In a new initiative, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints invites people of every faith to experience General Conference, which originates twice yearly from Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Information for interested individuals can be found at "Invite Others".
A short video on the page explains what general conference is, what prophets are, and how individuals can watch or listen online or at local meetinghouses. Australia's Mormons will be joining congregations worldwide to hear messages from General Authorities of the Church in the 182nd General Conference on 31 March and 1 April.
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
Michael Otterson, head of Church public affairs, describes the event: "On the two days of conference itself, 100,000 people will pass through the doors of the vast facility known simply as the Conference Centre. Many are local residents. Others have driven long distances or flown in.
"Inside, the centre is a jaw-dropping auditorium where every one of the 20,000-plus seats has an uninterrupted view of the stage that will house the Tabernacle Choir and the leadership of the Church from around the world. To make ready for them, technicians busy themselves with a thousand details for simultaneous language translation, broadcast camera angles, music and floral arrangements."
Throughout the conference, messages from the living prophets on earth today will help people of all faiths focus on life's great questions and purposes and find direction in self-improvement and overcoming difficulties.
The four general sessions will be held on Saturday and Sunday, 31 March and 1 April, at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. mountain daylight time.
The priesthood session will be held on Saturday, March 31, at 6:00 p.m. mountain daylight time. All sessions are held semi-annually and are broadcast live via satellite to Church facilities around the world.
Where time differences make live viewing difficult, taped sessions are typically shown in meetinghouses the following week-end.
General conference addresses are published in many text, video, and audio formats in multiple languages and multiple channels, including television, radio, the Internet, and other media, such as the Roku device.
To learn more about the April 2012 conference, including subscription details, see "When Conference Materials Will Be Available."
Read Michael Otterson's "Why Do Mormons Hold General Conference?", as published in The Washington Post.