Hello again, everyone! This afternoon, the Newsroom and the Church News have outlined a new letter from the First Presidency, which sets forth the conditions under which each temple of the Church will gradually and eventually transition to phase 4 (normal operations). Let's break down the details:
Because immunizations against COVID-19 and its' variants are up worldwide, and since infections, hospitalizations, and deaths are on the downward trend in some parts of the world, the First Presidency is inviting temple presidencies, in consultation with each of the 22 area presidencies worldwide, and with the approval to do so from local medical professionals who shape community guidelines and from the Church's Temple Department, temples of the Church worldwide will gradually be able to transition to phase 4.
Temple presidencies have been invited to look at the best and safest ways to return temple worship to normal pre-pandemic levels. That process and the associated timeline will look different everywhere the Church has established a temple. Obviously, for example, the temples not yet in phase 3 (including the temple in Kyiv Ukraine) will be subject to unique circumstances, which would make the process of reopening temples at full capacity different in Kyiv than it would be elsewhere in Europe.
I anticipated that temples in the US and Canada, where the variants are more controlled, will be opening faster than those temples in, for example, Africa and Europe, where both the variants' effects and unique circumstances of war or other man-made or natural conditions, make opening the temples normally inadvisable for the time being.
In any case, this is yet another example where the First Presidency is saying that area leaders, medical professionals, temple presidencies, and the Temple Department are better qualified to make these calls than the Brethren at the general level. And it mirrors the process from a few months ago, wherein local stake and ward leaders could, with the approval of the area presidency and medical professionals, determine how and when to return to unrestricted meetings.
Right now, with what is known at the general level, the Church has 8 temples closed for renovation, all of which are in phase 3, allowing members in those districts to schedule phase 3 work at the closest temple available to them. The Kyiv Ukraine Temple was in phase 3 but is paused in view of the ongoing war with Russia (which has seen the destruction of several prominent facilities in Ukraine, but which miraculously has left the temple unaffected).
One more temple (Suva Fiji) is in phase 1. And with 0 temples currently in phase 2 or 2-B, that leaves the remaining 160 in phase 3 currently. Since the announcement of the eventual transition to phase 4 was not expected this soon, I imagine the Church News might have regular reports available on which temples worldwide have transitioned to phase 4 and are no longer affected by restrictions.
When those changes are available, they will be noted on the temple reopening status tracker, which has not been updated since last Tuesday morning. As I learn about those updates, I will do my level best to pass them along to you all here. I also continue to closely monitor all Church News reports and temple construction updates and will bring word of those to you all here as I become aware of such developments.
In the meantime, 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 feedback offered is consistent with the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 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.
Hello again, everyone! The Church News has reported on today's BYU-Provo Devotional address, which was given by Elder Kelly R. Johnson, a GA Seventy who currently serves as Second Counselor in the North America Northeast Area Presidency:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-03-15/elder-kelly-r-johnson-byu-devotional-focus-daily-distractions-make-time-for-the-lord-246249
And the Church News has also released the latest video and transcript for the weekly Church News podcast. This week, Relief Society General President Sister Jean B. Bingham was featured. With the 180th anniversary of the establishment of the Relief Society organization coming up soon, Church News editor and podcast host Sister Sarah Jane Weaver sat down with Sister Jean B. Bingham, the current Relief Society General President, who shared her thoughts on the vital role of women in the Church:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/podcast/2022-03-15/episode-74-relief-society-president-jean-b-bingham-on-the-180th-anniversary-of-the-worldwide-womens-organization-246281
As I've mentioned in the past, it seems that the milestone anniversary for the Relief Society organization may be the driving reason behind why the Church is holding a Women's Session in the upcoming General Conference. Interestingly enough, Sister Bingham holds the distinction of conducting 2 of the 3 Women's Sessions held since she was sustained as Relief Society General President, but the only time she spoke in the Women's Session was in October 2016, at which time she was serving as the First Counselor in the Primary General Presidency. She has not yet spoken in the Women's Session since her call as Relief Society General President, which is why, among other changes I made to my General Conference predictions, I have projected that her benedictory address in that assignment will occur in the Women's Session this time around.
