April 2018 General Conference Predictions Alterations: Part Three---Quorum of the Twelve Speaking Order

Hello again, everyone! I am back with the third post in the series I am doing to cover how the changes in the leading quorums of the Church have changed my predictions for the April 2018 General Conference. In this post, I will share an updated version of the table I keep updated to show how recently each current member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has spoken in each of the five general sessions of General Conference.

Before I do so, I am proceeding on the assumption that, as stated in an earlier post, we will have two members each of the Quorum speak during the Saturday Morning and Sunday Afternoon Sessions, 3 others in the Saturday Afternoon Session, 1 during the Priesthood Session, and the remaining 4 (including the two newest Quorum members) during the Sunday Morning Session.

Based on what that table shows, I present the following as the likely order in which the current members of the Quorum of the Twelve may speak during this next General Conference.

	SAM	SAA	SPH	SUM	SUA
Ballard	Oct 2015*	Apr 2017	Apr 2015	Oct 2016	Oct 2017
Holland	Oct 2017	Apr 2017	Oct 2016	Apr 2015	Apr 2016*
Uchtdorf	Oct 2017 (FP)	Apr 2017 (FP)	Oct 2017 (FP)	Apr 2017 (FP)	Apr 2007*
Bednar	Oct 2013	Apr 2016*	Apr 2017	Oct 2017	Oct 2016
Cook	Oct 2015	Oct 2017	Oct 2014	Apr 2016*	Apr 2017
Christofferson	Oct 2017	Oct 2016*	Oct 2012	Apr 2016	Apr 2017
Andersen	Oct 2016	Apr 2017	Oct 2015	Apr 2013*	Oct 2017
Rasband	Apr 2014 (Pres of Seventy)*	Oct 2017	Apr 2010 (Pres of Seventy)	Apr 2017	Oct 2016
Stevenson	Apr 2016	Oct 2017	Oct 2012 (PB)*	Oct 2015	Apr 2017
Renlund	Apr 2017	Apr 2015 (GA Seventy)*	Oct 2017	Oct 2015	Oct 2016
New apostle #1	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A*	N/A
New apostle #2	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A*	N/A

Ballard	SAM1	SAM	Ballard (1 is 1)*
Holland	SUA2		Rasband (8 is 2)
Uchtdorf	SUA1	SAA	Christofferson (6 is 3)
Bednar	SAA3		Renlund (10 is 4)
Cook	SUM4		Bednar (4 is 5)
Christofferson	SAA1	SPH	Stevenson (9 is 6)
Andersen	SUM1	SUM	Cook (6 is 7)
Rasband	SAM2		New apostle #1 (11 is 8)
Stevenson	SPH		New apostle #2 (12 is 9)
Renlund	SAA2		Andersen (7 is 10)
New apostle #1	SUM2	SUA	Uchtdorf (3 is 11)
New apostle #2	SUM3		Holland (2 is 12)

When adding the number of the apostle who spoke to the number representing the order in which they are, is the resulting figure odd or even?       
Odd: 7

Even: 5   

As you can see, since President Ballard has not spoken during the Saturday Morning Session within the last four General Conferences, so it would make sense to me if he was the first speaker following the Solemn Assembly. And since Elder Rasband is the only other known Quorum member that has not spoken in that session within the last four General Conferences (and has thus also not done so at all since his call to the apostleship), it seems safe to assume that he will be the other apostle to speak during that session.

Meanwhile, Elders Christofferson, Renlund, and Bednar seem to be the three most likely to speak during the Saturday Afternoon Session. Elder Renlund has not spoken during that session since his call to the apostleship, though he did so as a General Authority Seventy in the conference prior to his call. 

And since it has been a while (if it has occurred at all) since an apostle who has not spoken in the Saturday Afternoon Session has been the first speaker when that first opportunity comes, it is a near certainty (but not guaranteed) that Elder Renlund will not be the first member of the Quorum to speak in this session.And since the last Quorum member to speak in that session has typically been one of the four most senior Quorum members, by process of elimination, Elder Renlund is more likely to be the second member of that Quorum to speak during that session.

Between Elders Bednar and Christofferson, only Elder Bednar is among the four most senior members of that Quorum, so if the pattern holds, he would be the last of the three to speak, which, by process of elimination, leaves Elder Christofferson as the most likely of the three to speak first.

Regarding the priesthood session, before last October's general conference, I indicated that, while it was traditional for new apostles to speak during the priesthood session within 2-4 conferences following their call, I was unsure how soon we might see Elders Rasband, Stevenson, and Renlund give their first addresses in that session. Elder Renlund was asked to do so last time, and with him and Elder Rasband potentially speaking in the prior two sessions, that leaves only Elder Stevenson, so it seems likely that he will represent the Quorum in speaking during this Priesthood Session.

With the two new apostles likely speaking during the Sunday Morning Session, that leaves the identity of the two veteran apostles that might also speak during that session unknown. With only Elders Holland, Uchtdorf, Cook, and Andersen left, we see on the chart above that Elder Andersen spoke in the Sunday Afternoon Session last October, and Elder Cook did the previous April, so that leaves Elders Holland and Uchtdorf for the Sunday Afternoon Session.

