![]() ![]() grew more and more uncomfortable in his small wooden chair. According to one report:Īs the face-off between the Senators and the Athletics wore on, the rotund, six-foot-two president. ![]() On April 14, 1910, President Taft attended the opening game of the major-league season between the Washington Senators and the Philadelphia Athletics. He was also an avid fan of major-league baseball. President Taft was a large man, standing more than six feet in height and weighing well more than 300 pounds. history to serve as the head of both the executive and judicial branches. So while there is increased optimism because the end is in sight, there is a commensurate need to be more diligent than ever in wearing masks, washing our hands, maintaining social distancing, and complying with testing protocols.Īs I have considered our situation in this regard, my mind has gone to a tradition that began in earnest with William Howard Taft, the twenty-seventh president of the United States and later chief justice of the U.S. With the rapidly expanding availability of a vaccine, we can envision a future in which we will be able to gather more often and in larger numbers and in which in-person meetings and classes will become the norm rather than the exception.īut-and this is important-that day has not come yet, and the speed with which it comes, as well as the adverse impact the virus will have in the interim, will depend in no small part on the degree to which we continue to adhere to safety and health guidelines over these next few months. Even though many of the traditional educational routines continue to be altered because of the coronavirus, there is increasing light on the horizon. The good news is that there are things within our individual and collective control that we can do to address both of these challenges. Just as Paul in the New Testament taught that the Church is a body with each part adding beauty and purpose to the whole, so too does The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints experience strength from its diversity.Welcome to the start of a new semester, one full of promise but also one in which we face two major challenges: (1) a global pandemic that threatens our physical health and (2) increasing divisiveness and anger that threaten the moral and spiritual fiber of our society. In December of 2014 the Church exceeded 15 million members, bringing the total wards and branches (congregations) to just over 29,000 around the globe. In 1996, the number of members living outside the United States surpassed those residing within it, and by the year 2000 the majority of the membership was non-English speaking. Since the 1900s the Church has grown from congregations comprised mainly of northern European immigrants to the United States to a global Church whose members live in 190 countries and speak over 120 languages. The composition of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has changed over time and continues to change every day. Similarly, the Church’s semiannual conference, which is broadcast around the world, allows members the opportunity to learn simultaneously from the prophet, apostles, and other Church leaders. Organizations for the children, youth, and adults unite individuals around the world each year in a common area of focus. ![]() Unity is also built in each congregation as individuals teach and worship from similar hymns, scriptures, lessons, and sacramental prayers each Sunday. This knowledge builds a feeling of unity in every building and worship service around the world and ties all members of the Church together. They know He loves each of His children equally. Regardless of ethnicity or outward appearance, all Church members are united in the knowledge that they are children of a Heavenly Father. Because of the Savior’s invitation that all God’s children come unto Him (see Matthew 11:28 Doctrine and Covenants 10:67), no two congregations in the Church are the same. Cultures and peoples throughout the world gather together by geographical location to form local congregations that worship together. The diversity of the Church’s worldwide membership is a notable characteristic of Latter-day Saints because the gospel of Jesus Christ transcends every culture, race, nationality, and language. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a world religion, not only because its members are found throughout the world, but also because it seeks to share God’s message of truth with the entire world.
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