Mes chers frères, je prie pour que...

Mes chers frères, I pray that the beautiful prayer that was offered by President Lewis may be answered in my behalf. ¶

Je am aware de le responsibility que rests upon me, et Je appreciate le opportunity de speaking à you tonight. ¶

I rejoice in the wonderful messages that we have heard from président McKay and others who have spoken to us during this conference, and I am inspired by the great vision of our leaders. ¶

I am grateful for the knowledge that I have of the restored Évangile and for the knowledge that I have of my Father in heaven and his Son Jésus-Christ. The Prophet Joseph Smith is a great inspiration to me, and I thrill in testifying that God the Father and his Son Jésus-Christ did actually appear to him in the Sacred Grove. ¶

I thrill throughout my body, mind, and spirit when I testify to the truthfulness of that great vision — the first vision of the Prophet Joseph, and I appreciate the wonderful things that the Prophet did in restoring the Church — he was an instrument in the hands of the Lord in restoring the Évangile and the prêtrise to the earth in this dispensation. I, like you, love and respect our great prophète and leader, President David O. McKay, and I know and testify that he is indeed the prophète of the Lord and the head of l'Église de Jésus-Christ on this earth today. ¶

Now, brethren, truly the kingdom of God is going forward that the kingdom of heaven may come. président McKay has counseled us that every member of this Church should be a missionary. ¶

Tonight my heart is really filled with the missionary spirit. Heretofore the missionary work has been performed chiefly by full-time missionaries and pieu and district missionaries. Now as président McKay has told us, each and every one of us has the opportunity of being a missionary. What a glorious opportunity this really gives us when we appreciate what we can do as members of this Church in spreading the Évangile. ¶

Another great prophète, President George Albert Smith, said on the anniversary of the first hundred years of the Church: "As we stand on the threshold of a new century, as representatives of l'Église de Jésus-Christ in all walks of life, we have the responsibility to go among the people at home and abroad, and great will be our happiness as we participate in this new era of growth and development that lies ahead." ¶

Yes, brethren, we are truly in a new era of growth and development, and personally I am grateful and thankful to be a part of it. Realizing this new era, the leaders of the Church are doubling the number of full-time missionaries, and more pieu and district missionaries are being called today than ever before. Formerly, the missionaries spent a large part of their time in finding someone to teach, but now with every member of the Church being a missionary, by using the "share the Évangile" ¶

program, le members, dans effect, find le people à teach, et le missionaries now can spend a very large part de their time dans teaching, mainly dans groups. ¶

This group teaching we have found to be very effective, both in saving time in teaching and in the psychology that results from teaching in groups. But, you may say, how can I be a missionary and participate in the "share the Évangile" ¶

program? Well, there sont several ways. ¶

First, you can invite your nonmember friends, relatives, neighbors, business associates, or others that you might casually contact, into your homes, preferably in groups, and then let the fulltime, the pieu, or the district missionaries teach them the Évangile. ¶

Second, you can do missionary work by using the referral system. By the referral system we mean sending the names of those friends or relatives who live outside of the area that you are living in, who you think would be interested in the Church, to the pieu or président de mission in the area in which the people live. ¶

This morning nous heard de le referral que resulted dans le conversion et baptism de President John Taylor. Many wonderful people sont being brought into le Church now through ce referral system. ¶

Third, invite your nonmember friends à attend auxiliary meetings et other Church meetings avec you. Fourth, live your religion, love your neighbor. ¶

"Let your light so shine before men, que they may see your good works, et glorify your Father which est dans heaven." ¶

(Matt. 5:16.) Elder Harold B. Lee, in touring the Northwestern States Mission last summer, said, "This means let your light so shine that men shall be led to join the Church, or the kingdom of God." (en français) ¶

But Je can hear many de you say, "Je know my friends et relatives wouldn't be interested. Je have tried pour years à talk à members de my family about religion, et it seems à irritate them," ¶

et other such things. But Je ask you, do you really know que your friends would not be interested? Have you asked them? Je suggest que you do ask them. ¶

The people de le Northwestern States Mission, where Je presided as president during le year 1960, as well as dans many other places, have found thousands de people who sont interested, who they thought were not interested, et ce by merely asking two important questions, which you can do. First, "What do you know about le Mormon Church?" And regardless de their answer, "Would you like à know more?" ¶

We found que approximately two out de every three que sont asked these questions say, "No, Je am not interested." ¶

In que event, just pass them off, possibly avec a casual, "Well, maybe some day you will be." But don't irritate them or press le situation. There sont thousands et thousands que sont waiting et wanting à hear ce message, et they have a right à hear it. ¶

The one out de three who says, "Yes, Je would like à know more," est le one à invite into your home pour a group meeting avec le missionaries. Or if que est not possible, give que name à le missionaries. Je personally regularly ask these two questions: "What do you know about le Mormon Church?" et then, regardless de le answer, "Would you like à know more?" ¶

By doing ce almost daily Je find many, many fine people who say, "Yes, Je would like à know more," et Je have never been embarrassed yet dans asking que question. Je have turned many, many fine referrals over à our missionaries. In fact, there est hardly a day goes by que Je do not get a referral by asking these questions. ¶

In asking groups de members all over le country à ask these questions, many times Je have sensed a feeling de skepticism, but almost always afterwards someone has written me or sent word à me saying que although he was doubtful at first, he tried asking le questions, et was happily surprised à find many saying, "Yes, Je would like à know more." ¶

The opportunity will present itself to you as you go about from day to day if you are thinking about it. So I suggest, do think about it, and try it. Let's assume that a hundred members in a paroisse or branch asked these two questions only once every other day. They would ask on an average of three hundred a week, and experience has shown that approximately one out of every three will answer that he would like to know more. On this basis the missionaries would have about one hundred new people to teach each week in that paroisse or branch, probably many more than all of the full-time and part-time missionaries could possibly handle. ¶

