During the week of March 24-30, President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, addressed the Mesa Easter Pageant cast and crew in a devotional before their March 23rd performance. President Henry B. Eyring, second counselor in the First Presidency, dedicated the Red Cliffs Utah Temple — the second temple in the St. George area. New videos were shared of the Apostles bearing testimony of Christ in Easter video series.
Public tours began at the historic Kirtland Temple, Joseph and Emma Smith Mansion House, the Smith Family Homestead and the Red Brick Store. A new exhibit in the Church History Museum opened, featuring artifacts acquired from the Kirtland Temple. Open house tours began for Puebla Mexico Temple, open-house reservations became available for the Layton Utah Temple, and the First Presidency released the site of Tacloban City Philippines Temple. Church News released a new podcast episode and video featuring P. Alfred Grace, president and CEO of the Polynesian Cultural Center.
Elder Ricardo P. Giménez, a General Authority Seventy, instructed students in a BYU-Idaho devotional about staying spiritually awake. Institutions throughout the Church Educational System amplified the First Presidency Easter message through social media posts and activities. In collaboration with the Union of Relief and Development Associations, the Church brought relief and support via food, water, hygiene items and sleeping materials, to displaced families in Lebanon.
Read summaries and find links to these 9 stories below.
1. Jesus Christ — His life, ministry, atoning sacrifice and Resurrection — is ‘deserving of greater attention,’ says President Oaks
Jesus Christ has “done everything that is essential for our journey through mortality toward the destiny outlined in the plan of our Heavenly Father,” said President Oaks.
“Just before Easter Sunday, it is timely to speak first of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ,” said President Oaks. “The resurrection from the dead is the reassuring personal pillar of our faith. It adds meaning to our doctrine, motivation to our behavior, and hope for the future.”
Addressing the Mesa Easter Pageant cast and crew at a devotional before the show on Saturday, March 23, President Oaks thanked all who are participating in the pageant, titled “Jesus the Christ.”
Read the full article here.
2. President Eyring dedicates the Red Cliffs Utah Temple, a tribute to faith of the past and confidence in the future
Atop a knoll at the center of the city of St. George sits the oldest temple in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — the St. George Utah Temple. Its bright white exterior and three-tiered tower stand in stark contrast to the coral-colored bluffs beyond.
Dedicated in 1877, the pioneer-era temple stands as a testament to the faith and consecration of the early Latter-day Saints who sacrificed to build a monument to the Lord in their desert wilderness.
Now, just 3.5 miles to the southeast, nestled among the hills, stands the newest temple of the Church — the Red Cliffs Utah Temple. Amid blue skies and sunshine, President Eyring dedicated the area’s second temple on Sunday, March 24.
Read more about the dedication here.
3. First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve testify of the Savior in Easter video series

In February, the First Presidency encouraged individuals to “ponder the Savior’s atoning sacrifice and glorious Resurrection” in its annual Easter message.
In a series of 15 videos, each member of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints testifies of the ways the Savior blesses the lives of Heavenly Father’s children.
Find the video series here.
4. The Kirtland Temple and additional historic Joseph Smith buildings open for public tours, Church History Museum opens exhibit featuring historic artifacts
Several hundred people from around the United States, Australia and Ghana came to see and learn about the historic Kirtland Temple — the first Latter-day Saint temple built in this dispensation — 20 days after it was announced that the Church acquired the temple, along with other historic buildings, documents and artifacts from Community of Christ.
The first tours also took place two days shy of the 188th anniversary of the dedication of the Kirtland Temple on March 27, 1836. Elder Kyle S. McKay, a General Authority Seventy and the Church historian and recorder, participated in the Church’s first public tour of the Kirtland Temple with his wife, Sister Jennifer McKay.
Tours also began at the Red Brick Store, Smith Family Homestead, the Mansion House and Nauvoo House on March 25, 2024. Church leaders and members are connecting with the restoration in a new way due to the “spirit” felt in these historic places.
The Church History Museum has opened an exhibit, running through Oct. 26, that features artifacts such as, the Liberty Jail door, portraits of Joseph and Emma Smith, Book of Mormon translation documents and more. Taken all together, the artifacts — recently acquired from Community of Christ — make the Restoration and the gospel of Jesus Christ real, said Church History Museum art curator Laura Paulsen Howe.
Read more about the Kirtland Temple tours here.
Read more about the tours in Nauvoo here.
Read more about the Church History Museum exhibit here.
5. Open-hours tours began at Puebla Mexico Temple, reservations available for and Layton Utah Temple, and site released for Tacloban City Philippines Temple

