Initial Predictions for the April 2024 General Conference

Hello again, everyone! Having recently published my documents relating to the October 2023 General Conference, and bearing in mind that I still anticipate several major temple construction updates throughout the last quarter of this year, I wanted to now provide a look ahead and share my initial predictions for the April 2024 General Conference. 

We start with the speaker lineup. The last time that President Nelson spoke in the Saturday Morning Session was in October 2022, when he was the concluding speaker. Given his efforts to reduce and simplify, and give more general leaders the opportunity to speak, I think we may see him do what he did last conference again: only speak in the concluding session and have a full-length address.

I am also operating under the assumption that his two counselors and all 12 members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will give one talk apiece, although I anticipate that President Oaks will present the Sustaining of Church Officers. Since the Presiding Bishopric only speaks once a year now, and since April has typically seen only 2 female General Officers speaking, I think we will see 11 GA Seventies speak.

Other than these notes, the lineup should speak for itself. Next up is potential changes I'm anticipating in general Church leadership. I still feel strongly that a third counselor in the First Presidency may be warranted at some point, in which case a new apostle would also be called. That in turn would necessitate other changes in general Church leadership. Also, last April, aside from new GA Seventies, the Church also called for a vote of appreciation for the GA Seventies who were granted emeritus status on August 1. This time around, that would include 8 GA Seventies, including 2 remembers of the Presidency of the Seventy. So those changes will likely be noted in advance.

If a new apostle needs to be called, that will lead to other potential changes in general Church leadership. But whether or not that happens, I am also anticipating a new Sunday School General Presidency, the release of at least a few area seventies, a longer list of those who will be released on August 1, and several new area seventies called. That document also contains my estimates for the figures in the statistical report for 2023. I have made estimates based on what I've been able to ascertain and what I was otherwise able to calculate using a rather complex algorithm that would be difficult to explain.

And the final element of my predictions for the April 2024 General Conference is the list of locations in which a temple could be announced. We have seen a total of 35 temples announced each year since 2021. In 2021, 20 temples were announced in April, one more in May, and the remaining 14 in October. In 2022, 17 were announced in April, with 18 more announced in October. And this year, 15 were announced in April, with the remaining 20 in October. 

I would just note here that I project 15-20 new temples to be announced in April 2024. It's also worth noting that this initial April 2024 list includes only those locations that were on my list for October of this year that did not have a temple announced. I will be on the lookout for other prospects and will be sure to add them to my list for subsequent drafts. If any of you are aware of any locations I have failed to consider or omitted, please let me know.

As always, any questions or comments on these predictions are both welcomed and encouraged. I continue to monitor all Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples updates and will be sure to pass those along to you all here as I become aware of them. 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.

BREAKING NEWS: First Presidency Provides Directive for Christmas Eve; Next Leg of Multiyear Global Tour Announced for Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square

Hello again, everyone! With Christmas Eve falling on a Sunday this year, the First Presidency has issued a directive for that Sunday. In a letter released on Monday, the First Presidency has indicated that all meetings except for Sacrament Meeting are canceled for Christmas Eve. In consultation with bishops and branch presidents, stake and district presidents have the option to adjust meeting times to best meet the needs of the members over whom they have stewardship.

I am grateful for the First Presidency's directive on this matter. I look forward to the Christmas season and all that it will bring with it. If that were the only breaking news, it would be reason enough for this new post. But while I was preparing this post to be published, the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square announced the next leg of its' multiyear global ministry tour, which will take the Choir to the Philippines for the first time in its' 95-year history.

That tour will span from February 20-29, 2024. Local Filipino artists will join the Choir in the 9-day tour, which may include multiple venues. The Choir's concerts, which will also incorporate local music, will be available to livestream online. The Choir will continue to go to one location per year every year for at least the next 4, and venue information about the Choir's performances will be released later.

So there you have it: two major developments in one post. I continue to monitor all Church News, Newsroom, and temple construction updates and will bring word of those to you all here 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Site Location and Preliminary Information Confirmed for the Budapest Hungary Temple

Hello again, everyone! This afternoon, on the heels of the late September visit of Hungary's first female president to Church headquarters, the First Presidency has released the site location and preliminary information for the Budapest Hungary Temple, which had, before today, been the last temple announced in April 2019 that had not had any official information confirmed. Let's break down the details:

An arrival center and patron housing will join the planned single-story 18,000-square-foot temple, all of which will be built on a 5.92-acre site at Kocsis Sandor ut and Borsikafu utca, Harsanylejto, Budapest, Hungary. Though not explicitly stated, I take it as a given that project managers will begin working with government officials through the approvals process.

As a result of today's update, all temples announced between October 2018 and October 2020 have had official information confirmed. Between today's announcement (which also confirmed the Modesto California Temple groundbreaking) and the 20 new temples announced by President Nelson in General Conference over a week ago, of the 98 announced temples, 55 lack official information.

That may change in the near term (or so I hope). I was also surprised that there were not any temple openings announced, but hopefully such announcements will either come later this week or as the major announcement next week. I continue to monitor all such updates and will be sure to pass those along here as time and circumstances allow.

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.