Hello again, everyone! I wanted to post again right now to share some church news stories which I have found to be significant. I hope they may be of interest to you as well. These articles are pulled from both the official Church website and that of the Church News. Let's start with the latter.
First, the Church News continued its' six-part series on the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles with this article in which quotes from all but the newest two apostles address common misconceptions that members of the Church and those outside the Church (including our friends of other faiths) might have about service in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. This is the fifth article in what I believe is a six-part series, so the next article should conclude it.
I will next be providing brief summaries of a few other articles from the Church News here, which includes this article (about how a new video from Mormon.org provides more context into the old adage "practice what you preach") and this report (on a recent update to the Gospel Library app which has been released to fix previous problems)
There is also this advice from Brother Brian K. Ashton, Second Counselor in the Sunday School Presidency on how to get more out of Sunday School and thereby make it one of our favorite hours at Church; which seems to further debunk the idea that the Church may get rid of the Sunday School hour in the October General Conference.
Next, I wanted to share from the Church News is this one in which Sister Kristen M. Oaks, wife of President Dallin H. Oaks, shares some of the highs and lows of being a Single Adult in the Church. Her experience and advice may be helpful to anyone any of us knows who fits that definition.
I don't know if I shared this article earlier or not, but the Church has partnered with Muslims and Methodists to discuss ways that serving together can lead to understanding between those of differing beliefs. You can read more on that here.
Moving on now to the Church website (lds.org), this article highlighted the singular opportunity President Ezra Taft Benson had to serve as Secretary of Agriculture while also continuing active service in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. This article highlighted days on which the Church has held more than one temple groundbreaking on the same day.
An interesting thought occurred to me as I read that article: Why would it be published now unless the Church was potentially planning to have more temple groundbreakings on the same day in the near future? Some have said President Nelson may opt to announce several temple groundbreakings at once, and that if that occurs, at least two of those groundbreakings could be held on the same day. It will be interesting to see what happens there.
I may or may not have previously shared this article about how a 1879 Catholic Mass held at the St. George Tabernacle wound up being a returned blessing to a branch of the Church in Italy, There is also this inspiring story of how a senior missionary's call to a nation from which some of his ancestors hailed has now brought him full-circle.
And as I prepare to wrap-up this post sharing these news stories, Mormon Newsroom's Blog has shared the latest entry in their series which shares stories of Church members worldwide from different country newsroom websites. Today's edition of that article contains stories from Cambodia, Peru, Australia (2),, Brazil, and Massachusetts USA.
I can recommend all of these articles as worthy of your attention. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of new content, please feel free to subscribe.
Until my next post (which, barring anything unexpected, will share my revised and expanded list of temple prospects which may be announced during the October General Conference, and could be published tomorrow or Saturday at the latest), I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
Thursday, August 9, 2018
Additional Church News
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.
Elder Neil L. Andersen Marks his 67th Birthday
Hello again, everyone! With today being August 9, Elder Neil L. Andersen is celebrating his 67th birthday today. So I wanted to post and share some highlights of his life and ministry in the Church. Let's get right into all of that.
Neil Linden Andersen was born in Logan, Utah on this day in 1951 to Lyle and Kathryn Andersen. His family relocated to Pocatello when he was five to run a dairy farm. He served a full-time mission in France, then obtained a bachelor's degree in economics, eventually earning his MBA from Harvard, also in economics. During his time at BYU, he met and married his wife, Kathy Sue Anderson, and together they raised four children.
He spent his professional career working various jobs. At the pinnacle of his career, he was Vice President of the Morton Plant Health System. He has served in the Church as a stake president’s counselor, stake president and mission president (assigned to the France Bordeaux Mission) from 1989-1992. Less than a year after his return, he was called to be a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. Interestingly, his call as a General Authority occurred in the same conference as that of his apostolic seatmate, Elder D. Todd Christofferson.
During his time as a Seventy, he served in a wide variety of Church assignments, including as executive director of the church's Audiovisual Department, assistant executive director of the Priesthood Department, and in the presidencies of the following areas: Europe West Utah North, Utah South, North America Southwest, North America Northeast, and the Brazil South Area (during which time he served as the area president).
In 2005, Elder Andersen was called to the Presidency of the Seventy, where he was assigned to preside over the Idaho Area (from 2005-2007), and by the time his stewardship switched to the North America Southwest Area (2007-2009), he had gone from being the second-least senior member of that Presidency to being the third-most-senior member. In 2008, with Elder D. Todd Christofferson’s call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (in April) and the release of Senior President Elder Earl C. Tingey (in August, in preparation for his being granted emeritus status in the October General Conference), Elder Andersen then became the Senior President of the Seventy.
He would only serve in that capacity for 8 months. In view of Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin’s death in December 2008, Elder Andersen was subsequently called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during the April 2009 General Conference. An interesting bit of trivia is the fact that Elders Christofferson, Andersen, and Rasband were all seatmates in the Presidency of the Seventy as of August 2007, and they would all go on to be apostolic seatmates, having been called in April 2008, April 2009, and October 2015 respectively.
Elder Andersen has had 24 opportunities thus far to address Church members in General Conference (3 of which he gave as a General Authority Seventy, with 2 others given while he was a member of the Presidency of the Seventy, and the remaining 19 since his call to the QuorIum of the Twelve Apostles). To review any or all of those talks, click here.
I am grateful for Elder Andersen's ministry, and I joyfully and wholeheartedly sustain him as a prophet, seer and revelator. Although it is unlikely he will ever personally read this tribute, I am likewise grateful for all I have learned through both his General Conference talks and reading the reports of the ministry of both him and all the Brethren we sustain as special witnesses of the Savior.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. 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.
Neil Linden Andersen was born in Logan, Utah on this day in 1951 to Lyle and Kathryn Andersen. His family relocated to Pocatello when he was five to run a dairy farm. He served a full-time mission in France, then obtained a bachelor's degree in economics, eventually earning his MBA from Harvard, also in economics. During his time at BYU, he met and married his wife, Kathy Sue Anderson, and together they raised four children.
He spent his professional career working various jobs. At the pinnacle of his career, he was Vice President of the Morton Plant Health System. He has served in the Church as a stake president’s counselor, stake president and mission president (assigned to the France Bordeaux Mission) from 1989-1992. Less than a year after his return, he was called to be a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. Interestingly, his call as a General Authority occurred in the same conference as that of his apostolic seatmate, Elder D. Todd Christofferson.
During his time as a Seventy, he served in a wide variety of Church assignments, including as executive director of the church's Audiovisual Department, assistant executive director of the Priesthood Department, and in the presidencies of the following areas: Europe West Utah North, Utah South, North America Southwest, North America Northeast, and the Brazil South Area (during which time he served as the area president).
In 2005, Elder Andersen was called to the Presidency of the Seventy, where he was assigned to preside over the Idaho Area (from 2005-2007), and by the time his stewardship switched to the North America Southwest Area (2007-2009), he had gone from being the second-least senior member of that Presidency to being the third-most-senior member. In 2008, with Elder D. Todd Christofferson’s call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (in April) and the release of Senior President Elder Earl C. Tingey (in August, in preparation for his being granted emeritus status in the October General Conference), Elder Andersen then became the Senior President of the Seventy.
