Episode 405: Emerson Fersch, Former Stake President, Disciple of Christ

Listen, Learn & Love Hosted by Richard Ostler

Richard Ostler

Religion & Spirituality

4.8 • 839 Ratings

🗓️ 1 May 2021

⏱️ 100 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

My friend Emerson Fersch, recently released as Stake President in the California Long Beach East Stake, talks about ‘creating Zion’ in his stake where everyone felt welcome, loved and needed. That included a significant outreach to LGBTQ Latter-day Saints in his stake—as well as working to make sure other groups who often feel on the margins feel a sense of belonging. Emerson also talks about his conversion story to the Church and falling in love with his dear wife Darcy (they now live in Cedar City, Utah) and their joint efforts to connect more with the blessings of the Gospel. If you are a local leader looking for real-life experiences to honor President Ballard’s challenge in April 2021 conference to create a greater feeling of belonging, please listen to this podcast. It will inspire you. Our prayer is that ideas will come into your mind/heart to better ‘create Zion’ in your area of stewardship. You can reach Emerson at [email protected] Thank you Emerson for being on the podcast and your great work. You are a hero to me and 100s of others. ** Please Check Out My New Book At: ** Deseret Book: www.deseretbook.com/p/listen-learn-and-love-embracing-lgbtq-latter-day-saints Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/1462135773

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome listeners to another episode of Listen, Learn, and Love hosted by Richard Osler.
0:10.4	My guest on today's podcast is my friend Emerson First, who's joining from his home in Cedar City via Zoom.
0:21.3	Welcome to the podcast, Emerson.
0:23.9	Thank you, right here.
0:24.7	Thanks for the time.
0:26.1	Will you tell our listeners, since you have a very unique first name and last name,
0:31.5	will you tell our listeners how to spell both those names and if there's a story behind
0:35.5	either of those names?
0:38.0	So Emerson's E M, EE-R-S-O-N, 1M, and then my last name is F-E-R-S-C-H.
0:47.3	The first is, I think, German, Belgium, I traced it as far back as to Austria.
0:55.0	My first name Emerson, I'm actually named after my dad,
1:00.0	whose first name was also Emerson, who his name came from my grandfather's best friend,
1:06.0	who is Harry Emerson Foszb, who you may be from Iowa.
1:09.0	He's a well-known theologian, I guess, back in the
1:13.0	late or early 20th century, and he was a personal friend of my grandfather, so he was a Baptist
1:19.2	minister in New Hampshire. So that's where the Emerson comes from. Well, we're sure glad to
1:25.8	have you on the podcast. By way of introduction, Emerson First is a recent released state president in the East Long Beach area.
1:33.7	He moved from that area.
1:35.4	It lives in Cedar City.
1:37.3	I became aware of Emerson when he invited me to speak at state conference.
1:43.0	And I talked about LGBTQ, but what Emerson or President Fersh did in that stake
1:49.6	and was just to create Zion, a feeling that everybody is welcome in that stake.
	...

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