Just wanted to share those additional insights, for whatever they may be worth to all who read them. My thanks once again to you all.
The Church News provided three new articles today:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-03-16/byu-hawaii-devotional-elder-walter-f-gonzalez-believest-thou-246329
https://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2022-03-16/familysearch-rootstech-events-part-of-worldexpo-in-dubai-246265
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-03-16/elder-gong-religious-liberty-church-doctrine-history-global-experience-2022-church-history-symposium-245974
My thanks once again to you all.
Hello again, everyone! On this Thursday, the Church is officially marking the 180th anniversary of the establishment of the Relief Society. In an article that was also shared by the Newsroom, the Church News provides insight on how that organization was established, and focuses on the latest ways in which Relief Society sisters have had key roles during the COVID-19 pandemic, as witnessed through the global ministry of current Relief Society General President Sister Jean B. Bingham:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-03-17/relief-society-celebrates-180th-anniversary-birthday-women-ministering-serving-246307
Meanwhile, Latter-day Saint leaders and members in Cape Girardeau Missouri are celebrating an anniversary of a different kind: it was roughly one year ago that a vandal damaged property and burnt the stake center in that area down. In the aftermath of that fire, the suspect was found guilty of a hate crime, and friends of other faiths stepped in to ensure that the ward had places to meet. The burned building was also a newly-completed stake center, so stake and ward leaders had to get creative about meeting spaces and handling ward and stake business. The result of the fire in question was that attendance numbers dramatically increased, especially with inactive or disaffected members returning to worship to help their ward family get through the ordeal:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2022-03-17/cape-girardeau-missouri-stake-center-fire-saints-receive-support-learn-resilience-245755
And the latest list of 8 new temple leaders has been published as well:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2022-03-17/cape-girardeau-missouri-stake-center-fire-saints-receive-support-learn-resilience-245755
The list this time around includes presidents for several temples in Latin America, along with the first presidents for the new Saratoga Springs Utah and Richmond Virginia Temples. Other than those notes, I will let the biographies speak for themselves. I have updated my running list of temples for which new leaders have been or may be called this year with these changes. I have had a few health snags lately, which is why I have not yet finished that list or the list of temples that will have an extended closure this year. But I will continue to work on that as time and circumstances allow. My thanks once again to you all.
Hello again, everyone! On this Thursday, the Church is officially marking the 180th anniversary of the establishment of the Relief Society. In an article that was also shared by the Newsroom, the Church News provides insight on how that organization was established, and focuses on the latest ways in which Relief Society sisters have had key roles during the COVID-19 pandemic, as witnessed through the global ministry of current Relief Society General President Sister Jean B. Bingham:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-03-17/relief-society-celebrates-180th-anniversary-birthday-women-ministering-serving-246307
Meanwhile, Latter-day Saint leaders and members in Cape Girardeau Missouri are celebrating an anniversary of a different kind: it was roughly one year ago that a vandal damaged property and burnt the stake center in that area down. In the aftermath of that fire, the suspect was found guilty of a hate crime, and friends of other faiths stepped in to ensure that the ward had places to meet. The burned building was also a newly-completed stake center, so stake and ward leaders had to get creative about meeting spaces and handling ward and stake business. The result of the fire in question was that attendance numbers dramatically increased, especially with inactive or disaffected members returning to worship to help their ward family get through the ordeal:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2022-03-17/cape-girardeau-missouri-stake-center-fire-saints-receive-support-learn-resilience-245755
And the latest list of 8 new temple leaders has been published as well:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2022-03-17/cape-girardeau-missouri-stake-center-fire-saints-receive-support-learn-resilience-245755
The list this time around includes presidents for several temples in Latin America, along with the first presidents for the new Saratoga Springs Utah and Richmond Virginia Temples. Other than those notes, I will let the biographies speak for themselves. I have updated my running list of temples for which new leaders have been or may be called this year with these changes. I have had a few health snags lately, which is why I have not yet finished that list or the list of temples that will have an extended closure this year. But I will continue to work on that as time and circumstances allow.
