Hello again, everyoe! Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of most the current Church magazines, which were last renamed in 1971, with the titles thereof being The Ensign, The New Era, and the Friend. Later on, in May 1995, the Liahona as it is currently known was first published as a country-and-area specific magazine with targeted content for the same.
In the years that have passed between 1971 and 1995, and between 1995 and now, those 3 (and later 4) magazi.nes were the normal status quo with long-standing precedent in practice, but not in doctrine. In the interim, we have been the recipients of sieveral significant revelations from our current prophet, President Russell M. Nelson. And the efforts he has undertaken have attempted to unify and streamline Church policies, procedures, and practices in a time when the reach of the Church is and will be ever further.
With those preceding paragraphs as a preamble to this post, I am pleased to share some breaking news that changes are again coming to the magazines of the Church. In this morning's announcement, the First Presidency noted that, effective January 2021, the Ensign magazine as we know it will be retired. The Liahona will now be the global magazine for all adult members of the Church. Similarly, the New Era name will also be changed, and the magazine for youth will now be known as For the Strength of Youth. The name of the magazine for Primary-aged children will continue to use the moniker: "The Friend."
In accordance with these changes, the length and format of each magazine will also change, with the Church expanding additional content that is available in digital formats. The First Presidency also noted that the now-three monthly magazines will be available in 23 languages, also expanding the Church's global reach. Bimonthly (six times per year), magazine content will be available in 24 other languages, with online content bridging the gap for months when no print edition is available. And in 40 other languages, the Church will provide content solely through digital means.
The letter and associated FAQs sharing this development also notes subscription-specific information. For current subscribers to any magazines, at the end of this year, the time remaining on all current subscriptions will roll over onto the equivalent magazines. The Church also noted that, because the Liahona will now be the standard magazine for the adults of the Church, the previous content once conttained in the Liahona specifically for the children and youth of the Church will now appear in "For the Strength of Youth" and "The Friend" as part of the Church's process of streamlining all of this.
For that reason, subscriptions to any or all of the now-three magazines will need to be acquired. But if changes are coming to the format and layout of these magazines, and if the Church is reducing the number of magazines from 4 to 3 global editions, there may be adjustments made on the prices for these magazines. In either case, the digital versions will remain accessible to all free of charge. Additional information on these changes willl be made available through the Church's social media channels, through the Church website, and in the December 2020 issues of the current magazines.
It has been somewhat of a whirlwind 16 hours or so since I found out about the two Utah temple groundbreakings. In the interim, the Church has released the renderings for two temples in the Pacific Islands, and now this announcement of the changes to Church magazines. President Nelson truly was not kidding when he noted that things would be moving at an accelerated pace. I look forward to seeing whatever else may be ahead, and I will do my level best to keep bringing word of those to you all here as I become aware of all such developments.
That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added content, please feel free to subscribe. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
The Church News also covered this development:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2020-08-14/new-church-magazines-liahona-friend-for-the-strength-of-youth-190738
My thanks once again to you all.
And the Church News also just reported on the death of another Latter-day Saint airman:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2020-08-14/air-force-major-michael-mcallister-obituary-190847
Thanks again, everyone!
The Newsroom has covered local humanitarian projects being done in Brazil in the midst of ongoing COVID-19 conditions impacting that nation:
ReplyDeletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/brazilian-saints-sew-and-donate-more-than-3-million-face-masks
Thanks again, everyone!
And with today being Friday, the Church News has published the latest edition of "This Week on Social":
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2020-08-14/this-week-on-social-listen-spiritual-promptings-190890
The newest installment of that continuing series included posts from the following 4 general leaders (3 apostles and a female general office,r of the Church): Acting President M. Russell Ballard and Elders Ronald A. Rasband and Ulisses Soares of the QUorum of the Twelve Apostles and Sister Michelle D. Craig, First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency. My thanks once again to you all.
Hello again, everyone! Today, Church News staff writer Sydney Walker took a look back at an unexpected discovery that connected her to early Relief Society leaders Eliza R. Snow and Emmeline B. Wells, and by exxtension, to the Utah women's Suffraggate Movement:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2020-08-15/jane-snyder-richards-emmeline-b-wells-eliza-r-snow-relief-society-suffrage-190675
Also, today was the day previously announced for both the Salta Argentina Temple groundbreaking and the Columbus Ohio Temple renovation closure to begin. With the former rescheduled for Friday October 9, I looked for information on the latter. And according to the Church's official webpage for that temple, it still shows Columbus Ohio as open under phase 2. Probably just a temporary oversight, but I wanted to make note of it all the same. My thanks once again to you all.
This comment was originally published verbatim by me in the threads of a recent post. It is reproduced here in its' entirety to ensure that all who are interested in seeing the information can do so:
ReplyDeleteHello again, everyone! Although it has been a relatively quiet Sunday thus far with no new temple updates or reports on the Newsroom, I wanted to note that for the first time in a long time, the Church News has provided an update on new stakes created or stake presidencies reorganized:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/callings/2020-08-16/learn-about-these-recently-called-stake-presidencies-190303
Some of those reorganizations took place after Acting President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles sent out an aforementioned letter announcing the cancellation of all stake conferences Churchwide through November 1, with a few exceptions when approved:
https://www.ldsliving.com/Stake-conferences-canceled-through-November-1-exceptions-can-be-requested/s/93018
That suggests to me that the Brethren will continue the work of reorganizing stakes as that becomes necessary through technology or other exceptions when it can safely be done, or when the stake president and/or his counselors need to be released to fill other assignments.
In the meantime, I believe Church Growth blog owner Matthew Martinich may have previously covered the creation of the Winder Georgia stake on his blog. But I thought I'd mention this Church News article here for any of my readers who may be interested in that. My thanks once again to you all.Hello again, everyone! Although it has been a relatively quiet Sunday thus far with no new temple updates or reports on the Newsroom, I wanted to note that for the first time in a long time, the Church News has provided an update on new stakes created or stake presidencies reorganized:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/callings/2020-08-16/learn-about-these-recently-called-stake-presidencies-190303
Some of those reorganizations took place after Acting President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles sent out an aforementioned letter announcing the cancellation of all stake conferences Churchwide through November 1, with a few exceptions when approved:
https://www.ldsliving.com/Stake-conferences-canceled-through-November-1-exceptions-can-be-requested/s/93018
That suggests to me that the Brethren will continue the work of reorganizing stakes as that becomes necessary through technology or other exceptions when it can safely be done, or when the stake president and/or his counselors need to be released to fill other assignments.
In the meantime, I believe Church Growth blog owner Matthew Martinich may have previously covered the creation of the Winder Georgia stake on his blog. But I thought I'd mention this Church News article here for any of my readers who may be interested in that. My thanks once again to you all.
The following two additional articles have been published by the Church News:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2020-08-16/president-nelson-social-media-humanitarian-work-covid-19-190900
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2020-08-16/sister-missionaries-stabbed-houston-texas-190908
My thanks once again to you all.