Church Hosts Family History Seminar

Buffalo, NY-[October 23, 2010]
Seeking to support the rising interest in genealogy, the Buffalo Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be hosting a Family History Seminar in Amherst on Saturday, October 23, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The event is geared toward the general public and all are welcome, admission and parking are free. It will be held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 1424 Maple Road, Williamsville, NY (between Youngs and Hopkins).

The seminar will feature guided access to on-line genealogy resource and classes on topics such as “Getting Started”, “Immigration Information,” “Writing a Personal History,” “Cemetery Resources,” and “Breaking Through Your Brick Walls”. There also will be specific workshops on German, Italian, British and Polish research. The teachers include multiple family history consultants who have been involved in genealogy for over 20 years; including Jim Lawson who has an emphasis on the Civil War years. He is a professional genealogist and a member of Western New York Genealogical Society and Niagara County Genealogical Society. Also, Bob Coomber who is a Member of the Sons of the American Revolution, past member of the Mayflower Society, and husband to a woman with seven connections to the Mayflower passengers and is the Corresponding Secretary for the Rochester Genealogical Society. Near the end of the seminar there will be a Question and Answer Session where you will have the chance to ask questions about your own research problems or findings. Our panel is comprised of over 30 years of experienced researchers including Diane Blaser the president of the Western New York Genealogical Society.

“Our commitment to helping people connect with their ancestors is rooted in our beliefs,” said Buffalo Stake President Stephen Free, the ecclesiastical leader of the local unit comprising 8 congregations and over 3,000 members in Amherst, Orchard Park, Niagara Falls, Lancaster, Lockport, Buffalo, Freedom, and Cattaraugus. “We believe that all family members --those living, those past, and those future -- share an enduring bond that reaches across the generations. This is why we do family research ourselves, and why we encourage others to do it also.”

The Church has established over 4,500 family history centers in 70 countries and operates one of the most popular genealogical services on the Internet free of charge at http://www.familysearch.org/. The site contains access to more than a billion genealogical records from more than 110 counties and territories.

For more information and to register, please visit the Family History Seminar website: http://www.buffalofamilyhistoryseminar.blogspot.com/

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a worldwide religion whose central purpose is to help all people come unto Christ. Church membership is currently over 13 million, with over half of the members living outside the United States, and more than 50,000 missionaries actively serving in 162 countries.

Women of Grace Wear Red, an Evening Dedicated to the Service of Susan T. Dayton

Women of Grace Wear Red, an evening dedicated to the service of Susan T. Dayton, humanitarian and community service leader, will be held July 29 at the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints located at 1424 Maple Road, Williamsville, New York 14221 at 7:00 p.m. Religious and Civic leaders from Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Worldwide Organization of Women http://wowinfo.org/new/ , Rotary International, and the Network of Religious Communities http://www.religiousnet.org/ will attend. The event is open to the public. All are invited to join us in wearing red to celebrate the amazing service of this wonderful woman.

Susan will be receiving not one, but two “Lifetime Service Awards” sponsored by the Points of Light Foundation sponsored by the US government for her service to women and children and her community. She will also be receiving the "Woman of Excellence" Award from the NGO, Worldwide Organization of Women, she has been president of for the past few years for her service in the international community and her work at the United Nations on behalf of women.

HISTORIC HILL CUMORAH PAGEANT

Palmyra, NY – For more than 70 years, the annual Hill Cumorah Pageant near Palmyra has been a summer tradition for generations of Western New Yorkers. “Summer in western New York is filled with carnivals, festivals, and fairs” said pageant president, Dwight Schwendiman. “One of the great family activities held here in our region is the Hill Cumorah Pageant. Maybe you came to the pageant years ago when you were young. Now is the time to bring your family. We invite all to spend a pleasant summer evening with us at the Hill Cumorah Pageant.”

Palmyra’s annual pageant kicks off its week of performances Fri., July 9. It will run July 9th,10th and July 13th through Saturday July 17th. The pageant, which is free and family-friendly, is something of a theatrical miracle. More than 700 volunteers are cast into 1,200 roles within hours of arriving. After just one week of rigorous rehearsals, the show opens. The volunteers come here at their own expense from as close to home as Rochester and Syracuse to as far away as Dubai and Australia. They do not come to Palmyra just to practice their sword fighting skills and learn dances, or to wear costumes and wigs in the humid New York summer. For these people, this is a time of spiritual renewal in the cradle of their faith. In addition to their rehearsing, the cast also squeezes in more than 1,800 hours of volunteer service. From landscaping cemeteries and schools to creating new Erie Canal trails, the cast makes a significant difference. “We are delighted that these volunteers can bring a message of Christ-like service from the stages into the communities, “ Schwendiman said.

Presented annually by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since 1937, the pageant is a theatrical representation of scenes from the Bible and the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Performances by the all-volunteer cast are July 9, 10, and 13-17 and begin nightly at 9 p.m. There is seating for over 8,000 guests. The Hill Cumorah is located on Highway 21, two miles north of Interstate 90, Exit 43. Parking and admission are free. Headsets are provided for Spanish translation and American Sign Language interpretation is provided.For more information about the Hill Cumorah Pageant call 315-597-5851 or go to http://www.hillcumorah.org/.

Local Mormon Missionary Returns to Buffalo

A Buffalo native, Kim Allen, now living in Angola, NY just returned home after serving the people of Calgary, Canada for 18 months as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has more than 50,000 volunteer missionaries serving throughout the world. Young women, like Kim can serve beginning at 21-years-old and they serve for 18 months.

Kim Allen is a graduate from the University at Buffalo with a Master's degree in social work. Before serving as a missionary, she worked for about 1 ½ years with Catholic Charities doing counseling with children, youth and their families. Kim said "I just needed a change in my life and so a mission was one thought. I prayed about a mission and decided to go. I had heard from friends what a great experience they had while serving, and I had thought about it before but always thought that I'd go when I was older with my husband. It was the best decision I could have made."

Kim and other missionaries throughout the world spend their time teaching about Jesus Christ and performing community service in the areas they are called to serve. Missionaries are instructed to have respect for the laws and customs of the countries where they serve. Some missionaries take special assignments to assist with health, welfare, or other needs. Many missionaries serve far from their homes and welcome the opportunity to visit with and learn about the people they are serving.

In Kim's service to the people in Calvary she volunteered her time at an assisted living center. With other missionaries, she put on skits for the elderly and helped in a variety of ways. She added "we did the women's nails for them, we made visits to some of the people living there, and we helped them with their gardens". Kim also assisted a food bank by collecting food donations and money, sorting donated food items, and loading trucks.