BREAKING NEWS: Church Releeases 15 Additional New Hymns

 Hello agsin, everyone! Just a short time ago, the Church will officially release 15 new hymns from the new hymnbook, constituting the largest such release this far. I wi The newest selections will be available on all the appropriate channels within the next 24 hours or less. From the news release comes quotes from Elder Matthew L. Carpenter, the GA Seventy adviser to the hymnbook, but no new quotes from any of the apostles on this newest release. 

It occurred to me to wonder if the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have determined to use Elder Carpenter instead of an apostolic adviser, but I can't say that for sure one way or the other. If that is the case, then it would be in line with the Lord's direction for the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve to call on the Seventy "instead of any others" in such cases. Anyways, the new selections include the following: 

"Close As a Quiet Prayer”, “Come, Hear the Word the Lord Has Spoken”, “Faith in Every Footstep”, “Holy Places”, “I Can’t Count Them All”, “I Have Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ”,“I Know That My Savior Loves Me”, “Let Easter Anthems Ring”, “Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling”, “Standing on the Promises”,“Take My Heart and Let It Be Consecrated”, “This Little Light of Mine”, “To Love Like Thee”, “Welcome Home”, and “Were You There?”

I am familiar with the following new releases: "Faith in Every Footstep" (the Pioneer anthem created for the 1997 sesquicentennial celebration of the Saints' arrival to the Salt Lake Valley), "I Know That My Savior Loves Me", "Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling", "Standing on the Promises", "This Little Light of Mine" and "Were You There?". I look forward to familiarizing myself with all of these selections in the coming months.

There are now 31 selections in the "Sabbath and Weekday" section and 6 more in the "Easter and Christmas" section, for a total of 37.  Additionally, the Church announced today that the first hymns released in May 2024 are now available in German, Korean, and Tagalog. Later this year, those hymns will also be available in Mandarin and Japanese.

While I was getting this post ready for publication, the home page for the new hymnbook was updated to include the newest selections. It may take up to 24 hours before they are visible in the Gospel Library section of the same page and in the Sacred Music app. I am grateful for this newest release of 15 hymns and look forward to using them at Church and at home in the coming days.

Stay tuned here for updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about 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 all such 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. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe for the applicable updates. If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated but never required. 

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 Ronald A. Rasband Celebrates His 74th Birthday

Hello again, everyone! Elder Ronald A. Rasband is celebrating his 74th birthday today. Let's get right into this post in his honor. Ronald Anderson Rasband was born in 1951 in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Rulon Hawkins Rasband and Verda Anderson. He served as a full-time missionary in the Eastern States Mission, which was headquartered in New York City and encompassed the whole New York Metro area, while also stretching into western New York and Pennsylvania. Sometime following his honorable return from his mission, he met Melanie Twitchell in a class they both attended at BYU. At the time, both of them were dating other people, but they soon made arrangements to go on a date themselves, and once they started dating, that was it for both of them. They got engaged eight weeks later, were married in the Salt Lake Temple in 1973, and went on to raise their five children.

Following their marriage, they continued their studies at the University of Utah. He later discontinued his college experience in order to begin his professional career in the Huntsman Container Company as a Sales Representative in 1976. Still in that employment 11 years later (in 1987), he was promoted to the position of president and chief operating officer of Huntsman Chemical Corporation, where he closely worked with Jon Huntsman Sr. and later served on the board of directors of that company. It was not until 1995 that, in tribute to his success as a businessman, he received an honorary degree in business and commerce from Utah Valley State College (now Utah Valley University).

As prestigious as his professional career might have been, his life, in similarity to those of his fellow apostles, has been characterized by a variety of assignments in the Church. Elder Rasband has served as a bishop, Temple Square missionary guide, member of the Church’s Sesquicentennial Committee, and, from 1996-1999, as president of the New York New York North Mission. On April 1, 2000, he was sustained as a general authority and member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. Over the next 5 years, he served in the Europe North and Europe Central Areas from 2000-2003. Those areas were later consolidated into a single Europe Area before subsequently splitting agin in August of last year. From 2003-2004, Elder Rasband presided over the Utah Salt Lake City Area. In August 2004, responsibility for oversight of the work of the Church in North America was transferred to the Presidency of the Seventy (with oversight for the US and Canada subsequently being delegated back to area presidencies in August 2018).

