Click here for talk summaries and photo galleries of the 187th Annual General Conference.
During times of “great trouble and wickedness,” millions of Latter-day Saints across the globe gathered April 1 and 2 in the Conference Center in downtown Salt Lake City — and in other locations across the globe — to receive words of comfort, hope and direction during the Church’s 187th Annual General Conference.
“My dear brothers and sisters, I greet you most warmly as we are met again in a great general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” said President Thomas S. Monson, addressing 15.9 million Church members worldwide. “What will protect us from the sin and evil so prevalent in the world today?” questioned President Monson. “I maintain that a strong testimony of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and of His gospel will help see us through to safety.”
Crowds filled the 21,000-seat Conference Center and overflow areas on Temple Square for each of the conference sessions, which were translated live into more than 80 languages and are available in 94 languages to be shared throughout the world by television, radio, satellite and Internet broadcasts.
President Monson presided during three of the conference sessions; the 89-year-old leader rested during the Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon sessions and his counselor, President Henry B. Eyring, presided. President Eyring and President Dieter F. Uchtdorf took turns conducting the sessions. (President Monson was not feeling well and was briefly admitted to the hospital the Monday following conference. He was release the evening of Wednesday, April 5, and resumed his “normal schedule and duties” on Thursday, April 6, according to Church public affairs.)
During his conference addresses, President Monson asked members to be kind and to study and ponder the Book of Mormon.
“My dear associates in the work of the Lord, I implore each of us to prayerfully study and ponder the Book of Mormon each day. As we do so, we will be in a position to hear the voice of the Spirit, to resist temptation, to overcome doubt and fear and to receive Heaven’s help in our lives.”
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, under the direction of Mack Wilberg and Ryan Murphy, provided music for three of the six sessions of conference. A family choir from stakes in Tremonton, Garland and Fielding, Utah, under the direction of Jessica Lee Gilbert, provided music for the Saturday afternoon session. A priesthood choir from young single adult stakes in Holladay and Murray, Utah, under the direction of Brett Taylor, provided music for the priesthood session.
Clay Christiansen, Richard Elliott, Andrew Unsworth, Linda Margetts and Bonnie Goodliffe accompanied the choirs on the organ.
Brook P. Hales, secretary to the First Presidency, read the Church’s statistical report on Saturday afternoon. The Church now has 15,882,417 members, 3,266 stakes, 421 missions, 70,946 missionaries and 155 operating temples.
Also during the Saturday afternoon session, Church members sustained a new Relief Society general presidency, a new counselor in the Primary general presidency and six new General Authority Seventies.
During the sustaining of authorities, President Uchtdorf announced Taylor G. Godoy of Arequipa, Perú; Joni L. Koch of Santa Catarina, Brazil; Adilson de Paula Parrella of São Paulo, Brazil; John C. Pingree Jr. of Salt Lake City; Brian K. Taylor of Kaysville, Utah; and Taniela B. Wakolo of Suva Fiji as General Authority Seventies. Elders Godoy and Pingree were released as Area Seventies. Elder Koch, Elder Taylor and Elder Wakolo are all serving as mission presidents. Elder Koch will continue to preside over the Mozambique Maputo Mission until May 1, with Elder Wakolo, president of the Arkansas Little Rock Mission, and Elder Taylor, president of the Texas Dallas Mission, continuing until July 1. The new leaders come from various international backgrounds, from South America to the United States to the South Pacific.
Sister Jean B. Bingham, who was released as first counselor in the Primary general presidency, was called as Relief Society general president with Sister Sharon Eubank and Sister Reyna I. Aburto as counselors.
The new presidency replaces Sister Linda K. Burton and her two counselors, Sister Carole M. Stephens and Sister Linda S. Reeves, who were released Saturday after five years of service.
Sister Bingham’s calling left a vacancy in the Primary general presidency. Sister Bonnie H. Cordon, formerly the second counselor, will become first counselor, and Sister Cristina B. Franco, a native of Nicaragua, will be the new second counselor.
Sister Franco is serving with her husband, Rodolfo Franco, as he presides over the Argentina Resistencia Mission. She will assume her new duties when their mission concludes in July.
sarah@deseretnews.com @SJW_ChurchNews
