Date: Fri 18-Sep-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: JAN

Quick Words:

Mormons-Hutchison-bishop

Full Text:

Bishop Hutchison Answers A "Call"

(with photo)

BY JAN HOWARD

Mormons are taught that calls to them for religious service are received

through their leaders from God. So it was without any hesitation that Gary

Hutchison said yes when he was asked to become the new bishop of the Newtown

Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on Saw Mill Road.

Mr Hutchison, who has been a resident of Plumtrees Road for four years, took

on his new responsibility in January. He was called to this position by Robert

Seeley of Brookfield, the president of the New Haven stake, a geographical

unit of the church that includes eight to 12 wards or branches.

"I certainly had thoughts about my qualifications and preparedness, but I did

not hesitate," Mr Hutchison said. "I do consider this as coming from our

heavenly father.

"I have always been active in serving in the church's callings and

responsibilities," he said.

Mr Seeley said Mr Hutchison's name was submitted to Salt Lake City "with our

recommendation," and was approved by the church president.

"One of our tenets is that men are called of God through revelation and

prophecy by those in authority to administer the ordinances of the church," he

said.

"My responsibility was to review the men in the ward, and submit who we

thought would be the best man," Mr Seeley said.

The church has no professional clergy, and lay members, such as Mr Hutchison,

who serve as regional and local officers, are not paid for their services. His

term of office will be for about five years.

"Worldwide we have lay ministers who are responsible for their congregations.

I am responsible for the temporal and spiritual welfare of members of the

church here," he said.

As bishop, he presides over meetings, which include the sacrament service on

Sunday. On occasion, Mr Hutchison will preach a sermon, though that duty is

shared.

"In the sacrament service, we also have inspirational talks by ward members

that are based on scripture, teachings of the prophets or personal

experiences. We plan the sacrament meeting so it is based on the teachings of

Jesus Christ, and we give speakers a topic or theme on which to develop their

comments," he said.

Mr Hutchison is aided in his responsibilities by two counselors, Richard Welch

of Newtown and Harold Proudfoot of Brookfield.

"They are of tremendous assistance to me," he said.

Mr Seeley said, "Gary manages and oversees various auxiliaries, such as for

Sunday School, priesthood and the women's Relief Society, with a special

emphasis on youth programs."

"I have a lot of help. I could not pretend to be successful without their

volunteer help," Mr Hutchison said.

The church emphasizes strong family values, "standards and teachings of life

we should live," Mr Hutchison said.

To further strengthen families, the church has volunteers, called home

teachers, who serve as visitors to the ward's families.

"They deliver a gospel message and inquire as to the welfare of the family,"

Mr Hutchison said. If there are any problems, the home teachers make him aware

of them so an appropriate response can be made.

"We refer to ourselves as a ward family. We have a responsibility to help each

other and provide for each other," he said.

"There is much here to appeal to a parent," he said.

Mr Hutchison also offers counseling on family matters, such as finances or

problems with children, and questions of faith.

He said he uses the scriptures frequently as he counsels church members.

"We believe if members will live the gospel of Jesus Christ and be prayerful,

many of these issues can be resolved," he said.

"It is my privilege to counsel with them and to suggest things to do or

changes to make. I get a lot of fulfillment from serving as bishop and being a

part of overcoming issues and problems in their lives," Mr Hutchison said.

"The obligation of keeping a confidence is a great one. It's absolute," he

said.

Members of the church are encouraged to be as active as possible in their

community, Mr Hutchison said.

"The schools are a good opportunity to do so," he said, noting he has served

on the girls' softball board of directors.

Mr Hutchison said the Newtown ward has grown fairly rapidly.

"Several members and their families have moved into the area because there are

good employment opportunities here," he said. "Our church worldwide has grown

through people hearing about the church and its teachings."

"We believe Jesus Christ is literally our Saviour. We believe in the

resurrection and that, through the resurrection of Christ, we will have

eternal life. Eternal life means we'll live forever in the presence of our

heavenly Father and our Saviour Jesus Christ, and with our families," Mr.

Hutchison said. "We are eternal beings, and we believe that our family that we

love in this life can be with us forever.

"The church places tremendous emphasis on families and on the strength of

families. We believe we are linked to our forefathers and generations yet to

come. That is why we place a high emphasis on genealogy," he said.

He said when there is a death in a family, "there's mourning and a deep sense

of loss, but it's not only a hope but our knowledge that the separation will

be temporary and that we will be reunited with our loved one.½

An evangelical church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has

full time missionaries who preach the gospel. Church members are not required

to serve as missionaries but, if they do, they pay their own way. A general

missionary fund, to which members can make donations, is used to help people

who want to serve but lack the necessary funds.

Mr Hutchison, a lifelong member of the church, took time during college to

serve as a missionary on the Navaho reservation that is part of four states,

Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado.

"I learned a lot of lessons in life from serving with tremendous people," he

said.

Mr Hutchison, 44, and his wife, Penny, have five children, Emily, 17, Eryn,

15, Brittany, 13, Thomas, 9, and David, 7.

He received an undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University and a

master's in business administration from the University of Alabama. He is

employed in Stamford as a general manager for a division of Champion

International, a paper and forest products company.

He said he averages 15 to 20 hours a week at the church in addition to his

full time job, noting, "I receive a lot of fulfillment and satisfaction from

both responsibilities, at work and in the church."