The First Presidency invited all to celebrate the “greater love” of Jesus Christ this Easter season, and Latter-day Saints shared their experiences.
During Holy Week, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles testified at a BYU devotional “of the living Son of the living God, our Savior, our Redeemer, the unexpected Messiah.” Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the new BYU Music Building.
Elder Patrick Kearon, also of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, dedicated the Auckland New Zealand Temple on Palm Sunday.
Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé met with leaders of the United Nations World Food Programme in Rome, Italy. Area leadership assignments for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been announced for 2025-26.
The Nairobi Kenya Temple open house began, and dates and renderings were announced for three other temples — two in South America and one in West Jordan, Utah.
Learn more about the historical context surrounding Easter in this week’s Church News podcast episode 236.
Members in the Seoul South Korea Stake and missionaries in the Philippines Urdaneta Mission feel closer to the Savior through “The Living Christ.”
Read summaries and find links to these articles below.
1. Celebrate the ‘greater love’ of Christ, invites the First Presidency, and members share experiences
President Russell M. Nelson, President Dallin H. Oaks and President Henry B. Eyring, collectively and individually, invited all to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, described by President Nelson as the “ultimate expression of love.” In a February video message from the First Presidency, President Oaks encouraged viewers to prepare for the “Easter season” by creating meaningful Christ-focused traditions.
Many members took the First Presidency’s message to heart. The Church News asked members how they acted on the invitation and created new traditions that help them focus on the Savior’s “Greater Love” throughout the season.
Read more about the First Presidency’s message here.
Find out what members did to celebrate the Easter season here.
2. Just as Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem, ‘the gentle Christ’ can enter individuals’ lives, says Elder Uchtdorf at BYU
Two days after Palm Sunday, Elder Uchtdorf spoke at a Brigham Young University devotional on Tuesday, April 15, testifying of Christ during Holy Week.
He invited listeners to turn their thoughts to the historic day “when Jesus Christ, the King of kings, rode triumphantly yet humbly into the holy city of Jerusalem.”
Read more about what Elder Uchtdorf said here.
3. BYU’s new Music Building is a testament to how much the Church values music, says Elder Christofferson
Brigham Young University’s new 171,000-square-foot Music Building featuring state-of-the-art practice and performance spaces was dedicated by Elder Christofferson on Thursday, April 17. Elder Christofferson expressed gratitude for the ennobling power of music during the dedicatory prayer.
“Grant that we may glorify Thee and Thy Beloved Son in music and song and in our very lives,” he prayed.
Read about the dedication and see photos of the new Music Building here.
4. How Palm Sunday in New Zealand involved an Apostle and shouts of hosanna in a house of the Lord
Elder Kearon dedicated the Auckland New Zealand Temple on Palm Sunday, April 13. It’s the country’s second house of the Lord.
“To shout hosanna to God and the Lamb on Palm Sunday is a singular experience,” Elder Kearon said, calling it “the experience of a lifetime.”
Read more about the Auckland New Zealand Temple dedication here.
5. Efforts to help the hungry are inspired by the teachings and ministry of Jesus Christ, says Bishop Caussé
Bishop Caussé met with leaders of the United Nations World Food Programme — the world’s largest hunger-relief organization — in Rome, Italy, on Thursday, April 17. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the World Food Programme have collaborated in service since 2014.
“Our long-time collaboration with the World Food Programme allows us to foster hope and self-reliance amidst adversity,” Bishop Caussé said. “By leveraging our combined resources and expertise, we are able to make a difference in the lives of those facing food insecurity.”
Read more about the efforts to relieve hunger here.
6. Area presidency assignments for 2025-26 announced
The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced area leadership assignments for the Church’s now 24 areas, an increase of one with newly designated Canada area made from portions of three existing North American areas.
Find out more about the new area presidency assignments here.
7. Temple news in Kenya, Chile, Argentina and West Jordan, Utah
The Nairobi Kenya Temple public open house began Thursday, April 17, and runs through Saturday, May 3, excluding Sundays. Two weeks later, on Sunday, May 19, Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will offer the dedicatory prayer for what will be the Church’s 204th operating temple.
Dedications information and open house dates have been announced for the Antofagasta Chile and Bahía Blanca Argentina temples. The rendering of the temple to be built in West Jordan, Utah, was also released.
Read about and see photos of the Nairobi Kenya Temple here.
Read about the dedications for the temples in Chile and Argentina here.
Read more about the West Jordan temple here.
8. Episode 236: Jerusalem and the miracle of Christ’s Resurrection at Easter with historian Richard Neitzel Holzapfel
This week on the Church News podcast, episode 236, Brigham Young University professor emeritus and historian Richard Neitzel Holzapfel discusses the historical context surrounding Easter, the significance of Palm Sunday, Holy Week, Gethsemane, the Resurrection of Christ and more.
Listen to the podcast here.
9. The testifying power of ‘The Living Christ’ in Seoul, South Korea and Urdaneta, Philippines
Members of the Seoul South Korea Stake expressed their testimonies and gratitude after memorizing “The Living Christ.” Kyung-jin Park of the Seoul YSA Branch said she understands the Atonement of Jesus Christ more deeply now, saying, “His Atonement began to touch me for the first time.”
Some 2,000 miles to the south, the entire Philippines Urdaneta Mission shared a testimony of Jesus Christ for the Easter season by reciting and recording “The Living Christ” and posting it online. “After watching the finished video, I really felt the power in the words of that divine revealed document,” said Elder Joseph Tuioti, one of the full-time missionaries.
