Conference opens with change, progress
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After announcing in the opening moments of the Church's 174th Semiannual General Conference on Oct. 2 the callings of two new apostles and plans for the construction of two new temples, President Gordon B. Hinckley reported on the condition of the Church.
"I believe the Church is in better condition than it has been at any time in its entire history," he said.
Offering the first address of the Saturday morning session, President Hinckley noted the absence of Elder David B. Haight and Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve who died within 10 days of each other last July.
"Each of them served long and very effectively," he said. "We mourn their passing. We greatly miss them. We extend our love to their dear ones. We are confident that they are carrying on this great work on the other side of the veil."
Through the natural course of events, he continued, there are recurring vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve that must be filled.
President Hinckley said, "After fasting and prayer we have called Elder Dieter Friedrich Uchtdorf and Elder David Allan Bednar to fill these vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles." (Elder Uchtdorf had been serving in the Presidency of the Seventy; Elder Bednar, an Area Authority Seventy, is president of Brigham Young University-Idaho. Please see additional information about these Brethren on pages 2 and 23.)
"You may not know them but you will get acquainted with them pretty soon," said President Hinckley before asking members of the worldwide congregation to raise their right hands in sustaining the two men.
Then, commenting on the condition of the Church, President Hinckley said: "It continues to grow. "It is touching the lives of more and more people every year. It is spreading far and wide over the earth."
To accommodate this growth, President Hinckley said it is necessary to build more houses of worship.
"We now have, at some stage, 451 meetinghouses of various sizes under construction in many parts of the earth. This tremendous building program is phenomenal. I know of nothing to equal it.
"Our structures are beautiful. They add to the ambience of any community in which they stand. They are well maintained. We have had long experience in constructing houses of worship, and out of that vast experience we are producing better buildings than have ever been previously constructed in the Church."
The buildings, said President Hinckley, combine beauty with great utility.
"If they look much the same, it is because that is intended. By following tried and tested patterns, we save millions of dollars while meeting the needs of our people."
President Hinckley said the Church also continues to build new temples.
Church leaders recently broke ground for a new temple in Sacramento, Calif., the seventh temple in that state where the Church has the second largest membership of any state in the United States, he said.
"The temples in the Salt Lake City area are extremely busy and are at times overloaded," continued President Hinckley. "For this reason we have determined to build a new temple in the Salt Lake Valley. The location of the site will be announced shortly. It may appear that we are unduly favoring this area, but temple attendance is such that we must accommodate those who wish to come. And if the present growth trends continue, we should probably need yet another."
President Hinckley also said Church leaders are pleased to announce the construction of another temple in Idaho — the state where the Church has the third largest membership in the United States.
"Plans are going forward for (a temple) in Rexburg," he said. "Now we are also planning to build another in the city of Twin Falls. This temple will serve thousands of our members who live between Idaho Falls and Boise."
Temples are also under construction in Aba, Nigeria; Helsinki, Finland; Newport Beach, Calif.; and San Antonio, Texas, President Hinckley said.
Other temples will be constructed as the Church continues grow, he said.
"We are now working on a major undertaking in Salt Lake City. It is imperative that we preserve the environment around Temple Square. This makes necessary a very large construction project. Tithing funds will not be used for this construction. The income from Church businesses, rents on the property, and other such sources make this possible."
President Hinckley said the Church must also do extensive work on the Salt Lake Tabernacle to make it seismically safe.
"This marvelous structure has been used for 137 years this month. The time has come when we must do some work to preserve it. It is one of the unique architectural masterpieces in the entire world, and a building of immense historical interest. Its historical qualities will be carefully preserved while its utility, comfort and safety will be increased.
"We are grateful that we have this Conference Center where we can meet for such gatherings as this. I now ask myself, 'What would we do without it?' "
President Hinckley also said other Church programs are thriving.
"I am pleased to report that the Perpetual Education Fund continues to grow as does the number of those who are the beneficiaries of this wonderful undertaking.
"We are strengthening our missionary program. We are striving to bring a greater measure of spirituality into the work of our vast body of missionaries.
"Our education program continues to grow, extending its influence wherever the Church is established.
"The Book of Mormon was recently included as one of the 20 most influential books ever published in America. We are now joining hands with a commercial publisher to enlarge the distribution of this sacred volume, this Second Witness of the Lord Jesus Christ.
"And so, brothers and sisters, I might continue. Suffice it to say that I believe the Church is in better condition than it has been at any time in its entire history.
"I have been around now for nearly 95 years of that history, and I have seen much of it first hand. I am satisfied that there is greater faith, there is a broader measure of service, and there is a more genuine measure of integrity among our youth. There is greater vitality in all aspects of the work than we have ever seen before.
"Let us glory in this wonderful season of the work of the Lord. Let us not be proud or arrogant. Let us be humbly grateful. And let us, each one, resolve within himself or herself that we will add to the luster of this magnificent work of the Almighty, that it may shine across the earth as a beacon of strength and goodness for all the world to look upon."