Here is that updated document:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1J-KR6Hdv4ElYa8ZxBn6OqGWSEMcZxi3GaLcCoYTrJec/edit?usp=sharing
My thanks once again to you all.
The Church News also shared insights from Bishop Keith B. McMullin, the former Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric and an emeritus general authority who has had key roles in Church subsidiary corporations for decades prior to his general Church service. Since the upcoming General Conference will mark the decade anniversary of the release of that Presiding Bishopric, Bishop McMullin is now taking the opportunity to retire from serving on the boards of those subsidiary organizations. The Church News featured a new article about that topic:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-03-17/leadership-presidents-of-the-church-prophets-keith-mcmullin-integrity-jesus-christ-246226
That article also linked back to his chat with Church News editor Sister Sarah Jane Weaver on the Church News podcast a couple of weeks ago (on March 1):
https://www.thechurchnews.com/podcast/2022-03-01/episode-72-bishop-keith-b-mcmullin-on-key-christlike-leadership-principles-that-bless-work-life-and-family-244493
My thanks once again to you all.
The Newsroom just recently noted that the General Conference sessions in April will host 10,000 people in each of the 5 sessions. Since the total seating capacity is 21,000, each session will be limited to 46.71% of the usual audience size. Per local guidance, face masks will be optional for now, but if the guidance changes, the specified parameters may also change as well:
Deletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/april-2022-general-conference-guidelines
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/event/april-2022-general-conference
My thanks once again to you all.
The Newsroom has shared how Sister Reyna I. Aburto, Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, and Sister Michelle D. Craig, First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency, are currently ministering in Western Europe. More specifically, the leaders visited Madrid Spain, where Sisters Craig and Aburto spoke in two devotionals: one for children and youth, and one for girls and women 14 and older.
DeleteFrom Madrid, the two female leaders will then travel to the UK and Ireland to visit Church members and to participate in service projects held in honor of the Relief Society's 180th anniversary. The release notes the trip was planned in advance of the current invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces. But since their ministry will not take them into any part of Eastern Europe, it should be safe enough for the leaders. Here is that news release:
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/women-rsquo-s-organizational-leaders-minister-in-western-europe
The Newsroom will update that release as the ministry trip continues. In the meantime, the Church News shared content from various female general officers in honor of the Relief Society's 180th anniversary:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-03-17/relief-society-180th-anniversary-leaders-share-love-appreciation-experiences-bingham-eubank-aburto-246513
And the Church News also covered the development I reported in my last comment, that the Church has set a limit of 10,000 attendees per session for the upcoming General Conference in view of the construction process occurring on Temple Square. The fact that the construction, and not COVID-19, was cited as the reason for the cap makes me wonder if that same cap will apply for every General Conference held between now and whenever the Salt Lake Temple is rededicated. Anyways, here is that article:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2022-03-17/april-2022-general-conference-parking-masks-capacity-attendance-246570
And after closing for 2 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Church has determined that it is safe to reopen the BYU-Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2022-03-17/byu-jerusalem-center-covid-19-pandemic-reopening-students-jeffrey-holland-246555
My thanks once again to you all.
And an update has been provided on the status of the Richmond Virginia Temple:
Deletehttps://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/richmond-virginia-temple/
My thanks once again to you all.
Hello again, everyone! The Church News has shared 15 new biographies for couples who will oversee missions worldwide:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/callings/2022-03-18/new-presidents-companions-of-15-missions-in-nigeria-new-zealand-argentina-mexico-oklahoma-peru-sierra-leone-venezuela-brazil-hawaii-246198
Among those 15 couples this time are several current or former area seventies. But more importantly to me, my “adopted” uncle and aunt, David and Stacie Sturt, were featured this week as well.