He then served from 2004-2005 as Executive Director of the Temple Department. He was called to serve in the Presidency of the Seventy in August 2005, at which time he was assigned oversight for the North America Northwest and North America West Areas. Two years later, his assignment shifted to supervising the Utah North, Utah Salt Lake City, and Utah South Areas (from 2007-2009).

With the April 2008 call of Elder D. Todd Christofferson to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, he had become the second most senior member of the Presidency of the Seventy. The following April, as a result of Elder Neil L. Andersen's call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder Rasband became the Senior President of the Seventy, and, as such, was given oversight for all areas in the United States and Canada.

He was still serving in that same assignment when, in October 2015, he was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. With Elders Gary E. Stevenson and Dale G. Renlund called at the same time (something that had not happened since 1906), the number of those who had served as members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles reached a total of 100. He is currently the seventh in seniority among the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the tenth in overall apostolic seniority. He also ranks as the fifth oldest among the current members of the Quorum of the Twelve, and the eighth oldest among all 15 apostles.

As I’ve noted previously, I have an indirect personal connection to Elder Rasband. When my wife was initially involved in the institute program, Elder Rasband was one of her instructors. As a result of the three apostolic vacancies in 2015, my wife was one of many who felt Elder Rasband would be called to the apostleship to fill one of those, and she (and others who felt the same way) turned out to be right.

I will never forget praying in advance of the October 2015 General Conference for my own personal witness to know that whoever was called had indeed been chosen by the Lord. The moment President Eyring read the names of the three new apostles, I received the witness I had requested. That experience is one that has been repeated for every apostle called since I entered my adult years.For that reason, I gratefully sustain not just Elder Rasband, but also each of the other 14 apostles in their divinely-appointed roles.

Having served for nearly 23 years as a General Authority, Elder Rasband has had 25 opportunities to address us in General Conference: 1 as a General Authority Seventy, 5 more while in the Presidency of the Seventy, and the remaining 19 since his call to the apostleship. Any of those addresses, covering a wide variety of topics, is well worthy of review.

I am grateful to be able to provide both birthday tributes to and attest to the spiritual confirmation I continually receive regarding the inspired calls of those we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators. I am likewise grateful to have the opportunity to share the latest details on the global ministries of these Brethren.

I continue to monitor any and all Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples updates and will be sure to pass word of those along to you all as they cross my radar. 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: Groundbreaking Set for Antananarivo Madagascar Temple; Site Location and Preliminary Details Relesed for the Frorianpolois Brazil Temple

Hello again, everyone! The First Presidency is back to Monday major temple construction announcements. A few minutes ago, they officially announced the groundbreaking arrangements for the Antananarivo Madagascar Temple and released the initial official details for the Florianopolis Brazil Temple. Let's get right into the details: 

Ground will be broken for the Antananarivo Madagascar Temple on Saturday, March 15, 2025, with Elder Denelson Silva, Second Counselor in the Africa South Area Presidency, presiding at that ceremony. Interestingly enough, the announcement did not include an exterior rendering for that temple, which has not yet been released. 

But given its' announced size and how materials for the construction of that temple will have to be shipped in (due to Madagascar being separated from the rest of the African continent), I am assuming this temple will be modular, with a rendering released in the next week or two. This temple groundbreaking will occur 1 week before the previously announced groundbreaking for the Birmingham England Temple.

The total number of temple groundbreakings set for this year thus far has now risen to 4. Last year, the fourth temple groundbreaking was set for June 1, so we are several weeks ahead with temple groundbreakings this year as compared to last year. And the Church could very easily double the current number (4) by the end of this quarter.

That said, let's move on to the details about the Florianopolis Brazil Temple. That temple was announced in April of last year. With no estimated square footage announced, what we do know is that a 5.5-acre site at Rua Cassol, 1120, Kobrasol, São José, Santa Catarina, Brazil will serve as the temple's location. Whenever more details are announced, I will be sure to pass them along here.

Stay tuned here for updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about 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 all such 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. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe for the applicable updates. 

If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated but never required. 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.