With longtime ties to the three countries in which he recently ministered, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf met with the president of Germany and dedicated new stake centers in Austria and the Czech Republic.
The acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles met with German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in the historic Bellevue Palace in Berlin, Germany, on Thursday, May 28, and dedicated the stake centers on successive Sundays — May 24 for the Salzburg Austria Stake and May 31 for the Prague Czech Republic Stake.
President Uchtdorf — who grew up, raised his family and worked as a Lufthansa pilot and executive in Germany prior to full-time Church service — has met previously with the nation’s presidents in 2003 and 2018.
Born in the Czech Republic, he organized that country’s first stake in Prague in 2016 while serving as first counselor in the First Presidency. And nearly three decades ago, as a General Authority Seventy and president of the Europe West Area, he joined the late Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as the latter organized the Salzburg stake.
The three events all came together late and quickly. “How these dedications fell into place — in Salzburg and Prague and the meeting with the president — was almost as if someone had planned it,” President Uchtdorf told the Church News.
“I feel assured there is Someone in charge — and Someone who knows all this, who is above all this, who is the God of the universe and the God of Austria and Czech Republic and Germany and the United States and everywhere else.”
President Uchtdorf and Steinmeier discussed service and volunteerism, meeting just five days after Ehrentag, a nationwide day of civic engagement and volunteerism on the anniversary of the May 23, 1949, adoption of Grundgesetz, the German constitution.
Steinmeier expressed admiration for the Church’s ability to encourage faithful engagement through young members in Germany and abroad, which is supportive of their role in the community, said a release from the Church’s Europe Newsroom.
President Uchtdorf described Germany’s president as being service-minded. “He thinks that service for whatever reason — for your neighbor, for your friend, for the community, and selfless service without expectation of receiving something back — is the backbone of democracy.”
The Apostle spoke to Steinmeier of service in and by the Church, not only in Germany — where there are more than 42,000 Latter-day Saints in nearly 150 congregations — but around the globe. That service includes volunteering in the community, serving as unpaid local leaders and teachers, aiding refugees and caring for those in need. He also outlined JustServe, the Church’s service platform not yet fully functioning in Germany.
President Uchtdorf underscored the principle of serving others with the right motive — “and ours is to follow Jesus Christ,” he said.
He gave Steinmeier a small replica of the Christus statue to underscore that “our motive is to bring the message of Jesus Christ, which is reaching out to others, accepting them, helping them.”
He also shared Mosiah 2:17, which says “when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.”
President Uchtdorf also gave Steinmeier a small, crystal model of the Salt Lake Temple, with an invitation to visit during the temple’s 2027 open house and celebration.
Also participating in the long meeting were State Secretary Dörte Dinger, Ambassador Wolfgang Silbermann and Elder Michael Cziesla, a German native and General Authority Seventy who will join the Europe Central Area presidency in August.
President Uchtdorf dedicated the new Salzburg stake center in conjunction with a May 24 multiward sacrament meeting.
“We express heartfelt gratitude for the faithful members who are building up The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in this land,” he posted later on his social media accounts. “Much of what has been accomplished is the result of quiet devotion — of disciples, both seen and unseen, who follow the Savior with humble, steadfast faith.”
The new Prague stake center — its dedication aligned with a special May 31 stake conference — will also serve as a community center. It is planned that public, noncommercial organizations and groups will hold cultural, educational, social and sports activities at the stake center and surrounding property.
