Hello again, everyone! I am back two days before Christmas to post a tribute to Elder Gerrit W. Gong, who is celebrating his 65th birthday today. As I mentioned in a previous post, this is the last apostolic birthday to occur in 2018. The next apostolic birthday (which will be the first for 2019) will be marked on January 24, at which time Elder D. Todd Christofferson will be 74. But getting back to Elder Gong, let's get into some biographical information.
Gerrit Walter Gong was born in Redwood City, California, on this day in 1953, to Walter and Jean Char Gong. While he was given his father's name for his middle name, his first name was given in honor of and respect to Gerrit de Jong, whose family his mother had lived with while studying at BYU-Provo. Both his parents trace their ancestry back to China, although his father's family emigrated from China to the US during the late 19th century, and his mother's family are ethnic Chinese who lived in Hawaii.
After graduating from high school in Palo Alto, California, he served as a missionary for the Church in Taiwan. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree at BYU, then continued his education at Oxford University, where, as a Rhodes Scholar, he earned a master's degree and a doctoral degree in philosophy. He first met Susan Lindsay, the woman he would later marry, while giving presentations at the MTC focused on the culture of Taiwan, to groups of missionaries assigned to serve in that nation (Sister Lindsay, at that time, was preparing to serve her mission in Taiwan).
At some point following her return from missionary service, while he was on summer break from Oxford, the two began dating. After Gerrit returned to Oxford, he and Susan (who was a BYU student) continued their courtship. The couple was married in the Salt Lake Temple on January 2, 1980, and raised 4 sons. They spent most of their married lives in Virginia and Maryland. Brother Gong became a special assistant to the US Secretary of State in 1985. He went on to be a professor at Johns Hopkins University and Georgetown University.
He would go on to serve as a special assistant in the US State Department and as a special assistant to the US embassy in China. In 1989, he served as China Chair and Asia Director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He was tapped to participate in multiple education summits, in addition to serving on the United States Department of Education's National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity. He went on to serve as Assistant to the President of BYU for Planning and Assessment.
In the Church, Elder Gong served as a bishop, stake president, and area seventy. During his time in the latter assignment, he accompanied the presiding authority to my parent's Stake Conference. As he spoke, I was impressed by his warmth, knowledge of the scriptures, and ability to teach from them. While I may not remember any specifics of what he said, the power of the Spirit which I felt when he was speaking was unmistakable. After that conference, I had the opportunity to greet and chat with him informally. What I had seen at the pulpit while he spoke was even more apparent in his personal interactions with me and other members of my parent's stake. This is a man who feels and teaches by the Spirit.
During the April 2010 General Conference, Elder Gong was among those called as a General Authority Seventy (to serve in the First Quorum). He filled various assignments at Church headquarters for the first year or so after his call. From August 2011-August 2013, he served in the Asia Area Presidency as a counselor. In 2013, he was called as president of that same area.
As a result of Elder Ronald A. Rasband's call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during the October 2015 General Conference, Elder Gong was called to the Presidency of the Seventy on October 6, 2015. He transitioned out of his role as Asia Area President and into his new assignment in that Presidency effective January 4, 2016. He had responsibility for overseeing the work of the Church in the North America Northeast Area. He also served on the Church Board of Education and Boards of Trustees, and a member of the Executive Committee of the Boards.
After serving in the Presidency of the Seventy for roughly 2.5 years, and following the deaths of Elder Robert D. Hales and Church President Thomas S. Monson, new Church President Russell M. Nelson called both Elder Gong and Elder Ulisses Soares to serve as members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. They were first sustained in that assignment on March 31, 2018, and both were ordained to the apostleship the following Thursday (April 5, 2018). The two are the first Asian American and Latin American apostles of the Church.