He would only serve in that capacity for 8 months. In view of Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin’s death in December 2008, Elder Andersen was subsequently called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during the April 2009 General Conference. An interesting bit of trivia is the fact that Elders Christofferson, Andersen, and Rasband were all seatmates in the Presidency of the Seventy as of August 2007, and they would all go on to be apostolic seatmates, having been called in April 2008, April 2009, and October 2015 respectively.
Elder Andersen has had 24 opportunities thus far to address Church members in General Conference (3 of which he gave as a General Authority Seventy, with 2 others given while he was a member of the Presidency of the Seventy, and the remaining 19 since his call to the QuorIum of the Twelve Apostles). To review any or all of those talks, click here.
I am grateful for Elder Andersen's ministry, and I joyfully and wholeheartedly sustain him as a prophet, seer and revelator. Although it is unlikely he will ever personally read this tribute, I am likewise grateful for all I have learned through both his General Conference talks and reading the reports of the ministry of both him and all the Brethren we sustain as special witnesses of the Savior.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. 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.
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
First Solemn Assembly of the Church Held on This Day in 1844
Hello again, everyone! In their "History Revisited" series, the Church News shared this article about how the Church's very first Solemn Assembly (a setting which, as we know, features voting by quorums and groups) on this day in 1844. I want to talk about the significance of that first event, but perhaps some historical background would be helpful.
In the early 1840s, with Church members having relocated from Missouri to Illinois, they were enjoying a period of prosperity in the city of Nauvoo. The foundations for a temple had been laid, and all seemed to be going well. In 1844, the Prophet Joseph Smith had even launched a campaign for the presidency of the United States, in which he had promised that his administration would be fair to all, but particularly towards those who had been oppressed and persecuted, as the Saints in Nauvoo had.
There were a few problems which led to the martyrdom of Joseph Smith on June 27, 1844. First, members disaffected by a misunderstanding of the doctrine of plural marriage had again tried to overthrow the Prophet and to take over the leadership of the Church. When those efforts proved to be unsupported by the bulk of Church membership, those responsible were disfellowshipped and/or excommunicated. Among those of that description was William Law, Second Counselor in the First Presidency.
Additionally, with the members of the Quorum of the Twelve having been sent out on missions for the primary purpose of garnering interest for the Prophet's run for the presidency, and with even some of the Prophet's friends turning against him, Sidney Rigdon abruptly left the body of the Church, and relocated with his family to Philadelphia.
This was in direct disobedience relating to guidance from the Lord, which is confirmed by recorded revelation in Doctrine & Covenants 124:108, in which we read: "If my servant Sidney will do my will, let him not remove his family unto the eastern lands, but let him change their habitation, even as I have said."
Some have put forth the theory that Brother Rigdon relocated so he could be Joseph Smith's presidential running mate, since a president and vice president cannot be drawn from the same state, but this revelation proves otherwise. And, in point of fact, in a gathering of Church members and leaders in 1843, the Prophet recommended to the Church that Sidney Rigdon should not be upheld or sustained as his First Counselor. The Saints were willing to give Brother Rigdon the benefit of the doubt, however, to which Joseph responded, "I have thrown him off my shoulders, and you have again put him on me. "You may carry him, but I will not." This was an indication that the Prophet had lost all confidence in his counselor.
Additionally, at some point, the Prophet had met with the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and had stated: "Where I am not, there is no First Presidency over the Twelve."
With the Twelve out campaigning for the Prophet's US presidential bid, that left the Saints largely without any other major leadership in Nauvoo when he was arrested and taken to Carthage. As soon as word spread of the Prophet's martyrdom, both Sidney Rigdon and the ten members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles headed back home.
Brother Rigdon was the first to arrive, and made the determination to set a conference for August 8, for the purpose of advancing himself as the one who should succeed the deceased Prophet and his brother Hyrum as the guardian of the Church, with his argument being that his status as the Prophet's First Counselor should trump any other consideration. But historical records also show that he may have intended to try and get the Church to decide the question before the Twelve arrived and could do anything about it.
The gathering was set for August 8, and Rigdon stated his case to the membership of the Church. Unexpectedly, during his remarks, Brigham Young, who was President of the Quorum of the Twelve and who had staunchly stood by Joseph through the persecutions, trials, and apostasy in Missouri, and who had continued to defend him against claims that he was a fallen prophet, even when William Law, his brother, and others had tried to wrest control of the Church from the Prophet.
Brigham Young spoke for just a few minutes, then announced that the discussion on this matter would continue after a recess of about an hour or two, and he indicated that all Church members would then be seated by quorums and groups, which meant he would be calling for a sustaining vote.
When the deliberations resumed, Brigham Young made the argument that Brother Rigdon was a counselor to the Prophet for only as long as the Prophet was alive, and that if he wanted to continue to be a spokesman for the Prophet, he would need to go through the veil as the Prophet had. He also made a compelling argument which included the fact that the Quorum of the Twelve were under the direction of the First Presidency for only as long as the President of the Church was alive.
He also noted that, if Hyrum Smith had not been with Joseph at the time he was martyred, he would have rightly been appointed as Joseph's successor, since he was the Assistant President of the Church. With both having been martyred, he went on to say, Brother Rigdon had no claim whatsoever to the Presidency of the Church.
In the course of those remarks, as he continued to speak, many in attendance recorded that he had both the voice and appearance of the Prophet Joseph Smith. This was a clear enough indicator to all in attendance of what needed to happen, and a vote was unanimously cast that the members of the Quorum of the Twelve should assume the leadership of the Church. On that same day, Brother Rigdon, who did not accept the Church's decision, was excommunicated.
And although it would be around 3.25 years before the next Church president (Brigham Young) was formally sustained along with two members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to serve as the new First Presidency, this first Solemn Assembly set the tone for how Church leadership would transition after the passing of each Church president.
As we also were reminded earlier this year, for the first three transitions from one prophet to another which occurred, there was traditionally a space between several months to a few years before the new Church president was sustained. But that process changed when, prior to his death, 4th Church president Wilford Woodruff took President Lorenzo Snow aside and advised him to not wait, as had been done previously, but to immediately reorganize the First Presidency. President Woodruff told President Snow to regard this as a revelation.
Since then, the longest period in which the apostles led the Church following the death of a Church president has always been less than two weeks. Until President Monson passed away earlier this year, the longest apostolic interregnum had been the 11-day span between when Wilford Woodruff passed away and when President Snow was ordained. After President Monson's January 2 death, it was 12 days before President Nelson's ordination.
My point in mentioning all of this is to demonstrate that none of the successions to the presidency of the Church would have been possible had it not been for that first historical precedent established 174 years ago today, when the Church unanimously voted to sustain the idea that the Quorum of the Twelve takes charge when a prophet passes, and that the President of that Quorum is the rightful successor to the deceased Church president.
