KEARNS, Utah — A warm, inviting atmosphere welcomed visitors to the new Kearns LDS Social Services agency during an open house at the newly completed facility Feb. 11.
And this atmosphere, said David A. Albrecht, agency director, is "the starting point" for a client upon his and/or her first visit to any such LDS agency.
"We want them to come and feel welcome, feel comfortable — to share problems, challenges and burdens with someone," said Brother Albrecht, who has worked for LDS Social Services for 27 years. "It's hard to come in for counseling. We want not only the physical environment, but also the counselors to provide help, to provide a friendly, warm atmosphere."
About 150 visitors, mainly members of stake presidencies, bishoprics and Relief Society presidencies, visited the new agency, now one of three in the Salt Lake Valley. The other two agencies are in Salt Lake City and in Sandy.
The Kearns agency serves residents of Kearns, Taylorsville, West Jordan and West Valley City and offers the services of four full-time counselors, including a clinical social worker and marriage and family therapists, and five part-time clinical social workers.
Speaking of the agency's counselors, Brother Albrecht told the Church News, "I like to think of our counselors as having their citizenship in the Church and their passports in their profession."
The agency counsels and aids unwed mothers and potential adoptive parents and offers family and marriage counseling as well as individual counseling.
During the open house, Brother Albrecht and the counselors introduced visitors to the new agency by leading personal tours. Scenic paintings and a picture of the Jordan River Temple by the front desk add to the warmth of the agency.
In the conference room, several black-and-white illustrations of the Savior with children adorn one wall.
A spirit of peace is reflected throughout the agency. In clinical social worker Carolyn Chudley's office, three Precious Moments statuettes sit by some books in her book shelf. One figure includes parents holding a baby, another an adoptive couple and child holding an adoption certificate, and the third a mom holding her baby. These figures, Sister Chudley explained, represent marriage, adoption and single parenthood.
"The most important work I do," Sister Chudley said, "is help a young woman do a 180 [-degree turn] back to the Lord, to see her work through the repentance process and to ask the Lord to take part in the decision making."
Speaking of unwed mothers, Brother Albrecht referred to a June 15, 1998, letter to Church leaders from the First Presidency, which states: "A child needs both a mother and father who provide love, support and all the blessings of the gospel.
"Every effort should be made in helping those who conceive out of wedlock to establish an eternal family relationship. When the probability of a successful marriage is unlikely, unwed parents should be encouraged to place the child for adoption, preferably through LDS Social Services. Adoption through LDS Social Services helps ensure that the baby will be reared by a mother and father in a faithful Latter-day Saint family.
"Unwed parents who do not marry should not be counseled to keep the infant as a condition of repentance or out of an obligation to care for one's own. Generally, unwed parents are not able to provide the stable, nurturing environment so essential for the baby's well-being."
Brother Albrecht continued: "Adoptive placement is a decision that is often misunderstood by those not involved. Many believe that an adoptive placement is motivated by selfishness and unwillingness to take responsibility for the child. However, that has not been our experience. The young women we serve choose adoption so their children can have the opportunities and benefits that two-parent families offer, and so that they can rebuild their own lives.
"These young women deeply love their babies, and place them for adoption out of a desire to provide what they think is best — a two-parent family that is ready for children."
He emphasized, however, that one of the most important aspects of the work of LDS Social Services is to help unwed mothers restore hope for their future and establish their goal for an eternal family.
"We help each unwed mother rebuild her dreams through counseling services for her and her family, meetings with others who are in the same situation, and counseling with the father of her baby, when deemed appropriate."
LDS Social Services has 59 offices throughout the United States and Canada, as well as offices in England, Australia and New Zealand.
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