Initial Predictions for the April 2023 General Conference:, Part Two: Changes in General Church Leadership, Statistical Report 2022, and Potential Locations in Which a Temple Could Be Announced

Hello again, everyone! I am back as promised with a look at the initial version of my predictions for the April 2023 General Conference. This post will discuss the potential changes in general Church leadership, the estimated numbers for the Statistical Report 2022, and the potential locations in which the Church could announce new temples. So let's get right into it:

As I mentioned in my last post, any changes in the Presidency of the Seventy that would be effective in August 2023 are likely to be sustained in advance. And April has traditionally been the General Conference each year in which new General Authority Seventies and Area Seventies are sustained.  As I also mentioned in my previous post, I anticipate that the Church will release the current Young Women General Presidency and announce a new one, effective August 1. 

If the new Young Women General President is a current counselor in the Primary or Relief Society General Presidency, the subsequent changes will be sustained in advance. There may be changes to the Sunday School or Young Men General Presidency if any members are sustained as GA Seventies. I can't and won't give any more specific predictions there.

So we now turn to the statistical report. All numbers are essentially fairly speculative, with the numbers for the total stakes, districts, wards, and branches based on a guesstimate from the Church Temple site's statistical page and from Fuller Consideration. Aside from the total number of temples, the estimates for other elements typically found in the statistical report are based on complex algorithms that are difficult to describe.

So we now turn to the temple list. I was able to find at least a few new prospects, but most of them are carried over from my corresponding predictions for new temples from October of this year. I have also taken the liberty of adding a general note about which major metropolitan areas might be the next ones to have multiple temples announced simultaneously.  

While it is possible that any such announcements could relate to regions in the United States, it seems more likely that, at least initially, the Church will focus on those regions found outside the US. I also think that, because the Church will dedicate four temples here in Utah next year (Layton, Orem, Taylorsville, and Red Cliffs), and since all other new Utah temples are now under construction, the Church could and potentially will announce one or two temples in Utah this go-round. 

As we also know, the last new Utah temple was announced in October 2021, and there are several locations within both the Utah area and the state of Utah where new temples would make sense. So although there was a precedent set this year for no Utah temples to e announced, I think we can safely assume that at least one but possibly two new Utah temples are imminently likely.

Since President Nelson is reportedly hoping to announce a minimum of 35 temples per year every year for the time being, I think we could see anywhere between 15-20 new temples being announced in the upcoming General Conference. Whatever may happen in terms of that conference, I will be sure to pass anything along once I hear about it. 

It probably goes without saying, but I will, of course, update these predictions once the details of the Saturday Evening Session are outlined. Having said all of that, the commenting period for these predictions is now officially open and will remain open until Thursday March 30 of next year (just over 3 months from now) at 10:00 PM, which will give me 36 hours to make any final adjustments to these predictions if needed. 

In the meantime, I continue to monitor all major Church news and temple construction updates and will bring word of those to you as I learn about those developments.That does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

Initial Predictions for the April 2023 General Conference, Part One: Speaker Lineup Predictions

 Hello again, everyone! With just a few days of 2022 remaining, I do plan to provide my traditional year-end temple construction progress review and a look back at major developments covered there this year, and a look ahead to those projects I have planned for next year. But in the interim, I wanted to provide my initial predictions for the April 2023 General Conference. 

Since we likely won't get an announcement on the plans for the Saturday Evening Session until February, the predictions for the potential speaker lineup includes a projection that the third session of General Conference will be another general one for all members and friends of the Church. I have also allowed for the possibility that President Nelson could either be the first or last speaker in the first session. 

Additionally, it's worth noting that the Church has continued to ask more of the female General Officers of the Church to speak. The two counselors in the Relief Society General Presidency spoke in October, meaning that Sister Camille N. Johnson might be the only one from that presidency to speak this time around. 

Sister Tracy Y. Browing spoke in October, and Amy A. Wright spoke six months earlier alongside Sister Susan B. Porter when Sisters Porter and Wright were serving as counselors to Sister Johnson. It seems more likely to me that Sister Porter will again speak this time around since she has not spoken since her call as Primary General President. 

So if one member apiece speaks from the Primary and Relief Society General Presidencies, it is more likely that two representatives from the Young Women General Presidency will speak this time around. That is especially true since the current Young Women General Presidency are anticipated to be released in the upcoming General Conference. 

So because Sister Michelle D. Craig spoke during the October 2022 General Conference, I think the other two outgoing members of the Young Women General Presidency will speak. I also believe that, since the Young Men General President spoke in October and the Sunday School General President spoke in April of this year, that the First Counselor in the Sunday School General Presidency, Brother Milton Camargo, will represent the male General Officers.

It's also worth noting that in the April General Conferences of 2021 and 2022, there were no speakers from the Presiding Bishopric. While that trend could continue, I have felt impressed that Bishop W. Christopher Waddell might speak this go-round, and if he does, he is likely to do so in the final session of General Conference. 