In June 2018, Elders Gong and Soares met with representatives of the media for the first time as new apostles. At that time, Elder Gong reported that he had been asked to chair the Scriptures Committee. He also serves as a member of the Priesthood and Family Executive Council, the Leadership and Training Committee, and the Outreach Committee. He had additionally indicated that he had been asked to oversee the Church's Asia and Asia North Areas, but official Church resources say those areas are supervised by Elder Gary E. Stevenson.
Elder Gong has given only 4 addresses in General Conference thus far, 1 following his call as a General Authority, 1 more while in the Presidency of the Seventy, and 2 others since beginning his service in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, all of which are worthy of review, and each of which I can endorse without hesitation. Although it is unlikely Elder Gong might ever read this personally, I am grateful to have been able to write this post in honor of his 65th birthday today. Because of my previously-referenced personal interaction with him, I can testify that the Lord has prepared him for his present assignment, and I whole-heartedly sustain him and the other 14 apostles.
That does it for this post. 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.
Sunday, December 23, 2018
Elder Gerrit W. Gong Marks His 65th Birthday
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Open House and Rededication Dates Announced for Oakland California Temple; Other Temple Developments Reported
Hello again, everyone! I have some breaking temple news to report, which must have just been posted a few minutes ago. The First Presidency today announced the open house and rededication dates for the Oakland California Temple. The open house will be held for a 4-week period between Saturday May 11 and Saturday June 1, with the exception of the Sundays of May 12, 19, and 26. A youth devotional will be held on Saturday June 15, with the rededication of the temple the next day (Sunday June 16) in three sessions. This marks the first of up to 7 rededications which the Church may hold next year.
In other temple news, at the Arequipa Peru Temple, the monument sign has been installed, while the guardhouse has been completed, and much progress has been made on the plaza landscaping. For temples undergoing renovation, at the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple, driveways and walkways are being poured, and stone cladding is nearing completion. There has also been a report on the Memphis Tennessee Temple, where stained-glass windows are currently being installed. I imagine those two temples will similarly have a rededication set within the next 2-3 months.
I am a little surprised that we heard about the Oakland rededication before a dedication was set for the Fortaleza Brazil Temple, but am confident we may see something announced in that regard before the end of this year. I continue to monitor all of these developments and will bring you word of them as I receive it.
That does it for this post. 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.
In other temple news, at the Arequipa Peru Temple, the monument sign has been installed, while the guardhouse has been completed, and much progress has been made on the plaza landscaping. For temples undergoing renovation, at the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple, driveways and walkways are being poured, and stone cladding is nearing completion. There has also been a report on the Memphis Tennessee Temple, where stained-glass windows are currently being installed. I imagine those two temples will similarly have a rededication set within the next 2-3 months.
I am a little surprised that we heard about the Oakland rededication before a dedication was set for the Fortaleza Brazil Temple, but am confident we may see something announced in that regard before the end of this year. I continue to monitor all of these developments and will bring you word of them as I receive it.
That does it for this post. 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.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Sunday, December 16, 2018
Current Apostolic Statistics: Part Two—Updated Ages, Averages & Apostolic Nonagenarians
Hello again, everyone! I am back again now with the second part of this apostolic update, in which we will move on to talk specifics regarding the long-form and decimal ages of our current apostles, which will also include updated information on the average ages of the First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the 15 apostles as a group, and current and future nonagenarians
So let’s get right into all of that. Again, all data is current as of today (Sunday December 16, 2018). Since my last update, Elders Uchtdorf and Holland have both turned 78, and Elder Renlund has observed his 66th birthday. There is one more apostolic birthday before the end of this year, as already noted, since Elder Gong will be celebrating his 65th birthday one week from today
As mentioned in my previous post, I plan to maintain the tradition of bringing these updates to you every 6 weeks, which means my next update will be posted here on Sunday January 27. Three days prior to that, Elder Christofferson will be celebrating his 74th birthday. Elder Rasband’s 68th birthday will be marked 10 days after my next update is posted, and the next apostolic birthday won’t occur until the end of May.
