During the week of Feb. 22 to 28, the 2026 First Presidency Easter message was published.
Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spent 10 days ministering to missionaries and Church members in the Church’s Africa West Area, and Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles testified at BYU–Idaho of President Dallin H. Oaks’ prophetic mantle. Also, Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles addressed Church members and others at a district conference and met with a representative of the Romanian Orthodox Church while visiting Bucharest, Romania.
The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square performed the first of a series of concerts in Brazil on Feb. 25, with Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles offering a welcome message. Elder Clark G. Gilbert of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Christine Gilbert, spoke on the week’s Church News podcast episode about their family and testimonies.
The 2026 RootsTech Conference will begin in Salt Lake City later this week. Those wishing to attend the conference can attend either online or in person.
In temple news, ground was broken for the Fairview Texas Temple. Site maps and renderings of three temples in the Philippines were released, as well as a site map for the Rapid City South Dakota Temple. The Houston Texas South Temple was renamed, and a date was set for the groundbreaking of the Teresina Brazil Temple.
Twelve more songs were added to the “Hymns for Home and Church” hymnbook in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.
Read summaries and find links to these articles below.
1. 2026 First Presidency Easter message testifies of strengthened faith and testimony
The 2026 First Presidency Easter message testifies of Christ’s Resurrection and invites all to “seek this Jesus” (Ether 12:41).
Read the First Presidency Easter message here.
2. Elder Quentin L. Cook gives instruction and spiritual guidance in Africa West Area
Elder Cook spent 10 days in February in Nigeria, Ghana, Togo and the Ivory Coast, where he provided spiritual guidance and training to local leaders and members; spoke at devotionals for missionaries, youth and young single adults; and bore witness of the Savior and His work.
Read more about Elder Cook’s ministry here.
3. Elder Andersen testifies ‘God has a Prophet upon the earth’
In a BYU–Idaho campus devotional, Elder Andersen added his witness to President Oaks’ teachings, especially those from a recent BYU devotional.
The Apostle promised: “Listening to President Oaks can lift our souls, but taking deliberate steps to follow his counsel can change our lives.”
Read more about Elder Andersen’s devotional here.
4. Elder Renlund visits Romania: ‘I have great faith in the future of the Church here’
Elder Renlund spoke at a district conference in Bucharest, Romania, on Feb. 22, attended by Church members and representatives from government, faith and civic organizations. That afternoon, he met with a representative of the Romanian Orthodox Church to strengthen community and build trust.
Read more about Elder Renlund’s ministry here.
5. Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra perform first ‘Songs of Hope’ concert in Brazil
The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square performed their first concert in Brazil in 45 years during their sixth stop on their “Songs of Hope” tour. Elder Soares, a native of Brazil, welcomed the audience of nearly 1,500 people.
Read more about this story here.
6. Podcast Episode 282: Elder and Sister Gilbert on answering the Lord’s call
Just days after being called as the newest Apostle for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder Gilbert joined the Church News podcast with his wife, Sister Christine Gilbert. The couple spoke about how they have seen the Lord’s hand in their lives.
Listen to the podcast here.
7. How to attend the 2026 RootsTech Conference
The 2026 RootsTech Conference will begin in Salt Lake City later this week. The global family history event will feature speakers including Elder Ronald A. Rasband and Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, National Football League Hall of Famer and Super Bowl MVP Steve Young, and Academy Award-winning actress and author Marlee Matlin.
Individuals wishing to attend the event can join either online or in person at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City.
Read more about RootsTech 2026 here.
8. Ground broken for temple in north-central Texas
Ground was broken for the Fairview Texas Temple. The Fairview temple will be the third house of the Lord in Texas’ Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area.
Elder Jonathan S. Schmitt, a General Authority Seventy and counselor in the Church’s United States Southwest Area presidency, presided over the ceremony and offered the dedicatory prayer on the site.
Read more about the Fairview Texas Temple groundbreaking ceremony here.
9. Temple news: 4 temple site maps released, new name for Houston Texas South Temple, groundbreaking date set for Teresina Brazil Temple
Renderings and site maps were released for three Philippines temples.
A location has been announced for South Dakota’s first house of the Lord. The temple will be located in Rapid City.
The Houston Texas South Temple of the Church has been renamed the Fort Bend Texas Temple.
A groundbreaking date for the Teresina Brazil Temple has been set. On Saturday, April 18, ground will be broken for this house of the Lord, presided over by Elder Ciro Schmeil, a General Authority Seventy and first counselor in the Church’s Brazil Area presidency.
See the three Philippines temple renderings here.
See the Rapid City South Dakota Temple site here.
Read more about the new name of the Houston Texas South Temple here.
Read more about the groundbreaking date for the Teresina Brazil Temple here.
10. Latest release of new hymns includes several to help with Old Testament ‘Come, Follow Me’ study
Twelve more songs were added to “Hymns for Home and Church” in the English, French, Portuguese and Spanish languages. The songs include several that have lyrics and related scriptures founded in the Old Testament, which is the subject of this year’s “Come, Follow Me” study.
