Post # 184 – How COVID-19 Will Impact the April 2020 General Conference

Dear Family and Friends

I wanted to share this updated news from about the Corona virus.

The first letter was about the General Conference changes for those who were planning to attend in Salt Lake City at the Conference Center, or meeting houses where contagion is a concern. for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

I usually view it on television at home, so I will be watching it at home again. It sounds like the whole world will be watching it at their homes this year. I am so grateful for the media so that we have these options to allow us to participate in the conferences😊

 

11 March 2020 - Salt Lake City 

News Release

How COVID-19 Will Impact the April 2020 General Conference

Sessions will be done virtually; members will not gather at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City or at stake centers or meetinghouses in areas where COVID-19 is active

The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sent the following letter Wednesday March 11, 2020, to members of the Church worldwide. The Church leaders announced a significant change to the format of the April 2020 general conference. (See also two other letters from the First Presidency, sent today, that address important updates to service in two missionary training centers and restrictions on other large gatherings of members.)

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

I wanted to share this information with you right away. I was curious about Church meetings so I waited to see if there would be changes there. I was hoping that there wouldn’t be… but

We just received confirmation on March 12, 2020 on all Church gatherings, meetings. and activities, for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

12 March 2020 - Salt Lake City 

News Release

Update: Gatherings of Church Members Temporarily Suspended Worldwide

Local leaders will counsel to determine how to make the sacrament available to members at least once a month

The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 

Saints sent the following letter March 12, 2020, to Church members worldwide.

 Also see the latest updates on how COVID-19 is impacting Latter-day Saints around the world. 

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As promised in our letter of March 11, 2020, we continue to monitor the changing conditions 

related to COVID-19 throughout the world. We have considered the counsel of local Church

leaders, government officials and medical professionals, and have sought the Lord’s guidance

in these matters. We now provide the following updated directions.

Beginning immediately, all public gatherings of Church members are being temporarily 

suspended worldwide until further notice. This includes:

         Stake conferences, leadership conferences and other large gatherings

·         All public worship services, including sacrament meetings

·         Branch, ward and stake activities

Where possible, please conduct any essential leadership meetings via technology. Specific questions may be referred to local priesthood leaders. Further direction related to other matters will be provided.

Bishops should counsel with their stake president to determine how to make the sacrament available to members at least once a month.

We encourage members in their ministering efforts to care for one another. We should follow the Savior’s example to bless and lift others.

We bear our witness of the Lord’s love during this time of uncertainty. He will bless you to find joy as you do your best to live the gospel of Jesus Christ in every circumstance.

Sincerely,

The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

And now today there came confirmation on Temple attendance for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

13 March 2020 - Salt Lake City 

News Release

Temporary Adjustments Made to Temple Worship Around the World

Changes are effective March 16, 2020 for all temples worldwide

 Fort Collins Colorado Temple

© 2020 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sent the following letter March 13, 2020, to Church members around the world.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Rapidly changing health conditions around the world have been a source of growing concern. Many governments have placed restrictions that have required the temporary closure of a number of temples. As we have prayerfully sought to balance these limitations with the need to carry on temple work, we have decided to make the following temporary adjustments, which are effective March 16, 2020 for all temples around the world.

·         Where government or other restrictions on public and/or religious gatherings would, in effect, preclude temple activity, proxy and living ordinances will temporarily be suspended.

·         Where government or other restrictions do not preclude all temple activity, the following temple ordinances for living persons will be accommodated as capacity permits by appointment only: husband-and-wife and child-to-parents sealing ordinances and living initiatory and endowment ordinances. On a temporary basis, proxy temple ordinances will not be performed.

·         All patron housing will be closed.

Church members will be provided with instructions when they schedule their appointments for living ordinances. Individuals with currently scheduled appointments will be contacted by temple staff.

Steps will be taken in all temples to minimize the risk of spreading disease, including reducing temple staff, limiting guests at living ordinances, and following guidelines for interacting with patrons.

Additional information will be provided to temple presidencies, and further adjustments will be made as necessary.

We look forward with great anticipation to the time when temples can again operate at full capacity and extend the blessings of temple work to members and their ancestors.

Sincerely,

The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

The following is where you can find summary page from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints website which you can find here: https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/coronavirus-update-february-27-2020

13 March 2020 - Salt Lake City 

Summary Page

Updates on How COVID-19 Is Impacting Saints Worldwide

Church continues to closely monitor developments

This article is frequently updated with new information. Note time stamps for most recent additions.

This page provides updates on how COVID-19 (coronavirus) is impacting The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its global membership. The Church is monitoring developments and taking steps to comply with best practices and direction provided by public health organizations of various national governments.

Click the links below to read the latest on how COVID-19 is affecting the Church.

