Sister Eubank Shares “Small and Simple” Strategies with Other World Religious Leaders at G20 Forum
Contributed By Boyd Matheson, Church News staff writer
Sister Sharon Eubank, First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, poses with Elder Yoon Hwan Choi, Asia North Area President; Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; and Elder Takashi Wada, Second Counselor in the Asia North Area Presidency, during the G20 Interfaith Forum in Chiba, Japan, on Saturday, June 8, 2019. Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi, for the Deseret News.
Article Highlights
- Sister Eubank challenged faith leaders to explore better questions and strive for a better, more sophisticated use of media and messaging.
“May we keep ‘workways with the wind and the waves’ and plead with Almighty God for His strength as we try to safeguard our people, planet, and peace.” —Sister Sharon Eubank of the Relief Society General Presidency
TOKYO, Japan
As the G20 Interfaith Forum entered its final afternoon, the “Ideas to Action” discussion—what I viewed as the critical session—was about to begin. It was time for some “therefore, what?” questions and answers. But as is often the case in large conferences, such sessions make it easy to get lost in lofty ideas and academic exercises.
An impressive lineup of world religious and political thinkers took to the stage. I anticipated a litany of more big visions and grand plans. Instead I was treated to a view of the soul of servant-leadership, where “by small and simple things are great things brought to pass.”
The group introduced Azza Karam, senior adviser to the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Religion and Development. She described those on the stage as “being leaders not because of their religious or political knowledge but because of their service to humanity.”
Her Excellence Graça Machel, Mozambique stateswoman and the nation's first minister of education, electrified the capacity crowd by showing how a miniscule investment of money and time would transform the lives of countless young girls in Africa and around the world through education. She concluded her keynote challenging not only the Interfaith Forum participants but also the G20 economic and political leaders who meet later this month in Osaka, Japan.
“Do we have the will to make it so?” she asked.
“Do we have the will?” Small and simple things begin with will.
Sir John Key, former prime minister of New Zealand, took the podium and picked up on what can be done, saying, “It is human nature to help our fellow human beings.” He continued to lay out the imperative that things can and must be done—by people of all faiths partnering with one another and with governments.
Sister Sharon Eubank, director of LDS Charities and First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, was up next. She masterfully synthesized the learning of the conference while galvanizing the participants to act.
It was clear the Church and Sister Eubank have earned credibility among religious and governmental leaders for their far-reaching humanitarian, education, and self-reliance efforts around the world. I was surprised at how many at the conference had had personal experiences with such services in their home countries, often implemented by individual members and congregations in conjunction with others in their local communities.
Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles delivers a speech during the G20 Interfaith Forum in Chiba, Japan, on Saturday, June 8, 2019. Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi, for the Deseret News.
It is interesting to experience when a feeling of gratitude is expressed not for a leader or a church but for millions of individual members who minister to those in need in the Savior’s higher, holier way.
In a most extraordinary presentation, Sister Eubank drew on practical, tactical, and “small and simple” strategies that were being applied by a number of faith-based and religious organizations. She challenged participants to overcome any feelings of “them” and cited a Lutheran church that had not only provided a plot of ground for a much-needed mosque but also, in the end, established an interconnected social hall between the adjoining churches. In a small and simple way, “they” became “us.”
Sister Eubank discussed the importance of powerful questions and critical communication. She cited Elder Gerrit W. Gong’s comments from a previous session, where the member of the Church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles referenced how a simple but pivotal question from the emperor of Japan—“Where are the butterflies in my garden?”—spurred a nation to address pollution.
Attendees listen to a speech during the G20 Interfaith Forum in Chiba, Japan, on Saturday, June 8, 2019. Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi, for the Deseret News.
Sister Eubank challenged faith leaders to explore better questions and strive for a better, more sophisticated use of media and messaging.
Citing the need for laser-focused action, Sister Eubank shared an experience she had in a subcommittee meeting in the House of Lords, where a recently rescued Yezidi woman, who had been in bondage and abused, testified before lawmakers. Members of the House of Lords had countless questions for the woman.
“What will you do now? Do you want to pursue an education? Where do you want to live?”
This brave woman was singularly focused and returned their questions with a question of her own: “Will you rescue my 3,300 sisters?” She would not be distracted or deterred.
Questions may seem like small and simple things, but such questions are often the catalyst for mighty change in individuals, communities, and nations.
Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints leaves the podium after delivering a speech during the G20 Interfaith Forum in Chiba, Japan, on Saturday, June 8, 2019. Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi, for the Deseret News.
