CAROL F. MCCONKIE: “It is so important that we understand, first of all, that everyone is in a different place along the path and that we develop an awareness of the people that are around us. I know people who come to church every Sunday so that they can be inspired and uplifted and who just simply walk away feeling judged and unloved and unneeded, like there is no place for them at church. We need to do this differently. We need to be deeply aware of what the purpose of coming to church on Sunday is and make sure that everyone who comes feels loved, needed, accepted, and lifted. Everybody has struggles we don’t even know about. And it’s so important that we be aware that everyone around us is loved of God and that we need to see them through Christlike eyes. And we cannot allow judgment to dictate the way we interact with people. It’s just simply not right. I feel that the Lord places us where we are and connects us with the people around us for a purpose…

JEAN B. BINGHAM: “When you focus on the one, you can really lift and strengthen. I have had the opportunity to visit different areas of the world. And we have attended church in many different wards and branches. And until you’ve seen people that are different than you, in lots of different ways, I think it is easy to get focused on a very narrow segment and feel like that’s the only way to be. I think when we get outside ourselves, when we consider others, it helps us realize that we are all a family, our family of Heavenly Father. …Someone might say, ‘Well, I don’t have a need for other people.’ But maybe they have a need for you. When you choose to put yourself out there, you are blessing someone else’s life”

D. TODD CHRISTOFFERSON: “It breaks my heart if someone comes and is very vulnerable and says, ‘I want to try it. I want to be here,’ and then get a cold shoulder or a lack of interest. And that’s tragic. It really is tragic. We have to be better than that…The diversity we find now in the Church may be just the beginning. Frankly, I think we will see greater and greater diversity. In the ancient Church there was tremendous diversity. And it’s not just diversity for diversity’s sake but the fact that people can bring different gifts and perspectives, and the wide range of experience and backgrounds and challenges that people face will show us what really is essential in the gospel of Christ. And that much of the rest, that has been perhaps acquired over time and is more cultural than doctrinal, can slip away and we can really learn to be disciples” (D. Todd Christofferson, “Is There a Place for Me?” ChurchofJesusChrist.org).