Conference sessions will be done virtually; members will not gather at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City or at meetinghouses in areas where COVID-19 is active
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has announced significant changes to the upcoming General Conference, scheduled for the first weekend in April 2020. The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles sent a letter today to members of the church worldwide announcing the changes. The letter reads as follows:
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We are deeply concerned about the global spreading of illness caused by COVID-19. We have counseled with worldwide governmental, ecclesiastical, and medical leaders and have prayerfully considered the current circumstances. We want to be good global citizens and do what we can to control this contagious illness. We are most grateful for the many who are working tirelessly to address this health hazard. We pray for them and for all who may be suffering.
To help control this problem, we feel it wise to limit attendance at the upcoming April 2020 General Conference. We plan to conduct all five sessions of that conference at the Conference Center. General authorities, general officers and their spouses, musicians, choirs, technicians, and others will participate as assigned. But, proceedings of the conference will be distributed throughout the world via technology only. The public will not be admitted in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, or in stake centers or meetinghouses in areas where contagion is a concern. Questions about other large gatherings of Church members will be answered in separate announcements.
We live in a remarkable age. The Lord has blessed us with the technology and capacity to participate in and receive messages from Church leaders in all parts of the world. This special conference will commemorate the bicentennial of the First Vision and the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in these latter days.
We invite all to continue to prepare for this conference. As we do, we will be blessed to hear the word of the Lord and participate in a general conference experience that will remain not only memorable, but unforgettable.
Sincerely,
The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Changes to missionary training centers
In addition to the format changes for General Conference, church leaders have announced changes to service in missionary training centers in Provo, Utah, and Preston, England. Beginning March 16, 2020, all missionaries scheduled to enter the missionary training centers in those areas will be trained remotely by video conference. Other missionary training centers will continue to function as usual, but they will not receive any missionaries from regions where government officials are restricting activity. Missionaries in those areas will be trained remotely as well.
The Gila Valley is beginning to see events cancelled due to Covid-19. For more information, click here.
