This week on social: Church leaders share about the new hymnbook – Church News

This week on social media, Church leaders shared updates on their global ministries and the new hymnbook, held discussions with members and touched on the doctrine surrounding humanity’s relationship with Heavenly Father.
President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, clarified the belief of heaven and hell in a social media post on May 31. “A loving Heavenly Father has a better plan for His children” than just heaven or hell, President Oaks explained.
President Oaks said that revealed doctrine teaches that all children of God will eventually be placed in a kingdom of glory. While teaching about the celestial kingdom, he quoted John 14:2 to show this point: “In my Father’s house are many mansions.” He stated that the purpose of the Church “is to prepare God’s children for salvation in the celestial glory and, more particularly, for exaltation in its highest degree.”
In a recent devotional at Brigham Young University, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles acknowledged that the students have a lot of big decisions but counseled them to ask Heavenly Father for blessings and guidance.
“But in doing so, make sure that you are not trying to get Him to see things your way,” Elder Uchtdorf warned. Instead, he asked the students to ask to see things from His perspective and promised blessings to those who do this. Big things will seem small, and the students will understand the “eternal significance” of small things.
Elder Uchtdorf testified in the video from June 5 that answers to prayers come. “Perhaps not your way, but certainly His way.”
Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles visited The Felix Project in the United Kingdom while on his ministry in Europe and posted a video about the experience.
Explaining what The Felix Project does, Elder Cook remarked, “People everywhere are caring for and looking after one another.” The video posted on June 3 showed that The Felix Project takes surplus food and makes millions of meals for those in need. It was an example of charity, he said.
“Caring for the vulnerable is all of our sacred duty.” The work happening in the United Kingdom is a great work, and Elder Cook said he was proud that the Church was able to join in on the effort.
“There’s always a beautiful Spirit that attends, that testifies of the truths in the house of the Lord,” said Sister Kristin M. Yee, second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, in a reel on the grounds of the Syracuse Utah Temple. Sister Yee talked about her experience leading a tour through the temple while it was in its open-house phase, which concluded May 31.
After explaining what an open house is in the reel on the Relief Society Worldwide account, Sister Yee expressed that she loves being in the temple as often as she can because of the peace felt there. She stated that “His peace can be felt by all” those who come through the temple.
Sister Yee and the Church Newsroom correspondent concluded the May 30 reel by testifying of the special Spirit that can be felt in the house of the Lord.
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Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles posted a video in front of the under-construction Santa Cruz Bolivia Temple with two stake presidents from the area, President Fernando Vargas and President Moroni Franco.
The three men talked in this June 3 video about how the members feel about a temple being so close to Latter-day Saints in this part of Bolivia. The members in the country look forward to being sealed in the temple, President Vargas said. “This is going to bless the people, not only the members, but also the people in Bolivia,” he said.
This will be the second temple in Bolivia, with 11 stakes right by it. Elder Andersen expressed amazement at how President Nelson, through the revelation, is bringing temples closer to all the members. “The Lord is doing that to prepare a people who could receive Him at the Second Coming.”
In 2018, the First Presidency directed that a new hymnbook be produced. Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gave an update about the new hymnbook project in a video posted June 3.
The purpose of the hymnbook is “to increase faith and worship of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in homes and at Church, and to unify members throughout the world.” Because of its sacredness, Elder Renlund explained, the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have been intimately involved in every aspect, which they take very seriously.
Elder Renlund said there will be 375 hymns in the print version and one-third of them will be children’s songs. He encouraged all members to start using the hymns now, as “music is a language of the Spirit.”
Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles sat down with young single adults in Taylorsville, Utah, and asked, “What would it look like if no one sat alone?”
In the video posted June 1, the young single adults shared their thoughts about what that looks like to them. The members spoke of gathering places like institute to help find connections. “The point of the Church is to help people come to Christ to unify themselves in one,” one member said.
The members said to reach out to those who sit alone and to trust the Spirit, as He “will lead you to the people that you need to be led to.”
In a June 2 video with former Sunday School general President Mark L. Pace, Primary General President Susan H. Porter listened as Brother Pace explained what was most helpful to teach Primary.
“I think the best preparation I do for teaching as a Primary teacher happens at home during the week,” Brother Pace said. Preparing for a lesson starts with how the teacher lives and in personal scripture study. “I certainly can’t be teaching something that I’m not living.”
President Porter and Brother Pace stressed the importance of using the manual that has been approved by prophets, seers and revelators. Other sources are nice and welcome, but the Lord has prepared the manual to be taught to the children.
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“This is the church of new beginnings,” Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said. After his ministry in the Philippines, Elder Kearon reflected on what he learned in a video posted on June 3.
Elder Kearon talked about the plan of happiness and its many names. “We give it these names that are full of hope, full of joy and full of light.” While in the Philippines, he said that he saw this happiness and joy on the faces of all he met.
In talking about the plan of happiness, Elder Kearon said that the happiness of the plan is found in the Church as well. Even though there are roadblocks on the way home, Heavenly Father did not put those roadblocks there. Instead, He is paving the way home.
Elder Kearon and his wife, Sister Jennifer Kearon, also visited an elementary school in Davao, Philippines, as electricity and water flowed to the building for the first time thanks to the efforts of the Church in that area. He shared his experience there in a video on June 1.
In a reel posted June 3, Brother Bradley R. Wilcox, first counselor in the Young Men general presidency, talked with the associate dean of Religious Education at Brigham Young University about a helpful way to study the scriptures.
Professor Gaye Strathearn talked about reading the scriptures in their context on the Young Men Worldwide account. “What is the writer, or the editor, or the Savior trying to get us to understand?” she asked. Instead of trying to get that scripture to support a certain statement, find what that scripture is actually saying.
“You don’t just want to read the scripture, but you want to read what’s around the scripture so that you get that context,” Brother Wilcox said in agreement.
Brother Wilcox also posted on his personal account about the impact FSY had on a youth in Massachusetts on June 2. He invited all youth to participate if they could, even if it is their off-year for their stake.
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