I hope the analysis I have done here has been helpful to at least some of 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. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to do so, please feel free to subscribe to stay informed of new content. 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 the early 1840s, with Church members having relocated from Missouri to Illinois, they were enjoying a period of prosperity in the city of Nauvoo. The foundations for a temple had been laid, and all seemed to be going well. In 1844, the Prophet Joseph Smith had even launched a campaign for the presidency of the United States, in which he had promised that his administration would be fair to all, but particularly towards those who had been oppressed and persecuted, as the Saints in Nauvoo had.
There were a few problems which led to the martyrdom of Joseph Smith on June 27, 1844. First, members disaffected by a misunderstanding of the doctrine of plural marriage had again tried to overthrow the Prophet and to take over the leadership of the Church. When those efforts proved to be unsupported by the bulk of Church membership, those responsible were disfellowshipped and/or excommunicated. Among those of that description was William Law, Second Counselor in the First Presidency.
Additionally, with the members of the Quorum of the Twelve having been sent out on missions for the primary purpose of garnering interest for the Prophet's run for the presidency, and with even some of the Prophet's friends turning against him, Sidney Rigdon abruptly left the body of the Church, and relocated with his family to Philadelphia.
This was in direct disobedience relating to guidance from the Lord, which is confirmed by recorded revelation in Doctrine & Covenants 124:108, in which we read: "If my servant Sidney will do my will, let him not remove his family unto the eastern lands, but let him change their habitation, even as I have said."
Some have put forth the theory that Brother Rigdon relocated so he could be Joseph Smith's presidential running mate, since a president and vice president cannot be drawn from the same state, but this revelation proves otherwise. And, in point of fact, in a gathering of Church members and leaders in 1843, the Prophet recommended to the Church that Sidney Rigdon should not be upheld or sustained as his First Counselor. The Saints were willing to give Brother Rigdon the benefit of the doubt, however, to which Joseph responded, "I have thrown him off my shoulders, and you have again put him on me. "You may carry him, but I will not." This was an indication that the Prophet had lost all confidence in his counselor.
Additionally, at some point, the Prophet had met with the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and had stated: "Where I am not, there is no First Presidency over the Twelve."
With the Twelve out campaigning for the Prophet's US presidential bid, that left the Saints largely without any other major leadership in Nauvoo when he was arrested and taken to Carthage. As soon as word spread of the Prophet's martyrdom, both Sidney Rigdon and the ten members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles headed back home.
Brother Rigdon was the first to arrive, and made the determination to set a conference for August 8, for the purpose of advancing himself as the one who should succeed the deceased Prophet and his brother Hyrum as the guardian of the Church, with his argument being that his status as the Prophet's First Counselor should trump any other consideration. But historical records also show that he may have intended to try and get the Church to decide the question before the Twelve arrived and could do anything about it.
The gathering was set for August 8, and Rigdon stated his case to the membership of the Church. Unexpectedly, during his remarks, Brigham Young, who was President of the Quorum of the Twelve and who had staunchly stood by Joseph through the persecutions, trials, and apostasy in Missouri, and who had continued to defend him against claims that he was a fallen prophet, even when William Law, his brother, and others had tried to wrest control of the Church from the Prophet.
Brigham Young spoke for just a few minutes, then announced that the discussion on this matter would continue after a recess of about an hour or two, and he indicated that all Church members would then be seated by quorums and groups, which meant he would be calling for a sustaining vote.
When the deliberations resumed, Brigham Young made the argument that Brother Rigdon was a counselor to the Prophet for only as long as the Prophet was alive, and that if he wanted to continue to be a spokesman for the Prophet, he would need to go through the veil as the Prophet had. He also made a compelling argument which included the fact that the Quorum of the Twelve were under the direction of the First Presidency for only as long as the President of the Church was alive.
He also noted that, if Hyrum Smith had not been with Joseph at the time he was martyred, he would have rightly been appointed as Joseph's successor, since he was the Assistant President of the Church. With both having been martyred, he went on to say, Brother Rigdon had no claim whatsoever to the Presidency of the Church.
In the course of those remarks, as he continued to speak, many in attendance recorded that he had both the voice and appearance of the Prophet Joseph Smith. This was a clear enough indicator to all in attendance of what needed to happen, and a vote was unanimously cast that the members of the Quorum of the Twelve should assume the leadership of the Church. On that same day, Brother Rigdon, who did not accept the Church's decision, was excommunicated.
And although it would be around 3.25 years before the next Church president (Brigham Young) was formally sustained along with two members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to serve as the new First Presidency, this first Solemn Assembly set the tone for how Church leadership would transition after the passing of each Church president.
As we also were reminded earlier this year, for the first three transitions from one prophet to another which occurred, there was traditionally a space between several months to a few years before the new Church president was sustained. But that process changed when, prior to his death, 4th Church president Wilford Woodruff took President Lorenzo Snow aside and advised him to not wait, as had been done previously, but to immediately reorganize the First Presidency. President Woodruff told President Snow to regard this as a revelation.
Since then, the longest period in which the apostles led the Church following the death of a Church president has always been less than two weeks. Until President Monson passed away earlier this year, the longest apostolic interregnum had been the 11-day span between when Wilford Woodruff passed away and when President Snow was ordained. After President Monson's January 2 death, it was 12 days before President Nelson's ordination.
My point in mentioning all of this is to demonstrate that none of the successions to the presidency of the Church would have been possible had it not been for that first historical precedent established 174 years ago today, when the Church unanimously voted to sustain the idea that the Quorum of the Twelve takes charge when a prophet passes, and that the President of that Quorum is the rightful successor to the deceased Church president.
I hope the analysis I have done here has been helpful to at least some of 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. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to do so, please feel free to subscribe to stay informed of new content. 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.
President Nelson to Visit the Pacific Northwest in September
Hello again, everyone! I am pleased to pass along to you all today this press release from Mormon Newsroom, which details plans that President and Sister Nelson have made to visit two cities in the Pacific Northwest in September. President Nelson's Second Counselor, President Eyring, will accompany them.
The purpose of that trip will be to hold two devotionals, which is detailed further here. The first will be held on September 15 in Seattle Washington, and, since it will be held at Safeco Field. With a capacity seating of almost 48,000, that will give President Nelson an opportunity to address the largest gathering of Church members to date.
Then, the following day, the Nelsons and President Eyring will cross the Canadian border to address a congregation at the Langley Events Centre. Langley is a suburb of Vancouver. It appears that both devotionals will be held at 6:00 PM local time.
This will be the fourth major trip President and Sister Nelson have taken in what, by that time, will be the first 8 months of President Nelson's prophetic administration. As I am sure you all will recall, the Nelsons were joined by Elder and Sister Holland for a Worldwide Ministry Tour in which they visited Africa, Europe, and Asia.
Then in June, President and Sister Nelson were joined by Elder and Sister Rasband as they visited Edmonton, Calgary, and Raymond Alberta. Later this month, the Nelsons will return to Canada, accompanied by Elder and Sister Andersen, with stops planned in Winnipeg Manitoba, Montreal Quebec, and Hamilton Ontario.
And now, we have this planned trip. This development suggests a few things: First of all, President Nelson is fulfilling his promise to be out among the people for as long as he can be. Second, President Nelson is following the tradition of rotating through having different apostles accompany him on such trips. And finally, with the apostolic traveling companions he has had, he is taking time to demonstrate to his fellow Brethren how a prophet ministers to the one.
