27 Dec New Responsiblities in my Personal Life
Today’s post is of a more personal nature. Many of you already know that three months ago I was called to be the stake president for the Fort Collins Colorado Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon). There was an article about this in the Coloradoan so many of my patients have asked me about it. I am writing this blog to answer their questions.
This is a lay position and as such, I will continue in my profession as a cataract and LASIK surgeon.
The official church website says, “A stake president is the lay leader of a stake, which is a geographic subdivision similar to a Catholic diocese. A stake president is a man who is asked to serve as a volunteer in this position. He oversees Church programs in a defined geographic area composed of individual congregations called wards and is responsible to help the members of his stake in their efforts to follow Jesus Christ. He also oversees the activities of the bishops or ward leaders, counseling them as needed….”
“These leaders have a significant amount of local autonomy to make decisions regarding the members in their stake. A stake president typically serves for about nine years.”
The term “stake” comes from Isaiah 54:2 which speaks of strengthening the stakes that hold up the great tent of Zion. As the church grows, new stakes are created. The 3,000th stake was created last year in Sierra Leone, Africa. The Fort Collins Colorado Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has around 3,500 members divided into 9 congregations.
I love what I do as a doctor, helping my friends with their eyesight. I have also been very involved with my church over the years, and I love what I do in the ministry. I believe that helping patients as a physician has made me a better minister and serving in the ministry has made me a better physician. They are both fulfilling and important parts of my life and who I am.
If you have futher questions, please post a comment or send me an email.
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