SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Saturday, Oct. 5, marked the first of two days of the 194th Semi-Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, held at the Conference Center on Temple Square in Salt Lake City.
As is customary, the broadcast was streamed live online and by satellite, with members around the world tuning in. Those attending in person sat in the same room as the church’s prophet and president, Russell M. Nelson during the afternoon session, and heard from general authorities and members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles throughout the day.
Leaders of the LDS church spoke on the topics of repentance (and having joy in that process), and reaching out to “the one,” as was the invitation of President Nelson for his 100th birthday. Leaders also spoke on several other topics during the three sessions.
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Saturday morning session
Speaking with ABC4.com before the start of the afternoon session, Reuben Kwong, a Seminaries and Institutes coordinator of the Brisbane Australia Stake said the morning session on Saturday followed the theme of peacemaking, love, and hope, as well as reaching out to “the one.”
“The scriptures link three words powerfully together: Faith, hope, charity. The gift of hope
is a priceless endowment from God,” Elder Neil L. Anderson, from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said in his talk.
Elder Karl Hirst, a general authority seventy, told people that no one is separated from the love of God.
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“You are wrong to think that you have put yourself beyond the reach of God’s love. We are sometimes cruel and impatient towards ourselves in ways that we could never imagine being towards anyone else,” he said.
President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency concluded the first of the three sessions that took place on Saturday. He called members of the Church to be peacemakers, echoing a talk given by President Nelson in the April 2023 General Conference.
“Contention is a choice. Peacemaking is a choice. You have your agency to choose contention or reconciliation. I urge you to choose to be a peacemaker, now and always,” Oaks said to members.
Oaks continued by saying to qualify for God’s blessings, one must speak like a peacemaker.
“As we pursue our preferred policies in public actions, let us qualify for His blessings by using the language and methods of peacemakers. In our families and other personal relationships let us avoid what is harsh and hateful. Let us seek to be holy, like our Savior,” Oaks said.
Saturday afternoon session
D. Todd Christofferson kicked off the second of Saturday’s three conference sessions by talking about laying down weapons of rebellion — both passive weapons and active ones.
Christofferson spoke about the story of William W. Phelps, an early member of the church and scribe for the church’s first prophet, Joseph Smith.
“A latter-day example of willful rebellion with a happier ending is the story of William W.
Phelps. Phelps joined the Church in 1831 and was appointed Church printer. He edited several
early Church publications wrote numerous hymns, and served as a scribe to Joseph Smith,” he said.
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After a time, Phelps turned against the church, leading to Smith’s imprisonment in Missouri. Phelps later wrote Smith to ask for his forgiveness, Christofferson noted. Smith accepted the apology.
“It is true that we have suffered much in consequence of your behavior … However, the cup has been drunk, the will of our Heavenly Father has been done, and we are yet alive … Come on, dear brother, since the war is past, for friends at first are friends again at last.” Christofferson said, reading a portion of communication between Smith and Phelps from “Saints: Volume 1.”
Christofferson also spoke about doing things “God’s way, because there is truly no other way.”
Elder David L. Buckner of the Seventy echoed a similar message to Elder Dallin H. Oaks’s morning talk, calling for members to find what they have in common with others and seek opportunities to be one with others.
Saturday evening session
The evening session started with Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles using the real-life experience of a dad joke battle between himself and two of his grandsons against an artificial intelligence chatbot version of Elder Gong. He used the analogy to speak about the strength of being rooted in joy.
“All around us are opportunities to laugh, delight, see with grateful eyes. Ours is a gospel
of joy and holiness in everyday life,” Gong said.
Gong also talked about “Holiness to the Lord” in daily life during his address.
Sister Kristen M. Yee, Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency also spoke on similar topics as Christofferson’s talk.
“Weapons of pride — selfishness, fear, hate, offense, complacency, unrighteous judgment, jealousies — anything that would keep us from loving God with all our hearts and keeping all our covenants with Him,” Yee said. She referred to these weapons as weapons of war.
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Elder Jorge Alvarado told the story of a church member in his native Puerto Rican town of Ponce. The member of the church was planning on gifting the Book of Mormon, an additional canonical scripture in the LDS church, to a friend.
The book of scripture was stolen from the young woman. Little did she know that she changed someone’s life because of it. Alvarado said the man who stole the book begged the young woman for forgiveness and wanted to join the LDS church.
“Brothers and sisters, the light of the Savior can reach us all, no matter our circumstance[s].
‘It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines,’ said
President Jeffrey R. Holland,” Alvarado said, quoting teaching from Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Jeffrey R. Holland.
Sunday preview
On Sunday, Oct. 6, two more sessions of the worldwide conference are scheduled to take place: One session in the morning and one session in the afternoon.
The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square will air its Music and the Spoken Word broadcast live from the Conference Center at its regularly scheduled time of 9:30 a.m., and the morning session of the conference will immediately follow the broadcast.
The afternoon session, which will be the conference’s final session, will start at 2 p.m. on Sunday.