Some have said that Elder Holland could potentially become President of the Church himself in the coming years, which makes sense, since he is currently the 4th in seniority among the 15 current apostles, but is the 7th oldest. It is a little more difficult for now to determine whether or not President Eyring or Elders Andersen or Rasband might become President of the Church.
This is because President Eyring is the 5th in apostolic seniority but is the 4th oldest current apostle. Elder Andersen is 10th in apostolic seniority currently and is also the 10th oldest current apostle. And Elder Rasband is the 11th in apostolic seniority at present but is the 9th oldest current apostle.
I have previously offered my opinion that, whether or not President Oaks ever becomes Church president (which will depend on if he outlives President Nelson, who is almost 8 years older), it is almost certain that Elder Holland and Elder Bednar (who is the 7th in apostolic seniority but is the 11th oldest currently-serving apostle) will more than likely serve as Church presidents in the future.
That said, the Lord controls both the process of succession, so nothing may be off the table in the coming days in terms of which of the other 14 apostles might potentially go on to serve as Church presidents. The Lord is very much at work with the day-to-day administration of His Church, to say nothing of the way He is clearly sustaining the Brethren He has called to be our prophets, seers and revelators at this time.
One thing is certain: With President Nelson having made known his plans to take this fourth trip at around the same time he will be marking 8 months as Church president, I have no doubt he will continue to make such trips, and that he will also rotate his companions for such trips among the apostles (with perhaps special focus for trips in the near future on having new apostolic companions until he has rotated through each of the other 14 apostles). I continue to monitor all such news and will bring word of those to you all as I become aware of it.
In the meantime, I also wanted to announce that, if all goes well, I am hoping to post later today with my updated annotated list of locations around the world that may have a temple announced in October. If not today, then that will likely occur tomorrow, after I publish a post in honor of Elder Andersen, who will observe his 67th birthday then.
Stay tuned for all of that. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. 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.
The purpose of that trip will be to hold two devotionals, which is detailed further here. The first will be held on September 15 in Seattle Washington, and, since it will be held at Safeco Field. With a capacity seating of almost 48,000, that will give President Nelson an opportunity to address the largest gathering of Church members to date.
Then, the following day, the Nelsons and President Eyring will cross the Canadian border to address a congregation at the Langley Events Centre. Langley is a suburb of Vancouver. It appears that both devotionals will be held at 6:00 PM local time.
This will be the fourth major trip President and Sister Nelson have taken in what, by that time, will be the first 8 months of President Nelson's prophetic administration. As I am sure you all will recall, the Nelsons were joined by Elder and Sister Holland for a Worldwide Ministry Tour in which they visited Africa, Europe, and Asia.
Then in June, President and Sister Nelson were joined by Elder and Sister Rasband as they visited Edmonton, Calgary, and Raymond Alberta. Later this month, the Nelsons will return to Canada, accompanied by Elder and Sister Andersen, with stops planned in Winnipeg Manitoba, Montreal Quebec, and Hamilton Ontario.
And now, we have this planned trip. This development suggests a few things: First of all, President Nelson is fulfilling his promise to be out among the people for as long as he can be. Second, President Nelson is following the tradition of rotating through having different apostles accompany him on such trips. And finally, with the apostolic traveling companions he has had, he is taking time to demonstrate to his fellow Brethren how a prophet ministers to the one.
Some have said that Elder Holland could potentially become President of the Church himself in the coming years, which makes sense, since he is currently the 4th in seniority among the 15 current apostles, but is the 7th oldest. It is a little more difficult for now to determine whether or not President Eyring or Elders Andersen or Rasband might become President of the Church.
This is because President Eyring is the 5th in apostolic seniority but is the 4th oldest current apostle. Elder Andersen is 10th in apostolic seniority currently and is also the 10th oldest current apostle. And Elder Rasband is the 11th in apostolic seniority at present but is the 9th oldest current apostle.
I have previously offered my opinion that, whether or not President Oaks ever becomes Church president (which will depend on if he outlives President Nelson, who is almost 8 years older), it is almost certain that Elder Holland and Elder Bednar (who is the 7th in apostolic seniority but is the 11th oldest currently-serving apostle) will more than likely serve as Church presidents in the future.
That said, the Lord controls both the process of succession, so nothing may be off the table in the coming days in terms of which of the other 14 apostles might potentially go on to serve as Church presidents. The Lord is very much at work with the day-to-day administration of His Church, to say nothing of the way He is clearly sustaining the Brethren He has called to be our prophets, seers and revelators at this time.
One thing is certain: With President Nelson having made known his plans to take this fourth trip at around the same time he will be marking 8 months as Church president, I have no doubt he will continue to make such trips, and that he will also rotate his companions for such trips among the apostles (with perhaps special focus for trips in the near future on having new apostolic companions until he has rotated through each of the other 14 apostles). I continue to monitor all such news and will bring word of those to you all as I become aware of it.
In the meantime, I also wanted to announce that, if all goes well, I am hoping to post later today with my updated annotated list of locations around the world that may have a temple announced in October. If not today, then that will likely occur tomorrow, after I publish a post in honor of Elder Andersen, who will observe his 67th birthday then.
Stay tuned for all of that. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. 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.
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Some Additional Thoughts About New Leadership
Hello again, everyone! I wanted to post again now with some thoughts and musings about new leadership. I am particularly going to be addressing some additional observations about the new members of the Quorum of the Twelve (Elders Gong and Soares) and those five new members of the Presidency of the Seventy (Elders Carl B. Cook, Robert C. Gay, Terence M. Vinson, Jose A. Teixeira, and Carlos A. Godoy) who have been called between the end of March and now. Let's get right into it.
First of all, I wanted to note that, with these changes, the Brethren of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles may be looking to expand their understanding of international issues. Elders Gong and Soares represent not only the first Asian-American and Latin American apostles called, but with Elder Gong having Asian ancestry and Elder Soares having been born in Brazil, these are the first apostles to have direct ties to nations outside the US, Canada, Mexico, and Europe.
Additionally, since Elder Soares was called as a General Authority Seventy in April 2005, he has served in area presidencies in Brazil (from 2005-2011) and in the Africa Southeast Area (from 2011-2013, at which point he was called to the Presidency of the Seventy), while Elder Gong has served in Asia (from 2011-2016). And in recognition of their familiarity with those areas, Elder Gong has a supervisory role over the entire Asian continent, while Elder Soares oversees the Central America and Africa West Areas.
But that is only the tip of the iceberg. Elders Carl B. Cook (who has served as a General Authority Seventy since April 2011) and Robert C. Gay (who was called as a GA Seventy one year later), who were both called to serve in the Presidency of the Seventy effective March 31 of this year have also had experiences serving outside the United States. Elder Cook served in the Africa Southeast Area from 2011-2016), while Elder Gay served in the Central America Area from 2012-2013, and was president of the Asia Area from August of last year until his call to the Presidency of the Seventy in March.
