This Week in Latter-days

News Elder Holland’s Health (he won’t speak at SUU graduation) $6.2 million was donated to charity in the giving machines this past December. The World Report showed a woman living in rural Moldova who was gifted a pig. The world’s largest annual outdoor Easter Pageant is happening in Mesa Arizona right now. A local news reporter said, “We need spaces where we feel welcome just as a fellow human being. Again, I know next to nothing about the LDS church or Muslims or evangelicals or the many other Christian denominations. But I do know that our society is being ripped apart in the name of our faith values and our view of the world. This isn’t about any church after all. It’s about a moment. It’s about the experience of just being with one another. We need more of that – a lot more.” The Church Audit report in General Conference sounded pretty much the same as it always does… that the church followed appropriate accounting procedures. But, we know that there was a large settlement recently focused on some of the church’s accounting procedures. Does the fact that this was not mentioned in Conference say anything about how much people should trust these statements? Melissa The church announced 15 new temples in General Conference. You correctly predicted San Jose, and I correctly predicted none in Utah or Idaho. Are there any locations on the list that seem particularly significant? The statistical report is a rare opportunity to see how the church is doing compared to previous years. The Deseret News put out a comparison table. It looks like there is growth of about 1% in most categories, but children of record baptisms are down slightly. Convert baptisms are up 26%. What does this mean? Sister Ana Maria Bonny Hernandez has recently been called as the new representative of the Church to the NGO Committee on the Status of Women in Geneva, Switzerland. Ana Bonny, who is a native from Spain, is the first European member of the Church to hold this assignment. The Committee on the Status of Women group promotes gender equality and the empowerment and defense of the rights of women and girls across the globe. NGO CSW Geneva comprises representatives from some 40 UN-accredited nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) who have consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The Church is one of those organizations, through Latter-day Saints Charities. On the topic of gender equality, how strange that only two sisters were asked to speak even though the YW General Presidency was released. It is taking a long time to find jurors in the Lori Vallow Daybell case. I’m shocked at the number of people who have heard nothing about the case. Side note: Should this case be considered “Mormon News”? Mosty national stories call her a member of a Doomsday Cult. Do we really want to tell them that our church is somehow associated with THAT? Isn’t this more a fringe movement or an off-shoot of the church like FLDS? Big Deal, Little Deal, No Deal Some family members will be allowed to attend the Lori Vallow Daybell trial April 6 is a really important day in church history. (Maybe do this in big deal, little deal, no deal) A King from Ghana attended General Conference. More about him is in this article (2nd to last paragraph), wikipedia doesn’t have much more about him. Is this significant? (Maybe do this in big deal, little deal, no deal) The church gives more to unhoused Utahn’s than you think Glenn Beck Good Friday nationwide fast Famous Mormon-Adjacent Individuals (Which former Mouseketeer was raised LDS?) Justin Timberlake Ryan Gosling Brittney Spears Mormons Doing Goodly A woman died after saving her friend’s life while climbing a frozen waterfall (Raven Falls) in Duchesne. Author Brandon Sanderson responds kindly to smear This Week in Mormon History 90 Years ago. J. Reuben Clark Jr. is sustained as the second counselor in the First Presidency. As the first LDS church president since Brigham Young to ask a non-general authority to serve as a Presidency counselor, Heber J. Grant kep the position vacant for sixteen months to allow Clark to complete his service as the Ambassador to Mexico. Clark is the first general authority who has previously served the U.S. government in a high office. He is also the first member of the Presidency with a post-graduate degree (from Columbia) and is ordained a high priest today. 135 years ago today - Apr 6, 1888 Letter of Wilford Woodruff and apostles establish annual salaries for stake presidents and end President John Taylor's provisions for local bishops to receive fixed percentage (8 percent) and stake presidents (2 percent) of collected tithing as salary. Until 1896 stake committee apportions this 10 percent of tithing between stake tithing clerk and bishops. On same day apostles approve salary for First Council of Seventy, to which one of its members responds: "I would prefer to receive no salary." 170 years ago today - Apr 6, 1853 The Mormons who rejected