As we are well into a new school year with goals and plans for our academic careers and beyond, we also need to include our goals and objectives for our spiritual education, because it is our spiritual education that will determine our eternal careers and our eternal objectives. With this in mind I would like to share my thoughts and feelings about this wonderful organization of which we are part.Jesus taught in parables or allegories to relate a spiritual message to something familiar in the everyday lives of those he taught. The people that heard and understood His message were those in tune with the Spirit.
I have attempted to follow the pattern that Jesus gave us. As you read you will find that things will be revealed to you that relate to your personal circumstances and are meant only for you.
The word allegory means a representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms.
What I have written is for both those who are members of the Church and for those who are not. For those who are not, sometimes it is a little hard to understand the organization and purpose of the Church. As you read I hope that it will make more clear some of the blessings and benefits of being a part of this wonderful organization. As you read, it is my hope that you will see how the Lord has organized His kingdom in these latter days to help us to overcome our problems, challenges, and difficulties in life. He is the true source of all of our joy and happiness and He gives us the power to overcome all things if we will allow Him.
I do not consider myself an overly exceptional Christian. I definitely have my faults and weaknesses. But I have a very strong testimony of my Savior and His Atonement on our behalf. I have tried to be a conduit that His word might flow through me to benefit others. As I have done this I have found great joy and happiness. As we lose ourselves in the service of others we truly find ourselves.
In March 2003 I was called to serve as the bishop or the ecclesiastical leader over a congregation of about 500 members of the Church, the Brush Creek Ward in Santa Rosa, California.
One of the first things that I was inspired to do was to create a ward enewsletter. It was distributed through a bcc email list as an attachment to the members of our ward. The purpose of emailing it was to keep the printing and distribution cost to a minimum. Carie Gross was called to be the editor and she has done and continues to do outstanding work. The enewsletter was and continues to be a great success in communicating ward, quorum, and auxiliary activities. It is also a wonderful means to communicate spiritual messages and to express love and appreciation for the service rendered in our ward.
It contains the First Presidency’s message from the Ensign, a message from the bishopric, an article from the two main priesthood quorums, a message from all the auxiliaries including the ward mission, wonderful photographs, a calendar of events, a birthday list, and a leadership roster.
We have since moved from the ward but I still look forward every month to receiving my copy of the Brush Creek Ward Newsletter in my email inbox to catch up on the wonderful experiences and events that are happening in our former ward.
In May 2004 for several days I woke up around 3 a.m. tossing and turning. Now I normally wake up about that time and I attribute it to the fact that I was born at 2:58 a.m. But I usually go back to sleep. For some reason I could not sleep, so I laid quietly in bed thinking about my family, about my responsibilities as the bishop, and about the Church. My thoughts came to center on two questions. What is the Church? And what is the purpose of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?
In answer to the first question it was revealed to me that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the greatest university ever established upon the face of the earth. It is a spiritual university.
The answer to the second question was that the purpose of this great university is to teach us to become as Jesus Christ is. And that it gives us power through Jesus Christ to overcome physical and spiritual death and return to our heavenly home.
Previously in September 2001 I wrote and gave a talk entitled "The University of Jesus Christ" to the Young Women in our ward. But on those early mornings in May 2004, the thoughts of Christ’s Church being a great university were crystallized in my mind in vivid detail.
The following gives us a brief definition and history of what a university is and an idea of the first universities that were organized.
“A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees at all levels (bachelor, master, and doctorate) in a variety of subjects. A university provides both tertiary and quaternary education. The word university is derived from the Latin universitas magistrorum et scholarium, roughly meaning community of masters and scholars."
“Relative to the above definition there is controversy as to which university is the world's oldest. If we consider a university as a corporation of students, then Takshashila University and Plato's Academy are the earliest, historically-documented universities. The original Latin word universitas, first used in time of renewed interest in Classical Greek and Roman tradition, tried to reflect this feature of the Academy of Plato. If we consider university simply as a higher education institution, then it could be Shangyang, founded before the 21st century BC in China according to legend. The choice for the oldest university is usually among Nalanda, Ratnagiri, Constantinople, Al Karaouine or Al-Azhar universities. Nalanda University, founded in Bihar, India around the 5th century BC conferred academic degree titles to its graduates, while also offering post-graduate courses. Another Indian university whose ruins were only recently excavated was Ratnagiri University in Orissa. Al-Azhar University, founded in Cairo, Egypt in the 10th century, offered a variety of post-graduate degrees, and is often regarded as the first full-fledged university. The University of Constantinople, founded in 849, by the regent Bardas of emperor Michail III, is generally considered the first institution of higher learning with the characteristics we associate today with a university (research and teaching, auto-administration, academic independence, et cetera). The Guinness Book of World Records recognizes the University of Al Karaouine in Fez, Morocco as the oldest university in the world with its founding in 859”.