Of the three new members of the Presidency of the Seventy whose service became effective almost a week ago (on August 1), Elder Vinson was born in Australia (which currently falls under the Pacific Area of the Church) and has served as a General Authority Seventy since 2013, while Elder Teixeira and Elder Godoy have both served as General Authority Seventies since 2008, with the former born in Portugal and the latter born in Brazil.
Since Elders Godoy and Teixeira have served longer, let's start with them. Elder Godoy served in South America from 2008-2009, in Brazil from 2009-2012, and in the South America Northwest Area from 2015-2018 while Elder Teixeira served in the Europe Area from 2009-2015 and the South America South Area from 2015-2018. In the meantime, following his call as a General Authority, Elder Vinson has exclusively served in the presidency of the Africa West Area.
These changes suggest a few things to me. First, the Church has called as the two new apostles and five newest members of the Presidency of the Seventy men who have extensively experienced life outside of the United States, and it appears that the only international areas in which these new leaders have not had experience are the Caribbean, Europe East, Mexico, Middle East/Africa North, and Philippines Areas.
Therefore, the international ministry of these Brethren surely uniquely qualifies them for their new positions. But more than that, the First Presidency appears to be recognizing that with the Church being as global as it is, and with decisions being made in the top Church councils which will affect the Saints worldwide, there is a great need to call these leaders that have extensive international experience and would be able to weigh in on how such discussions and determinations may affect the members in the areas with which they are familiar.
It may be some time before we fully know specifics regarding the assignments for most of the members of the Presidency of the Seventy (who, as previously noted, have been released from the responsibility of overseeing the 10 North America Areas in order to more fully assist the apostles and fill other assignments as needed). That said, the LDS Church Growth Blog recently shared this message, which Elder Vinson wrote as he concluded his service in the Africa West Area Presidency and prepared to return to Church headquarters for his new assignment in the Presidency of the Seventy.
Among the things he mentions is that he has been asked to assist a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in overseeing the North America Southeast Area, along with the two main areas of the Church in Africa (Southeast and West). With that in mind, I wanted to note as well that, right now, what we know as of now is, as I mentioned above, that Elder Soares has oversight of the Africa West Area, but I do not have any indication right now which of the apostles oversees the Africa Southeast Area, or how oversight of the 10 North America Areas are divided among the apostles.
As of currently, the information about the Presidency of the Seventy to which I have access via the Church's official website has not yet been updated to exclude Elders Christensen, Robbins, and Uceda, who were released, and to add Elders Vinson, Teixeira, and Godoy, and the information available about Elders Clayton, Kearon, Cook, and Gay may not be current. But hopefully such changes will come in the weeks ahead.
Once I track down such updates, I will pass along anything I find out regarding the new assignments for the other members of the Presidency of the Seventy, including (if available) the apostle(s) which they are assisting in those roles. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. 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.
First of all, I wanted to note that, with these changes, the Brethren of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles may be looking to expand their understanding of international issues. Elders Gong and Soares represent not only the first Asian-American and Latin American apostles called, but with Elder Gong having Asian ancestry and Elder Soares having been born in Brazil, these are the first apostles to have direct ties to nations outside the US, Canada, Mexico, and Europe.
Additionally, since Elder Soares was called as a General Authority Seventy in April 2005, he has served in area presidencies in Brazil (from 2005-2011) and in the Africa Southeast Area (from 2011-2013, at which point he was called to the Presidency of the Seventy), while Elder Gong has served in Asia (from 2011-2016). And in recognition of their familiarity with those areas, Elder Gong has a supervisory role over the entire Asian continent, while Elder Soares oversees the Central America and Africa West Areas.
But that is only the tip of the iceberg. Elders Carl B. Cook (who has served as a General Authority Seventy since April 2011) and Robert C. Gay (who was called as a GA Seventy one year later), who were both called to serve in the Presidency of the Seventy effective March 31 of this year have also had experiences serving outside the United States. Elder Cook served in the Africa Southeast Area from 2011-2016), while Elder Gay served in the Central America Area from 2012-2013, and was president of the Asia Area from August of last year until his call to the Presidency of the Seventy in March.
Of the three new members of the Presidency of the Seventy whose service became effective almost a week ago (on August 1), Elder Vinson was born in Australia (which currently falls under the Pacific Area of the Church) and has served as a General Authority Seventy since 2013, while Elder Teixeira and Elder Godoy have both served as General Authority Seventies since 2008, with the former born in Portugal and the latter born in Brazil.
Since Elders Godoy and Teixeira have served longer, let's start with them. Elder Godoy served in South America from 2008-2009, in Brazil from 2009-2012, and in the South America Northwest Area from 2015-2018 while Elder Teixeira served in the Europe Area from 2009-2015 and the South America South Area from 2015-2018. In the meantime, following his call as a General Authority, Elder Vinson has exclusively served in the presidency of the Africa West Area.
These changes suggest a few things to me. First, the Church has called as the two new apostles and five newest members of the Presidency of the Seventy men who have extensively experienced life outside of the United States, and it appears that the only international areas in which these new leaders have not had experience are the Caribbean, Europe East, Mexico, Middle East/Africa North, and Philippines Areas.
Therefore, the international ministry of these Brethren surely uniquely qualifies them for their new positions. But more than that, the First Presidency appears to be recognizing that with the Church being as global as it is, and with decisions being made in the top Church councils which will affect the Saints worldwide, there is a great need to call these leaders that have extensive international experience and would be able to weigh in on how such discussions and determinations may affect the members in the areas with which they are familiar.
It may be some time before we fully know specifics regarding the assignments for most of the members of the Presidency of the Seventy (who, as previously noted, have been released from the responsibility of overseeing the 10 North America Areas in order to more fully assist the apostles and fill other assignments as needed). That said, the LDS Church Growth Blog recently shared this message, which Elder Vinson wrote as he concluded his service in the Africa West Area Presidency and prepared to return to Church headquarters for his new assignment in the Presidency of the Seventy.
Among the things he mentions is that he has been asked to assist a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in overseeing the North America Southeast Area, along with the two main areas of the Church in Africa (Southeast and West). With that in mind, I wanted to note as well that, right now, what we know as of now is, as I mentioned above, that Elder Soares has oversight of the Africa West Area, but I do not have any indication right now which of the apostles oversees the Africa Southeast Area, or how oversight of the 10 North America Areas are divided among the apostles.
As of currently, the information about the Presidency of the Seventy to which I have access via the Church's official website has not yet been updated to exclude Elders Christensen, Robbins, and Uceda, who were released, and to add Elders Vinson, Teixeira, and Godoy, and the information available about Elders Clayton, Kearon, Cook, and Gay may not be current. But hopefully such changes will come in the weeks ahead.
Once I track down such updates, I will pass along anything I find out regarding the new assignments for the other members of the Presidency of the Seventy, including (if available) the apostle(s) which they are assisting in those roles. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. 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.
Monday, August 6, 2018
Elder Gary E. Stevenson Marks His 63rd Birthday
Hello again, everyone! As we are now just over 2 hours into August 6, I wanted to go ahead and post a tribute to Elder Gary E. Stevenson, who is marking his 63rd birthday today. Elder Gary Evan Stevenson was born on this day in 1955 in Ogden, Utah to Evan and Jean Stevenson. He grew up in the Cache Valley. He served full-time in the Japan Fukuoka Mission, after which he continued his secondary education at Utah State University's Jon M. Huntsman School of Business.