·         General Conference (Updated March 11)

·         Other Large Gatherings (Updated March 11)

·         Missionary Work (Updated March 12)

·         Church Educational System (CES) (Updated March 12)

·         Temple Worship (Updated March 13, 12 p.m. MDT)

·         Weekly Worship Services (Updated March 12)

·         Preventative Measures for Members (Updated in February)

·         Church Workforce (Updated March 5)

·         Church Aid (Updated February 4)

General Conference (Updated March 11)

The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sent a letter Wednesday March 11, 2020, to members of the Church worldwide. The Church leaders announced a significant change to the format of the April 2020 general conference. Sessions will be done virtually. Members will not gather at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City or at stake centers or meetinghouses in areas where COVID-19 is active.

The Conference Center2020 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved

Temple Square (Updated March 13 at 5 p.m. MDT)

All public areas of the following Church-owned buildings in and around Temple 
Square will close, effective 5:00 p.m. MDT  on Friday March 13. The closures 
will remain in effect until further notice.

• Conference Center
• Assembly Hall
• Tabernacle
• North Visitors’ Center
• Family History Library
• Church History Museum
• Relief Society Building
• Church Office Building
• Beehive House
• Church History Library

The construction work on the Salt Lake Temple will continue as planned. At 
Welfare Square, operations will remain open, but public tours are temporarily 
discontinued going forward.

Other Large Gatherings (Updated March 11, 2020)

The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sent a letter Wednesday, March 11, 2020, to Latter-day Saints everywhere. Their message details a notable restriction on large gatherings of Latter-day Saints. Beginning March 16, 2020, large gatherings will be postponed in Asia, Asia North, Europe, Europe East, the United States and Canada Areas.

A meetinghouse in Cedar City, Utah2020 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.   

Missionary Work (Updated March 12, 2020, 11:15 a.m. MDT)

In Europe, all senior missionaries and young missionaries with serious or chronic medical conditions will return home beginning Thursday, March 12, 2020. These missionaries, who are at a higher risk for complications from COVID-19, come from 22 missions across Europe. After returning home, they will self-isolate for 14 days. These missionaries will not receive a new temporary assignment but will be considered for reassignment once the COVID-19 situation abates.

The information above applies to these 22 missions:

·         Adriatic South Mission

·         Alpine German-Speaking Mission

·         Belgium/Netherlands Mission

·         Czech/Slovak Mission

·         Denmark Copenhagen Mission

·         England Birmingham Mission

·         England Leeds Mission

·         England London Mission

·         England Manchester Mission

·         Finland Helsinki Mission

·         France Paris Mission

·         France Lyon Mission

·         Germany Berlin Mission

·         Germany Frankfurt Mission

·         Italy Milan Mission

·         Italy Rome Mission

·         Norway Oslo Mission

·         Portugal Lisbon Mission

·         Scotland/Ireland Mission

·         Spain Barcelona Mission

·         Spain Madrid Mission

·         Sweden Stockholm Mission

(March 11) The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles sent a letter to Saints around the world. The senior leaders communicated a significant change to service in two missionary training centers. Beginning March 16, 2020, all missionaries scheduled to enter missionary training centers in Provo, Utah, or Preston, England, will be trained remotely by video conference.

Provo MTC2020 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights   reserved.                                   

Other Areas of Missionary Work 

All missionaries, regardless of where they are serving, have been reminded to follow basic preventative health practices to avoid illness. It is important to note that young missionaries are not generally considered to be at risk for serious complications from the coronavirus.

Missionaries who remain in those countries where COVID-19 is of particular concern will take precautions to stay healthy, including staying in their apartments as much as possible, avoiding personal interaction with other people and teaching through phone calls or other technology. Mission Presidents are communicating with families to let them know of these precautions and keep them updated on local circumstances.

The Church is taking steps to reduce the number of missionaries in areas where the virus is of particular concern. These steps will give mission presidents more flexibility to ensure missionaries are effective and safe and that there is adequate space to house missionaries if they are moved out of cities where there are greater concerns about infection.

These steps apply to the following missions:

·         Cambodia Phnom Penh Mission

·         Italy Milan Mission

·         Japan Fukuoka Mission

·         Japan Kobe Mission

·         Japan Nagoya Mission

·         Japan Sapporo Mission

·         Japan Tokyo North Mission

·         Japan Tokyo South Mission

·         Korea Busan Mission

·         Korea Seoul Mission

·         Korea Seoul South Mission

·         Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Mission

·         Singapore Mission

·         Thailand Bangkok Mission

Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand: All prospective missionaries preparing to serve in these missions or who come from those countries will either postpone their start date or receive a temporary assignment. Additionally, all missionaries serving in these missions who were nearing the end of their service have returned home early. All senior missionaries and any young missionaries with chronic health problems have also returned home or haven been temporarily reassigned to a mission in their home countries. Some senior missionaries will continue to support the mission remotely.

