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UCON, ID—The Ucon 3rd Ward got a new Bishopric on Easter Sunday, and Bishop Lane Woodrich is already proving himself to be the darling of the Ward. In spite of the tears and nostalgic memories shared by the outgoing Bishopric in their farewell  talks, Bishop Woodrich kept his composure enough to remember to mention Jesus.
“I was nearing the end of my impromptu remarks,” recalls Bishop Woodrich, “when I remembered that this was Easter. It was the Spirit whispering in my ear, prompting me to make mention of the Savior of the world on the day commemorating His resurrection.”
Ward members were visibly moved.
“I had watched my kids hunt for Easter eggs, I had a ham in the oven, and we had my sister and her family coming over for dinner,” said Sister Anna Friedman, Ward Chorister, “but I was so caught up in the beauty of the meeting that I forgot all about the whole Jesus/Easter connection, you know? Besides, it’s not every week you get a new Bishopric! But then our new Bishop concluded his remarks by saying, ‘Oh, and remember that Jesus was resurrected on Easter,’ and I was like, ‘Oh my heck! That’s right!’ How can you not sustain a man like that?”
Other ward members reported feeling the Spirit especially strong as Bishop Woodrich concluded his remarks. “He did more than talk about his long trek through Church service that brought him to this point,” said Robert Foster, the newly called Ward Clerk. “He did more than speak of the witness that was borne to him weeks prior that he would be called to be the next Bishop, and how humbling that was, even though it was totally expected. He also remembered Jesus. It…it…I’m sorry, I’m not usually this emotional…it was just really moving.”
Bishop Woodrich has already indicated that he intends to move Jesus into a more prominent place in the Ucon 3rd Ward. During his meeting with his counselors after the block, Woodrich hung a portrait of Jesus beneath the photos of the First Presidency in the Bishop’s office, “to serve as a constant reminder who’s at the head of this Church and the head of this Ward. Besides me, I mean.” He also discussed the possibility of a policy change that required at least one Sacrament talk a month to mention Jesus, a move the counselors heartily supported.
“We’re in for a spiritual five years,” says First Counselor Manson B. Haight. “It wouldn’t surprise me if Bishop Woodrich didn’t also encourage members of this Ward to sometimes read the Bible, too.”
The Ucon 3rd Ward Relief Society has announced plans to cross-stitch the Easter Remark, as it is now known, and frame it handsomely for display in the Bishop’s Office.
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