The Essence of Ministering

Over the last two days, many members of my Stake have heard a lot about Ministering, the church's new program method of reaching out to individuals and families who may need some help from time to time. That help used to take the form of monthly visits and occasional acts of service, but now it seems it could take nearly any form at all. Calls, visits, notes, small gifts, acts of service, or even just kind gestures could all be forms of Ministering. During a Questions and Comments section of one of our meetings, we explored many questions about how to Minister and what Ministering really means, though it all seemed pretty clear to me. It seems to me that the core essence of Ministering is being a friend. Everything a friend does is what a "ministering brother" or "ministering sister" ought to do. Friends show interest in their friends' lives and well-being, and that seems to be what Ministering is all about. So, don't over-complicate it. If you're called to "Minister" to someone, unless one of your church leaders tells you otherwise, I'd say that all you really need to do is try to be their friend.