Japan: All missionaries preparing to serve in Japan will either postpone their start date or receive new temporary assignments.

Korea: All missionaries who are not native to Korea have left that country and returned home before departing for new temporary assignments in their home countries. This is in addition to those missionaries who were nearing the end of their service and those who had chronic health problems, who had already returned home early. All missionaries leaving the country had already been in self-isolation for some time and had avoided contact with others outside their apartments. Prospective missionaries preparing to serve in Korea or who come from that country will either postpone their start date or receive a temporary assignment.

Mongolia: All missionaries who are not native to Mongolia have been temporarily transferred from that country. Those who are nearing their scheduled release date have returned home early, while the rest have received new temporary assignments.

Each missionary who returns home will be asked to self-isolate for 14 days following instructions from the World Health Organization and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CES Guidelines (Updated March 12 at 5:45 p.m. MDT)

The leadership of the Church Educational System has adopted temporary guidelines which will be effective March 16, 2020.

Campus of BYU–Idaho© 2020 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.                                                                                                                                           

Temple Worship (Updated March 13 at 12 p.m. MDT)

(March 13) The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles sent a letter to Church members around the world detailing temporary changes to temple worship worldwide. These adjustments take effect March 16, 2020.

(March 12) Several temples have been closed because of concern for the workers and patrons. A large number of temple workers and patrons are from an older demographic, which has a higher susceptibility to complications from the coronavirus. These closures are in accordance with the recommendations of local public health agencies. The following temples have been temporarily closed:

·         Asunción Paraguay Temple

·         Boston Massachusetts Temple

·         Copenhagen Denmark Temple

·         Fukuoka Japan Temple

·         Lisbon Portugal Temple

·         Louisville Kentucky Temple

·         Manhattan New York Temple

·         Rome Italy Temple

·         Seoul Korea Temple

·         Sapporo Japan Temple

·         Seattle Washington Temple

·         Taipei Taiwan Temple

·         Vancouver British Columbia Temple

(Previously closed for renovation)

·         Hong Kong China Temple

·         Tokyo Japan Temple

Worship Services (Updated March 12 at 4:30 p.m.)

The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles sent a letter to Saints around the world March 12 that says says worship services worldwide are temporarily suspended.

Meetinghouse in Gwangju, South Korea.2020 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.           The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square (Updated March 13 at 2:30 p.m. MDT)
Consistent with the direction provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
Saints to temporarily postpone large public gatherings in areas challenged by the 
COVID-19 virus,  the Choir organization has cancelled several concerts and made changes to its public broadcasts and rehearsals. See this page for details  

FamilySearch International announced that the RootsTech conference planned for 
London in November 2020 will be postponed until autumn 2021. Read more.                                                                   

Preventative Measures

For all Church members, there is wisdom in taking steps to remain healthy during this cold and flu season. These precautions include*:

·         Regularly and thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water or clean them with an alcohol-based hand rub.

·         Avoid close contact with people who are sick (this may include avoiding shaking hands or other customary greetings).

·         Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

·         Stay home when you are sick.

·         Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.

·         Maintain at least three feet (one meter) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.

·         Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.

·         Follow public health agency recommendations for using a face mask.

*Based on recommendations from the World Health Organization and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Local leaders should encourage members to follow these guidelines.

Church Workforce (Updated March 5, 2020)

Employees of the Church should follow the guidelines provided here and any other direction provided by their area presidency.

Providing Aid (Updated February 4, 2020)

Since its initial donation of medical masks, goggles and gowns to China, the Church has received numerous requests for similar assistance. Those requests are being evaluated and addressed as the Church is able to do so, although our ability to supply and deliver those products is limited by a global demand for such resources.

Summary

We are grateful for the many expressions of support and concern that have been shared. The Church will continue to follow developments closely and make any further adjustments as needed. We continue to pray for all those impacted by the virus.

I hope and I pray that you and all those you love are healthy and well. And for those of you who have been affected by this terrible corona virus, I pray that you will recover in a timely manner. I know that the Lord is with you no matter what your situation may be. Please, please remember to call on Him in your time of need. He will bless you to endure what ever you may be facing.

Please put your trust in Him. He loves each one of you, so much more than you can imagine. Please be safe and take care of yourself and those you love. Remember to stock up on those things that you might need in case of a quarantine in your area, city, town, etc.

Again, I want to encourage you to get a Priesthood blessing if you are in need, if you can, I know that it will help you in more ways that you know. Remember, you are His child and He will care for you😊 Until my next post, please make it a good week😊