During his studies there, he met Lesa Jean Higley, whom he later married in the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple, and with whom he would raise four sons. He spent his professional career working as the COO of ICON Health & Fitness, and served on both the Marriott School of Management Advisory Council and also the USU Foundation Board.
In the Church, he has served as a bishop and a stake president's counselor. He went on to serve between 2004 and 2007 as the president of the Japan Nagoya Mission. Less than a year after his return, he was among the first general authority seventies called during President Thomas S. Monson's prophetic administration in April 2008.
In August of that same year, he was called to serve as First Counselor in the Asia North Area Presidency. The following year, he became the president of that same area, and he served in that assignment until April 2012, at which point he was released as a General Authority Seventy and sustained as the Church's 14th Presiding Bishop.
In October 2015, with three vacancies in the apostleship due to the deaths of President Boyd K. Packer and Elders L. Tom Perry and Richard G. Scott, Elder Stevenson was unexpectedly summoned to meet with the First Presidency. He related that he felt sure that he was being notified that one of his counselors (Bishops Gerald Causse or Dean M. Davies) were being called to the apostleship. He was stunned when the apostolic call was extended to him.
He was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on October 3, 2015, and was ordained an apostle on October 8, then released as Presiding Bishop one day later. Elders Ronald A. Rasband and Dale G. Renlund, whom he sits between, were called to fill the other two apostolic vacancies, and shared the same sustaining and ordination dates.
Although he was the youngest of the three at that time, in a somewhat unusual move, he was called, sustained, and ordained to be senior to Elder Renlund, who is just short of 3 years older than he is. Typically, when more than one apostle is ordained at the same time, the oldest one is ordained first. At the age of 60, Elder Stevenson was the youngest man called to the apostleship since Elder David A. Bednar (who was 52 at the time of his October 2004 apostolic call).
With the recent apostolic calls of Elders Gerrit W. Gong and Ulisses Soares, Elder Stevenson is the 9th in seniority in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the 12th in seniority among all current apostles. In terms of his age, he is the second-youngest among both the Quorum of the Twelve and the apostles overall.
In just over a decade in which he has served as a general authority, he has given 9 talks in General Conference (1 as a General Authority Seventy, 1 as Presiding Bishop, and 6 since his call to the apostleship). All of these addresses, covering a wide variety of topics, are well worthy of your time, attention and review.
Though there is little to no chance he will ever read this, I am pleased to sustain him as a prophet, seer, and revelator, and to have had this opportunity to post this tribute to him for his birthday. I admire all of the Brethren we sustain in their apostolic office, and I am grateful to them for giving their time and talents to build up the kingdom of God, and to go wherever they are sent, bearing witness of the Savior at all times and in all circumstances. I share my witness that these men are called of God, and that we will be blessed as we give heed to their words.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to do so, please feel free to subscribe to stay informed of newly-added content. 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.
During his studies there, he met Lesa Jean Higley, whom he later married in the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple, and with whom he would raise four sons. He spent his professional career working as the COO of ICON Health & Fitness, and served on both the Marriott School of Management Advisory Council and also the USU Foundation Board.
In the Church, he has served as a bishop and a stake president's counselor. He went on to serve between 2004 and 2007 as the president of the Japan Nagoya Mission. Less than a year after his return, he was among the first general authority seventies called during President Thomas S. Monson's prophetic administration in April 2008.
In August of that same year, he was called to serve as First Counselor in the Asia North Area Presidency. The following year, he became the president of that same area, and he served in that assignment until April 2012, at which point he was released as a General Authority Seventy and sustained as the Church's 14th Presiding Bishop.
In October 2015, with three vacancies in the apostleship due to the deaths of President Boyd K. Packer and Elders L. Tom Perry and Richard G. Scott, Elder Stevenson was unexpectedly summoned to meet with the First Presidency. He related that he felt sure that he was being notified that one of his counselors (Bishops Gerald Causse or Dean M. Davies) were being called to the apostleship. He was stunned when the apostolic call was extended to him.
He was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on October 3, 2015, and was ordained an apostle on October 8, then released as Presiding Bishop one day later. Elders Ronald A. Rasband and Dale G. Renlund, whom he sits between, were called to fill the other two apostolic vacancies, and shared the same sustaining and ordination dates.
Although he was the youngest of the three at that time, in a somewhat unusual move, he was called, sustained, and ordained to be senior to Elder Renlund, who is just short of 3 years older than he is. Typically, when more than one apostle is ordained at the same time, the oldest one is ordained first. At the age of 60, Elder Stevenson was the youngest man called to the apostleship since Elder David A. Bednar (who was 52 at the time of his October 2004 apostolic call).
With the recent apostolic calls of Elders Gerrit W. Gong and Ulisses Soares, Elder Stevenson is the 9th in seniority in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the 12th in seniority among all current apostles. In terms of his age, he is the second-youngest among both the Quorum of the Twelve and the apostles overall.
In just over a decade in which he has served as a general authority, he has given 9 talks in General Conference (1 as a General Authority Seventy, 1 as Presiding Bishop, and 6 since his call to the apostleship). All of these addresses, covering a wide variety of topics, are well worthy of your time, attention and review.
Though there is little to no chance he will ever read this, I am pleased to sustain him as a prophet, seer, and revelator, and to have had this opportunity to post this tribute to him for his birthday. I admire all of the Brethren we sustain in their apostolic office, and I am grateful to them for giving their time and talents to build up the kingdom of God, and to go wherever they are sent, bearing witness of the Savior at all times and in all circumstances. I share my witness that these men are called of God, and that we will be blessed as we give heed to their words.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to do so, please feel free to subscribe to stay informed of newly-added content. 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.
Saturday, August 4, 2018
Second Face-to-Face Event Featuring Elder Stevenson To Be Held in Asia
Hello again, everyone! I am posting again now to share some interesting news. I had previously mentioned the Face-to-Face event for youth which would feature Elder Gary E. Stevenson and his wife, Lesa, and would originate from the Philippines on August 11, 5 days after his aforementioned 63rd birthday. The Church has recently announced that a second Face-to-Face Event featuring Elder and Sister Stevenson would be broadcast from Japan on Wednesday August 15. More complete details can be found here.
It is wonderful that Church leaders have been expanding their outreach on an unprecedented scale in recent years. Hopefully it will continue to be so, and for as long as it is, you can depend on my reports of such news as I learn 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. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to do so, please feel free to subscribe to stay informed of newly-added content. 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.
It is wonderful that Church leaders have been expanding their outreach on an unprecedented scale in recent years. Hopefully it will continue to be so, and for as long as it is, you can depend on my reports of such news as I learn 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. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to do so, please feel free to subscribe to stay informed of newly-added content. 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.
An Interesting Anomaly Related to the Ages of Our Apostles
Hello again, everyone! I just wanted to post right now about an interesting anomaly related to the ages of our apostles. There have been a couple of times recently when, due to the number of days involved, an apostle has reached his next full decimal year a day before his birthday. This happened most recently with Elder Gary E. Stevenson's decimal age.
