Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints invite members and guests of the Church to participate in the faith's next annual general conference, held March 31 and April 1, in Salt Lake City, United States.
| 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 |
Those who will attend will hear from President Russell M. Nelson, who was named the Church's worldwide leader in January after the passing of President Thomas S. Monson.
According to LDS.org:
"The First Presidency, members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and other General Authorities and General Officers of the Church will deliver messages of inspiration and guidance in five sessions:
The general priesthood session for priesthood holders will be Saturday, March 31, at 6:00 p.m. MDT. The general sessions for individuals and families will be Saturday and Sunday, March 31 and April 1, at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. MDT."
Again, for this upcoming April 2018 General Conference, some General Conference sessions will be beamed live via satellite to stake and district centers in the Africa West Area. Other sessions will be available by rebroadcast just a matter of hours after they have taken place.
As a result, Sunday, April 1 will be the day when all wards and branches will view a session of the General Conference instead of holding a Sacrament service and Sunday lessons. The broadcasts will occur as follows:
Nigeria and Benin: From 9 am to 11 am on Sunday, April 1, all wards and branches in these countries will receive the Saturday morning session of the General Conference in their stake or district center. Priesthood holders are invited to view the Priesthood session of the Conference from noon to 2 pm.
Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, Liberia and Sierra Leone: From 8 am to 10 am on Sunday, April 1 all wards and branches in these countries will receive the Saturday morning session of the General Conference in their stake or district center.
Priesthood holders are invited to view the Priesthood session of the Conference from 11 am to 1 pm.
For remote branches where members cannot attend the district center, and for branches outside mission districts, leaders should set aside Sunday 6 May to view the General Conference DVD.
Church leaders invite people to prepare spiritually for the conference by identifying questions for which they are seeking answers.
"Conference provides an opportunity to receive personal revelation as living prophets give counsel and direction," LDS.org states. "Asking questions can help you prepare for conference, increasing personal revelation while you watch."
The Church makes it clear that general conference is open to all interested persons. "Those of other faiths are welcome to participate in general conference. Members are encouraged to invite others in person or using social media," LDS.org says.