The Church News also shared the following updates which speak for themselves:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-03-18/video-elder-cook-religious-leaders-model-the-power-of-association-cardinal-dolan-246236
https://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2022-03-18/church-members-help-refugees-in-eastern-europe-through-online-and-offline-efforts-246476
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2022-03-18/elder-james-paramore-general-authority-dies-obituary-seventy-246625
There was one more Church News update, which I will get to in a moment, but first, I also wanted to share the following update from the Newsroom:
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/church-refugees-europe
That article linked to the following pages:
https://news-uk.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/european-latter-day-saints-find-new-ways-to-minister-to-refugees
https://www.israaid.org/
https://www.caritas.org/who-we-are/mission/
https://donate.churchofjesuschrist.org/donations/church/humanitarian-services/humanitarian-aid-fund.html?cde2=475&
That brings me to the final report from the Church News: the latest edition of “This Week on Social”:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-03-18/social-media-elder-holland-elder-uchtdorf-agency-india-scripture-study-246650
Featured in the latest installment of that ongoing series were the following members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: Elders Jeffrey R. Holland, Dieter F. Uchtdorf, and Ronald A. Rasband.
Additionally, the following General Officers were also featured: Relief Society General President Sister Jean B. Bingham (whose video message was also shared by Sisters Sharon Eubank and Reyna I. Aburto, her respective First and Second Counselors); Sister Michelle D. Craig, First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency; and Brother Jan E. Newman, Second Counselor in the Sunday School General Presidency.
My thanks once again to you all.
Hello again, everyone! On this Saturday, the Church News has shared the following additional reports:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-03-19/elder-jeffrey-r-holland-visits-west-point-military-academy-dedicate-new-chapel-addressing-protect-freedom-246707
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-03-19/camping-aaronic-priesthood-children-and-youth-program-246342
And the final article, from Church News editor Sister Sarah Jane Weaver, shares her insights on how President Nelson's recent address to Latter-day Saints in Europe and his 2019 remarks to those impacted by the fires in the Paradise California area (the latter remarks were given not long after the death of one of his daughters from cancer) taught her about the power of covenants amid uncertainty and loss:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-03-19/sarah-jane-weaver-president-nelson-taught-me-about-the-power-of-covenants-during-times-of-loss-uncertainty-246399
Sister Weaver specifically talked about how President Nelson invited European Saints to not just be converted to the Gospel, but "covenanted" to it. As Sister Weaver explained in that article: "Converted implies faith, covenanted makes faith an action." Meanwhile, for members of the California stake affected by the Paradise fires, the prophet shared the remarkable story that led to Horatio Spafford penning the text of the hymn "It Is Well With My Soul". At President Nelson's request, the choir at that stake conference sang that hymn following his remarks, with an additional verse penned by the prophet:
My future is bright, as my covenants I keep.
My covenants with God give me power
To rise from the ashes and grief of the past,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul.
As I hope we are all aware, the Church is still in the process of creating the new global hynmbooks and children's songbooks. When the window for public submissions closed, a Church News article indicated that "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" was the top choice from respondants. If my memory serves me correctly, "It Is Well With My Soul" was on that list of the top requests as well.
By way of reminder, the Church has noted that compiling the new books will take several years. Since the new global Church magazines were first released last year (coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the Ensign magazine's inaugural issue), I am wondering if the goal of the Church is to have the new books published by sometime in 2025, which will mark 40 years since the last edition of the hymnbook was released (in 1985).
It will be interesting to see what happens there. In the meantime, my thanks once again to you all.