With that noted, we now move on to some exact figures about the ages (and average ages) of the First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and all 15 apostles as a group. In the Church’s leading Quorum, President Nelson is, as noted towards the end of my previous post, 94 years, 3 month, and 7 days old, which results in a decimal age of 94.27 years. His First Counselor, President Oaks, is now 86 years, 4 months, and 4 days old, or 86.35 years. President Eyring remains 0.8 years younger, with a long-form age of 85 years, 6 months, and 16 days, putting his decimal age at 85.55 years.
The First Presidency has a combined 266.17 years of life experience, which results in an average age for each man of 88.72 years. President Oaks, still at 2.37 years younger than that average, is closest to it, with President Nelson being 5.55 years older and President Eyring sitting at 3.17 years below that average. Unless there is something of which we are not aware in relation to the health of any of these Brethren, they will continue to set new records for the oldest-serving First Presidency in Church history for the foreseeable future.
Next, let’s turn our attention to the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. President Ballard is now 90 years, 2 months, and 8 days, or 90.19 years. Elder Holland, who just marked his birthday on December 3, has a long-form age of 78 years 0 months, and 13 days, with a resulting 78.04 decimal years. Elder Uchtdorf’s age now stands at 78 years, 1 month, and 10 days old, which works out to 78.11 years
Elder Bednar’s full age is 66 years, 6 months, and 1 day, or 66.50 years
Elder Cook is 78 years, 3 months, and 8 days old, with a decimal age of 78.16 years. Elder Christofferson (whose birthday is now just 1.5 months away) has a long-form age of 73 years, 10 months, and 22 days old, which results in a decimal age of 73.89 years
Elder Andersen now has a long-form age of 67 years, 4 months, and 7 days, and his decimal age is 67.35 years. Elder Rasband, who will also observe his birthday in less than two months, is now 67 years, 10 months, and 10 days, or 67.86 years. Elder Stevenson, at 4.5 years younger to the day than Elder Rasband, has a long-form age of 63 years, 4 months, and 10 days old, which is 63.36 decimal years
That brings us to the final 3 apostles. Elder Renlund (whose birthday occurred just over a month ago) is now 66 years, 1 months, and 3 days old, with a resulting decimal age of 66.09 years. With Elder Gong’s birthday coming up next Sunday, his long-form age is 64 years, 11 months, and 23 days old, putting his decimal age at 64.98 years. As for Elder Soares, he is now 60 years, 2 months, and 14 days old, putting his decimal age at 60.21 years.
Having noted those figures, the 12 Quorum members have a combined 854.85 years of life experience, which averages out to 71.24 years per member. Elders Christofferson and Rasband are respectively above and below that average, with the former again being 2.65 years older, and the latter still 3.38 years younger. Based on the information I provided earlier about the members of the First Presidency, the entire body of apostles now have a combined 1,121.02 years of life experience, which is an average of 74.73 years. Elders Holland and Christofferson are respectively older (by 3.31 years) and younger (by 0.84 years) than that average.
We now move on to the nonagenarians. President Nelson remains the seventh oldest apostle in Church history, and is set to move up to the seventh spot on July 5 of next year. In the meantime, President Ballard has now lived longer than President J. Reuben Clark. President Ballard’s next nonagenarian milestone will not be observed until after my next update. The exact date on which that will occur is Wednesday February 20, 2019. For the other apostles, President Oaks will join that list 3 years, 7 months, and 27 days from today. Elder Soares will do so in 29 years, 9 months, and 16 days, with the other apostles doing so at other various intervals, which will be detailed more fully as they approach
I hope that many of you found this information to be interesting, informative, and accurate. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such feedback is 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.
So let’s get right into all of that. Again, all data is current as of today (Sunday December 16, 2018). Since my last update, Elders Uchtdorf and Holland have both turned 78, and Elder Renlund has observed his 66th birthday. There is one more apostolic birthday before the end of this year, as already noted, since Elder Gong will be celebrating his 65th birthday one week from today
As mentioned in my previous post, I plan to maintain the tradition of bringing these updates to you every 6 weeks, which means my next update will be posted here on Sunday January 27. Three days prior to that, Elder Christofferson will be celebrating his 74th birthday. Elder Rasband’s 68th birthday will be marked 10 days after my next update is posted, and the next apostolic birthday won’t occur until the end of May.
