Marriage can be hard at times. Parenting is always hard. Neither comes with a manual and yet both are so impactful to our general well-being, mental health, and testimony. And this is especially true through periods of extended external stress, as we have all experienced during the ongoing pandemic. If you are like me, your family—whatever its composition—is the most important group of people in your life. Like all things of value, we should invest the time and effort into strengthening our families and developing the skills which will help us foster stable and happy family relationships no matter what phase of life you or your loved ones are in.

In an effort to help each of you strengthen your marriages and families at this time, the ward will begin offering the Church’s Marriage and Family Relations class via online webinars beginning in August. We will hold two or more classes concurrently to help accommodate schedules and specific needs. The classes are divided into two sections: Strengthening Marriages and Parents’ Responsibilities to Strengthen Families. Each section is covered in 8 weeks, so the class lasts for 16 weeks in total. One class will begin with the Strengthening Marriage section and the other will start with the Parents’ Responsibilities to Strengthen Families section. You may choose to attend all 16 weeks, or you might choose to attend only the section most relevant to your circumstances. These classes are open to everyone. I recommend this course for newly-weds, oldly-weds, soon-to-be-weds, hopeful-weds, single parents, adoptive parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. Please look for more information regarding days, times, and sign-ups from the Sunday School in the coming days.

On a personal note, Cami and I took this class early in our marriage. It was one of the best classes we ever took. We learned skills that we use every day to build our marriage and our family. Truth be told, I am excited to take the class again to brush up on those skills, and maybe pick up some new skills now that our children are older. In other words, everyone could find value in these courses. They are not just for those who are experiencing great stress in their relationships or are struggling to figure out how to raise their kids.

Finally, on a somewhat related note, Brother Seth Hewett was called and sustained as a Gospel Doctrine teacher this last Sunday. If anyone who was not assigned to attend last week is opposed to this action, please reach out to me, otherwise Brother Hewett is now active in this calling. Also, as a gentle reminder, families whose last name begins with M through R and T are invited to attend Sacrament Meeting at 1pm this Sunday.

Faithfully yours,

Bishop Ty Kenworthy