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good morning, and welcome to mosaic. i am ron swisher. the universal theme this morning is humanitarian service. i believe it was albert einstein who said if you want to find a purpose and calling in life you need to know how to serve. today we have a colleague and friend of mine who has come to say a little worried about service. welcome, marilyn. what is it mean to serve, what is it all about? >> most people have an understanding of the way that they volunteer in this way that they lift others up. it can be anything from helping out at a soup kitchen, helping the

homeless, donating some money toward charitable organization you believe in. there is kind of an attitude of charity that goes with serving and it kind of shines through your behavior. humanitarian service is another synonym for social justice. it tends to focus on the social needs of our communities and around the world, that everyone is becoming more conscious of. >> your big project now is the blood drive. what got you involved? >> last year it sort of came out of some brilliance of two clergymen. the bishop of the oakland diocese and one of the mormon leaders in the oakland

area, and they were in a huddle meeting of sorts and try to figure out what can we have for the well of small army of people we have that want to serve. so the idea came out of that meeting that perhaps giving blood would be an appropriate form of service. i was involved from the very beginning and organizing. it was an interfaith based, it was to all the interfaith councils and we teamed up with the american red cross as kind of the vehicle for receiving that blood. there is a deficit in the bay area. >> i'm in the process of moving to fairfield. you were there

last week or so? >> what happened, and this was not the intent, the red cross told us it was the largest faith-based blood drive they've ever had, and arguably even in red cross's history. so what we are doing that this year, as it was a huge success, everyone was doing such a terrific job and it was all during the month of july, which is one of the hardest times to find donors. vacation, there are not regular blood drives being offered. so as a faith community we said, this is no problem, we can do this. and we ended up having an amazing turnout. it was inspiring to see people who are normally afraid of needles, but that they were really loving

being a part of something bigger. this year it is about four times the size. ukiah is the top blood drive and the moderate diocese. today we have 80 blood drives that have been organized in a very diverse number of churches and faiths. everyone is gearing up for july. it is read july. we encourage people to wear red ties and red sox . this is what they gave me last year. >> we will talk more about that. july is when i go to fairfield. >> i will give you the address, date and time. we expect your good blood. >> please join us with dr. marilyn right. she does great

work. thank you for joining us. see you in the next segment.

welcome back to mosaic. we have an additional guest, glad to welcome ron maclean. good to have you. both of you are latter-day saints. tell us a little bit about your faith and what has inspired you to be involved in the community and

interfaith gatherings. >> let me say, i have been a member of the church for 27 years. i joined as an adult, what we call a convert. the thing that impressed me most was our focus on family values and focus on living within your means and other aspects of how we practice that i, from my previous experience, head of deep-seated feeling that they would be of great use and utility if we could take to the community. the church believes in being part of the fabric of the community in which it is located. i felt that as an african-american i could serve my community well in oakland if i would get involved in

interfaith efforts that promote some of the values we hold. it's about, for example, living within your means. it is about abstinence from drugs and alcohol. call that, if you will, our values regarding what we put into our bodies. always being measured, reasoned and purposeful in how you are living your life and controlling all aspects of your life to which you can because there is much within our control. i was reading an article this morning, on the front page of last sunday's new york times about mitt romney. not focusing on him as a candidate but as a practicing member of our church. the things that they brought out

and one thing they focused on was when he was teaching sunday school, how he emphasized that the principles that are in the gospel, if you will, in the bible, in the book of mormon, are principles that we need to apply in our daily lives and he was challenging those in his class, as to how to apply those principles. i think that goes a long way toward the measure of us as as members of our church, that we attempt to practice what we study and learn from the gospel. >> i appreciate that. what i read also was that you put a lot of emphasis on helping the poor and the needy. >> in reference to what ron was

saying, there is a real interest, almost an obsession right now and what mormons are all about and what makes them tick, and i think to understand latter-day saints, you really have to understand them by just observing. they are very engaged in the community and in service and within their own kind of faith community as well. and to understand kind of what makes us take or what motivates us, there is part of it that is cultural and some of it is theology. for some people, they love separating the two. but to us it is one in the same because our lives are organized daily around the principles that we really old deep. a big part of that is

service. >> ron, family is huge with you. >> we were talking about this. i was happily single for the majority of my life until almost four years ago when i was teaching at pepperdine university, at a private practice in psychology and i was very engaged in that world. and then, out of vote that i made with a girlfriend many years ago that i would never turn down someone she thought i should meet, literally, mr. right came along. i must be dense, and literally needed mr. right to show up, but there he was. there was absolutely no question that this was the person i was to be with. lo and behold, i up and

left everything and went from being single to the mother of six grown children and 18 grandchildren. i think i look pretty good for being a grandma at 18. we would love to show up and talk about that. >> you are in psychology and you are an attorney, right ron? >> yes. i negotiate information technology contracts. if i can go back to family for just a moment, i have long believed that a major issue we have in our communities, if you will, if you'll notice, just, crime, let's take that for a -- an

example. one of the real strengths of controlling what happens in our neighborhoods starts within the home, if you will. i can recall when i grew up in kansas city, kansas. my parents both worked. i had to answer to any adult that happened to be home during the day, knowing that they would watch out for what i was doing if i was not acting correctly. and they reported to my parents. and if i was really out of bounds they would discipline me on the spot. that sort of neighborhood responsibility is something that seems to me to have broken down and we just don't have that. >> let's come back to that because i know family is key, not only to mormons on the latter-day saints but our entire community. please join us in our next segment with ron and

marilyn.

