During the week of Jan. 19-25, look back at the seven years President Russell M. Nelson has been President of the Church. Also, see how President Nelson has used the Doctrine and Covenants in his teaching.
Elder Gary E. Stevenson and Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles represented the Church at U.S. presidential inauguration events and meetings on Monday, Jan. 20. On Tuesday, Jan. 21, Elder Stevenson also spoke at the Brigham Young University campus devotional and Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke at a devotional at Ensign College.
In temple milestones this week, the Church News reported on the Tacloban City Philippines Temple groundbreaking; the First Presidency released the site location for the Huntsville Alabama Temple; and they also announced the groundbreaking date for the Birmingham England Temple.
Elder Alvin F. Meredith III, the 18th president of Brigham Young University–Idaho, and his wife, Sister Jennifer Meredith, share insights in the newest episode of the Church News podcast. Elder Michael T. Ringwood, of the Presidency of the Seventy, spoke at a Tuesday, Jan. 21, devotional at the Provo Missionary Training Center, and new mission preparation curriculum was introduced for wards, stakes and institutes.
The Church News reported on leaders from the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, a humanitarian agency operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, meeting with members of the Relief Society general presidency and the Presiding Bishopric in Salt Lake City.
Elder Clark G. Gilbert, a General Authority Seventy and the Church commissioner of education, spoke to teachers of the youth and young adults during the 2025 Seminary and Institute Annual Training Broadcast.
Read summaries and find links to these articles below.
1. President Nelson’s 7 years as Church President: Preserving and making history
Since being set apart as the 17th President of the Church, President Nelson’s has made an effort to preserve Church history include restoring pioneer-era temples, acquiring the Kirtland Temple, directing the four-volume ‘Saints’ and has also announced 185 temples.
Read more about this story here.
2. How President Russell M. Nelson has used the Doctrine and Covenants in his teaching
President Nelson has spoken about the Doctrine and Covenants and used many scriptures contained in the Doctrine and Covenants in his teaching. During his October 2024 general conference address he quoted Doctrine and Covenants 84:88:“I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.”
With Latter-day Saints throughout the Church studying the Doctrine and Covenants this year, see several examples of when President Nelson has utilized this book of scripture in his teaching in recent years.
Read more about this story here.
3. Elder Stevenson, Elder Gong represent Church at U.S. presidential inauguration
Elder Stevenson and Elder Gong attended the second inauguration of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance in Washington D.C.
“Being in Washington, D.C., at such a time as this is an honor,” Elder Stevenson said in the news release. “The enduring principles that have been the foundation of our nation are important guides for our personal lives, families and communities.”
Read more about this story here.
4. Devotionals: Elder Stevenson at BYU and Elder Soares at Ensign College
During the Tuesday devotional at BYU, Elder Stevenson told the students how flags, banners or ensigns are filled with symbolism and meaning and shared four metaphorical flags that might enhance one as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
“As disciples of Christ, we are His ensign,” Elder Stevenson said. “We develop and display His attributes to honor, respect and glorify Him.”
Elder Soares shares five principles to remember while learning to recognize the influence of Holy Ghost.
Just as a smartphone must be connected to a network in order to quickly and efficiently find information, “we need to connect with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to receive guidance from heaven, so we survive in this complex world we are living in,” said Elder Soares.
Read about Elder Stevenson’s devotional here.Read about Elder Soares' devotional here.
5. Temple news: Tacloban City Philippines Temple groundbreaking; milestones for the Huntsville Alabama Temple Birmingham England Temple
Elder Michael B. Strong, a General Authority Seventy and second counselor in the Philippines Area presidency, presided at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Tacloban City Philippines Temple on on Saturday, Jan. 18.
The First Presidency released the site location for the Huntsville Alabama Temple; and they also announced the March groundbreaking date for the Birmingham England Temple. President Nelson announced a house of the Lord for Huntsville, Alabama, on Oct. 6, 2024, one of 17 new temple locations he identified in the closing session of the October 2024 general conference. It is the first of the 17 to have its site location officially released.
Elder Scott D. Whiting, a General Authority Seventy and the Europe North Area president, will preside at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Birmingham temple on March 22.
Read more about the Tacloban City Philippines Temple groundbreaking here.
Read more about the Huntsville Alabama Temple site here.
Read more about the groundbreaking date for Birmingham England Temple here.
6. Episode 224: ‘Building disciples of Jesus Christ’ at Brigham Young University–Idaho, with President Alvin F. Meredith III and his wife, Sister Jennifer Meredith
In this week’s Church News podcast, President and Sister Meredith share the importance of education, personal revelation and supportive environments in becoming disciples of Christ.
“In the Church, education is a religious responsibility. That’s a really powerful phrase. And it’s a religious responsibility because education and gaining knowledge, it’s a spiritual imperative for us; not just a secular imperative, but a spiritual imperative. The glory of God is intelligence," shared President Meredith.
Listen to this podcast episode here.
7. How ‘first-class devotion to first-class causes’ benefits missionaries
Elder Ringwood invited missionaries at the Provo Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, to “see your service differently” in its lifelong impacts.
“I pray that this message tonight will help you see your mission differently,” he said, “and that you will give first-class devotion to the cause of who you should and can become from your service as a missionary.”
The Church has also released a new mission preparation curriculum for youth and young adults, designed to help individuals now as well as in future missionary services and to unify such instruction worldwide.
The new teacher’s guide, “Missionary Preparation: A Teaching Resource,” is now available in 38 languages in the Church’s Gospel Library and on the mobile app.
Read more about Elder Ringwood’s devotional here.Read more about new mission preparation curriculum here.
8. Adventist Development and Relief Agency representatives tour Welfare Square, strengthen bonds with the Church
Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson and her counselors, Sister J. Anette Dennis and Sister Kristin M. Yee; and the Church’s Presiding Bishopric, Bishop Gérald Caussé and his counselors, Bishop W. Christopher Waddell and Bishop L. Todd Budge, met with leaders from the Adventist Development and Relief Agency and President Michael Kruger.
The agency and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have worked together for nearly 30 years, beginning with a project to feed the hungry in Ecuador in 1995.
Read more about this story here.
9. ‘The power is in them,’ says Church commissioner of education of young Latter-day Saint learners
To seminary and institute teachers across the globe, Elder Gilbert, encouraged to “please trust your students. This is the only way they will become who the Lord needs them to become.”
“We are preparing students to survive spiritually in an increasingly challenging season. Spiritual survival will depend on the ability to recognize the direction of the Holy Ghost,” said Elder Gilbert during the 2025 Seminary and Institute Annual Training Broadcast.