As far as the Presidency of the Seventy is concerned, regarding the current 7 members, Elder Carl B. Cook was the one who spoke least recently (he did so in April 2019). Due to subsequent changes to the Presidency of the Seventy, the next least-recent speaker was Elder Carlos A. Godoy, who spoke in October 2020. So I see three possible scenarios for the Presidency of the Seventy: 

First, it is possible that changes that will take effect in August of 2023 in conjunction with area leadership changes may be presented in advance for a sustaining vote. If that happens, one of the incoming members could speak. If no changes are presented, either Elder Cook could speak this time around, or the Church could skip the Presidency of the Seventy until October 2023. 

It's also worth noting that, with the exception of Elder David S. Baxter (who is still reportedly on medical leave from his Church assignments and who last spoke in April of 2012), all of the General Authority Seventies who last spoke in the 5 General Conferences before the one in October 2015 have spoken again recently. 

So, as reflected in my predictions for General Authority Seventies who will speak this time around, I have the 3 remaining GA Seventies who last spoke in October 2015, the 1 remaining who last spoke in April 2016, and the 7 who last spoke in October 2016. 

The only other element of the speaker lineup I haven't mentioned relates to my predictions for the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. I am assuming that, barring anything unexpected, President Nelson will speak 3 times, President Oaks will do so twice (when taking the Sustaining of General Authorities, Area Seventies, and General OFficers into account) and President Eyring will speak once.

And for the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, this document may illustrate how I came to the conclusion of which Quorum members would speak in each session. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them here. I will be back shortly to share my predictions for changes in general Church leadership, the numbers I calculated for the statistical report, and the updated list of locations where a temple could be announced.

In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per 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. 

Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

Elder Gerrit W. Gong Observes His 69th Birthday

Hello again, everyone! I am back two days before Christmas to post a birthday tribute to Elder Gerrit W. Gong, who is celebrating his 69th today. His is the last apostolic birthday to occur this year. The first apostle to observe his birthday in 2023 will be Elder D. Todd Christofferson, marking his 78th on January 24. Let's now turn our attention to today's tribute to Elder Gong.

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 out of respect to Gerrit de Jong, whose family hosted his mother while she studied at BYU-Provo.

After graduating from high school in Palo Alto, California, young Gerrit served as a missionary for the Church in Taiwan. He earned 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 (a BYU student) continued their courtship long-distance 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 subsequently became a professor at Johns Hopkins University and Georgetown University.

He continued his career 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 also invited 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. 

Toward the end of his professional career, he served as an Assistant to the President of BYU for Planning and Assessment. As impressive as his career may have been, the far more significant things he accomplished were in the course of Church service over several decades, during which he was a bishop, stake president, and area seventy. 

During his 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 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 to serve as General Authority Seventies. 

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 that new assignment effective January 4, 2016. During his two years of active service in the Presidency of the Seventy, 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 as a member of the Executive Committee of the Boards. Following the October 2017 and January 2018 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. The two made history as the first Asian-American and Latin-American apostles of the Church. They were sustained as such on March 31, 2018, and both were ordained to the apostleship the following Thursday (April 5, 2018).

Consistent with the general practice of the Church, and for the first time since the October 2015 appointments of Elders Ronald A. Rasband, Gary E. Stevenson, and Dale G. Renlund, with the two apostles called, sustained, and ordained on the same day, Elder Gong, who is older, became the senior apostle to Elder Soares. In June 2018, Elders Gong and Soares met with media representatives for the first time as new apostles, at which time Elder Gong reported that he had been asked to chair the Scriptures Committee. 

His additional assignments included serving on the Priesthood and Family Executive Council, the Leadership and Training Committee, and the Outreach Committee. He also had apostolic oversight for the Asia and Asia North Areas. Given the recent shifting of apostolic assignments, it wouldn't surprise me to see confirmation that he is serving on either the Missionary Executive Council or the Temple & Family History Executive Council.

Elder Gong has given a total of 12 addresses in General Conference thus far, which includes 1 as a General Authority, 1 other as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy, and the remaining 10 since beginning his service in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Due to his potential exposure to COVID-19 (for which he tested positive a few days later), he had pre-recorded his remarks in the days leading up to the October 2020 General Conference. 

Having successfully completed his quarantine, he was able to preside at the groundbreaking for the Taylorsville Utah Temple later that month. And after a yearlong delay, Elder Gong presided at the dedication of the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple in October 2021. As an apostle of Asia descent, he was sent in June of this year to rededicate the Hong Kong China Temple. 

I am grateful to have been able to honor Elder Gong on this, his 69th birthday. Because of my previously-referenced personal interaction with him, I can testify that the Lord has prepared him for his present assignment, and I wholeheartedly sustain him and the other 14 apostles. I continue to monitor all Church News and temple updates and will be sure to pass word of those along to you as I become aware thereof.

In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per 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. 

Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.