welcome back to mosaic. we left off talking about family and how it is connected to humanitarian service. >> again, i think that when you start talking about family, what

we really mean to say is that the examples that are set by the mother and father within the home when you have the traditional nuclear family, or really instrumental in what you learn as you grow. what they see you do is what they will also carry forward. that's why, as part of our role in being leaders is to demonstrate things like public service, reaching out to others, compassionate service, being of service to others. that is an important part of the fabric of our church and how we practice. our youth learned that as they grew up and put it to use in their lives. it is something that they learn that is expected of them. even those young men and women who go off and serve missions. easy young men and young women walking around with badges on,

that is as pure an example as you can find of giving of oneself to the service and the building of our church and practice and reaching out to others. >> i've been to your services and i had an opportunity to preach there two years ago. i was really impressed with the youth. >> your theme was rejoice, anyway. even though life is quite heavy and very challenging at times, there are reasons, when you've got faith, it kind of gives hope, lifts up and inspires. you gave great message that every latter-day st. was wanting to say, amen. >> i appreciate both of you coming to my service this past sunday. you're well welcomed, received and even got a hand. we

are talking about being more inclusive. you think people are finding out more about what mormonism is? >> i think one thing our faith has learned through interaction with us, they really maybe don't have enough of an understanding of who we are. there are a number of reasons for that. we have been an intensely engaged community of faith but we are so busy. one thing to understand about latter-day saints, they are very busy fall. but there is no paid clergy, so we have what are considered callings that we are very committed to. that is part of the ethic of serving. service to those within our own kind of worship congregation and community. then there is additional day jobs that we

have, to earn a living, pay our bills and taxes. and there is also such an ethic that is scripturally based in matthew 25. there are many scriptures . >> i was hungry, and you gave me food. >> as well as an idea of, let your light so shine for men so they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven. there is a commitment to giving back to god in our mind through how we treat and serve those around us. so there is a very full schedule for most latter-day saints. they are usually a little weary. >> three hours in church on

sundays, is that standard? >> it has changed. when i was growing up it was a three-hour block but then they separated it out to three separate meetings where they are one hour each. we have the main sacrament service, we actually partake in the sacrament and renew the covenants. then there is a relief society, so men and women have their own services and children have their own sunday school service. then there is sunday school that brings us all together. there is a different allocation of worship services on sunday. >> you grew up in the church but as a convert, were you able to adjust to that? >> let me say that it was abrupt. not only the nature, but here was the fact that it took

the most adjustment in my own personal life, and the fact that you are expected to give of yourself to the service, to serve others and to serve the lord. to use christ and his life as an example in how you approach your worship within the church. being compassionate toward others, instructing others. being called upon to, as dr. wright was saying, to serve in a calling, which means you will have to give of yourself to others. for example, one of my callings right now in addition to public affairs and being with you, i am a special assistant to the ship. -- the bishop. i deliver food several days a week. tomorrow i will drive to

the store house and pick up food orders for these people and delivering them. there is nothing that makes you feel better than doing that. that was a change from the less than generous person i was before i joined the church. >> that is kind of instilled in the entire mormon community. we will come back in the next segment and take a look at the book you brought for me. it has been great to have you on. please join us for the last segment.

>> this is one of the resources for the latter-day saints. there are many resources but this is

considered one of the better ones that has come out. thank you for bringing that resource. it is excellent. >> this is a friend of mine, gary lawrence, i wouldn't say it was a standard mormon reference by any means but it is more for the general population who have so much curiosity about mormons. a lot of what ron and i enjoy opportunities to do is just to put a face to many people who may have heard about mormons but they did not have much interaction. or if they did, they probably did not ask much about their religious faith. so this is a tremendous book based a lot on research polling throughout america. views that a typical person might have of mormons and it dispels and is really

constructive on talking through why we believe and to correct misconceptions. >> i was interested in the giving and tithing. all resources go to salt lake city, isn't that correct? and then it goes out to other sources that need it? >> the church distributes our tithing and other charitable contributions worldwide to balance the inequities that may exist between economic, and within the church as far as neighborhoods and the earning power of its members. >> i know that there is of popular term now, redistribution of wealth. a lot of people might assume that latter-day saints, people assume we are extremely conservative and perhaps very

conservative. yet, on the whole, latter-day sold -- saints are moderate and not only on their political stand but within their giving. that might be seen more as the social wing of political america, all of our fast offerings, we fast once a month for two meals and we make a donation in addition to 10% of tithing that would go towards those in need. that money, our tithing, is generally at least 10% and we were talking about how that is kind of a private offering that is given. it is not up passing of a plate in public congregation >> and you had harry reid, and

orrin hatch. so a broad spectrum. >> very much. and to understand, theology doesn't tell you which wing of the political spectrum you will be on what it will speak to being committed to civic engagement in our communities. >> it was great to have you on this program. time flies, doesn't it? >> yes, will you have a spec? >> anytime. >> i will see you at a blood drive in fairfield in july. >> i will give you some good blood. thank you for joining us. i misquoted earlier and said albert einstein that it was alberts weiser. if you want purpose in life, learn to serve.

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