Garrisonville Ward
2022 WARD HISTORY
The Garrisonville Ward presents our 2022 Ward History. In 2022 we returned to full in- person meetings and activities. We held service activities, food drives for SERVE, and
held young men’s and young women’s camps.
As we returned to in-person Sacrament meetings, we no longer required the use of masks and no longer required social distancing. We continued to offer virtual streaming of our Sacrament meeting speakers via Zoom for all of 2022. We returned to the traditional format of conducting Ward and Stake Business first, followed by the Sacrament ordinance, followed by messages from ward members. We mute the virtual microphone during the ordinance of the Sacrament. Members were allowed to seek the Bishop’s approval for administering the Sacrament in their own home.
Second hour block meetings have and continue to operate under the traditional methods. The Ward Council concluded that it was not necessary to offer a virtual option for second hour meetings as the virtual attendance for Sacrament meetings was very low. Additionally, the Come Follow Me program offers families the opportunity to study the lesson together at home.
Weekly activities for youth and primary age children also continued on a regular basis and in-person in 2022. For youth activities, we meet as combined young men together,
combined young women together, individual classes and quorums, and once a month as an entire youth group. We hold opening exercises every week.
Young Men and Young Women participated in Ward Young Women’s and Ward Young Men’s camp. The Young Women held their camp at Camp Catoctin where they participated in hikes, river rafting, and faith building activities. Young men held a high adventure camp at the National Whitewater rafting center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Young men held nightly and morning devotionals along with a variety of high adventure type activities.
For Ward wide sponsored events, the Ward held a Summer Picnic, the traditional Trunk or Treat and the annual Christmas party. The Ward conducted a service activity for the Virginia Day of Service where we cleaned up Falmouth State Park. We also held the annual food drive for S.E.R.V; (we donated over 15,000 lbs of food).
The Garrisonville Ward continues to persevere through the challenges post- pandemic. Ward Members have strong testimonies, are extremely generous with time, talents, and temporal necessities as they minister and care for each other.
Sincerely,
Garrisonville Ward Bishopric
ELDERS QUARUM
Virginia Day of Service Project
The Virginia Day of Service has become a tradition in the Garrisonville Ward over the past 15 years. This year the project was assigned to the Elders Quorum to organize and manage.
Requirements were as follows:
1. Must be something that benefits our local community.
2. Must be safe for entire family to participate in.
3. Must be able to complete in a day
Preparations focused on brainstorming project ideas as an Elders Quorum Presidency. After going through many different ideas, we decided to make some phone calls to
determine points of contact and possible options with key stakeholders. On Monday, 18 July 2022, a phone call was made to Stafford County Parks and
Recreation to determine if there were service opportunities available. After talking with the receptionist, we were directed to the Superintendent. He expressed a desire to help us find a project and took the matter up with his organization. After conferring with his people, he offered to let us clean up either the Historic Port of Falmouth Park, or Aquia Landing Park.
Originally, we chose to clean up the Historic Port of Falmouth Park, but due to widespread excitement based on our flier and word of mouth, we opted to do both parks.
Historic Port of Falmouth Park:
-Pick up litter
-Clear/chop up wooed debris
-Weed-Whack
-Paint concrete parking barriers
- Paint parking space lines- only one can of line paint was made available, so we did what we could.
-Spread new rocks in parking lot (filled potholes until we ran out of millings)
-Clear weeds/overgrowth from wooden fence line
Aquia Landing:
- Pick up litter – due to no pickers or trash bags delivered as much as possible was picked up.
- Clear/dead branches from trees and above porta potties
- Cleanup Fire Pit Sites
- Pressure Wash Pavilions -Weed Whack/Rake sand areas
RELIEF SOCIETY
Our goal for 2022 was a continuation of our goal from last year. In 2021, just coming out of lockdown due to COVID, our goal was to help each sister know that they were loved.
This year, we felt there was some disconnect in the ward and wanted each sister to know that they were both loved and needed. We attempted to help each sister know they were needed as individuals in a few different ways. In March, we celebrated the Relief Society’s birthday, and the theme was “You Are Needed.” With the invitation to this activity was a small loaf of bread, playing on the word “kneaded.” We had a guest speaker, Sister Nadia Deskins, speak on the topic of being needed.
In December, our Relief Society President, Sister Dana Tremayne took a few minutes in Relief Society to share again how each sister has been blessed with different strengths and how we need all of the sisters with all their different strengths and abilities to work together. We reminded them that they are all important.
