Elder Eyring is now in First Presidency

The chair next to LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley on the Conference Center dais was vacant only a few minutes Saturday morning before he called Elder Henry B. Eyring to fill the seat and serve as his counselor in the First Presidency.

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An LDS conference outside the U.S.?

The early success of the Perpetual Education Fund led its managing director to suggest Monday that future general conferences of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints could be held outside the United States.

"The international church may yet become stronger than in the United States," said Elder John K. Carmack, an emeritus general authority of the LDS Church. "I'm not a prophet, seer or revelator, but I believe this will happen.

"I can envision general conference being held in Sao Paulo or Mexico City or Manila."

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General Conference: Summary of Talks for Sunday, April 1st

General Conference: Summary of Talks for Sunday, April 1st

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General Conference: Summary of Talks for Saturday, March 31st

General Conference: Summary of Talks for Saturday, March 31st

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After Two Years of Work, an Updated Tabernacle

The Salt Lake Tabernacle, completed in 1867 by the faithful of the fledgling Mormon religion and home of the world-famous choir, reopened over the weekend after a two-year top-to-bottom renovation.

The Mormon church has drawn criticism from preservationists for replacing the tabernacle’s original pews, made from pine and “grained” by artisans with paint and etchings to appear like oak, the wood favored by Brigham Young, the pioneer Mormon leader. The new pews are made of oak.

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Mormons: We are Christians, too

Mormon beliefs about God and Jesus Christ make them Christians, no matter what critics say.

This was the message repeated by several speakers on Sunday at the 177th annual LDS General Conference, held in the 21,000-seat Conference Center in downtown Salt Lake City and beamed via satellite to Mormon chapels across the globe.

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Forgiveness is extolled

The healing power of forgiveness, caution on divorce and the continued opportunity for repentance were among the varied topics addressed during the final day of the 177th Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

President Gordon B. Hinckley provided his closing counsel Sunday afternoon in the Conference Center: "May there be peace and harmony in your homes. Husbands, love and treasure your wives. They are your most precious possessions. Wives, encourage and pray for your husbands. They need all the help they can get. Parents, treat your children with great kindness. They are the coming generation who will bring honor to your name."

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Mormons counseled to find forgiveness after tragedy

Mormons should strive for forgiveness despite the anger and bitterness that can follow tragedy, an elder in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints counseled Sunday, the second day of the faith's biannual conference.

"Most of us need time to work through pain and loss. We can find all manner of reasons for postponing forgiveness," an emotional James E. Faust, one of two counselors to church President Gordon B. Hinckley said.

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Leadership changes announced for Relief Society, Young Women

The increasing diversity in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was manifested in the callings Saturday morning of new leadership in the Relief Society and Young Women organizations of the LDS Church.

Sister Julie B. Beck, who had been serving as a counselor in the Young Women presidency, was sustained as general Relief Society president. Serving as her first counselor is Sister Silvia H. Allred, the first member of the women's presidency ever to have been born outside the United States. She is a native of El Salvador and a convert to the church.

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Faithful gather at LDS conference

When Gordon B. Hinckley, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, fell ill last year, convert Nora Healey prayed.

"Every morning and every night," said Healey, of Fillmore, who, with her husband, is on a service mission for the church at its Family History Library here.

In January 2006, Hinckley, then 95, had surgery to remove a cancerous growth from his colon but little was said about his condition or recovery.

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