Forty years after the dedication of its first temple in Mexico and nearly a decade since the most recent temple was dedicated in that Latin American nation, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is opening the doors of its latest house of the Lord there — the recently completed Puebla Mexico Temple — to the media and public this week.
Reservations are now available online to tour the Layton Utah Temple during the public open house via reservations.ChurchofJesusChrist.org. The public open house will run from Friday, April 19, through Saturday, June 1, excluding Sundays. Reservations, which are recommended, are from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
As it prepares to dedicate the Urdaneta Philippines Temple next month, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced a site for the Tacloban City Philippines Temple, one of 13 houses of the Lord that are operating, under construction or in planning for the Southeast Asia island nation.
Read more about the Puebla Mexico Temple here.
Read more about the Layton Utah Temple here.
Read more about the Tacloban City Philippines Temple here.
6. BYU–Hawaii and the Polynesian Cultural Center: Teaching and sharing the ‘aloha spirit’ and love of Christ

Brigham Young University–Hawaii is known for its diversity of students, Christ-centered values and the “aloha spirit.” In this episode of the Church News podcast, the second of a two-part series, the Church News returns to the island of Oahu to talk to students and leaders of BYU–Hawaii and the neighboring Polynesian Cultural Center — where many BYU–Hawaii students work.
This Church News video, titled “Aloha Spirit,” features leaders and students associated with the university and the Polynesian Cultural Center.
Listen to the Church News podcast here.
Watch the video here.
7. Being spiritually awake brings ‘help, guidance and reassurance,’ says Elder Giménez at BYU–Idaho

In a BYU–Idaho devotional on Tuesday, March 26, Elder Giménez shared with students and faculty that being “spiritually awake,” or attentive to spiritual promptings, brings greater direction and strength.
Elder Giménez said, “Making sure that you are ‘awake’ will help you throughout your life, especially in those moments when we look for additional help, guidance and reassurance.”
Read the full article here.
8. How the Church Educational System has been inviting youth and young adults to prepare for Easter

In preparation for Easter Sunday, March 31, institutions throughout the Church Educational System have been echoing the invitation of prophets, seers and revelators to reflect upon “the Savior’s atoning sacrifice and glorious Resurrection.”
Here’s a look at how Brigham Young University, Brigham Young University–Idaho, Brigham Young University–Hawaii, Ensign College, BYU–Pathway Worldwide, and Seminaries and Institutes of Religion — through concerts, devotionals, testimonies, social media posts, videos and more — have been inviting others to “come unto Christ” this Easter season.
Read the full article here.
9. Church support helps displaced families in Lebanon

As a significant crisis unfolded in the Middle East in the fall of 2023, numerous people were displaced from their homes. Lebanon faced an escalating need for humanitarian assistance to help 1.5 million refugees and displaced individuals.
Many lost their belongings and needed even the most basic of supplies — such as food, water, hygiene items and sleeping materials.
The Church responded to the situation by working with the URDA, to provide support and essential relief items, especially in the southern part of the country. Sleeping kits offered comfort and security for displaced families staying in shelters. Hygiene kits gave a baseline of well-being and prevented the spread of disease. Ready-to-eat food and clean water addressed immediate nutritional needs and health concerns, explained the Church’s Middle East Newsroom.