Getting Members to the Temple

This post is part of the General Conference Odessey This week covers the Saturday morning session of the April 1997 conference.

We sustained a new branch president earlier in the year who announced that his vision for our branch is to get members to the temple. He felt that his calling from the Lord is to help all those who haven't ever been to become worthy and go to the temple, and encourage those who have been to keep their recommend current, and attend as often as they can.

President James E. Faust began his talk in this session telling about Brigham Young working hard to get as many through the Nauvoo temple as they could before they had to leave. He spoke of one particular couple, "humble, new converts to the Church, without wealth or position." This couple were ancestors of Pres. Faust. 

President Faust spoke of temples and their importance in giving strength to members as we face challenges.

Our challenges are more subtle but equally hard. Maintaining our spiritual strength is also a daily challenge. The greatest source of that spiritual strength come, as it did in their time, from our temples.

I urge all who have not yet received these greatest of all blessings within the walls of the temple to do whatever may be necessary to qualify to receive them. To those who have received these blessings, I invite you to savor again the experience of being within the sacred premises of the holy temples of God and have the visions of life eternal open again to your hearts, minds, and souls.

I went to the St. Paul temple just before this year's April General Conference and drank in the spirit and beauty, peace and calm that is found there.  It had been about three years since I'd been there and it sure felt good to be back.

Marilyn at Light in Leaves has more General Conference Odessey.