The year 2000 was a landmark year for President Gordon B. Hinckley. During the months which marked his fifth anniversary as Church president he celebrated his 90th birthday, dedicated the Church's new 21,000-seat Conference Center, saw his book Standing For Something reach the nation's best seller lists, traveled to 18 foreign countries, watched the Church's membership surpass 11 million with more Latter-day Saints speaking non-English languages than English, and dedicated 21 temples — including the Church's 100th.
"This millennial year of 2000 has been a remarkable year for the Church," he said during October general conference. "We have expanded on every front across the world."
The year began with President Hinckley, his counselors in the First Presidency and members of the Quorum of the Twelve creating an enduring testament of "The Living Christ," a statement released Jan. 1 testifying of Jesus Christ and His divinity; the statement later was translated into 41 languages.
On Jan. 22, he embarked on a 10-day tour through Hawaii, the South Pacific and Asia. Among his many activities during the trip, he met in Jakarta with Indonesia's President Abdurrahman Wahid and addressed 2,000 members in Tarawa, Kiribati — becoming the first Church president to visit the Gilbert Island nation.
The trip was one of three major international tours. On June 8-19, President Hinckley visited six countries and dedicated four temples; in member meetings he addressed more than 8,850 Latter-day Saints in Asia and the South Pacific. That was accomplished as he traveled 22,000 miles during 47 hours of flight.
Then from Dec. 13-19 he traveled to parts of the Caribbean, South America and Central America, flying more than 11,194 miles, dedicating two temples and addressing more than 25,000 members.
At the conclusion of his tour through the South Pacific in June, President Hinckley expressed both the difficulty and joy of traveling the world and meeting with members. "We have been on a long journey," he told reporters. "But it was a great occasion."
The trip ended just four days before his 90th birthday June 23, which he celebrated in the Church's new Conference center with 21,000 guests and accomplished LDS musicians of international reputation. "I shall remember this occasion for the remainder of my life, and I hope that will be a long time," he said at the conclusion of the event.
That week President Hinckley also received an unusual birthday present; his book Standing for Something, released earlier in the year, made the Publisher's Weekly top 10 best-seller list for religious books. The book, which describes "10 Neglected Virtues That Will Heal Our Hearts and Homes" and was targeted to a broad audience, also set sales records for Church-owned Deseret Book Co.
On Oct. 1, President Hinckley dedicated the Church's 100th temple in Boston Massachusetts — the 47th temple dedicated in just two years. The mammoth undertaking started in 1997 when President Hinckley announced a plan to construct "small, beautiful, serviceable" temples in areas of the Church not likely to grow rapidly in the near future. Now, with the dedication Dec. 15 of the Recife Brazil Temple and the dedication Dec. 17 of the Porto Alegre Brazil Temple the Church has 102 operating temples.
Just two weeks after the historic dedication of the Church's 100th temple, President Hinckley opened an important chapter in the history of the Church with the dedication of the 21,000-seat Conference Center — one of the largest buildings of its kind in the world. The pulpit in the new building, 40-times the size of the Tabernacle, was constructed from a black walnut tree planted by President Hinckley.
President Hinckley concluded one his general conference addresses by talking about the dedication of the Conference Center, one of the final great accomplishments of the Church during the year.
"May God bless us as a people," he said. "We have found a new stride in this great millennial year."
