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This the last General Conference Address delivered by President Moyle prior to his death some five months later.
President McKay visited Laie in Hawaii in 1921 with President Hugh J. Cannon [of Liberty Stake.] This was part of their world tour. It was the flag-raising ceremony at the little school in Laie that inspired President McKay to improve the educational facilities of the Islands. He saw Hawaiian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Caucasian children and mixed racial strains. They all with fervor saluted our flag without a trace of racial disparity.
A little Japanese boy, it is reported, stepped into the center of the circle and with his hand over his heart pledged his allegiance to the flag of the United States. It was at that moment that President McKay was inspired ultimately to see to it that a college would be built at Laie. This spot had already been dedicated as a spiritual center, and President McKay was inspired with the desire to dedicate it as an educational center also, and since 1951 the following schools have been built in the Polynesian area:
The Church College of Hawaii; The Church College of New Zealand; Liahona College, Tonga; Church College of Western Samoa; Mapasaga High School, American Samoa; five primary schools in these areas; and one primary school is now being built in Tahiti.
Henry D. Moyle, Conference Report, April 1963, p.92
It was the building of some of these smaller schools in the Pacific from which the Church building program developed. The missionary building program found its origin in a spiritual impression, a revelation, if you please, to a future President of the Church. It is still the desire of President Mckay to bring the full church program to all members of the Church everywhere. He emphasizes two things: the need of the Holy Ghost, and the need of the full church program to assist us, the members of the Church, to do our full church duty. And I am sure that it is going to take both dedication and devotion on the part of all of us to carry out the great church program.
I want to say that President Mckay, who was sustained as our leader twelve y ears ago, has done as much as any mortal man could do, in laboring for the individual interest of every member of the Church.
The accomplishments are phenomenal. It was during a meeting of the expenditures committee on April 17 1962 that a report of the vast building program of the Church projected for the future, tremendous in its scope, was given, and the anticipated growth of the church membership was estimated, that the question was asked: "How in the world can we continue to finance this kind of building program, even as it is needed to house the membership and to cope with the growth?"
President McKay thought a moment, not unlike the thinking of President Snow in St. George, depicted by the beautiful picture shown us last evening at the bishops' meeting, The windows of Heaven, for he received light and understanding from heaven and prophetically uttered: "We have been waiting for this day in the Church for a hundred years, this tremendous development in our membership. Now that day has come, we must be prepared to take care of the membership of the Church; if we are faithful and obedient to the commandments of the Lord, 'God will provide.'"
I had occasion last night to talk to the bishops, for which I was grateful, upon the subject of tithing. It is my humble testimony to you that the Lord has set the pace, and we cannot look back. Christ said, " . . No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62.)
Whatever wealth we have individually, or as a Church, should be fully dedicated to the advancement of the work of the Lord. As holders of the priesthood we know the Lord has said, "For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies." (D&C 84:33.) But that is not accomplished by those who do not pay their tithes.
Just remember that, and we do not become the sons of Moses and Aaron and of the seed of Abraham and of the Church and kingdom, and the elect of God when we do not obey his commandments; and when through any reasons that we may have of our own we seek to withhold that sacred tenth of our increase which belongs to the Lord, we exclude ourselves from the class spoken of in the eighty-fourth section of the Doctrine and Covenants, and that is likewise true of the other passage that I wanted to read about, "And also all they who receive this priesthood receive me, saith the Lord;" (Ibid., 84:35.)
But I say unto you tonight, my brethren, in all seriousness that whosoever magnifies these two priesthoods gives to the Lord a full accounting for his tenth and does it willingly. They do it because they love to serve the Lord and keep his commandments. We are not seeking to receive tithes from anyone unless they are paid as the offerings of Abel were made originally to the Lord and then all of these promises are ours. We should always remember our obligation to give to the Lord the tenth which is his.
"I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say, but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise." (Ibid., 82:10.)
Therefore, I feel confident saying that these blessings which are predicated upon our holding these two great priesthoods of God can be enjoyed by us when we account to our bishops for our tithes and offerings. There must always be in the Lord's storehouse sufficient funds for the President of the Church to carry out every inspiration received from God, and it all takes funds.
How grateful I am that we have President McKay living so close to God that he knows where these funds should be placed and what we should accomplish with them. How grateful I am not only for the building program but also for these great spiritual men whose work in the building of our chapels is just as spiritual as it is temporal. I am grateful for the short wave radio. I am grateful for everything that the President has initiated because I know he is a prophet of God, and he is inspired and acts in accordance with the mind and will of our Heavenly Father.
How simple it is for you and me as members of the priesthood to see that the funds are accumulated, by which the storehouse of the Lord will always be filled. It was Alma of old who said "For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors." (Alma 34:32.)
I know with all my heart and soul that President McKay's stewardship of the funds of the Church has been in keeping with the will of the Lord, and for the advancement and progress of his work here upon this earth. It will be more pleasing to the Lord when he sees fit to return to this earth to have the greatest number of souls saved than to look at any financial statement of the Church that could possibly exist.
I testify to you that the work now going forward under our beloved prophet is in accordance with the wishes of our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, and I pray that every one of us who respects these two priesthoods which we hold will uphold and sustain him and find reasons why we should pay a full tithing. As leaders of the Church, as I said last night, we should preach tithing and inspire those whom we preside over in our wards and stakes and branches throughout the world to account to the Lord for that which belongs to him. I pray this humbly in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
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