CHURCH of JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS
APPOINTS THREE NEW APOSTLES
This has been a year of change for the LDS Church. It has been touched with sadness at the loss of three of their beloved apostles--President Boyd K. Packer, Elder L. Tom Perry, and Elder Richard G. Scott. While members did indeed mourn their passing, they waited with much anticipation for the October session of General Conference to hear who would replace the three apostles.
Sustained by the members were Elder Ronald A. Rasband, Elder Gary E. Stevenson, and Elder Dale G. Renlund. It is noted that they became the 98th, 99th and 100th apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
All three newly called apostles have expressed humble gratitude and the love of their Lord Jesus Christ. They spoke of the needy and expressed that now is the time to show our love and help others.
Elder Stevenson said in a press conference that receiving his new call had been a “knee-buckling experience” that was completely unexpected. “In the past three and a half years, I have been serving as the Presiding Bishop, and, in that capacity, I have had a particular focus in caring for the poor and the needy, which is one of the divinely appointed responsibilities of Christ’s Church.” He went on to testify of the fact that it is a global church and the apostles would be serving saints worldwide.
In the same press conference Elder Renlund said that the whole purpose of the Church is to deliver the Atonement of Jesus Christ to people. “And the greatest joy that comes is helping to bring the Atonement of Christ into the lives of people anywhere. I think this gives the opportunity to do that in a bigger scale, in more places, and being a witness of Christ in His name in all the world. I can’t imagine what this is going to be like.”
Elder Rasband also spoke and testified of Christ saying, “We bear His witness of Him everywhere to members and nonmembers and friends and neighbors. To be a special witness of the name of Christ, I think, is our premier and foremost calling. That hasn’t changed from the days that Christ sent those with Him in the meridian of time.”
It is indeed a time of sorrow and joy as the Church said goodbye to three apostles and welcomed three new ones. One thing that has not changed is the Latter Day Saints’ goal to spread the word of Christ and testify of their faith.
