month is $650.

Please contact David or Dianne Terauchi at 714/974-7825 for information or to register.

Three Sundays in February, the 8^th, 15^th, and 22^nd, have been set aside for a series of sermons and discussions on marriage and family. A.J. and Ruth Goodwin will be the presenters at the 11:00 am services.

The topics are: Marriage Isn’t A Partnership, Marriage Myopia, and And Then There Were Three-or More. While the discussions will be presented in the context of the family unit, information to be presented has broader applications. All are welcome to attend.

The RLDS church in Galesburg, Illinois is seeking applicants for the position of Youth Director paying $20,000/year with hospital and medical benefits for the person only.

They are looking for a person with youth director experiences, maturity, college training, and who meets world church reference checks. Good people skills and good personality is a must.

If interested contact Dr. William Abel, 814 Florence Avenue, Gales-burg, IL 61401; phone 309/343-1552; fax 309/343-6457; E-mail abel@galesburg.net.