As I mentioned, he will be observing his 63rd birthday on Monday. Therefore, as of tomorrow, his decimal age will be calculated as 62.997. If that is rounded to the nearest hundredth, that works out to 63.00 decimal years, although he will not be observing his birthday until Monday.
And it is also worth noting that the 3 August apostolic birthdays (which I referenced in a post on this blog on August 1 of this year) will all have been observed within the week following Elder Stevenson's birthday.
I had toyed with the idea of passing along the latest apostolic statistics tomorrow, the last report of that nature I did was on July 1. And since I have also passed the self-imposed deadline within which I had committed to posting the updated list of the most likely temple prospects which may be announced in October, that will be my priority within the next week or so, which I hope to publish sooner rather than later.
With that in mind, and with the acknowledgement that, within the next week, I will also be passing along birthday posts for the three apostles, then a report on the latest apostolic statistics will then likely be deferred until the 19th (or the week prior, if I can make that happen on the same day I do the birthday tribute post for President Oaks).
In addition, I continue to monitor all Church and temple news and will continue to do my level best to bring word of those developments to you as I receive them. Stay tuned for all of that new content in the days ahead.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. 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 for e-mail updates. 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.
As I mentioned, he will be observing his 63rd birthday on Monday. Therefore, as of tomorrow, his decimal age will be calculated as 62.997. If that is rounded to the nearest hundredth, that works out to 63.00 decimal years, although he will not be observing his birthday until Monday.
And it is also worth noting that the 3 August apostolic birthdays (which I referenced in a post on this blog on August 1 of this year) will all have been observed within the week following Elder Stevenson's birthday.
I had toyed with the idea of passing along the latest apostolic statistics tomorrow, the last report of that nature I did was on July 1. And since I have also passed the self-imposed deadline within which I had committed to posting the updated list of the most likely temple prospects which may be announced in October, that will be my priority within the next week or so, which I hope to publish sooner rather than later.
With that in mind, and with the acknowledgement that, within the next week, I will also be passing along birthday posts for the three apostles, then a report on the latest apostolic statistics will then likely be deferred until the 19th (or the week prior, if I can make that happen on the same day I do the birthday tribute post for President Oaks).
In addition, I continue to monitor all Church and temple news and will continue to do my level best to bring word of those developments to you as I receive them. Stay tuned for all of that new content in the days ahead.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. 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 for e-mail updates. 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.
Friday, August 3, 2018
Church News Updates
Hello again, everyone! The Church News website has provided several new articles which cover significant topics such as the ongoing ministry of our Church leaders and recount how the Church has made significant progress in several areas of the world. So let's jump right in to our discussion of those stories, all of which are well worthy of your attention.
We begin with the next article in the six-part series on the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. This article shares comments from the apostles on their divine mandate to be ministers rather than administrators, which takes them around the globe.
Just a general comment on that article. I recently shared my response to a question that was asked in advance of the September Face-to-Face Event at which Elder Quentin L. Cook and two representatives of the Church History Department will be addressing such questions. Just to recap what I said there, it is no longer practical for the apostles to serve full-time missions (though the full-time missionaries whose calls are directed by inspiration given to members of that Quorum extend the influence of the apostles).
Additionally, I noted that, while one of their many roles is to administer the affairs of the Church, their primary roles involve a worldwide ministry in which they lift and encourage members and missionaries of the Church whom they encounter in their travels. And that agrees perfectly with what the current members of the Quorum of the Twelve were quoted as saying in the latest article in that series.
They have taught us as members to never let administering a Church program become more important than a person to be loved, saved, and ministered to, and they are living examples of how to make that work. An earlier article quoted one Quorum member who, shortly after his ordination to the apostleship, was advised by a senior apostle to always add at least half an hour to everything he did, as the members of the Church are always anxious to greet and chat with the apostles when they visit any congregation.
I have had several opportunities to observe the visiting Brethren put this into practice, so I know that ministering to Church members is (as it should be) a high focus that may be second only to their mandated obligation to testify of the Savior wherever they are sent. It is wonderful to see that in action.
Moving on now, the Church News also continued its' series "This Week on Social". Among the topics covered this week were Elder Renlund's family vacation to Iceland and a Christmas thank-you in July. You can read more about that here.
The Church News additionally shared this article in their "History Revisited" series, which continued to cover Elder Holland's recent opportunity to return to his native St. George and rededicate the Tabernacle there.
In terms of news about other Church leaders, Elder Kevin W. Pearson, who serves on both the Communication Services and Strengthening Church Members Committees, became the first General Authority of the Church to speak during the recently-held FairMormon Conference. Among the many important topics covered during that conference was the fact that women have had a far greater influence on the Church than many people realize, and that the contributions of such women should rightly be talked about and considered in their proper historical context. You can read more about that here
It was great to hear that this was a major focus of that conference. So many people have voiced their discontent with the fact that women have not had a more significant role in the Church, and therefore do not seem to be aware of the breadth and extent to which the influence of such women has been felt in molding so much of Church history as we know it today. You can read more on this story here. And this article covers Elder Pearson's particular remarks, which touched on how Latter-day Saints can use outlets such as social media or Youtube to be "voices of truth."
And finally this evening, I wanted to share this article, which highlights the friendship that has existed since the 1960's between the Church and the Colombian government. That article included quotes from Elder Enrique R. Falabella, who on August 1 of this year transitioned from being the First Counselor in the South America Northwest Area to being the Area President.
It is that existing friendship between Colombia and the Church which has enabled the Church to progress so well in the country, including the dedication of the temple in Bogota during the temple-building boom of the late 1990s-early 2000s. And we have since seen a second temple announced and constructed in the city of Barranquilla within that nation.
I have recently shared my feelings that a third temple for Colombia may soon be announced, and that such a temple could potentially likely rise in either Medellin or Cali. It may be just a matter of time before that occurs, and I can see a day very soon where temples will be dedicated in both cities. Right now, the two seem to be pretty evenly matched in terms of which might potentially get a temple first, but I will continue to watch for anything that would point to one or the other being more imminently likely.
I continue to monitor all Church news and temple-related developments and will be sure to pass word of those along to you all as I receive 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. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to do so, 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.
We begin with the next article in the six-part series on the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. This article shares comments from the apostles on their divine mandate to be ministers rather than administrators, which takes them around the globe.
Just a general comment on that article. I recently shared my response to a question that was asked in advance of the September Face-to-Face Event at which Elder Quentin L. Cook and two representatives of the Church History Department will be addressing such questions. Just to recap what I said there, it is no longer practical for the apostles to serve full-time missions (though the full-time missionaries whose calls are directed by inspiration given to members of that Quorum extend the influence of the apostles).
Additionally, I noted that, while one of their many roles is to administer the affairs of the Church, their primary roles involve a worldwide ministry in which they lift and encourage members and missionaries of the Church whom they encounter in their travels. And that agrees perfectly with what the current members of the Quorum of the Twelve were quoted as saying in the latest article in that series.
