Red brick store

Our visits to the Red Brick Store in the past have been under the ownership  of The Community of Christ. The store was used as a retail outlet, with fun candies and souvenir items. I am sure that it was a fun destination for visitors.

Now that the store has been purchased by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints, the store will (it  seems) be presented in a different way. When we visited the store a couple of weeks ago, the shelves were bare. There were three missionary sisters there to greet us. The sisters explained that they were not sure how it may be presented in the coming weeks but that it would probably be presented the way it may have looked in Joseph Smith's time, with commodities and grocery items as they may have looked at that time; with nothing for sale.

The missionaries talked to us about the store and how it was used and then invited us to go upstairs and see how the building was used up there. We saw Joseph Smith's office and (i think), Willard Richard's office. There was also a large room where meetings were held including the first meeting and organization of the Relief Society.

The missionary then said that Joseph Smith recorded some of his revelations in the office and also that the "Wintworth letter" is thought to have been written there. The Wintworth letter contained the Articles of Faith. She asked us what our favorite Article of Faith was. I could not think of a favorite Article of Faith at the time but later I chose one that had increased meaning to me in connection to our mission assignment in the Temple.

The third Article of Faith:

We believe that through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the Laws and Ordinances of the Gospel.

(We help provide the ordinances to many of Heavenly Father's children in the Temples).

Another part of the Wintworth letter contains the "Standard of Truth" , which the missionary invited us to recite with her. (many missionaries are encouraged to memorise the Standard of Truth and recite it often in District Meetings). It  always stirs my soul, and I think "who writes like this?"

The Standard of Truth has been erected: no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions nay rage,mobs may combine.armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the Great Jehovah shall say, "the work is done". 

     Joseph Smith Jr.

The Red Brick Store was actually re-built by the Community of Christ on the original spot. Now our missionaries are able to give meaningful tribute to the history. 

I love you all

happy days from Nauvoo