And with Elders Andersen and Cook therefore being the likely veteran apostles to speak during the Sunday Morning Session, the question is, which of the two might be the first Quorum member speaking in that session. Since it has been somewhat traditional in previous instances when four members of that Quorum spoke during this session for the more senior of the two to speak last, some may think it would be logical to assume that Elder Andersen will speak first. 

But in looking back at the history from which this information was assembled, in April 2013, Elder Andersen was the first of the two members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to speak during that session. And Elder Cook was the last of the two Quorum members to speak during the Sunday Morning Session in April 2016. 

With all of that in mind, it makes more sense to me that Elder Cook, who spoke last last time, would speak first, and that Elder Andersen, who spoke first last time, would be last this time.

That brings us to the final session of this General Conference. Since, as already noted, Elders Holland and Uchtdorf make the most sense as the probable two speakers in that session, the question becomes, which of the two might speak first? Since it has been longer since Elder Uchtdorf spoke in that session, it would make sense if he were the first of the two to speak during that session for this conference. 

Some may contend that the last time Elder Holland spoke in this session, the fact that he was the last of the Quorum to do so for that conference should necessitate a switch this time, but the fact that Elder Uchtdorf has spoken in that session less recently outweighs that argument, in my opinion.

But this information is no more and no less than my own personal opinion. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.

April 2018 General Conference Predictions Alterations: Part Two--First Presidency Speaking Order

Hello again, everyone! Having set the background in my last post for the alterations to my predictions for the April 2018 General Conference, I now want to turn to an exploration of the order in which our new First Presidency might speak .

First of all, I wanted to examine when new Church presidents have given their first addresses in General Conference as such. Presidents Kimball, Benson, and Hunter all opted to do so at the beginning of the first session of their first General Conferences as Church president, while, more recently, Presidents Hinckley and Monson opted to give their first public addresses as Church president during the Priesthood Session on Saturday evening, with their first addresses to the Church at large in the Sunday Morning Session.

The one different thing about President Nelson is that he has already given his first public address to the Church as its' president, opting to do so after his call as such was announced. But aside from that, I would imagine his next opportunity to address Church members would mirror that of his two prophetic predecessors. It is possible he might opt to address the Church after the Solemn Assembly, but it seems more likely he will opt to wait until the priesthood session, and then publicly address the entire Church the following morning.

That brings me to the subject of the counselors in the First Presidency during the first General Conference of a new First Presidency. When President Kimball was sustained as Church president, his First Counselor, President N. Eldon Tanner, led the Solemn Assembly and was the concluding speaker at the Saturday Morning Session. Second Counselor President Marion G. Romney joined the other two in speaking during the Priesthood Session, and gave his first address to the Church-at-large on Sunday Morning.

Because President Benson opted to give his first address as Church president in the Saturday Morning Session, his counselors, Presidents Gordon B. Hinckley and Thomas S. Monson, gave their first addresses to the Church-at-large during the Sunday Morning Session. President Hinckley opened that session and President Monson closed it. The same occurred for the October 1994 General Conference under the direction of President Hunter.

For President Hinckley's first conference as Church president, he and his counselors all gave their first public addresses to the Church in their new roles during the Sunday Morning Session. President Monson opened the session, with President Faust speaking next, and President Hinckley was the concluding speaker (with that session including one member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and a member of the Presidency of the Seventy).

Most recently, for President Monson's first General Conference as Church president, since President Uchtdorf led the Solemn Assembly, President Eyring was asked to be the final speaker during the Saturday Morning Session. President Monson requested that President Uchtdorf be the first speaker during the Sunday Morning Session.

So, if, as I theorized in my last post, President Oaks leads the Solemn Assembly at the top of the Saturday Morning Session, it makes sense to me that President Eyring would be asked to speak at the conclusion of that session, while President Oaks would give his first address as President Nelson's First Counselor at the beginning of the Sunday Morning Session.

That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.

April 2018 General Conference Predictions Alterations: Part One---Who Will Conduct Each Session, Timing of Solemn Assembly, and Who Will Lead That

Hello again, everyone! As some of you may recall, I put up my initial predictions for the April 2018 General Conference not long after the conclusion of the October 2017 General Conference. But as a result of President Monson's death, the reorganization of the First Presidency, the two apostolic vacancies, and Elder Uchtdorf's return to the membership of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, I had to rethink things a bit. This post will set the background reasoning behind the alterations I have made, and will be followed with another post detailing the altered predictions.

First, some preliminary observations about those alterations: It was customary during the administrations of Presidents Hinckley and Monson that, for at least the first several General Conferences of their presidencies, they would conduct three sessions, and their other two counselors would conduct one each. President Monson's first conference was only slightly different, since President Eyring's ankle injury prevented him from being able to conduct any of those five sessions, leaving President Monson to conduct three and President Uchtdorf to conduct the other two.

