Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 3, 1991 TAG: 9103010106
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-6 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: JUDITH SCHWAB/ SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: PEMBROKE LENGTH: Long
Because the Mormon Church emphasizes responsibility, both spiritual and temporal, all its buildings are paid for before they are dedicated. In this case, that's $2.5 million worth of responsibility. But the 3,000 members of the New River Stake did not have to raise that much cash.
The church headquarters in Salt Lake City required a demonstrated need from the congregation before it would grant permission for the building, and asked for only 4 percent of the cost from the members. Since the New River Stake project began in November 1989, the church has changed its policy and no longer requires any funds from the members.
The Stake Center will be used for services for the New River Ward - the Pembroke and Pearisburg congregation - but its major use will be as a headquarters and site for regional conferences, church business and community activities.
The building consists of a huge open area surrounded by smaller rooms used for offices and classes. Ward members Eugene and Ross Martin of Pembroke and Bob Wilburn of Pearisburg said the space would be used for basketball games, plays and dances.
"We don't build something and have it just sittin' there," Ross Martin said.
The building is a sprawling block, steel and brick construction designed to withstand earthquakes, Eugene Martin said as he pointed out the oak door frames in one of the unfinished rooms. All church buildings are designed to expand as congregations grow.
Because Mormon temples are closed to non-Mormons - actually they're off-limits to many Mormons as well - many people tend to think other Mormon buildings also are closed to outsiders. Not true. A sign in front of the new center reads: "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Visitors Welcome."
"The center really will be a community resource," said Blair Meldrum, president of the New River Stake and associate dean of academic affairs at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech.
In addition to sporting and cultural events, the Family History Center with its 25,000 microfiches will be available to the public for genealogical study, Meldrum said.
The New River Stake, which has slightly more than 3,000 members, is composed of 11 wards or branches. There are 15 stakes in Virginia, which are like parishes or individual congregations.
The boundaries of the New River Stake extend into Beckley, W.Va., on the north, Galax to the south, Montgomery County to the east and Richlands to the west.
The Stake is led by a president - an administrative and clerical position - who can be called on to make executive decisions or marry people.
It also includes two counselors, an executive secretary, three clerks and a high council of 12 men. Although Mormons have priests and bishops, they are lower in rank than the president.
None of the clergy is paid. In fact, few, if any, staff members are paid. The members of the church are given duties to perform as volunteers - another method of achieving economic stability by keeping costs down. Meldrum said he usually works 25 to 30 hours a week for the church.
A welfare plan established by the church in 1936 set up a system that encourages "independence, industry, thrift and self-respect," according to information provided by the church.
"We like to look after as many of our needs as we possibly can," Meldrum said.
Mormons take their tithing commitments seriously. They also have a well-established method for keeping the wolf from both the family and community doors.
Wilburn explained the Mormons' monthly fast offering: The congregation is asked to skip two meals within a 24-hour period, and then give the cost of those meals to the church.
"It gives their digestive systems a rest," Ross Martin said with a grin.
Since the late 1930s, the church has instituted a welfare program that encourages people "to keep on hand in their own homes a reasonable supply of food, clothing and other essentials against the time when problems occur," Meldrum said.
The church recommends relying on "self first, then other family members, and, if they can't help the family, they come to the church as a third line of defense," he said.
The church doesn't believe that anyone should get something for nothing, and those who receive assistance are expected to work if they are able.
"Do something; cut the grass at the church," Meldrum said. Supplies kept in what's called "the Bishop's Storehouse" in more populated areas are often released to those in need during disasters. The Mormons work closely with the Red Cross when distributing to the general community, he said.
The Family History Center, directed by Ross Martin, is an important part of Mormon spiritual life.
"We're very interested in genealogy because we believe in the eternal nature of the family unit," Meldrum said. "Families can be together in the life after this one."
In addition to the microfiche records and equipment for reading them, the center is staffed with volunteers to help people get started tracing their roots. Access to the hundreds of millions of records at the church's Salt Lake City genealogical library also is available to the public. The only cost is for mailing requested records from the Utah library, Meldrum said.
Although Mormons are associated with the Western United States, Wilburn said there were Mormon missionaries in Giles County in 1844 and a congregation at Mountain Lake in 1898.
Eugene Martin said Mormons met in his grandfather's carpentry shop at the end of the last century. Wilburn said Mormons met in homes and whatever space they could find until the membership was big enough to begin erecting their own buildings.
The Wilburn and Martin families have been Mormons since the first Giles congregations.
"We've been working for this for a long time," Wilburn said.
Religion correspondent Frances Stebbins contributed information for this story.
by CNB