Hey, Matt! Thanks for pooviding this update. Even though COVID-19 comppletely inteirfered with Church growth within the last couple of months, I am hopeful that as Church units begin a cautious and prudent return to normacly as directed by the First Presidency that there will be many more Church growth milestones ahead. Please keep up the great work!
I don't think COVID19 interfered to badley with church growth. It way have delayed a few things. But I think we will see a huge surge later in the year or next year that may offset any stagnation effected by the virus.
Thanks for the translation updates. There are a couple of edits to the list provided in the newsletter: • In addition to the languages listed, the following Triple Combination translations have been completed since 2018: Afrikaans, Polish, Setswana. • Additionally, Triple Combination translations have started for American Sign Language (D&C complete + Joseph Smith-History) and Sinhala (through D&C section 9, although the Book of Mormon translation does not appear on the web app). • The Hiligaynon Triple Combination translation has not been completed. The books of Abraham, Joseph Smith-Matthew, and the Articles of Faith still remain. • The Setswana and Twi Triple Combination translations are complete with the exception of the Study Helps.
It appears that some congregations in Utah resumed meetings today. The Salt Lake Tribune in it's usually trying to spread the spirit of contention tried to make the wearing of masks a divisive issue with 0 evidence of people not wearing masks. They also hyped on it as a sign of political divide when in fact some people have strong health and psychological reasons not to wear masks.
Here in Michigan we still will not even start delivering the sacrament outside households until after June 12th, and it will not be until the end of June or early July that meetings will resume.
There is a plan to create a storefront facility staffed with senior missionaries that will offer Addiction Recovery Program resources and some other community aimed programs. I think the mentioned BYU-Pathway but they also seemed to say this is outreach to those not in the Church a while I thought Pathway was only for members.
Our mission will peak at over 300 missionaries, probably twice what we were at before the pandemic. The church is seeking to place them in member homes where possible since they will probably not all stay long enough to justify taking out leases.
Our Ogden Stake decided to start sacrament meeting today. Our ward was divided alphabetically, and my household is in the 2nd half of the alphabet, so we meet next week.
I Know that one of the requirements for the pathway program is to be a member or have "a connection" to the church. "A connection" has a broad meaning. That can mean being an investigator to being a relative of a member.The guidelines on the pathway website state:2.2.2 Non-Member Applicants BYU-Pathway Worldwide authorizes students who are not members of the Church to participate at any approved PathwayConnect site under the following guidelines:
Applicants must have a close tie to the Church, such as being in a part-member family or learning about the Church. Applicants must meet all other PathwayConnect admission requirements (see 2.2 Admissions Requirements). Each site should not exceed 20 percent non-member enrollment. Students who are not Church members will pay 25 percent more for tuition.
@Matt, update on Kasungu, Malawi: I listened to a presentation today from the missionary couple who were helping establish the Church in Kasungu. They added some details from what was on their blog, namely that by the time they had to leave in March due to the pandemic that over 100 individuals had been baptized, and official permission had been granted to form a branch, and that they expect this to formally occur as soon as it's safe to gather for their next meeting. The story of this branch was very interesting, about 7 years ago a pastor from another denomination heard about the restored gospel and sought it out online and was taught by online missionaries and was subsequently expelled from his church when he was baptized. He gathered followers over the years when the missionary couple arrived to assess the situation and see if the followers would be willing to be baptized and follow Church leaders. An active priesthood holder moved to the area and missionaries were assigned and the baptisms started. They also noted that they felt there were a number of strong leaders among the group and felt positive about the future of the soon to be branch.
President Nelson has made a broad statement condemning racism, urging the building of bridges of understanding and also stating that wrong acts do not solve things.
I do not believe the Church will change the name of Latter-day Saint Charities anytime soon. As said on the church newsroom page on August 29, 2019:
"The official designation and brand for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints humanitarian activities is now Latter-day Saint Charities (formerly known as LDS Charities). This change reminds the world that Latter-day Saint Charities is made possible by generous donations from Latter-day Saints and friends of the Church who want to create positive change in the world. The adjustment also reflects the correct name of members of the restored Church of Jesus Christ and their commitment to follow Him."
