195TH ANNUAL GENERAL CONFERENCE
of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
April 5-6, 2025
When I was reading in the Book of
Mormon the other morning, I came to the part of the Nephite history where King
Benjamin addresses the people and gives his famous sermon which includes the well-known
quote …”when you are in the service of your fellow beings, you are only
in the service of your God.”
King Benjamin had previously sent a
proclamation throughout all of the land that the people gather themselves
together and go up to the temple to hear the words which he was going to speak
to them. The record says that there were
so many people by that time that they couldn’t even be counted. But go to the temple they did—"all
the sons and daughters, and their sons, and their daughters, from the eldest
down to the youngest, every family being separate one from another.”
“And they pitched their tents round
about the temple, every man having his tent with the door thereof towards the
temple, that thereby they might remain in their tents and hear the words which
King Benjamin should speak unto them….” Mosiah
2:1-6
Every time I read that passage, it
reminds me of General Conference where Church members gather to hear the words
of the prophets and their testimonies of Jesus Christ.
I have shared with you in previous
years that when I was younger, I would often go to Salt Lake City on the train
with my cousin Lynn to attend Conference.
Then Conference became available on television in my home town, then on satellite
broadcasts at the chapel, and now in a variety of platforms that can be
received at home on the big screen or on the little six-inch screen of our
smart phones! Wow! Technology has come a
long way for the April 2025 General Conference global broadcast which will
be next weekend, April 5-6.
But, no matter how most people access
General Conference now, it still reminds me of King Bejamin calling the people
to gather together to hear his words as they sat in their tents with their
families having the doors facing King Benjamin at the temple.
So, we have that same kind of
opportunity, as the Book of Mormon Nephites, to listen to Conference in our own
homes with our families as we look at our Prophet Russell M. Nelson and the
Apostles while they give us instruction from the Conference Center in Salt Lake
City.
Here is some info I took from the
Church’s website:
“General conference provides an
opportunity to receive personal revelation as general Church leaders give
counsel and direction from the Lord. We
encourage all to listen to, study, ponder and apply the counsel given,” wrote the First Presidency of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Following
the broadcast, the messages will be available in text, audio and video formats
on multiple on-demand formats for viewing and studying. The messages will be published
in the Gospel Library app, on ChurchofJesusChrist.org and in Church magazines.
Saturday, April 5
Morning session: 10 a.m. to noon*
Afternoon session: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Evening session: 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 6
Morning session: 10 a.m. to noon
Afternoon session: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
All conference sessions will be streamed
live on the broadcasts page of ChurchofJesusChrist.org. You can also watch
and listen on the General Conference YouTube channel, the Gospel Stream app,
Gospel Library and other radio, television, satellite and digital channels.
I’m personally looking forward to this
opportunity to find respite from the world for a few hours. And, I invite you to also find that respite
as you tune in however it is most convenient and easiest for you—one talk, one
session, or one quote that will touch your heart and lift your life to give you
peace.
LET'S DO THIS!
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