COURTESY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES
The First Presidency of the LDS Church (Left to right) President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor, President Russell M. Nelson, President Henry B. Eyring, second counselor, wear face masks as they listen to Emiline Twitchell, a conservator at the Church History Library talk about items placed in the Salt Lake Temple time capsule.
GLOBAL From A6
The Church News.
Virtual conferences
In normal years, teenagers within the church regularly gather for weekly activities. Many also attend regional summer conferences where they learn doctrine while socializing with others of their faith. But during COVID-19, those activities became virtual. Youth from all over the world participated in a unique virtual music festival in July. According to the Church Newsroom, the virtual broadcast “included youth representing more than 20 countries, including: Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Ghana, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Peru, the Philippines, Tonga, the United
Kingdom and the United States.” The women of the church also participated in a virtual conference of their own. BYU Women’s Conference, which normally is held at Brigham Young University, and draws tens of thousands of women, was held completely online in May. The conference was held digitally and was free to stream, featuring pre-recorded talks from conference organizers, leaders from the church and other speakers. BYU Education Week, another conference that draws thousands of men and women, and usually held in August, was rescheduled. According to information from organizers, this year’s conference, originally planned for Aug. 17-21, will be an online conference that members can view starting Oct. 7.
world closed. Workers and patrons attending the temple often work in close proximity to each other. And many of the workers are of retirement age — a demographic affected in higher rates by COVID-19. By summer, though, church leaders started opening temples through a phased approach. Some are currently in Phase 1, where only living marriage sealings are done for husbands and wives. Others are in Phase 2, where all temple ordinances for living individuals can be completed. Some are still fully closed.
Church worship
For the past six months, church members around the world have worshiped at home. In many areas, members had special permission from their local bishops to administer the sacrament, symbolizing the Temple worship death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, During the spring, temples all over the within their own homes with priesthood
authority. Earlier this summer, the church presidency announced that members could start a phased return to church meetings, where allowed by local government regulations, and under the direction of local church leaders. Utah wards participating in this return to meetings are doing so cautiously. Most ward bishoprics set specific Sundays and staggered times for sacrament meeting, so only some of the congregation attends at a time. Most encourage members to wear masks and socially distance while in the building. Church leadership has not yet announced when wards will return to full meetings every Sunday. But because of the church’s “Come Follow Me” curriculum, many families have been able to continue their worship and learning wherever they are. Fall 2020