In Webster’s dictionary, university is also defined as an educational institution of the highest level.
Would not the Lord’s Church be the spiritual educational institution of the highest level? What higher level of education can we attain if we truly understand where we came from, who we are, where we can be after this life, and who we can become? The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s Church and it is His University.
Our most important education is our spiritual education.
The University of Jesus Christ encompasses all aspects of our mortal and immortal lives from before our birth to beyond the grave.
The Founder and Chancellor of this Great University is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He directs all the affairs of His university. He inspires and uplifts us through his personal manifestations, the Holy Spirit, divine messengers, leaders, individual students, and university texts to learn and apply His teachings that will bring us the greatest joy, happiness, and ultimately eternal life and exaltation if we remain faithful to Him.
He has called one man on earth to preside over His university. He is the prophet of the Lord. The president is assisted by two counselors. Their first and foremost responsibility is to testify of the divinity of God Our Eternal Father and His Son Jesus Christ.
The textbooks for the university are the canonized scriptures and the words of the modern prophets and Apostles as they are moved upon by the Spirit of God.
The board of trustees of this great university is comprised of twelve righteous men—the twelve Apostles who are especial witnesses of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The regional board of directors is comprised of seven righteous men, the seven presidents of the quorum of seventy. They oversee the administration of the university in their respective regions of responsibility.
They are assisted by the members of the seven quorums of the seventy.
This great university has campuses all over the world. Each local campus is presided over by a campus president, recognized as the stake president.
On each campus there are several buildings and in each building there are typically two to three groups of students. Each group of students has a dean, known as the bishop. He is responsible for the local administration of university policy.
The Seminary, Institute, and CES staff members hold the title of Provost in the University.
Parents are the primary professors and they are assisted by a host of associate professors.
Within the university are several schools, colleges, and graduate schools to meet the needs of each student and to teach them to be as Jesus Christ is.
The elementary school is known as the School of Primary.
The college preparatory school is divided into two different schools, the School of Young Women and the School of Young Men/Aaronic Priesthood. During the last four years of the preparatory school the students are concurrently enrolled in the Seminary Program of the university.
After graduating from their schools the young women and young men are enrolled in the College of Relief Society and the College of Melchizedek Priesthood respectively. The College of Melchizedek Priesthood is further divided into the School of Elders and the School of High Priests. The students are also concurrently enrolled in the College of Sunday School. To earn extra credit the students may also enroll in the Institute Program.
During their college studies the young men are given the opportunity to participate in a domestic and foreign study program which focuses on the recruitment of new students to the university. When they are nineteen years old they dedicate two years of their studies to this inspired recruitment program. They become great ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ as they forsake all to serve the Master. Young women also have this same opportunity when they reach the age of twenty-one. They serve for eighteen months.
After obtaining their bachelor's degree, the students are prepared to begin their master's program.
This very sacred program is taught at very special locations and each student must meet with the dean and campus president prior to the commencement of this program to ensure they are qualified for the program. The master's program is taught at sacred locations called temples.
After receiving their master's degree, they are qualified for the doctorate program, which consists in the application of all the teachings, concepts, and principles that they have learned in all the other schools, colleges, and programs that they have attended. This degree and all others are awarded on an individual basis determined by the individual’s worthiness and diligence in applying the teachings of the Master. There is no fanfare or celebration that comes with the bestowal of this sacred degree or any other degree in the university. It comes individually with the recipient being blessed with a personal manifestation from the Master and Our Father in Heaven.
There will then come the time when all the work has been done. There will be a Grand Commencement Ceremony in the Celestial Courts on High and those who are faithful and who have overcome all will receive their Celestial Degree. It is the highest degree awarded to the righteous who have overcome all through the atoning sacrifice of Our Savior Jesus Christ.
My hope is that you will come to understand the grandeur and magnitude that the University of Jesus Christ can have on you as an individual, to help you understand who you really are and also who you can become.
To those who are not members of the Church: It is my hope that you might come to a better understanding of what The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints can be in your life. I became a member twenty-nine years ago, and my life has been eternally blessed because of my affiliation with the Lord’s Church.
In life education is very important. We should always be learning. Every day we have the opportunity to explore, understand, create, and apply new ideas in formal and informal settings. From my life experiences I have come to believe that education is essential if we are to grow and develop into what God would have us become.
Our most important education is our spiritual education.
The University of Jesus Christ is a modern allegory of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is my hope that you will realize the important role you play in uplifting and inspiring others to live the principles found within The University of Jesus Christ and in helping to prepare the earth for the Second Coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
May God bless you in your studies in the Great University of Jesus Christ!
—Michael Rice