A minor update has been provided on the status of the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple:
Deletehttps://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/san-juan-puerto-rico-temple/
And on the construction status page, the Church Temples site has readded groundbreaking dates for the 4 temples that had construction pending prior to today. For some reason, on 2 of those 4 (Phnom Pehn Cambodia and Neiafu Tonga), the dates noted are a little off, since accompanying photographs show the groundbreakings taking place on the correct dates. The Church Temples site also moved the Freetown Sierra Leone Temple to that category as well. Pictures in the gallery for that temple's page verify the groundbreaking took place today as scheduled, but apparently, the official news release confirming that it has taken place has not yet been shared:
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/freetown-sierra-leone-temple/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/freetown-sierra-leone-temple/photographs/
There are now 46 temples under construction, with 49 announced. I will be sure to post the news release confirming the Freetown Sierra Leone Temple groundbreaking ASAP after that is made available. In the meantime, my thanks once again to you all.
In tomorrow's new episode of "Music & the Spoken Word", the following message will be delivered by Brother Lloyd D. Newell:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-03-19/music-and-the-spoke-word-showing-our-love-shakespeare-246624
And the Church News has shared a report confirming that the groundbreaking of the Freetown Sierra Leone Temple took place this morning:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2022-03-19/freetown-sierra-leone-africa-temple-groundbreaking-ceremony-beginning-of-construction-246748
My thanks once again to you all.
Hello again, everyone! On this Sabbath Day, the Church News has provided the following additional reports:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-03-20/elder-christofferson-praises-judge-wallace-for-making-a-difference-for-good-246762
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-03-20/mental-health-psychologist-prayer-jesus-christ-atonement-therapy-emotional-resilience-perspective-246581
https://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2022-03-20/elder-soares-first-byu-religious-liberty-symposium-brazil-246567
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-03-20/week-in-review-temples-masks-normal-operations-april-general-conference-president-nelson-elder-cook-video-relief-society-anniversary-eastern-europe-help-246664
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-03-20/many-faiths-one-heart-brings-women-together-to-serve-246798
Also, late yesterday, the African Newsroom page finally featured coverage on yesterday's groundbreaking for the Freetown Sierra Leone Temple:
https://news-africa.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/temple-groundbreaking-in-sierra-leone
Additionally, it's worth noting that late yesterday, a comment on the Church Growth Blog indicated that a new Church area, called "Europe East Area - Russia" appeared on Classic Maps and on the Fuller Consideration website, which has a running track on new Church units. It appears the area splits Russia off from the rest of the Europe East Area. There has been no official word from the Church confirming this. If/when that happens, I will be sure to provide coverage and analysis on that here, and I'm sure it may also be the focus of a new post on the Church Growth Blog. I am assuming, given the current situation between Russia and Ukraine, that most of the current Europe East Area presidency will be moved to the new Europe East Area headquarters nation, wherever that winds up being. I say "most of" rather than "all" because the Second Counselor in that current area presidency is a Russian native area seventy who may, in company with two other area seventies from Russia, form the presidency of the new "Europe East Area - Russia". And perhaps this move will also make it easier for the Church to get the temple announced for Russia built, while the relocated Europe East Area presidency might then be able to focus more on expanding the Church into other Eastern European nations in which there is no current Church presence. Again, official details and analysis to follow when the official acknowledgement of this action is released.
In the meantime, my thanks once again to you all.
As we begin a new week, a number of new reports are available, courtesy of the Church News:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-03-20/elder-soares-sister-soares-return-mission-roots-meet-with-members-missionaries-leaders-rio-de-janeiro-brazil-246905
https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2022-03-21/rio-de-janeiro-brazil-temple-open-house-dedication-photo-gallery-246963
If I can interject here, the second article, which indicates that Elder and Sister Soares are in Rio de Janeiro to oversee the beginning of the open house for the temple in that city, indicates that the open house has been extended to run through Saturday April 30, two weeks longer than originally announced.
Here are the other new reports from the Church News:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2022-03-21/church-donates-deep-freezers-to-help-mexico-store-covid-19-vaccines-246071
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-03-21/church-gives-5-million-to-american-red-cross-help-boost-sickle-cell-initiative-246320
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-03-21/hawaii-justserve-volunteers-waianae-coast-food-distribution-service-246389
And here are new reports from the Newsroom:
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/rio-de-janeiro-brazil-temple-opens-to-the-public
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/church-of-jesus-christ-5-million-american-red-cross
The above report has several related links for any who are interested in those. I have opted to not relist those links here.
https://news-uk.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/celebrating-180-years-of-relief-society-by-ministering-in-western-europe
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/the-tabernacle-choir-presents-global-online-easter-concert
My thanks once again to you all.
