OGDEN, Utah — For young men in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to succeed today, they need to learn how to work hard.
"Our young people are not learning that today," Elder Donald J. Keyes, an Area Seventy for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said at the "LDS Church and Scouting Relationships Conference" last Thursday night at the Ogden Tabernacle.
President Dean R. Burgess, first counselor in the Young Men's general presidency, also spoke at the conference and reiterated what Elder L. Tom Perry has said — that young men need to be turned into men.
"Bring every young man to Christ through a Scouting experience," President Burgess said.
Scouting provides opportunities outside church buildings — through its camps — to strengthen testimonies.
"Scouting is the Lord's program," he said.
Elder Keyes said that the teachings of the Boy Scouts of America and the church are consistent. He said nearly 100 years ago a prophet of the Lord felt inspired that the church should adopt the Scouting program and 10 prophets later, it has continued as such.
He said some young men are struggling in the Missionary Training Center today, but not with the kind of problems you might expect. Some are suffering cell phone withdrawal, or similar separation issues from other electronic devices.
He stressed Scout leaders should make sure cell phones, cards, iPods, magazines and the like are all left home during Scout camps. He said the only exception are some cell phones leaders take for emergency use only.
Elder Keyes also challenged Scout leaders to get all the training they can.
"If you get trained, you won't run a hobo (Scout) camp," he said. "Young men who go to hobo camps learn nothing and do nothing."
President Burgess stressed that youth leaders simply can't have a casual approach toward young men today because there are too many distractions in the world.
He challenged youth leaders to "seek out the one" who needs help and assist them through personal revelation. Be on your knees to find a way to save those young men.
He quoted President Thomas S. Monson by saying those on the Lord's errand are entitled to the Lord's help, if they are worthy.
President Burgess said the church has a partnership with the BSA and that means, among other things, supporting and attending roundtable meetings. That means going to them not with a what-can-I-receive attitude, but with a giving accent.
"Be trained in every aspect of Scouting," he said.
President Burgess also said stake presidents will now have the first right to attend the BSA's premier high adventure camp, Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, during LDS week. He said other youth leaders wanting to go to Philmont should now use their stake presidents for admission.
He also expounded on four principles that Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin had used successfully when he was bishop of the Bonneville Ward to get almost every priest — 38 — to serve missions:
1. Pay attention to each boy.
2. Love them.
3. Build a team.
4. Know that it's the Lord's program.
He said he noticed a quorum of young men entering the Ogden Temple as he drove into the Tabernacle parking lot and said, "That's why we are here tonight," to keep young men pure and worthy to enter the temple.
President Burgess also stressed safety in Scouting and said, "Don't take risks. Use common sense and be prepared."
David W. Rich, Trapper Trails Council president, also spoke at the conference and said special attention must be given to older boys, ages 16-18. He said there are 16,000 such boys in the council.
He advocated that Scouts need to learn they can do difficult tasks and that they will have life-changing experiences so doing.
Then, they learn self-effort and can move themselves to higher development.
• This relationships conference will be held twice more, in two other locations, with different speakers — today, 7-8:45 p.m., at the Logan Tabernacle, 50 N. Main; and next Thursday, 7-8:45 p.m., at the Lyman, Wyo., Stake center.
E-mail: lynn@desnews.com