1. PROTECTING THE “WIDOW'S MITE” Luke 21: 1-4 Safeguarding Church Funds

2. The Widow’s Mite Luke 21: 1-4 1. And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. 2. And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. 3. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: 4. For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.

3. “And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.” PRESIDENT GORDON B. HINCKLEY LUKE 21: 2

4. General Conference October 1996  “I keep on the credenza behind my desk a widow’s mite that was given me in Jerusalem many years ago as a reminder, a constant reminder, of the sanctity of the funds with which we have to deal. They come from the widow, they are her offering as well as the tithe of the rich man, and they are to be used with care and discretion for the purposes of the Lord. We treat them carefully and safeguard them and try in every way that we can to see that they are used as we feel the Lord would have them used for the up building of His work and the betterment of people.” President Gordon B. Hinckley

5. Integrity Elder Christofferson shared the story of the “Four Knows.” He related a conversation he had with a Chinese official while working for the Family and Church History Department. The official told a story about one of his ancestors who had served as an officer in one of the Chinese dynasties. The officer was approached for a favor and was offered a bribe. The man offering the bribe argued, “No one will know.” The officer replied, “I will know; you will; the earth will know; heaven will know.” The account of his integrity has been honored and passed down through each of the family’s generations.

6. Integrity Speaking of the Chinese official’s ancestor, Elder Christofferson said, “He may have had notoriety in his own time anciently, but that man’s true greatness lies in how his life has influenced his descendants ever since.” In closing, he quoted President Howard W. Hunter as saying, “True greatness is never a result of a chance occurrence or a one-time effort or achievement. It requires a multitude of correct decisions for the everyday choices between good and evil.”

7. Doctrine & Covenants 29:34 “Wherefore, verily I say unto you that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal; neither any man, nor the children of men; neither Adam, your father, whom I created.”

8. Fraud Triangle