If that pattern holds true for President Nelson's first conference, I would anticipated President Nelson will opt to conduct the Saturday Morning, Priesthood, and Sunday Morning Sessions, leaving Presidents Oaks and Eyring to conduct one each, and it seems to make the most sense if President Oaks, being senior to President Eyring, conducts the first of those two (Saturday Afternoon), leaving President Eyring to conduct the final session.

Next, as I have previously noted in earlier posts, there are no hard and fast rules mandating that a Solemn Assembly for a new Church president needs to be held during the Saturday Morning Session of his first General Conference as such, nor is it absolutely necessary that the First Counselor lead out in that process. That said, there has only been one occasion recently (with the Solemn Assembly for President Monson) where the First Counselor did not led out. President Eyring's aforementioned ankle injury precluded him from being able to fill that role.

So I feel reasonably certain that President Nelson has asked (or will ask) his longtime apostolic seatmate and dear friend President Dallin H. Oaks to lead out in the Solemn Assembly, and that that will occur for President Nelson during its' somewhat traditional time at the top of the Saturday Morning Session, at which time President Oaks will likely also be asked to announce the new apostles and other Church leadership changes. More on the specifics of those likely changes will follow later tonight.

But that does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.

CORRECTION: Temple Dedications Announced in 2017

Hello again, everyone! I am posting very briefly tonight to note a self-correction of a previous assertion made on this blog. Earlier today, I had noted that tomorrow (January 30) would mark one year since the final three temple dedications of 2017 were announced. A double-check of the facts on my part verified that the announcement of those three events (for Tucson Arizona, Meridian Idaho, and Cedar City Utah) were actually announced on January 26, so it has been over a year since that time.

It could very well be that it was easier for the First Presidency to determine last year that all three US temples most recently dedicated were making sufficient enough progress to allow the announcement of the final two over three-quarters of a year prior to their actual occurrence than it would be to gauge how soon temples outside the US might be ready. We also saw the Jordan River Utah Temple rededication announced in early August last year, even though that will not occur until mid-May.

With all of that in mind, I would hope that we will be seeing a few future temple events for this year officially announced in the near future, but there are no hard and fast set rules about when that could occur. I will do my best to bring you the latest developments in that regard and will be sure to pass along any updates as I become aware of them.

That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.

Update Provided on Raleigh North Carolina Temple

Hello again, everyone! Although I somehow managed to overlook reporting this when I originally became aware of it a few days ago, I wanted to post again now and pass along an update on the renovation process for the Raleigh North Carolina Temple.

The update shows that that temple has had its steeple and entrance canopy removed, and that the temple's exterior marble cladding is coming down. It is good to have found out about this, and I am grateful I can now pass that along to you.

That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.

Updates Provided on First Two Temples Anticipated to be Dedicated This Year

Hello again, everyone! I am back, this time with an update on the status of the first two new temples anticipated to be dedicated next year. For the first, the nature of the update is a slight tweak in the wording of its' status. For the second, it has made somewhat significant progress. So let's get right into that.

I had reported over the weekend that, with the exterior stone cladding completed and with interior work progressing, bushes and flowers were being planted in the perimeter gardens of the Concepcion Chile Temple. Today when I looked at the sources I had available for temple-related information, the specific reference to the bushes and flowers going in was taken out an replaced by a simple statement that the planting of the perimeter gardens continues. As I noted above, it is just a minor wording adjustment, but seemed significant enough to report.

Meanwhile, reports have come in that indicate that the Barranquilla Colombia Temple is progressing as well, with the installation of art glass, an irrigation system, and driveway pavers well underway. Additionally, as with the Concepcion Chile Temple, it has been reported that perimeter gardens are being planted on the temple grounds.

Since the updated status of these two temples share certain elements, I am more convinced than ever that their dedications will likely take place fairly close together. As of yesterday, I advanced the idea that the Concepcion Chile Temple could be dedicated in mid-August, and that the Barranquilla Colombia Temple might only be dedicated in mid-October, with the rededication of the temple in Frankfurt Germany occurring between the two, in September.

Based on how similar the status of these two new temples happen to be, it could be that the Church may opt to have the two dedicated a few weeks apart, rather than letting a couple of months pass between the two.

Regarding the future time-frame for temple-related events, I took the time to refresh my memory on the particulars, and tomorrow will mark one year to the day when the Church announced the details of the last three temples dedicated last year (Tucson Arizona in August, Meridian Idaho in November, and Cedar City Utah in December).

With that in mind, and recognizing that there may be more to scheduling such events for temples outside the US, it would not surprise me at all if we were to hear within the next couple of months (perhaps sooner rather than later) the announcement of temple dedications that will be held before the end of this year.

On that subject, it appears that the new First Presidency has hit the ground running, since the first temple-related news released by them (the renovation of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple) was announced three days after their introduction to the media, and five days after the reorganization occurred.

So it seems safe to assume that there will likely not be a very long wait in terms of when we can expect the next temple news from our new leadership. And while it may be a while after that before we hear of the timing for the final temple events of this year, it will be interesting to see how soon any such news actually is announced.

Whatever might occur in that regard, you can depend on my bringing news of it to you all as soon as I am able to do so after learning of it. So stay tuned for that in the near future. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.