Video on the Church in Africa Now Available

A recently produced videotape dealing with the lives and activities of Church members in Africa, entitled Lives of Service, is now available through Church distribution centers.

Originally produced to acquaint African government leaders with the Church and its teachings, the video was sponsored by the Church’s Public Affairs Department.

Elder James E. Faust of the Quorum of the Twelve, who oversees the work of the Church in Africa, commented that the film conveys a powerful message about selfless service: “Dedicated members of the Church in Africa and throughout the world are truly becoming the leaven of their people as they not only serve in the Church, but use their skills to improve the lot of those around them.”

Lives of Service was filmed on location. It focuses on several Church members who have devoted their lives to serving their fellowmen. One of those is 74-year-old Julia Mavimbela of Soweto, South Africa. Already a well-known public figure when she joined the Church in 1981, Sister Mavimbela has been repeatedly elected president of the National Women of South Africa. She also founded Women for Peace, a multiracial organization that now numbers more than sixteen thousand women.

Also featured are Dr. Emmanuel Kissi, a surgeon and regional representative in Ghana, and electrical engineer David Eka, who was the first stake president in black Africa and who is currently serving as a regional representative in Nigeria.

Bruce L. Olsen, managing director of the Church’s Public Affairs Department, reports that the film has been shown to various heads of state in Africa and “is proving very effective in removing misconceptions and communicating a Christ-centered message. We felt others might benefit from it also, so it is being made available to members, leaders, and missionaries throughout the world to use as a tool in introducing the Church.”

The sixteen-minute video (stock no. 53079) is available through Church distribution centers for $4.00.

Shot on location, Lives of Service inlcudes interviews with Church members like Emmanuel and Benedicta Elizabeth Kissi of Ghana.