With that noted, we now move on to some exact figures about the ages (and average ages) of the First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and all 15 apostles as a group. In the Church’s leading Quorum, President Nelson is, as noted towards the end of my previous post, 94 years, 3 month, and 7 days old, which results in a decimal age of 94.27 years. His First Counselor, President Oaks, is now 86 years, 4 months, and 4 days old, or 86.35 years. President Eyring remains 0.8 years younger, with a long-form age of 85 years, 6 months, and 16 days, putting his decimal age at 85.55 years.
The First Presidency has a combined 266.17 years of life experience, which results in an average age for each man of 88.72 years. President Oaks, still at 2.37 years younger than that average, is closest to it, with President Nelson being 5.55 years older and President Eyring sitting at 3.17 years below that average. Unless there is something of which we are not aware in relation to the health of any of these Brethren, they will continue to set new records for the oldest-serving First Presidency in Church history for the foreseeable future.
Next, let’s turn our attention to the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. President Ballard is now 90 years, 2 months, and 8 days, or 90.19 years. Elder Holland, who just marked his birthday on December 3, has a long-form age of 78 years 0 months, and 13 days, with a resulting 78.04 decimal years. Elder Uchtdorf’s age now stands at 78 years, 1 month, and 10 days old, which works out to 78.11 years
Elder Bednar’s full age is 66 years, 6 months, and 1 day, or 66.50 years
Elder Cook is 78 years, 3 months, and 8 days old, with a decimal age of 78.16 years. Elder Christofferson (whose birthday is now just 1.5 months away) has a long-form age of 73 years, 10 months, and 22 days old, which results in a decimal age of 73.89 years
Elder Andersen now has a long-form age of 67 years, 4 months, and 7 days, and his decimal age is 67.35 years. Elder Rasband, who will also observe his birthday in less than two months, is now 67 years, 10 months, and 10 days, or 67.86 years. Elder Stevenson, at 4.5 years younger to the day than Elder Rasband, has a long-form age of 63 years, 4 months, and 10 days old, which is 63.36 decimal years
That brings us to the final 3 apostles. Elder Renlund (whose birthday occurred just over a month ago) is now 66 years, 1 months, and 3 days old, with a resulting decimal age of 66.09 years. With Elder Gong’s birthday coming up next Sunday, his long-form age is 64 years, 11 months, and 23 days old, putting his decimal age at 64.98 years. As for Elder Soares, he is now 60 years, 2 months, and 14 days old, putting his decimal age at 60.21 years.
Having noted those figures, the 12 Quorum members have a combined 854.85 years of life experience, which averages out to 71.24 years per member. Elders Christofferson and Rasband are respectively above and below that average, with the former again being 2.65 years older, and the latter still 3.38 years younger. Based on the information I provided earlier about the members of the First Presidency, the entire body of apostles now have a combined 1,121.02 years of life experience, which is an average of 74.73 years. Elders Holland and Christofferson are respectively older (by 3.31 years) and younger (by 0.84 years) than that average.
We now move on to the nonagenarians. President Nelson remains the seventh oldest apostle in Church history, and is set to move up to the seventh spot on July 5 of next year. In the meantime, President Ballard has now lived longer than President J. Reuben Clark. President Ballard’s next nonagenarian milestone will not be observed until after my next update. The exact date on which that will occur is Wednesday February 20, 2019. For the other apostles, President Oaks will join that list 3 years, 7 months, and 27 days from today. Elder Soares will do so in 29 years, 9 months, and 16 days, with the other apostles doing so at other various intervals, which will be detailed more fully as they approach
I hope that many of you found this information to be interesting, informative, and accurate. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such feedback is 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.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
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