New leadership in Rocky Mount Congregation

The Rocky Mount congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a new bishop. Mark Lyons has succeeded Jimmy King, who served the previous five years.

An interesting characteristic of the Church of Jesus Christ is its unpaid, lay ministry. Bishop Lyons will balance the duties of leading the Rocky Mount congregation with his other responsibilities at work, home and in the community.

Lyons is a Senior Software Engineer at Disney. He has lived in Rocky Mount for three years. He and his wife Ashley are the parents of five sons with one on the way.

When the time comes to call a new bishop, no one applies for the position. Rather, local leaders seek guidance through prayer to determine who should be asked to fulfill the assignment. Once the position is extended and accepted by the individual, it is presented to the congregation, called a ward, for a sustaining vote.

Lyons said, “We have such a great community of members here. I’ve already felt so buoyed up by their love and support. I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve amongst such wonderful people and I look forward to learning and growing with them. Mostly important, I’m grateful to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and that He trusts me and my family to be involved in his restored gospel in these the Latter-days.”

In addition to spiritual counseling, a bishop also ensures that the temporal needs of members are met, organizes church services and oversees the practical matters of record keeping, finances and the care of the meetinghouse.

To help him in these duties, Bishop Lyons selected Jade Kaiser and David Moore as counselors. Together, they will support members of the Rocky Mount Ward in their efforts to follow Jesus Christ.

Visitors are welcome to attend the worship services of the Rocky Mount congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located at 3224 Woodlawn Road on Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m.