YOUR ANGEL MOTHER IS A TIMES-NEWS CELEB

SBJ just completed her Relief Society Room decorating project and was interviewed about it by the paper. Please enjoy the pix and the article. This room is a very special place - one that invites you in and makes you want to stay due to the scared nature and beauty of the surroundings. Your angel mother is AWESOME!!! love...pops



Rebecca Smith, right, Betty Jo Quigley, center, and Carol Morgan unwrap Simon Dewey prints Friday morning that will adorn the walls of the new Church of Latter-day Saints chapel on Hankins Road in Twin Falls. 'This Sunday is going to be very interesting,' says Morgan of the church service where she and other members will see who makes up the new ward. An open house is scheduled for Jan. 12.





Mormons invite community to open house at new chapel
By Ariel Hansen Times-News writer


To anyone who has been to a Mormon chapel, the new structure on Hankins Road in Twin Falls will look familiar - the brick facade with white trim and the subdued interior colors were chosen from a set of standard options the church offers its wards.

And to those who have been following the growth of the church, the reason the chapel was needed is also familiar - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is gaining new members so fast that it has added a new ward in Twin Falls and two new wards in Kimberly, where another new chapel is planned.

Wards serve between 350 and 700 people, said Twin Falls Stake President Kent Allen, who anticipated that a new chapel would be needed and recommended to church leadership to build it.

"That growth was certainly recognized for several years as we saw the building in town," Allen said. And while Twin Falls County population has grown 11 percent in the past seven years, Allen estimates the growth in the Twin Falls Stake to be closer to 7 percent each year.

"What I'm most excited about is the wards will be of more manageable size and more people will have the opportunity to serve," Allen said. "People need to be needed, to know they have something to offer.

"Members of the congregation are called to serve in various capacities, from leading Sunday school classes to serving as bishop or bishopric counselor. When congregations are large, there are fewer chances for each individual.

The bishop also likes to spend time with each family in the ward, Allen said, and the larger the ward the more difficult this is, as the bishops are not paid and conduct these visits on their own time.

"We're just excited because we've been growing so fast," said Betty Jo Quigley, president of the stake's relief society. "When you get so big, it's hard to involve every person.

"More than 70 women in the relief society were involved in creating a special item for the new chapel - a quilt that symbolizes what the society offers to its members and to others.

Symbols on the quilt, designed by ward member Marsha Buccambuso, include: the tree of life; a log cabin design, representing home and hearth; hearts and hands, for friendship; flying geese, representing the faith pioneer women had to follow their leaders to the West; sago lilies, for purity and patience; baskets for the hope for bountiful harvests; fans representing generations of Mormon women; hearts connected with a vine that represents Christ; and doves for peace. The quilt will hang in the relief society room at the new chapel.

"There are quite a few of us who are not genuine quilters," said ward member Carol Morgan. She enjoyed the quilting bees that brought the women together, though, and said the flaws in the piece make it more memorable. "I was impressed with the work that had gone into it.

"It's not perfectly quilted, and expert quilters would probably pick it apart, but that's part of the legacy," Quigley said.

It's a legacy of passion for faith that Allen sees manifested around him in southern Idaho.

"The people here in Twin Falls are very faithful, very dedicated, very devout," Allen said. "Religious growth is good. It's good for communities, whether it's our faith or another.

"The chapel was authorized and financed through the Salt Lake City-based church's leadership. Allen said he doesn't know how much the building cost to construct or furnish, as all expenditures were paid at the church's general level.

"The cost of the pew, I have no idea," he said. He noted that all Mormon chapels and temples are built using tithing funds that come in from across the globe, so each building has been funded by the entire membership. "In that sense, every member of the church has claim to this building.

"The structure and its parking lot and landscaping will be maintained by the church, he said, so neighbors needn't worry that it will be a detriment to the area.

Allen invites the public to come to the chapel's open house Jan. 12, to see the new building and talk to congregation members. He especially hopes that people who live in the Hankins Road neighborhood will attend.

"We really want the neighbors to come, those of our faith and not," he said. "We hope that they recognize this beautiful edifice in their backyard.

"Allen said he expects about 400 visitors during the open house, many of whom will likely be Mormons from other wards and stakes, but non-Mormons are welcome and the event is not intended for proselytization.

Although there is no date set yet to officially dedicate the chapel, the first services will be held Sunday, and new chapel officials will be installed. They have been chosen but not announced.

"It's exciting for everyone, not just the congregations that will meet here," Allen said.