Local Pages
At 78 He Shines the Light of the Gospel
Brother John William Orth, 78, shines the light of the gospel despite his struggles with Parkinson’s disease. John has been a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints all his life, serving in various callings, including as a bishop. Almost five years ago, after a long struggle with the illness, it became necessary for John to take up residence at Lutheran Homes in Glynde, South Australia, an aged care facility run by the Lutheran church.
Despite his health issues, John remains positive and is actively involved in his Lutheran Homes community, which provides church services and classes overseen by a full-time pastor. Soon after moving into the facility, John learned that the pastor would be away for a while and suggested that in his absence, the classes could be led by other residents — John was happy to lead one himself, if needed. The pastor took him up on his offer and John has since taught dozens of classes, which include a weekly broadcast (as his health permits) over an internal TV channel aired to hundreds of residents in the facility and its surrounding village.
Even as he grapples with physical limitations, John spends numerous hours a week preparing his lessons, sensitively referencing videos and other learning material from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Initially, the pastor reviewed each lesson before it was presented, but he now has no concerns about John’s teachings. In fact, John’s messages have seen several copies of the Book of Mormon placed with residents, many of whom have asked him to cover specific topics. He speaks fondly of one such request, which resulted in a 5-week course of instruction on grace.
John has also influenced other changes in the facility. He prepared laminated instruction cards to give residents an outline for their prayers. They now bless the food at mealtimes and offer a spiritual thought as part of their regular management and resident meetings. He hopes this will encourage them to pray more often and to keep the plan of salvation in mind.
John is convinced his mission is to share the gospel with his neighbours in the aged care facility, to prepare them for further teachings and to instil hope in those who fear what lies ahead. He wants them to feel positive about life beyond the veil and to know the love of Heavenly Father. When a resident passes away, John prepares their family history and submits their names for temple work to be done, where possible.
Not surprisingly, his favourite scripture is Mosiah 2:17: “And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God”.
In May of 2023, John received an unexpected visit from Elder Paul Whippy of the Pacific Area Seventy of the Church. Elder Whippy was so impressed with John’s example of Christian love and service that he shared the experience with Elder Taniela B. Wakolo, his priesthood leader in the Area Presidency.
When John was informed that Elder Wakolo also wanted to meet him, he organised for caregivers to ensure he was up and carefully dressed in his church attire, ready for the visit. In both these visits, John shared his testimony with the elders and some of the lessons he has learned over many years of faithful church service.
John is deeply loved by his wife, Diana, and his five sons: Benjamin, John William Junior, David, Andy, Sam and their families. They are proud of his continued Christlike service and are following his example in their own callings within their wards and stakes.
In 2018, President Russell M. Nelson declared, “The Lord is hastening His work to gather Israel. That gathering is the most important thing taking place on earth today. Nothing else compares in magnitude, nothing else compares in importance, nothing else compares in majesty”.1
Brother John Orth has embraced President Nelson’s declaration and is doing all he can to gather Israel on both sides of the veil. He is a wonderful example of letting your light shine and enduring to the end despite the challenges and difficulties of life.