They have taught us as members to never let administering a Church program become more important than a person to be loved, saved, and ministered to, and they are living examples of how to make that work. An earlier article quoted one Quorum member who, shortly after his ordination to the apostleship, was advised by a senior apostle to always add at least half an hour to everything he did, as the members of the Church are always anxious to greet and chat with the apostles when they visit any congregation.
I have had several opportunities to observe the visiting Brethren put this into practice, so I know that ministering to Church members is (as it should be) a high focus that may be second only to their mandated obligation to testify of the Savior wherever they are sent. It is wonderful to see that in action.
Moving on now, the Church News also continued its' series "This Week on Social". Among the topics covered this week were Elder Renlund's family vacation to Iceland and a Christmas thank-you in July. You can read more about that here.
The Church News additionally shared this article in their "History Revisited" series, which continued to cover Elder Holland's recent opportunity to return to his native St. George and rededicate the Tabernacle there.
In terms of news about other Church leaders, Elder Kevin W. Pearson, who serves on both the Communication Services and Strengthening Church Members Committees, became the first General Authority of the Church to speak during the recently-held FairMormon Conference. Among the many important topics covered during that conference was the fact that women have had a far greater influence on the Church than many people realize, and that the contributions of such women should rightly be talked about and considered in their proper historical context. You can read more about that here
It was great to hear that this was a major focus of that conference. So many people have voiced their discontent with the fact that women have not had a more significant role in the Church, and therefore do not seem to be aware of the breadth and extent to which the influence of such women has been felt in molding so much of Church history as we know it today. You can read more on this story here. And this article covers Elder Pearson's particular remarks, which touched on how Latter-day Saints can use outlets such as social media or Youtube to be "voices of truth."
And finally this evening, I wanted to share this article, which highlights the friendship that has existed since the 1960's between the Church and the Colombian government. That article included quotes from Elder Enrique R. Falabella, who on August 1 of this year transitioned from being the First Counselor in the South America Northwest Area to being the Area President.
It is that existing friendship between Colombia and the Church which has enabled the Church to progress so well in the country, including the dedication of the temple in Bogota during the temple-building boom of the late 1990s-early 2000s. And we have since seen a second temple announced and constructed in the city of Barranquilla within that nation.
I have recently shared my feelings that a third temple for Colombia may soon be announced, and that such a temple could potentially likely rise in either Medellin or Cali. It may be just a matter of time before that occurs, and I can see a day very soon where temples will be dedicated in both cities. Right now, the two seem to be pretty evenly matched in terms of which might potentially get a temple first, but I will continue to watch for anything that would point to one or the other being more imminently likely.
I continue to monitor all Church news and temple-related developments and will be sure to pass word of those along to you all as I receive 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. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to do so, 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.
Wednesday, August 1, 2018
Three Apostles to Mark Their Birthdays This Month/Some Thoughts About Changes in Area Leadership and the Presidency of the Seventy
Hello again, everyone! As longtime readers of my blog may recall, last year, at the beginning of August, I noted that 5 apostles would be celebrating their birthdays during that month. Since that time, two of those apostles with August birthdays (President Thomas S. Monson and Elder Robert D. Hales) have passed away. As neither of the two new apostles have August birthdays, that lowers the number of August apostolic birthdays to 3. So I wanted to post today to provide an overview of which 3 apostles will have a birthday later this month, and when that will happen.
Interestingly, the August apostolic birthdays are each 3 days apart, taking place over a period of six days (from August 6-12). Next Monday, the youngest of those 3, Elder Gary E. Stevenson, will mark his 63rd birthday. 3 days later (Thursday August 9), Elder Neil L. Andersen will celebrate his 67th birthday. And 3 days after that (Sunday August 12), President Dallin H. Oaks, the oldest of the 3, will be observing his 86th birthday. It will be my privilege to post tributes to these Brethren on each of those days. Stay tuned for that.
On an unrelated note, the changes in area leadership, which were announced a few days after the April General Conference, have now gone into effect. This means that the Presidency of the Seventy has now been relieved from their service overseeing the Church's 10 North America areas, which are now under the supervision of 3-man presidencies, two of which are overseeing 2 areas each, and 1 of which will oversee the 3 Utah Areas.
The changes also mean that, for the first time in Church history, the Presidency of the Seventy is comprised of 4 members born outside the United States: Elder Patrick Kearon (who was born in England), Elder Terence M. Vinson (who was born in Australia), Elder Jose A. Teixeira (who was born in Portugal), and Elder Carlos A. Godoy (who was born in Brazil).
As I previously mentioned, Elder L. Whitney Clayton, who serves as the Senior President of the Seventy, will mark his 70th birthday in 2020, which means that, unless Elder Kearon has been released from the Presidency by that time (which does not seem likely), he could become the first foreign-born Senior President of the Seventy at that time.
It is also interesting to note that, with the exception of Elder Clayton, the other 6 members of that Presidency have all come into that assignment within the last year. To have a majority of that Presidency so new to the assignment is significant anyway it's considered.
It will be interesting to see how soon the Church identifies the "other assignments" which the Presidency of the Seventy will be taking on now that they no longer are responsible for the oversight of the North American Areas. Whatever might occur in that regard, you can find more information on that through this blog as I learn of it.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. 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.
Interestingly, the August apostolic birthdays are each 3 days apart, taking place over a period of six days (from August 6-12). Next Monday, the youngest of those 3, Elder Gary E. Stevenson, will mark his 63rd birthday. 3 days later (Thursday August 9), Elder Neil L. Andersen will celebrate his 67th birthday. And 3 days after that (Sunday August 12), President Dallin H. Oaks, the oldest of the 3, will be observing his 86th birthday. It will be my privilege to post tributes to these Brethren on each of those days. Stay tuned for that.
On an unrelated note, the changes in area leadership, which were announced a few days after the April General Conference, have now gone into effect. This means that the Presidency of the Seventy has now been relieved from their service overseeing the Church's 10 North America areas, which are now under the supervision of 3-man presidencies, two of which are overseeing 2 areas each, and 1 of which will oversee the 3 Utah Areas.
The changes also mean that, for the first time in Church history, the Presidency of the Seventy is comprised of 4 members born outside the United States: Elder Patrick Kearon (who was born in England), Elder Terence M. Vinson (who was born in Australia), Elder Jose A. Teixeira (who was born in Portugal), and Elder Carlos A. Godoy (who was born in Brazil).
As I previously mentioned, Elder L. Whitney Clayton, who serves as the Senior President of the Seventy, will mark his 70th birthday in 2020, which means that, unless Elder Kearon has been released from the Presidency by that time (which does not seem likely), he could become the first foreign-born Senior President of the Seventy at that time.
It is also interesting to note that, with the exception of Elder Clayton, the other 6 members of that Presidency have all come into that assignment within the last year. To have a majority of that Presidency so new to the assignment is significant anyway it's considered.
It will be interesting to see how soon the Church identifies the "other assignments" which the Presidency of the Seventy will be taking on now that they no longer are responsible for the oversight of the North American Areas. Whatever might occur in that regard, you can find more information on that through this blog as I learn of it.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. 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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