David Moore, a member of the panel and general counsel for the U.S. Agency for International Development and a former BYU law faculty member, would later draw a finer point on the service imperative by paraphrasing King Benjamin, the Book of Mormon prophet-leader: “When you are in the service of your fellow beings you are only in the service of your God” (see Mosiah 2:17).
The audience clearly felt the power of the principle.
The small and simple commitment to service was a clarion call to cooperation, across religious communities, countries, and government agencies. Then, as the session ended for a much-anticipated lunch break, there came a moment of instant application.
The hall was packed in tight rows of seating filled by the more than 2,000 participants, and I expected a mad dash to the exits. The instruction—an invitation, really—was given for people to please remain in their seats as a Japanese “bento box” lunch would be passed to each participant.
Elder Yoon Hwan Choi, Asia North Area President; Sister Bon Kyung Koo Choi; Sister Sharon Eubank, First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency; Sister Susan Gong; Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; Elder Takashi Wada, Second Counselor in the Asia North Area Presidency; and Sister Naomi Wada pose for a photograph during the G20 Interfaith Forum in Chiba, Japan, on Saturday, June 8, 2019. Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi, for the Deseret News.
I watched in amazement at the cooperation of the Japanese citizens, who clearly know how to come together for the good of all. Boxes were passed, one by one, all the way down each row (which were easily 100 chairs long). Growing up in a family of 11 children, we often struggled to pass the food down to the end of the dinner table without a bit of chaos and frustration.
In a matter of moments, 2,000 bento boxes had been distributed in a most dignified way. I had a deep feeling that the Savior feeding the 5,000 was done in a similarly simple, yet powerful, manner.
In a fitting end to her stirring and strengthening message, Sister Eubank paraphrased the Prophet Joseph Smith’s 1839 letter of encouragement to the persecuted and struggling Saints:
“Let no man count [these] as small things, for there is much . . . in futurity . . . which depends upon these things.
“You know . . . that a very large ship is benefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm, by being kept workways with the wind and the waves.
”[So] let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed” (Doctrine and Covenants 123:15-17).
Sister Eubank concluded, “This G20 interfaith gathering in many ways is a small helm, and we are definitely in a storm, but may we keep ‘workways with the wind and the waves’ and plead with Almighty God for His strength as we try to safeguard our people, planet, and peace.”
Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, left, delivers a speech during the G20 Interfaith Forum in Chiba, Japan, on Saturday, June 8, 2019. Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi, for the Deseret News.
Attendees listen to a speech during the G20 Interfaith Forum in Chiba, Japan, on Saturday, June 8, 2019. Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi, for the Deseret News.
Lord Carey of Clifton speaks during the G20 Interfaith Forum in Chiba, Japan, on Saturday, June 8, 2019. Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi, for the Deseret News.
Attendees listen to a speech during the G20 Interfaith Forum in Chiba, Japan, on Saturday, June 8, 2019. Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi, for the Deseret News.
Gunnar Stalsett speaks during the G20 Interfaith Forum in Chiba, Japan, on Saturday, June 8, 2019. Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi, for the Deseret News.
Mohammed Abu-Nimer speaks during the G20 Interfaith Forum in Chiba, Japan, on Saturday, June 8, 2019. Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi, for the Deseret News.
Denise Coghlan speaks during the G20 Interfaith Forum in Chiba, Japan, on Saturday, June 8, 2019. Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi, for the Deseret News.
From left, Gunnar Stalsett, Denise Coghlan, Mohammed Abu-Nimer, Ganoune Diop, and Jonathan Duffy take part in a session during the G20 Interfaith Forum in Chiba, Japan, on Saturday, June 8, 2019. Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi, for the Deseret News.
Ganoune Diop leaves the podium after delivering a speech during the G20 Interfaith Forum in Chiba, Japan, on Saturday, June 8, 2019. Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi, for the Deseret News.
An attendee enters a conference room during the G20 Interfaith Forum in Chiba, Japan, on Saturday, June 8, 2019. Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi, for the Deseret News.
Attendees listen to a speech during the G20 Interfaith Forum in Chiba, Japan, on Saturday, June 8, 2019. Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi, for the Deseret News.
Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Susan Gong, are surrounded by attendees after a session during the G20 Interfaith Forum in Chiba, Japan, on Saturday, June 8, 2019. Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi, for the Deseret News.
Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles delivers a speech during the G20 Interfaith Forum in Chiba, Japan, on Saturday, June 8, 2019. Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi, for the Deseret News.
