The Gurnee 1st Ward in Lake County, Illinois, has members from six continents.
Photographer Anna Rasmussen has been in many wards throughout the years, but something about the global representation in this Chicagoland congregation felt extra special.
“My husband’s in the Navy, so we’ve traveled a lot and lived in a lot of different places,” Anna says. “But for some reason, having this one ward where there’s representation for all just magnified God’s love in a way that’s kind of hard for me to verbalize.”
So, Anna turned to her favorite tool for capturing divine beauty—her camera. She spent one year visiting ward members and taking their portraits, and the project resulted in a breathtaking representation of how we are all needed in the body of Christ.
More than an artistic symbol, the project reminded Anna and her ward family of the divine importance of honoring differences and creating unity.
Seeing the One
In December 2023, Anna was visiting Lou, a sister in her ward, when a powerful feeling washed over her. Although the two women don’t have much in common on paper, Anna felt a deep sense of kinship in that moment.
“Lou is from the Philippines, and the way she decorates her home is so different than mine,” Anna explains. “But she looked so beautiful sitting on her couch with window light coming through, and I just had this moment of love for her and feeling of God’s love for her and wanting to capture her beauty.”
When Anna went home that night, the thought kept returning to her mind: Go back and photograph Lou.
So, Anna offered to take her portrait, along with individual photographs of Lou’s family members. Lou was thrilled about the idea and chose to wear a floral dress that represented her heritage.
Over the next few months, Anna started having more promptings to photograph her ward members. “I started realizing that this was becoming something bigger,” she says. “At that point, I started getting model releases so that the project could move forward as the Lord saw fit.”
God Meets Us Where We Are
It was important to Anna to capture people in their homes, but doing so presented logistical challenges.
The Gurnee 1st Ward is continually evolving, with members moving in and out related to school, military assignments, and career changes. The congregation averages a couple of new converts each month.
Going to people’s homes also required extra time and planning. The ward boundaries stretch across a wide geographic area, spanning 30 minutes of travel time from east to west and north to south, respectively.
But through reaching out to people in the ward, some of whom only attend sacrament meetings occasionally, Anna gained a stronger testimony that God sees us individually and can meet us where we are.
For example, one family told Anna they would love to participate, but they didn’t feel like “good enough” members to be included. She remembers:
“I saw this family at church, and I said, ‘I see you here at church. I know you love Jesus. Can I take your portraits in this classroom right now?’
“They agreed, and I’m super happy that they’re in it.”
Another woman was nearing the end of her life when Anna took her portrait, and she ultimately passed away a few months later. Several ward members reached out to Anna thanking her for capturing the woman one last time.
“People really felt so grateful to be included,” Anna says. “In the Church, we know the importance of each person’s name. And as a visual artist, to also take their picture and have them know, ‘Not just is your name recorded in the records of the Church, but I recorded your portrait,’ that was special and important to them.”
Through the Lens of Love
More than anything, Anna hopes that this project helps people recognize the love God has for all of His children. No matter our culture, background, marital status, or age, we each have a place in the body of Christ.
As Elder Karl D. Hirst taught in a recent general conference: “God’s love is where, as circles on a Venn diagram, we all overlap. Whichever parts of us seem different, His love is where we find togetherness.”
And Anna believes that we can foster this togetherness as we learn about and honor each other’s stories.
“The biggest thing that I would say that I’ve learned is to listen, and I really feel like I’ve learned this from my ward members,” she says. “People the world over just want to share their story and have someone to say, ‘I see you, and I hear you. I love you.’
“Through my portraits, I hope to help others truly see each individual as God sees them. For when we see others as He does, we can’t help but love them.”
Check out the full gallery of portraits from the Gurnee 1st Ward in the video below.
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