The Church Temples site has noted an update on the status of the Auckland New Zealand Temple:
Deletehttps://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/auckland-new-zealand-temple/
And since the first presidents have been announced for the Saratoga Springs Utah and Richmond Virginia Temples, both are likely to be completed within a similar window. Consequently, The Richmond Virginia Temple has been mobed up in the queue to now being back just below the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple. And the completion estimate for Richmond has been updated as well, from late 2022-early 2023 to the same estimate for Saratoga Springs Utah: mid-to-late 2022.
My thanks once again to you all.
Yesterday, the Church News provided one new report I might not have mentioned then:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2022-03-21/rio-de-janeiro-brazil-temple-open-house-elder-soares-media-day-how-a-death-provided-perspective-247008
And a new report from the Church News on this Tuesday shares how Elder leGrand R. Curtis Jr., the current Church Historian and Recorder, recently had the opportunity to visit parts of French Polynesia in which his grandfather, Alexander Curtis, served as a missionary for the Church from 1896-1889:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2022-03-22/church-historian-elder-curtis-visits-tubuai-french-polynesia-247056
That article linked to the following update from the Pacific Newsroom:
https://news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/walking-in-the-footsteps-of-the-first-latter-day-saints-in-french-polynesia
As some of you might recall me mentioning, Elder Curtis is among 7 current GA Seventies who will turn 70 this year and will therefore almost certainly be released and granted emeritus status during the October 2022 General Coference:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1R0XG0t36oR2MTm4lt4cR2XptiEN4Z-pYPF06kiVzMao/edit?usp=sharing
While I don't know exactly who might succeed Elder Curtis as Church Historian and Recorder, I assume that his replacement will either be announced in the upcoming April 2022 General Conference, or else detailed in an official news release within 1-2 weeks of that conference. I see a couple of possibilities: either a current member of the Presidency of the Seventy could be released and take on that assignment, or it could be any of the current Assistant Executive Directors of the Church History Department. Information regarding which GA Seventies are serving in that department is currently not available. My thanks once again to you all.
The Church News just reported on the BYU-Provo devotional this morning featuring Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-03-22/elder-todd-christofferson-byu-devotional-first-great-commandment-247084
My thanks once again to you all.
The Newsroom shared a summary of Elder Christofferson's remarks as well:
Deletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/elder-christofferson-five-ways-love-god
My thanks once again to you all.
A new update was provided on the Bentonville Arkansas Temple:
Deletehttps://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/bentonville-arkansas-temple/
My thanks once again to you all.
And the Church News has shared a report previously featured in the Newsroom about the upcoming Easter Concert from the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-03-22/tabernacle-choir-temple-square-easter-concert-online-global-247125
My thanks once again to you all.
In the latest edition of the Church News podcast, Church News editor Sister Sarah Jane Weaver sat down with Church News staff writer Scott Taylor and Elder Brent H. Nielson of the Presidency of the Seventy. Brother Taylor formerly served as a mission president, and Elder Nielson was the Executive Director of the Church's Missionary Department whe the pandemic first began impacting missioary work worldwide. The featured guests described the visionary foresight from prophets and apostles that prepared the way for the missionary program to handle the pandemic, and how, through utilizing technology more fully, missionaries worldwide have been able to extend their reach and the impact of their service:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/podcast/2022-03-22/church-news-podcast-episode-75-elder-brent-h-nielson-expansion-of-missionary-work-in-a-digital-age-247198
I have mentioned numerous times in posts and the comment threads of this blog that our current apostles seem uniquely suited to the task of helping the work move forward most effectively. I have never once seen an announcement from the Church, especially in the last four years under President Nelson's dynamic leadership, without feeling that the announcement, whatever it may be about, is what is needed and that it is therefore consistent with the Lord's will for His Church and the world at this time. The increased number of developments in recent years has just reinforced that, so I'm glad that was a key focus of the Church News podcast today.
