A special 30-minute missionary fireside featuring Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Council of the Twelve will be telecast over the Church's satellite network on Sunday, Oct. 24.
The fireside will feature a new, 12-minute video, "The True and Living God." The video features people worldwide in their yearnings to know God. The program will be similar to missionary firesides held the past two years. Last year, the missionary fireside featured the video, "On the Way Home," and the year before featured "The Prodigal Son."In a letter to Church leaders, President Howard W. Hunter of the Council of the Twelve said, "All full-time and stake missionaries and members are invited to attend this event with non-member friends."
Instructions to priesthood leaders stated, "This satellite broadcast is intended to provide an appealing, spiritually uplifting introduction to a locally sponsored open house.
"The objective of the satellite broadcast and open house is to give Church members, priesthood leaders and missionaries an opportunity to invite their non-member or less-active friends and relatives."
The fireside will consist of a 30-minute broadcast that will include Elder Maxwell's address and the showing of the video. Following the broadcast, those attending the open house in their local meetinghouses will have an opportunity to attend presentations in various rooms that will feature short videos about Jesus Christ, the purpose of life, families and the Book of Mormon.
The video, "The True and Living God," which currently is being shown at visitors centers, features a discussion of non-members and what they think about God, as well as a discussion of the true nature of God. "I was never taught anything specific," said one non-member. "But I always felt that God was someone who cared about me on a personal level."
At the beginning of the video, an announcer says, "Man's longing to know God is as old as time itself. Somewhere inside all of us is a desire to believe." Following this pronouncement are vignettes of people seeking God from various areas of the world, including those from England and Israel.
The program will be telecast at three different times. Local priesthood leaders will choose which of the three broadcasts they will participate with.
The video presentation will begin at 4:10 p.m., 6:10 p.m. and 8:10 p.m. MDT. A local opening exercises on the hour, (4 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. MDT) will precede the showing of the video.
The program will not be broadcast over KBYU-TV.
