During the week of June 30-July 6, Elder Matthew S. Holland, a General Authority Seventy for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spoke at the 2024 Patriotic Service, part of the America’s Freedom Festival in Provo, Utah. The Church News reported on updates regarding four different temples: the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple, the Tallahassee Florida Temple, the Orlando Florida Temple and the Toronto Ontario Temple. Elder Steven D. Shumway, a new General Authority Seventy, spoke about how following God’s plan blessed his life.
The Church News podcast interviewed Book of Mormon Videos producers Aaron Merrell and Jaelan Petrie about their experiences creating the videos. Primary children in Portugal and Colombia attended their very own “FSY Primary” and mission preparation classes. Refugees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and West Africa recover from their escape from dangerous situations and work on creating a new life in safety.
The Church News reported on Joanna Hiigel, a member of the Church, after she became the fourth woman selected to the rank of rear admiral in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. The Church News also reported on multiple members of the Church as they prepared to participate in the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Dell Van Orden, former editor of the Church News from 1968 to 1999, died at age 88.
Read summaries of these nine stories below.
1. Elder Matthew Holland speaks at Freedom Festival in Provo, Utah.
Elder Matthew S. Holland was the keynote speaker at the 2024 Patriotic Service, part of the America’s Freedom Festival at Provo. In his remarks, given four days before the United States’ Independence Day, Elder Holland discussed three necessities required to “forge a future of freedom”: charity, hope and faith.
The service was held at the BYU Marriott Center in Provo, Utah. His wife, Sister Paige Holland; and his father, President Jeffrey R. Holland, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, were also in attendance.
Read more about this story here.
2. Temple open house dates, renovation schedules released
Reservations are now available for the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple public open house, which runs Friday, Aug. 16, through Saturday, Aug. 31, excluding Sundays. Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will dedicate the Tallahassee Florida Temple on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, with the two dedicatory sessions — at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Eastern — to be broadcast to all units within the new temple district. The Orlando Florida Temple is now closed for operations, 30 years after its 1994 dedication. The Toronto Ontario Temple is scheduled to reopen in December 2024.
Read more about the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple here.
Read more about the Tallahassee Florida Temple here.
Read more about the Orlando Florida Temple and Toronto Ontario Temple here.
3. Change of plans: How following the Lord’s direction has blessed Elder Shumway’s life
“We’ve always had a plan in our lives,” said Elder Steven D. Shumway, who was sustained as a General Authority Seventy in April 2024 general conference. “But the Lord has had a way of providing a different and better way forward for us. Following His way has required us to act and take a step forward even when you are surrounded by darkness. Once we take that step forward, the light begins to appear. That’s been the story of our lives. We have needed to trust that the Lord is guiding us to a better place that we cannot see. And now that we look back, it’s easy to see how God has been in the details of everything we’ve done.”
Read more about this story here.
4. Episode 195: ‘Book of Mormon Videos’ producers on making the series and the truths found in sacred scripture
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints launched the fifth and final season of the “Book of Mormon Videos” series in early 2024. This episode of the Church News podcast looks behind the scenes with series producers Aaron Merrell and Jaelan Petrie to explore the storytelling process of creating the videos and the sacred book of scripture they are based on.
Listen to the Church News podcast here.
5. Primary children have their own FSY and mission prep in Portugal and Colombia
Primary children in the Vila Nova de Gaia 1st Ward, Porto Portugal Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had their own “FSY children” activity this month. The event was inspired by FSY and adapted for younger ages, explained the Church’s Portugal Newsroom. The meetinghouse was filled with laughter and excitement — with group activities, games and competitions challenging the children’s creativity and cooperation.
Read the full story here.
6. Refugee recovery in Democratic Republic of the Congo, West Africa
Refugees fleeing from dangerous situations in South Sudan and Nigeria have found shelter in neighboring countries. There, the Church partnered with other organizations, including the nonprofit organization ShelterBox and The United Nations Children’s Fund, known as UNICEF, to provide opportunities for displaced people to rebuild their lives and gain education needed to improve their situations.
Read more about the DR Congo here.
Read more about West Africa here.
7. How faith and resilience have propelled this Latter-day Saint woman to become a rear admiral in the Coast Guard Reserve
Joanna Hiigel has become the fourth woman selected to the rank of rear admiral in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. She was officially promoted on July 1.
Hiigel feels a great sense of responsibility for the 6,000 Coast Guard reserves and their families. She is grateful for the years of experience that have shaped her as a leader, wife, mother and Latter-day Saint. She finds inspiration in Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
Read the full story here.
8. Latter-day Saints competing in the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games
As the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris approach, members of the Church prepare to compete in the games. From the United States, there are six Latter-day Saint athletes so far who are planning trips to Paris: marathoners Conner Mantz and Clayton Young; steeplechasers Kenneth Rooks, James Corrigan and Courtney Wayment; and Jimmer Fredette in 3-by-3 basketball.
Read more about Latter-day Saint Olympians here.
9. Dell Van Orden, former editor of the Church News, dies at age 88
Dell R. Van Orden, who witnessed — and documented — the news of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than 30 years, died Thursday, June 27, 2024, at age 88.
Van Orden was the editor of the Church News from 1976 to 1999 and originated the Deseret News Church Almanac in 1974. When he retired in October 1999, Van Orden reflected on his career and said it “has been great to stand at the window for the past 31 years and see the work of the Lord unfold.”