My thanks once again to you all.
Tonight, the Church Temples site has moved the Bangkok Thailand Temple down from being between the McAllen Texas and Abidjan Ivory Coast Temples to now being between the Moses Lake Washington and Casper Wyoming Temples, with the completion estimate for that temple changed from late 2022-early 2023 down to early 2023.
DeleteMeanwhile, updates were also provided on the statuses of the Grand Junction Colorado and Lindon Utah Temples:
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/grand-junction-colorado-temple/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/lindon-utah-temple/
My thanks once again to you all.
I forgot about the other new report from the Church News:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2022-03-22/ghana-pharmacy-glasses-project-visionspring-latter-day-saint-charities-246952
And the Newsroom has provided a new update on how the Church is helping refugees who have fled the violence of Russia's invasion of the Ukraine:
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/church-refugees-europe
My thanks once again to you all.
Hey James, quick question for you: do you know what cycle the church uses for publishing reports about recently called stake presidencies? My stake was changed last month and I was looking to see that update but there hasn't been a "New Stake Presidencies" article in quite some time. Thanks for all you do, I appreciate your insights and updates on church goings-on.
ReplyDeleteGreat question. The last update on new stake presidencies was published on Sunday February 20. Sunday seems to be the most common day of the week for that to happen. Here is the most recent update:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/callings/2022-02-20/new-stake-presidents-tahiti-tennessee-new-zealand-mexico-brazil-243463
If you look at those listings, after the name of the stake affected, there is a date in parentheses. At a quick glance, the latest report shares new stake presidencies installed in October, November and December of last year and January of this year. The timespan there (covering four months) indicates that stake presidency reorganizations are not reported for 1-4 months after changes go into effect. I am not sure what the rhyme or reason is as to when those updates are provided, but I assume the Church waits to be able to do several at a time. With all of that in mind, a February change in a stake presidency might not be reported by the Church until April, May, June or July.
It's also worth noting that only full chages in stake presidencies are noted. If one or both of the counselors to a current stake president are replaced, that is not mentioned in those updates. Hope that information is helpful to you. To whom might I offer thanks for this comment?
Hello again, everyone! On this Wednesday, the Church News has shared the following additional reports, which speak for themselves:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2022-03-23/peru-argentina-humanitarian-aid-donations-church-welfare-247093
That article linked to this Newsroom release:
https://noticias.laiglesiadejesucristo.org/articulo/importante-donacion-a-hogar-de-mujeres-y-ninos-operado-por-la-iglesia-catolica-en-buenos-aires
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-03-23/sister-aburto-sister-craig-young-women-relief-society-180th-anniversary-serving-ministering-europe-spain-united-kingdom-ireland-247023
That article shared the following links:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CbQh_V2vbfY/
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-03-17/relief-society-celebrates-180th-anniversary-birthday-women-ministering-serving-246307
https://news-uk.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/celebrating-180-years-of-relief-society-by-ministering-in-western-europe
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/women-rsquo-s-organizational-leaders-minister-in-western-europe
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-03-23/elder-dale-renlund-missionaries-mtc-perfection-obedience-joseph-smith-247250
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-03-23/elder-dale-renlund-missionaries-mtc-perfection-obedience-joseph-smith-247250
If there are any temple updates, I will provide them shortly. My thanks once again to you all.
Although there have not been any updates on the construction or renovation status of any temples thus far today, there has been a change made to the order of two temples in the current construction queue. Although the estimates have not changed for the Richmond Virginia and Feather River California, the latter has been moved ahead of the former.
DeleteI am planning on having my temple construction progress report for the end of the first quarter of 2022 published here one week from tomorrow, in the late night hours when March 31 will change into April 1. Stay tuned for that. In the meantime, my thanks once again to you all.