Sounds like the adjustment has already taken place.
Hi, my own view is that using LDS to refer to church members can be appropriate in some informal conversation, where all involved understand what it means, like when communicating with a friend or a close-knit group, similar to how some may say or text OMG or LOL. Another idea is that using abbreviations or acronyms in general carries similar downsides as the use of any jargon. I think part of the idea to replace LDS with the actual words helps ourselves better remember and others better understand the truth that we are literally saints, living in the latter days. Using this name provides more than just a proper noun.
It’s less that using LDS is wrong, and more that Latter-day Saints is better.
President Nelson has discouraged nicknames. Considering how hard it seems to get some to say The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I think the biggest needed change is to uniformly practices that avoid using the name of Jesus Christ. More than that is hard to say but I seek to follow the counsel of the prophet not my own wisdom.
Tyler Alley, Pres. Nelson posted a statement on his Facebook page. https://www.abc4.com/news/latter-day-saint-president-releases-statement-about-racism-calls-for-human-dignity/
In the Newsroom videos that get posted to Youtube, most narrated story videos have the person doing the story saying 'The Church of Jesus Christ. I use that in social media shares of things where that is desired. It is also used in the Book of Mormon, and was the first name of the Church. Some social platforms do not lend themselves well to sharing the entire name (e. g. Twitter) but it is desirable to use the long name in the first instance where possible.
Young church missionaries have been creating hundreds of facebook pages using the shorter name during the stay at home orders in a attempt to ready out on social media. Here is one example from Utah: https://www.facebook.com/ChurchofJesusChristinMurray/
President Nelson has emphasized to honor the name of the Savior in reference to Him because by omission we do Him and us a disservice. We belong to Him and it is His Church, so it is not our LDS or Mormon nickname that heads it. It is tricky to keep a healthy balance of the nomenclature.
I'd like to weigh in here on the proper terminology. In addition to Latter-day Saint charities (which is tied to the Church itself more directly than it is to the name of Him whose Church it is), in public references to Church members, President Nelson and other rank-and-file leaders have used the term "Latter-day Saints". Additionally, the series of articles from the country Newsroom websites that is periodically featured on the main Newsroom, the title of that had been changed a while back to the revised title "Latter-day Saints Around the World." That usage suggests that when talking about members as individuals and groups, it would be correct to refer to "Latter-day Saints", but that it would be incorrect to refer to the Church itself as the "Latter-day Saint Church", since that would omit the name of the Savior when talking about the organization. Think of it as a "people reference vs. entity reference" scenario.
Hey, Matt! Thanks for pooviding this update. Even though COVID-19 comppletely inteirfered with Church growth within the last couple of months, I am hopeful that as Church units begin a cautious and prudent return to normacly as directed by the First Presidency that there will be many more Church growth milestones ahead. Please keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteI don't think COVID19 interfered to badley with church growth. It way have delayed a few things. But I think we will see a huge surge later in the year or next year that may offset any stagnation effected by the virus.
DeleteThanks for the translation updates. There are a couple of edits to the list provided in the newsletter:
ReplyDelete• In addition to the languages listed, the following Triple Combination translations have been completed since 2018: Afrikaans, Polish, Setswana.
• Additionally, Triple Combination translations have started for American Sign Language (D&C complete + Joseph Smith-History) and Sinhala (through D&C section 9, although the Book of Mormon translation does not appear on the web app).
• The Hiligaynon Triple Combination translation has not been completed. The books of Abraham, Joseph Smith-Matthew, and the Articles of Faith still remain.
• The Setswana and Twi Triple Combination translations are complete with the exception of the Study Helps.
It appears that some congregations in Utah resumed meetings today. The Salt Lake Tribune in it's usually trying to spread the spirit of contention tried to make the wearing of masks a divisive issue with 0 evidence of people not wearing masks. They also hyped on it as a sign of political divide when in fact some people have strong health and psychological reasons not to wear masks.