We ended the year, and the “You Are Needed” theme with a pan of cinnamon rolls for each family, again playing on the word “kneaded.” A quote from President Hinckley was attached, reminding everyone to “rise to their potential” just as the cinnamon rolls would need to rise.
Cookie Exchange
It was a casual way for the sisters to come together for an hour and enjoy each other's company. We were excited to see that the four sisters that had recently moved into the ward all attended.
RS Birthday
Sisters were invited with a fresh loaf of bread. Sister Nadia Deskins spoke to the sisters duringthe activity. The topic for the talk was “You are needed”.
Soup & Service
We put together bags to be taken to the local food bank. We had a list of items for sisters to donate such as cake mix, frosting, and candles that would go in the bags. After they were all assembled, we had soup and rolls.
Father's Day
We provided a luncheon during the second hour of church for the men in the ward. Along with sandwiches, we made sure to continue the tradition in our ward of Fathers’ Day cinnamon rolls.
There have been many times when I have felt the Holy Ghost guiding me in this calling. Many times, this past year, I have experienced thoughts coming to my mind that I know didn’t come from me. Whether it be remembering something that I had forgotten, or an idea for an activity or even a sister coming to my mind and then realizing I hadn’t seen her at church for several weeks. One time during a ministering interview, I was meeting with a sister that was in tears because of things going on in her life that she felt overwhelmed with. I’m not a counselor or psychologist but I felt prompted to say certain things to her that she found comforting and she left with a smile on her face. One of the biggest ways I have felt the Hand of God guiding me is when we set up the ministering routes. As a presidency we pray about the routes and spend a great amount of time going through them and making necessary changes. We consider each sister’s needs and try to find the right sisters to minister to her. Then, after we have decided on the changes, we “think on it” for a week or so before we finalize it. It is an ongoing project. There was one sister that we were having a hard time placing for various reasons. We had almost finalized the new routes but still didn’t know the right “fit” for this sister. After discussing it with one of my counselors, we had the thought of putting her with a sister we had not considered before. That combination felt right, and it’s been a great combination ever since.
-Dana Tremayne, President
YOUNG MEN
PRIESTS
The Priests Quorum meetings were conducted by the First and Second assistants with support from the advisers. The meeting discussions were led, in large part, by members of the quorum and followed the come follow me outline for priesthood quorums.
The Priests held activities on a regular basis with a focus on building faith in Jesus Christ, gaining a testimony of Joseph Smith, and confirming the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. The quorum often gathered to watch episodes of “The Chosen” to learn more about Jesus Christ.
TEACHERS
Meetings were led by members of the quorum and followed the come follow me outline. A major highlight for the members of the quorum was our high adventure camp to the National Whitewater Center. Young men participated in whitewater rafting, rock climbing, obstacle courses, ropes courses, zip lines, mountain biking, etc. Each young man learned and improved in these activities and faced some fears, putting trust in adult leaders, equipment, and skills learned. These activities helped us incorporate our theme “Trust in the Lord”. We performed vicarious baptisms in the Raleigh, NC temple which was a special treat since we have been unable to have as many youth temple trips due to the D.C. temple being closed.
DEACONS
Meetings were conducted by a member of the presidency with support from advisers. The meeting discussions were led by members of the
quorum and followed the come follow me outline for priesthood quorums. The Deacons focused on learning about the priesthood and the duties of a Deacon. We worked on understanding what a presidency is and how to operate in different callings within it. A major highlight for the members of the quorum was a Deacon/YW Activity Day Camp held in June 2. The group learned archery taught by Brother Mike Cooper from the Rock Hill Ward. They played water games in the parking lot and ordered pizza for lunch.
YOUNG WOMEN
Girls Camp
Girls Camp was at the Catoctin National Park and Harper’s Ferry. The YW hiked 2-4 miles every day. They went swimming at the lake. One of the hikes was to a waterfall, where they enjoyed playing in the water and climbing up the rocks. They had a crafts room available to make Secret Sister gifts and a gym to play basketball and volleyball. The evenings were filled with movie nights, skits, games, music, devotionals, and laughter. On the last night, Bishop Crockett joined us. They had an activity that had 12 stations. Each station put water bottles into their pillowcases to represent the trials of the world. When the bags were full, the bishop helped take the pillowcase the rest of the way back to the dining hall, representing the need for our Savior’s Atonement. Afterwards, the YW enjoyed a campfire testimony meeting.
February
On February 8, the youth had a Family History night. They all worked on indexing a batch of names. They also made a time capsule for themselves.
