When the top of the General Sunday School's Sesquicentennial time capsule is lifted in the year 2049, nearly 200 pounds of mementos and artifacts gathered from all 29 areas of the Church will offer a freeze-frame view of the Church in 1999.
"This time capsule is a collection of those artifacts that demonstrate the Lord's hand in leading His Church in its meteoric rise during the past 50 years," said Elder Harold G. Hillam of the presidency of the Seventy and general president of the Sunday School.
"This titanium time capsule represents the latest in cutting-edge technology, and stands as a monument to the wonderful leaders and teachers who have given of themselves for the advancement of the kingdom.
"We hope it will serve as a reminder to the now nearly 11 million members of their responsibility to pass on an equally significant legacy."
This 1999 sesquicentennial time capsule is the third such time capsule created by the Sunday School auxillary of the Church. The first was created during the jubilee year of the Sunday School in 1899. The second was created during the centennial year in 1949. (See Church News, April 17, 1999.)
This 1999 time capsule was created during a yearlong process by senior students enrolled in the Brigham Young University College of Engineering and Technology. (See Church News, Sept. 4, 1999.)
Contents for the 1999 capsule were organized by an eight-man committee comprised of Robert H. Todd, committee chairman; Alan C. Ashton, David L. Christensen, Josiah Douglas, Richard G. Oman, Brian Sokolowsky, Shaun D. Stahle and Dale R. McClellan, executive secretary.
The committee was organized on Nov. 24, 1998, and met monthly for nearly 14 months. Discussions ranged from the technical aspects of gathering and storing material in such a way as to be visually pleasing when opened in 2049, to discussions detailing the progress of the Church and its programs during the past 50 years.
One of the crowning highlights of this time capsule is the addition of a laptop computer. Various images, including pictures of the construction of the Conference Center located north of Temple Square, and construction of the plaza on Main Street that joins Temple Square and the Church Office complex, are included. Neither was completed by the time the capsule is sealed, and both may be altered before the capsule is opened.
Many documents, including the Church News special series in 1999 of the top stories of the 20th Century, as well as images and information detailing all the material in the time capsule, are also stored in the computer.
Little is currently known about storing a computer for 50 years. Realizing that internal batteries will corrode during that time, and that basic operating coding will be vastly different in the future, a special compartment was constructed to preserve the laptop computer in argon gas, with necessary operating instructions, cables and battery pack.
Several major themes emerged as committee members reviewed the past 50 years, including:
The seemingly sudden rise in interest in genealogical research as evidenced by the large volume of hits on the Church's FamilySearch website;
The proliferation of temples around the world, where 66 are dedicated and 49 others are in some stage of planning or construction, for a total of 115 temples;
Millions of dollars of goods and services donated by Church Humanitarian Aid services to thousands of member and non-member victims of natural disaster and refugees of war.
When the 1949 capsule was closed, the Church was gradually getting re-established around the world following a devastating world war that had ended four years earlier.
In contrast, the closing of the 1999 capsule came during a time of relative peace. The Church is also enjoying a newfound respect in the world among the media and general public. Once misunderstood and isolated, the Church is being "brought forth out of obscurity" as noted by President Hinckley in general conference addresses.
With the growth of the Church has also come an increase in the world of social ills and maladies that stem from the deterioration of family life. In response, the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve issued a Proclamation on the Family where the family, with a father and mother, was affirmed as the basic unit of society.
"We expect this time capsule to stand for the next 50 years — and longer — as a bright and enduring reminder that this is the Lord's Church, and this was our effort to fulfill His mandate to 'preach the gospel' to all the world," said Elder Hillam.
