At the conclusion of the Church's 176th Semiannual General Conference, President Gordon B. Hinckley called such gatherings "miracles."

"There is nothing to compare with them anywhere in the world," said the Church's 15th president. "When you think that we gather here in this great conference hall and that what we say is carried all across the world so that people on every continent worship together the living God."

During conference, more than 20,000 people gathered for each session inside the massive Conference Center. Legions of others tuned in via television, radio or Internet broadcasts — experiencing the proceedings in scores of languages. Among them were some 220 members from the Catbalogan 1st and 2nd branches, Catbalogan Philippines District, who eagerly looked forward to general conference following the construction of their new, satellite-equipped chapel.

Conferences of today are far removed from 159 years years ago when President Hinckley's pioneer predecessor, Brigham Young, presided over the first general conference held in the Salt Lake Valley.

In 1847, the first wave of Mormon pioneers was getting settled, preparing for their maiden harvest, cabins were being built and families were steeling for the approaching winter. On Oct. 3 of that historic year, members gathered beside a stack of hay for the first general conference held in the Salt Lake Valley.

The Oct. 8, 1932, issue of the Deseret News cited the words of John Young of the First Seven Presidents of the Seventies who participated in that first Salt Lake general conference: "I walked down to where they were holding conference, and I found them by the side of a haystack. There was Father John Smith (the territory's first stake president) and a little handful of men that might have been covered with a small tent, and they were holding the semiannual conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

That same issue also cited a letter from John Smith, who described the unity also felt at that unassuming but historic gathering.

"Union, peace and harmony prevailed throughout the city," President Smith wrote. — Jason Swensen