Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke during the Saturday afternoon session of October 2025 general conference about nobody in the Church feeling alone. The following is a summary of what he said.
Elder Gong’s talk summary
As prophesied in the scriptures, today those invited to the supper of the Lord come from every place and culture, including old and young, rich and poor, local and global — “We make our Church congregations look like our communities.”
Living the gospel of Jesus Christ includes making room for all in His restored Church.
“In His restored Church, we are all better when no one sits alone. Let us not simply accommodate or tolerate. Let us genuinely welcome, acknowledge, minister to, love. May each friend, sister, brother not be a foreigner or stranger but a child at home.”
In today’s world, many feel lonely and isolated, as social media and artificial intelligence can leave people yearning for authentic human interaction, belonging and kindness.
On a similar note, there may be a variety of reasons for why a person may feel like they don’t belong at Church and “sit alone.”
“I invite us to worry less, judge less, be less demanding of others — and, when needed, be less hard on ourselves.”
Doctrinally, no one sits alone because of covenant belonging in Jesus Christ.
“Conversion in Jesus Christ requires us to put off the natural man and worldly culture.”
Read the full text of Elder Gong’s talk: ‘No One Sits Alone’
Notable quotes
“In His Church and through His ordinances and covenants, we come to each other and to Jesus Christ.”
“The peace of Jesus Christ is meant for us personally.”
“Covenant belonging deepens as we come to each other and to the Lord in His inn. The Lord blesses us all when no one sits alone.”
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Who is Elder Gong?
- Elder Gerrit W. Gong was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on March 31, 2018, and had served as a General Authority Seventy since April 2010.
- His mother met the missionaries when she was a teenager in Honolulu, Hawaii. His father joined the Church after attending Stanford University, where Elder Gong’s parents met and dated.
- The first time Elder Gong met his wife, Susan Lindsay, was at an evening devotional he volunteered to give at the Provo Missionary Training Center to help missionaries learn more about Taiwan. They briefly met, but Elder Gong said in that moment, he “had a feeling this was somebody I’d always know.”
What has Elder Gong done recently?
- In the April 2025 general conference, he spoke about finding Atonement, resurrection and restoration in Jesus Christ.
- In June, Elder Gong spoke about the missionary purpose in repentance, commitment and conversion at the 2025 Seminar for New Mission Leaders.
- In July, Elder Gong ministered to Latter-day Saints and others in five Central European countries.
- In August, Elder Gong was a featured speaker at BYU Education Week. He encouraged everyone to seek wisdom and understanding, including with artificial intelligence. He also spoke about relying on the Spirit when using AI last March.
Read more of Elder Gong’s general conference addresses, or follow him on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X/Twitter.
