This year, we celebrate the 175th anniversary of the organization of the Church.
In general conference on April 6, 1980 — the 150th anniversary of that landmark event — President Spencer W. Kimball spoke from the restored Peter Whitmer cabin at Fayette, N.Y., where, on April 6, 1830, the Church was organized.
President Kimball and others then went into the newly built meetinghouse near the cabin. The proceedings of that session, in which Elder Gordon B. Hinckley, then of the Quorum of the Twelve, read the "Proclamation from the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles" and President Kimball dedicated the restored Peter Whitmer cabin, and the new meetinghouse, were carried via satellite to the conference congregation in the Salt Lake Tabernacle.
In an excerpt from the dedicatory prayer by President Kimball are these words: "As we review the past, we are subdued in contemplating the works of those who have gone before us, particularly the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum who, with their life's blood, sealed their testimonies of the sacred things which occurred in this area.
"We are grateful for all who have labored with faith in the nations of the earth to bring the Church to its present stature. Standing today at this milestone of history, we look with assurance to the future. We know that with Thy direction Thy work will roll on for the blessing of Thy children of all men, generations and throughout the earth; and that where there are now hundreds there will be thousands; and that, whereas Thy work is established today in many nations, it must and will roll forth over the whole earth until men everywhere shall bow the knee in homage to Thee and Thy Son."
Speaking in general conference on Oct. 4, 2003, President Gordon B. Hinckley said: "Now and again I quietly reflect on the growth and impact of this work. I reflect on that meeting with a few present in the Peter Whitmer farmhouse on the 6th of April 1830. Here the Church was organized, and here began the long march which has brought it to its present stature.
"Our people have passed through oppression and persecution; they have suffered drivings and every imaginable evil. And out of all of that has come something which today is glorious to behold."
He spoke of evidences of Church growth: strong congregations in many parts of the world; recognition of the tremendous virtues of Church programs and the vast good which they do; some 60,000 missionaries (in 2003), giving of their time and their testimonies to the world; humanitarian efforts; the Perpetual Education Fund; and other programs.
President Hinckley said, "The Church is in wonderful condition and can and will improve. It will grow and strengthen. . . .
"We are ordinary people who are engaged in an extraordinary undertaking. We are men who hold the priesthood of the living God. Those who have gone before have accomplished wonders. It is our opportunity and our challenge to continue in this great undertaking, the future of which we can scarcely imagine. . . .
"It was said that at one time the sun never set on the British Empire. That empire has now been diminished. But it is true that the sun never sets on this work of the Lord as it is touching the lives of people across the earth.
"And this is only the beginning. We have scarcely scratched the surface. We are engaged in a work for the souls of men and women everywhere. Our work knows no boundaries. Under the providence of the Lord it will continue. Those nations now closed to us will someday be open. That is my faith. That is my belief. That is my testimony."
While serving in the Quorum of the Twelve, President Thomas S. Monson, now first counselor in the First Presidency, spoke during the April 1975 general conference about how the great reformers — men such as John Wycliffe, Martin Luther, John Huss, Ulrich Zwingli, John Knox, John Calvin and William Tyndale— helped pave the way for the restoration of the gospel. William Tyndale said to those who opposed his work of translation of the Bible: "If God spare my life. . . . I will cause a boy that driveth the plough shall know more of the scripture than thou dost."
President Monson said, "Of the reformers one could ask, 'Was their sacrifice in vain? Was their struggle futile?' I answer with a resounding 'No!' The Holy Bible was now within the grasp of the people. Each man could better find his way. . . . The long-awaited day of Restoration did come." President Monson quoted from the written the testimony of "the plowboy who became a prophet, the witness who was there — even Joseph Smith."
