When Blair Murphy received word that meetings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were suspended due to COVID-19, he had been serving as the bishop (lay minister) of a congregation in Adelaide for just five months of what is normally a term of three to five years.
He suddenly found himself not as busy as he normally was ─ with interviews, meetings and activities. This new reality left him feeling at a loss as to how to connect with and unite his congregation, when they would not be meeting together for worship and activities.
Amid these feelings, the thought came to his mind, “I could have been called as a bishop at any time… why now?”
With that thought, he stopped focusing on what had been lost and instead asked, “What are the skills and talents I have that could make me a more effective servant during these unique times?”
The inspiration came to do two things. Firstly, to send messages of encouragement and caring, via email and Facebook, to members of the ward consistently each week.
Secondly, to create a medium by which members of the ward could feel connected to one another.
Feeling inspired direction, he created the “Bishop’s Office” podcast. There he posts recorded interviews with members of the ward about their experiences living the gospel of Jesus Christ and how it has blessed their lives.
“I’ve been amazed to see that more than 500 hours of the podcast have been listened to, so far, by people living here in Adelaide and other places all over the world,” he shared.
“The Lord often uses difficulties in our lives as catalysts for change. It has been wonderful to see how the Lord has used these two small ideas to help His people walk in His light.”