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Hi I'm Anna

I was a vicar's wife and an anti-cult campaigner - now I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I'm a mum of three lovely daughters, I work for a legal charity and I'm also a writer.

Why I am a Mormon

When I was 14 I started going to an evangelical church and became a Christian. But although others around me had deep spiritual experiences, I could never really feel in touch with God. When I was 19 a friend told me that she had joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I had always been taught that the Mormon religion was a cult, and not really Christian. I bought anti-Mormon books and began a campaign against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I distributed flyers, printed an anti-Mormon book, and gave talks. I married a Vicar and my husband supported my efforts. However over the years the more I discovered about the LDS Church, the more I wished my church was like it. I saw that my own faith didn't measure up to that of the Mormons I had met. After some time I began to feel guilty about what I was doing. I called the missionaries and apologised for persecuting them. The missionaries challenged me to pray and ask God what He would have me do. When I did I felt a sudden rush of knowledge and certainty and love and peace. I knew that I had known for years that it was true, and that the person I had been trying to convince otherwise all this time was myself. I had the sort of spiritual experience I had been longing for since I was 14. Since that time I have felt the Holy Spirit guiding me each day, and have finally been able to know God in such a wonderful way. I was interviewed for baptism by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, and love being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I still enjoy visiting other churches, but I don't feel the spirit there the way I do in the Church of Jesus Christ, and I know where God wants me to be, and what He wants me to do.

How I live my faith

Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints means serving others in many different ways. It really stretches your abilities and it can be hard work! I have led the organisations for the children and young women, taught adult Sunday School classes, and represented the Church in our community.

What is being a Mormon like?

Anna
Hard work, but ultimately very satisfying. Because we all serve in the Church there is always something to be done. Someone once told me that when you join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints you have to accept that you will spend a lot of money on petrol, and will be very busy! I love it though, and get back far more than I put in. Show more Show less

Why don’t women hold the priesthood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? How do Mormon women lead in the Church?

Anna
When I was a member of the Anglican church I was fully in support of women priests. Now that I am LDS I see things differently. I have come to realise that my calling as a woman is to nurture and raise my children, to uplift others and to maintain peace and harmony. To be honest, I'd rather have that responsibility than the priesthood. I respect and honour the priesthood, but it isn't part of my life's mission because I have something just as important to do. I have held several leadership positions in the Church including Primary President, Ward Young Women President, Sunday School Teacher and Stake Public Affairs Rep. I now serve as Stake Young Women President. Show more Show less

Do Mormons only help Mormons?

Anna
Not at all! At the moment I am getting together a group of volunteers from the Church to fix and paint part of the local school, and we also help another church run its soup kitchen. We do projects like this regularly in our local area. Show more Show less

Why are only some Mormons allowed into temples? Is there something secret going on in Mormon Temples? What goes on in Mormon Temples?

Anna
The nearest equivalent I can think of is that it's like when a nun or monk takes vows. In the Temple we make promises to God, and we are given blessings and revelation in return. It's intensely personal and private and special. It's not something we'd want an audience for, and it's only for those who fully understand and appreciate it, and are ready to take on those commitments for themselves, and later for their loved ones who have died. Show more Show less

What is a ward/stake/branch?

Anna
I used to be an Anglican so in Anglican terms think ward or branch=parish and stake=diocese. One major difference though is that no one is paid in the LDS church. Those who hold leadership positions in the ward or stake are all doing it because God has called them to, and not for money. That applies to everyone from a nursery leader in a small branch to the President of a large stake. Show more Show less

Do Mormons worship Joseph Smith?

Anna
Absolutely not! We know that he was an ordinary, fallible man. We know that he made plenty of mistakes and errors in judgement because, poor guy, many of them are documented in church records along with God's rebukes! He was given an incredibly difficult task to fulfill, and he did so at great personal sacrifice, including losing his own life finally. So we admire him and honour what he did, and hope that we will be able to bear the burdens of service God places on us, just as Joseph Smith did. Show more Show less

What is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' attitude regarding homosexuality and same sex marriage?

Anna
The Bible is very clear and unequivocal in stating that sexual behaviour with someone of the same gender is wrong. Much as society might like us to accept this as a form of love which doesn't harm anyone else, we believe in the Bible so we are tied to what says, much as other Christians are. We believe that those who honour God and believe the Bible will not engage in this behaviour as a matter of personal conscience. We greatly admire and support those who identify as gay but who choose to live chaste lives in order to keep this commandment, just as we admire and support straight people who live chaste lives because they never have the opportunity to marry. Marriage is a sacred institution ordained of God as a lifelong union between a man and a woman. We don't have the right or authority to redefine what God has put in place, especially not to attempt to use it to validate something which God has said is wrong. However, none of this means that we will be in any way rude, judgemental or unkind to those who do not share our beliefs. We strive to be respectful and loving to all people, including those who are in a gay relationship. We recognise that not all people share our beliefs, and do not judge them based on their private sexual behaviour any more than we would for drinking coffee. Show more Show less