MCLEAN, Va. — Bishops in the McLean Virginia Stake are accepting responsibilities for ward missionary efforts.
While missionary work can be accomplished in many ways, they participated in a door-to-door effort instituted a few months ago by a high priests group in the stake in which residents were asked questions dealing with religion and family.
In addition, six bishops from the stake joined about 100 of their youth on the morning of May 18 in a recent proselytizing effort. Among them was President Kent Colton of the stake. President Colton and his companion, Bill Ingersoll, knocked on 18 doors and were met with limited interest. But on the next door they met a young businessman who had been in the area for three months.
He said he read the Bible and was looking for the right church. After an explanation about the Restoration, the young man accepted an invitation to hear the first missionary discussion in President Colton's home.
The youth and their leaders approached some 2,000 residents, 74 of whom requested missionaries take them a copy of the Book of Mormon.
Like others in the Church, the McLean stake is following the First Presidency's directive to release stake missionaries and organize missionary work under the direction of the bishop. From their experience, early results indicate an increase in effectiveness as well as newfound enthusiasm.
Bishop Royal Shipp of the Bella Vista Ward organized about one-third of those who went door-to-door that day with the assistance of Danny Montoya, ward mission leader.
In the months prior to the youth proselytizing effort, 24 high priests in the McLean 2nd Ward had knocked on 500 doors and gathered 120 referrals, with missionaries being able to contact about 80 percent of them. Four baptisms resulted from their contacts.
In one case, a young man from Brazil answered the door. After some discussion, the high priest who knocked on the door arranged for a missionary from Brazil serving in the Washington D.C. Mission to attend the next visit.
"They had a wonderful visit," said Mark W. Cannon, chairman of the high priests missionary committee. "The parents came to Church the next weekend and were baptized two months later."
"Participants said that any discouragement they felt was overcome by meeting the occasional honest in heart," said Brother Cannon. "And they found the warm feeling that comes of doing the Lord's work."
