During the week of July 4-10, President Russell M. Nelson posted on social media about the reopening of all temples for some level of operations. President Dallin H. Oaks and President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency spoke to the Church News about the essential role of councils in the Church, including within the First Presidency. Elder D. Todd Christofferson spoke at the devotional broadcast commemorating the final run of the Hill Cumorah Pageant.
The Tabernacle Choir will be returning to Temple Square after more than a year of pandemic-related hiatus. FamilySearch announced that RootsTech Connect 2022 will entirely virtual and free. And Elder Koichi Aoyahi, Japanese emeritus General Authority, died at age 76.
In this week’s Church News podcast, Jennie Taylor discusses patriotism, “infuriating unfairness,” and heaven’s blessings after her husband’s death in Afghanistan. Ground was broken for the first For the Strength of Youth camp in Asia. And Elder Tad R. Callister spoke at America’s Freedom Festival in Provo, Utah, on July 4.
Find links and summaries of these nine article below.
1. President Russell M. Nelson: All available temples have reopened at some level
President Nelson kicked off the week by recognizing that all temples currently not under construction or undergoing renovations are “now reopened and resumed some level of operations!”
With the reopenings now underway for all available temples in the world, he said members should celebrate the opportunity to do redemptive work in the temples.
Read more of his message here
2. What President Oaks and President Eyring have learned about revelation in councils
In the first part of a four-part series on the essential role of councils in the Church, President Oaks and President Eyring spoke to the Church News about the revelatory process that comes through counseling in the Lord’s way.
Learn more about their insights
3. Elder Christofferson shares his experience in the Hill Cumorah Pageant
Elder Christofferson reminisced about his participation in the Hill Cumorah Pageant as part of a devotional to commemorate the production’s final run.
Find out more about his experience
4. Tabernacle Choir returning to Temple Square following pandemic-forced hiatus
On Friday, July 9, the Tabernacle Choir organization announced the schedule for their return to Temple Square of daily organ recitals, weekly choir and Bell at Temple Square ensemble rehearsals and “Music & the Spoken Word” Sunday broadcasts.
Learn more about the phased return of the choir
5. RootsTech Connect 2022 will be entirely virtual and free
After attracting more than 1 million visitors worldwide in its online event earlier this year, RootsTech Connect is happening again in 2022 — entirely virtual and free of charge.
Find out more about RootsTech 2022
6. Emeritus General Authority Elder Koichi Aoyagi dies
After a life of faithful service, Elder Koichi Aoyagi, who served as a General Authority Seventy from 2009 to 2015, died Monday, July 5, in Chiba-ken, Japan. He was 76.
Learn more about his life and service
7. Jennie Taylor discusses ‘infuriating unfairness’ and heaven’s compensatory blessings
After the death of her husband, Maj. Brent Taylor, in Afghanistan, Jennie has resiliently continued to carry her husband’s mantle of service and faith, for herself and for their seven children.
She joined the Church News podcast to talk about their relationship built on serving God, country and family, as well as how personal revelation has been a stalwart tool for moving forward in that spirit of faith in spite of life’s trials.
Listen to this week’s episode
8. Construction begins in the Philippines on 1st FSY camp in Asia
With a groundbreaking in the Philippines, work begins on the Church’s first For the Strength of Youth camp in Asia. The 24.13-acre site is in Tanay, Rizal, about 40 miles, or 65 kilometers, east of Manila, according to Philippines Newsroom.
Find out more about the event
9. Elder Callister speaks during patriotic service
America now faces a critical choice on whether to continue the legacy of the Founding Fathers or to cast it aside — “to be a nation under God or without God,” said Elder Tad R. Callister, an emeritus General Authority.
Speaking during the Patriotic Service of America’s Freedom Festival at the LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah, on July 4, Elder Callister, a former lawyer, highlighted the Founding Fathers’ divinely appointed mission and the need for a moral and religious people to uphold the Constitution today.
