During the week of July 29-Aug. 4, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released four chapters in a new manual with teachings from President Russell M. Nelson, President of the Church. Sister Tamara W. Runia, first counselor in the Young Women general presidency, recalled when President Nelson took time to minister to the one while he taught in Australia. The First Presidency of the Church announced a new medical school to be built at Brigham Young University.
Members of the new Sunday School general presidency began their service on Aug. 1. The Church News published a midyear update on milestones of the different temples being built around the world. Elder Brent H. Nielson of the Presidency of the Seventy taught missionaries at the Provo Missionary Training Center about acting on the Savior’s commission to share the restored gospel of Jesus Christ with the world.
The Church News podcast interviewed University of Utah President Taylor R. Randall about the value of higher education. Olympian members of the Church shared their testimonies at a devotional as they prepared to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Church launched new social media pages to help young single adults connect and share their testimonies with one another.
Read more about these nine stories below.
1. 4 chapters released in new manual of teachings from President Russell M. Nelson
On Thursday, Aug. 1, the Church released the first of these collections to be published, in part, while a prophet is still alive. Four chapters from “Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Russell M. Nelson” are now available for study on ChurchofJesusChrist.org and on the Gospel Library app.
The newly released four chapters are not the first four, sequentially, in the digital manual. And other chapters will be released in batches, similar to how the Church’s new hymns are being released. This allows those who wish to study President Nelson’s teachings on specific topics to begin doing so immediately and to learn more from him on other topics as they are published. When complete, the Church anticipates this volume will include 28 chapters.
Read more about this story here.
2. When President Nelson reached out to ‘the one’ in Sydney, Australia
In May 2019 as part of his Pacific ministry, President Nelson was in Sydney, Australia, where he spoke to a capacity crowd of 8,000 Church members in the International Convention Centre. Roberta Brown of the Penrith Australia Stake was assigned to lead a stake choir and guided the congregation even when the words on the screen were not matching what the congregation was trying to sing and what Brown was trying to lead from the hymnbook.
Brown said it was a humbling and spiritually uplifting experience to meet the Prophet and to prepare a choir to sing at the event. Having him come up to meet her right afterward showed her how much he enjoyed the music and that it had touched his heart.
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3. First Presidency announces new medical school for Brigham Young University
The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced that a new medical school will be created at Brigham Young University.
The full statement can be found on ChurchofJesusChrist.org. The first paragraph of the statement reads:
“Brigham Young University is committed to academic excellence in targeted graduate disciplines, traditionally focused on business and law. The First Presidency is pleased to announce the decision now to create a medical school at BYU. A major focus will be on international health issues affecting members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Church’s worldwide humanitarian efforts.”
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4. New Sunday School general presidency begins service
New Sunday School General President Paul V. Johnson began his service Aug. 1, along with his first counselor, Brother Chad H Webb, and second counselor, Brother Gabriel W. Reid.
The new presidency was sustained during the Saturday morning session of the April 2024 general conference on April 6.
Former Sunday School General President Mark L. Pace and his counselors, Brother Milton Camargo and Brother Jan E. Newman, were released effective Aug. 1.
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5. A midyear look at temple milestones for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Just a little past the midpoint of 2024, a look at this year’s past and upcoming milestone events for the temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
These include nine houses of the Lord dedicated in the first half of 2024 and at least seven more to be dedicated in the year’s second half; six temple groundbreakings in the first half and five more in the next two months alone; and 15 new temple locations announced at April 2024 general conference and possible additional new locations later this year.
Read more about this story here.
6. Acting on the Savior’s great commission ‘is amazing to watch,’ says Elder Nielson
In his last address before becoming an emeritus General Authority Seventy, Elder Nielson — executive director of the Missionary Department from 2015 to 2020 — was joined by his wife, Sister Marcia Nielson, on Tuesday, July 30.
“In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we take the great commission very seriously,” said Elder Nielson to 1,944 missionaries in the Provo Missionary Training Center. “We are all about sharing the gospel to the world, and it is amazing to watch.”
Read more about this story here.
7. Podcast episode 199: University of Utah President Taylor Randall on the value of higher education
University of Utah President Taylor Randall spoke on the Church News podcast about President Nelson’s medical journals from President Nelson’s pioneering career as a heart surgeon that he donated to the University of Utah on Aug. 30, 2023. “I am deeply grateful for the important role the University of Utah played in my education and surgical career,” President Nelson said.
Randall joined this episode of the Church News podcast to discuss President Nelson’s gift, the value of higher education and the benefit of the Church’s institute program to college-aged students.
Listen to the Church News podcast here.
8. ‘God is always there’: Latter-day Saint Olympians share messages of faith, trust in God’s plan at devotional
In a recorded message, Taylor Booth, a forward for the U.S. men’s soccer team, told a young adult audience at a devotional in Versailles, France, how his faith in the Lord and membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints guided him through those pivotal years.
Booth was joined by other Latter-day Saint Olympic athletes and one Church leader in addressing young adults on the topic of “Sports and the Gospel” at a devotional in a Versailles meetinghouse on Sunday, July 28. The devotional, streamed live in French and translated into English, is available for viewing on YouTube.
Read more about this story here.
9. Young adults invited to connect through new social media pages
YA Weekly readers now have new places to find inspiring messages and connect with others: the YA Weekly Instagram page and Facebook page.
YA Weekly is a weekly publication found in the Church’s Gospel Library. It has been written for young adults, by young adults, since 2018, according to its Gospel Library introductory page.
“Our goal is to help you find answers to your challenges and the strength to face them,” it states. “We’ll do this by exploring the gospel of Jesus Christ together and examining how young adults all over the world are striving to live it.”