ReplyDeleteHere in Michigan we still will not even start delivering the sacrament outside households until after June 12th, and it will not be until the end of June or early July that meetings will resume.
There is a plan to create a storefront facility staffed with senior missionaries that will offer Addiction Recovery Program resources and some other community aimed programs. I think the mentioned BYU-Pathway but they also seemed to say this is outreach to those not in the Church a while I thought Pathway was only for members.
Our mission will peak at over 300 missionaries, probably twice what we were at before the pandemic. The church is seeking to place them in member homes where possible since they will probably not all stay long enough to justify taking out leases.
@JPL
DeleteOur Ogden Stake decided to start sacrament meeting today. Our ward was divided alphabetically, and my household is in the 2nd half of the alphabet, so we meet next week.
I Know that one of the requirements for the pathway program is to be a member or have "a connection" to the church. "A connection" has a broad meaning. That can mean being an investigator to being a relative of a member.The guidelines on the pathway website state:2.2.2 Non-Member Applicants
ReplyDeleteBYU-Pathway Worldwide authorizes students who are not members of the Church to participate at any approved PathwayConnect site under the following guidelines:
Applicants must have a close tie to the Church, such as being in a part-member family or learning about the Church.
Applicants must meet all other PathwayConnect admission requirements (see 2.2 Admissions Requirements).
Each site should not exceed 20 percent non-member enrollment.
Students who are not Church members will pay 25 percent more for tuition.
I think BYU Pathway can be an excellent missionary tool.
ReplyDelete@L. Chris Jones
Delete"Students who are not Church members will pay 25 percent more for tuition."
Good incentive to join the Church - you'll save some money! ;)
Thank you Matt and Jamie for the translation updates, wonderful to see a compilation of all the progress!
ReplyDelete@Matt, update on Kasungu, Malawi: I listened to a presentation today from the missionary couple who were helping establish the Church in Kasungu. They added some details from what was on their blog, namely that by the time they had to leave in March due to the pandemic that over 100 individuals had been baptized, and official permission had been granted to form a branch, and that they expect this to formally occur as soon as it's safe to gather for their next meeting.
ReplyDeleteThe story of this branch was very interesting, about 7 years ago a pastor from another denomination heard about the restored gospel and sought it out online and was taught by online missionaries and was subsequently expelled from his church when he was baptized. He gathered followers over the years when the missionary couple arrived to assess the situation and see if the followers would be willing to be baptized and follow Church leaders. An active priesthood holder moved to the area and missionaries were assigned and the baptisms started. They also noted that they felt there were a number of strong leaders among the group and felt positive about the future of the soon to be branch.
I am hopeful I will live to see a temple in Malawi.
DeleteSalta Argentina Temple groundbreaking set for August 15:
ReplyDeletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/groundbreaking-date-announced-for-salta-argentina-temple
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAt this point I'm actually shocked that it has a Moroni statue.
ReplyDeleteI assume the reason church members pay lower tuition for Pathway is that we already subsidize it by paying tithing.
It’s probably only a matter of time before Latter-day Saint Charities is renamed, right?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I wonder if The Restored Church will make a statement about recent, tragic events?
ReplyDeletePresident Nelson has made a broad statement condemning racism, urging the building of bridges of understanding and also stating that wrong acts do not solve things.
DeleteI do not believe the Church will change the name of Latter-day Saint Charities anytime soon. As said on the church newsroom page on August 29, 2019:
ReplyDelete"The official designation and brand for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints humanitarian activities is now Latter-day Saint Charities (formerly known as LDS Charities). This change reminds the world that Latter-day Saint Charities is made possible by generous donations from Latter-day Saints and friends of the Church who want to create positive change in the world. The adjustment also reflects the correct name of members of the restored Church of Jesus Christ and their commitment to follow Him."
Sounds like the adjustment has already taken place.
Thanks! Good to know!
Delete77 more temples around the world are opening on June 8 for Phase 1. Yes!