For the joint activity with the Young Men on February 15, the youth broke into teams. Each team had to win at Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes to collect their cooking supplies. The youth were able to mix up some no-bake cookies to enjoy.
The Priests and YW-16 went on a hike on Government Island later in the month.
April
Activities for YW-12 included a General Conference review game and a potluck of family favorite foods.
Activity: Scripture scavenger hunt
Activities for YW-14 included learning the YW theme and filling Easter eggs for hiding on ward members’ lawns.
Activities for YW-16 included writing letters to members in the ward and learning how to braid hair in preparation for Trek and camp.
For the Stake activity, the youth participated in a Hoedown. They went in their Trek attire and learned how to do the Virginia Reel and to Square Dance. For the joint activity with the Young Men, they divided into teams and played General Conference Jeopardy. Later in April, they watched a training broadcast provided by the General Young Men and Women Presidentsn.
PRIMARY
The beginning of the new year is always a time for reflection, evaluation, and planning. The Presidency spent a considerable amount of time in late December and early January figuring out callings and teacher assignments, while also planning for activities, musical performances, and experiences that would help fortify and edify the children while fulfilling the mission of the church. Since this record is for historical purposes, The primary presidency hopes future generations will find this account to be helpful in understanding how the faith of the children in the Garrisonville Primary was shaped and molded into their foundational testimony of Jesus Christ. Hopefully, the record will show the joy, fun, and friendship that our primary children naturally exhibit and will be a pleasurable and entertaining experience for all to reread time and again.
Primary Goals for 2022
-Help each child feel loved and welcome at church
Every Sunday we try and say hello by name to every child that comes to primary. We welcome visitors and greet everyone with a smile. We have also tried to get to know the families and learn more about the kids.
-Reach out to less active families
We visited several kids and were able to invite them to church and activities. Moving into 2023 we are making a more measurable goal to try and reach out to each family once a quarter either by dropping by a treat or a spiritual thought.
-Encourage families to visit the Washington D.C. open house
We had a wonderful opportunity to visit the Washington DC temple open house. We know the children are limited and rely on their families to go but we know several did attend. Almost all of our senior primary kids who were baptized were able to get a limited use recommend to attend the temple dedication on August 14th.
January
2022 started off with a powerful snowstorm. It was wet and heavy and caused many trees to bend and break, blocking roads and cutting off power
for several days for many families in the ward. Once the storm had passed, and cleanup was underway, another storm was predicted, and out of an abundance of caution, the
leadership canceled the second hour of church on 1/16. The presidency had planned a baptism preview for all children turning 8 in the year 2022. Unfortunately, we had to
reschedule. Later in the month, the Primary was in charge of cleaning the church building. There was a big turnout, and lots of eager children were seen running around with rags wiping windows and vacuuming floors. Donuts were a big hit at the end for a reward.
June
The summer months are when Primary activities slow down as children and their families vacation out of town. Some weeks there were less than half of the primary children in attendance. The Activity Days program was shortened to once a month. This
month the boys made plans to combine with other wards for an epic kickball game at a local middle school. It was sadly canceled due to a summer storm. The children sang in sacrament for Father’s Day. Our male primary teachers were excused from teaching class to enjoy a Father’s day treat in the cultural hall. Their substitutes were lucky and got to join the primary fun for the day.
July
This month, war was declared against the Young Women. We suffered a great
loss when our second counselor in the Primary Presidency was released and called as the Young Women’s president. Rachel Morales played a huge role in making sure our primary ran smoothly and that the children had fun learning about the Lord. Two more also counted among those defecting to the YW. We know that they will be a blessing to the Young Women program, but will miss them greatly in primary. On July 30th, the primary children were invited to watch the Friend to Friend broadcast from Salt Lake City. The theme was “Temples are the House of the Lord.” We are excited about this theme as we’re are preparing for our own Washington DC temple dedication.
November
The Primary Program was held on November 11. The program consisted of 10 songs that the children spent all year learning and speaking parts the children wrote themselves. They bore testimonies of old testament and latter-day prophets. The Primary Program was an extraordinary
sacrament meeting. It was the culmination of a year’s worth of effort and preparations. The primary presidency was so proud of the children and all of their hard work. In
preparation for the program, the children attended a Saturday practice and pizza party. Sister Fellows was released as the primary chorister, and Sister Johnson was called as the new chorister. We are grateful for all the knowledge and effort sister Fellows shared with the children. We look forward to Sister Johnson helping the children build their testimonies through music.