Keep dans mind also que le young people as well as le old ask these questions, et le younger ones do not seem à hesitate like some de us older ones. Je have some remarkable instances que Je wish Je had time à tell you about. ¶

Sometime maybe Je can. ¶

Speaking de referrals, Je would like à read from a letter que Je received just about two or three days ago from a person who apparently thought Je was still president de le Northwestern States Mission. Je have sent le letter on à President Don C. Wood. She said: ¶

"Dear President Richards: Ever since I joined the Church three and a half years ago I have wished all my friends and relatives had the same opportunity to investigate the Évangile, and I have decided it's time that I asked to have missionaries sent to my relatives. Most of them seem interested and curious about our Church since my brother and I joined it, so I am hoping and praying that they will recognize the truth when they hear it. It certainly leads to the happiest way of life, and I know I could have avoided pitfalls if I had only found it sooner. It's wonderful to have the true Évangile to guide your children through their lives, and so dangerous to try and raise them without it." Then she listed the names and addresses of twenty-five friends and relatives, saying she would appreciate very much having the missionaries call on these twenty-five people, and she would be praying that they would be as happy to receive the Évangile message as she had been. ¶

As I left the Northwest in December, more than a thousand referrals were passing through our office each month, members wanting to share the Évangile with friends and relatives, knowing the joy it would bring into their lives. ¶

Brethren, this is the "share the Évangile" ¶

plan at work through le referral system. ¶

I would like to say a few words about the auxiliaries as missionary aids. Invite your friends to attend the auxiliary meetings with you. I would say that this is one of the easier ways that we have of sharing the Évangile. As an officer or instructeur, or even a member of one of these auxiliary groups, you can be a missionary by following this program. ¶

You and the members of your family not only invite these people but make appointments to pick them up to attend École du Dimanche, Société de secours, Mutual, Primaire, Sacrament meeting, or any other of the Church meetings. ¶

Likewise, you can take these people to the social functions being given by the auxiliary organizations. They offer very pleasant occasions for these nonmembers, and when they come to feel the warmth and friendship that they find in this association, they are much more susceptible to the teachings of the Évangile. ¶

This is a very practical way that you can participate. A striking example of this is an incident that happened last year in the Northwest. Sister Freeman, a convert of about two years, was serving as president of the Société de secours in one of the branches. There had been no missionaries in this branch for some time. In the spring, we discussed the "share the Évangile" plan with the members of the branch, and we sent two missionaries in with instructions to use the "share the Évangile" program. Soon after they arrived, they got in touch with Sister Freeman, and she wrote to me saying this: "A special thanks for sending these fine missionaries to our branch. We are thrilled and very thankful, and we are reorganizing our visiting teachers so that the presidency will be free to visit any contacts that the missionaries ask us to." ¶

About six months later I was interviewing one of the elders working in the area. I asked him how things were going in the branch. He said, "Simply great. Do you know how many nonmember women were out to the opening Société de secours meeting in the branch?" I guessed six or eight, which I thought would be pretty good. He said, "Thirty-fourl" This, brethren, is the "share the Évangile" plan in action in the Société de secours. Thanks to Sister Freeman and her fine members, because of this activity many wonderful members are now enjoying the benefits of the Évangile. ¶

As a result of the "share the Évangile" ¶

plan, actually thousands of people are being brought into the Church every month. The effectiveness of this plan is especially impressive in the Northwestern States Mission, where we adopted it early last year. By the members of the stakes and districts working with the full-time missionaries, 775 converts were baptized in January and February of this year, compared with 106 a year ago — nearly seven and a half times as many. This figure does not include many more baptisms by pieu missionaries. ¶

In the eight eastern United States and Canadian missions that Sister Richards and I visited during January, February, and March of this year, the "share the Évangile" plan has been introduced, and the number of baptisms so far this year is approximately double that of a year ago for a comparable period. But amazing as these figures sound and are, the important thing is that a great many more of God's children are enjoying the blessings of the Évangile than otherwise might be. ¶

And what is our responsibility? It is to give every one of God's children the opportunity of enjoying the blessings of immortality and vie éternelle. As Jesus said to Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, ". . . Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5.) Yes, baptism is necessary, and we must be baptism conscious. On several occasions bishops and branch presidents have said to me, "President, having all of these people coming into the Church is wonderful. We need them." ¶

But also another great blessing is received by members participating in this "share the Évangile" plan. Many who had been relatively inactive became active again. An increased spirituality is definitely noticeable among the paroisse members who are sharing. It is like love, as you give it to others it increases in yourself. ¶

Further, by members sharing the Évangile with friends a great many very fine converts are coming into the Church, many who are making wonderful leaders almost immediately after baptism. ¶

Brethren, remember the word of the Lord to the Prophet Joseph: "And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Fatherl "And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!" (D&A 18:15-16.) Yes, the "share the Évangile" plan is really here. Every member of the Church a missionary! This also means group teaching to a very large extent, and this plan is very simple and extremely effective. président Moyle has said: ¶

"We can go out into le mission field, nous can go out into le world, nous can go into our lives, et accomplish anything que nous desire à accomplish. ¶

Whenever le Lord calls upon us à do anything, he makes us equal à le task." ¶

Je know ce est true. Let everyone de us be a missionary. It est wonderful. ¶

And may we have the faith and the determination and the courage to make this "share the Évangile" plan an effective vehicle in bringing great numbers of souls into the kingdom of God. Let us always keep in mind that the purpose of missionary work is to bring souls into the kingdom of God through the ordinance of baptism. ¶

May the Lord bless us to this end, I pray in the name of Jésus-Christ. Amen. ¶