ReplyDeleteThat totals 143 temples that will be open for Phase 1 by Monday, June 8.
ReplyDeletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/multimedia/file/temple-reopening-list.pdf
Only 25 more to go for all dedicated temples to be open in Phase 1. It is good to see progress!
ReplyDeleteOops. I guess I read that PDF wrong. It looks like only 11 are reopening on June 8.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2020-06-01/lds-temples-open-worldwide-phased-reopening-183918
"1 June 2020 - Salt Lake City News Release
ReplyDeleteNews of the Church Is Now Merged at Newsroom.ChurchofJesusChrist.org
Church News and Events page is now on Newsroom"
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/church-news-merge-2020
I honestly don't understand what's wrong with LDS when it literally is the same thing as "Latter-day Saint(s)".
ReplyDeleteHi, my own view is that using LDS to refer to church members can be appropriate in some informal conversation, where all involved understand what it means, like when communicating with a friend or a close-knit group, similar to how some may say or text OMG or LOL. Another idea is that using abbreviations or acronyms in general carries similar downsides as the use of any jargon. I think part of the idea to replace LDS with the actual words helps ourselves better remember and others better understand the truth that we are literally saints, living in the latter days. Using this name provides more than just a proper noun.
DeleteIt’s less that using LDS is wrong, and more that Latter-day Saints is better.
Just some thoughts
President Nelson has discouraged nicknames. Considering how hard it seems to get some to say The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I think the biggest needed change is to uniformly practices that avoid using the name of Jesus Christ. More than that is hard to say but I seek to follow the counsel of the prophet not my own wisdom.
Delete31 May 2020 - Salt Lake City Church News
ReplyDeleteFree Family History Webinars for June 2020
The Family History Library in Salt Lake City provides free webinars each month on a variety of topics and for a variety of skill levels.
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/free-family-history-webinars-for-june-2020
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTyler Alley, Pres. Nelson posted a statement on his Facebook page. https://www.abc4.com/news/latter-day-saint-president-releases-statement-about-racism-calls-for-human-dignity/
ReplyDeleteThanks Nancy, it is such a beautiful, powerful message!
DeleteIn the Newsroom videos that get posted to Youtube, most narrated story videos have the person doing the story saying 'The Church of Jesus Christ. I use that in social media shares of things where that is desired. It is also used in the Book of Mormon, and was the first name of the Church. Some social platforms do not lend themselves well to sharing the entire name (e. g. Twitter) but it is desirable to use the long name in the first instance where possible.
ReplyDeleteYoung church missionaries have been creating hundreds of facebook pages using the shorter name during the stay at home orders in a attempt to ready out on social media. Here is one example from Utah: https://www.facebook.com/ChurchofJesusChristinMurray/
ReplyDeletePresident Nelson has emphasized to honor the name of the Savior in reference to Him because by omission we do Him and us a disservice. We belong to Him and it is His Church, so it is not our LDS or Mormon nickname that heads it. It is tricky to keep a healthy balance of the nomenclature.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to weigh in here on the proper terminology. In addition to Latter-day Saint charities (which is tied to the Church itself more directly than it is to the name of Him whose Church it is), in public references to Church members, President Nelson and other rank-and-file leaders have used the term "Latter-day Saints". Additionally, the series of articles from the country Newsroom websites that is periodically featured on the main Newsroom, the title of that had been changed a while back to the revised title "Latter-day Saints Around the World." That usage suggests that when talking about members as individuals and groups, it would be correct to refer to "Latter-day Saints", but that it would be incorrect to refer to the Church itself as the "Latter-day Saint Church", since that would omit the name of the Savior when talking about the organization. Think of it as a "people reference vs. entity reference" scenario.
ReplyDeleteIs there a Salta Argentina groundbreaking?
ReplyDelete@Scooter
DeleteNot yet.
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/salta-argentina-temple/
August 15. Official announcement is back up on the Newsroom.
Deletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/groundbreaking-date-salta-argentina-temple