The July 31st, 2014, edition of The Sylva Herald & Ruralite carries a story on the calling of Brother James McLachlan as Bishop of the Waynesville Ward and the release of Bishop Stephen Adler and his counselors.

Richard Wood, Jr., and James Wessling were called as counselors to Bishop McLachlan.

Story here (requires subscription): http://www.thesylvaherald.com/news/church_news/article_697555ca-17f4-11e4-8855-001a4bcf6878.html

From the July 16th, 2014, edition of The Sylva Herald & Ruralite, by Nick Breedlove/The Sylva Herald and with permission.

Online version here (requires subscription): http://www.thesylvaherald.com/news/church_news/article_697555ca-17f4-11e4-8855-001a4bcf6878.html

Elders Matt Adamson, left, and Greg Bacon, right, have been in the Sylva area for several weeks now. They were sent here by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to teach others about Jesus. In their experience so far, Bacon said people here are incredibly genuine, friendly and kind, and he’s never met a more friendly people. In addition to sharing their faith, Bacon and Adamson have helped out at the Community Table and United Christian Ministries.

Mormon missionaries placed in Sylva for summer

By Nick Breedlove / The Sylva Herald | Posted: Wednesday, July 16, 2014 2:00 pm

Two Mormon missionaries have been placed in the Sylva area this summer to teach others about Jesus Christ.

They are known as Elder Adamson and Elder Bacon, and they’re from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The two say they’ve been enjoying getting to know the people in Jackson County over the past several weeks.

“This area has some of the most genuine, incredibly friendly people I’ve come across,” Bacon said.

Elder is not actually their first name. They have first names (Matt and Greg, respectively) but go by “Elder,” which, in its simplest form, means teacher. They haven’t been called by their first names in more than a year, they said.

During their mission, the two put everything else on hold, including school, work and girlfriends, to teach others about their faith.

They don’t have a television, computer, iPhone or anything of the like. It’s not because their religion doesn’t let them, it’s simply they don’t have time for it.

“We don’t think it’s the devil – we just don’t have time for it. We spend our day worshiping Jesus Christ.”

Adamson, 20, from Valdese, Alaska, is still getting used to the heat in summer. During the season when most people dress in shorts and T-shirts, Adamson is wearing a button-down shirt, tie and gray dress pants.

Bacon, 26, from near Green Bay, Wis., dons the same outfit, but he’s acclimated better to Southern weather; he served in the Knoxville, Tenn., area for the last year and a half and recently rotated to Sylva; Adamson has been at it almost a year.

The pair didn’t know each other prior to being chosen by the church but they are enjoying working together to help others find and learn about Jesus.

Relying solely on bicycles for transportation, Adamson and Bacon brave busy roads to do their mission work. Adamson lost 8 pounds when he first got here just from riding, he said.

A typical day for them begins at 6:30 a.m. By 8 a.m. they study scripture on their own for an hour and then study together. By 10 a.m. they are out in the community helping others find Jesus. Their days end around 10 p.m.

They get one day off a week for recreation.

“Once a week we contact our families, go grocery shopping, biking, hiking and what not,” Adamson said.

Mission work is a hard sell, but both Adamson and Bacon are committed to spreading their beliefs to help others grow closer to Jesus and learn more about the church.

A lot of people have misconceptions about their religion, they said.

First, they don’t have multiple wives like some television shows paint them as having – that’s a splinter sect of their religion, Bacon said. Also, they don’t worship Joseph Smith, who founded the Latter-day Saint movement, he said.

Mormons worship the same Jesus that other Christians do. They read scripture from the King James version of the Bible as well as from the Book of Mormon.

“And while we do knock on doors and some people feel pestered by it, there are people who need to hear about the gospel and those people are in homes, so that’s where we go,” Bacon said.

While here, Adamson and Bacon have done several service projects including working at United Christian Ministries, The Community Table and a nursing home.

They will be in the Sylva area a few more weeks before rotating to another location. To learn more or to request a free copy of the Book of Mormon, visit www.mormon.org or call 888-537-2200.