President Gordon B. Hinckley
No other church to come out of the soil of America has grown so fast nor spread so widely. . . . It is a
phenomenon without precedent.
My beloved brothers and sisters, it is wonderful to meet
with you again in a great world conference of the Church.
One hundred and seventy-two years ago today, Joseph Smith
and his associates met in the inconspicuous log house on the Peter Whitmer farm
in the quiet village of Fayette, New York, and organized the Church of Christ.
From that modest beginning something truly remarkable
has happened. Great has been the history of this work. Our people have endured
every kind of suffering. Indescribable have been their sacrifices. Immense beyond
belief have been their labors. But out of all of this fiery crucible has come
something glorious. Today we stand on the summit of the years and look about
us.
From the original six members has grown a vast family
of worshipers, 11 million-plus strong. From that quiet village has grown a movement
that today is scattered through some 160 nations of the earth. This has become
the fifth largest church in the United States. That is a remarkable development.
More members of the Church reside out of this nation than in it. That, too,
is a remarkable thing. No other church to come out of the soil of America has
grown so fast nor spread so widely. Within its vast embrace are members from
many nations who speak many tongues. It is a phenomenon without precedent. As
the tapestry of its past has unrolled, a beautiful pattern has come to view.
It finds expression in the lives of a happy and wonderful people. It portends
marvelous things yet to come.
When our people first arrived in this valley 155 years
ago, they saw with prophetic vision a great future. But I sometimes wonder if
they really sensed the magnitude of that dream as it would unfold.
The headquarters of the Church are in this city which
recently hosted the 19th Winter Olympics. We made a deliberate decision that
we would not use this as a time or place to proselytize, but we were confident
that out of this significant event would come a wonderful thing for the Church.
The great buildings which we have here—the Temple, the Tabernacle, this magnificent
Conference Center, the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, Family History facilities,
the Church Administration Building, the Church Office Building, our Welfare
facilities, together with scores of chapels in this valley—could not be overlooked
by those who walked the streets of this and neighboring cities. As Mike Wallace
once remarked to me, "These structures all denote something solid."
And beyond this, we had total confidence in our people,
many thousands of them, who would serve as volunteers in this great undertaking.
They would be dependable; they would be pleasant; they would be knowledgeable;
they would be accommodating. The unique and distinctive capacity of our people
in speaking the languages of the world would prove to be a tremendous asset
beyond anything to be found elsewhere.
Well, it all worked out. The visitors came by the hundreds
of thousands. Some came with suspicion and hesitancy, old and false images persisting
in their minds. They came feeling they might get trapped in some unwanted situation
by religious zealots. But they found something they never expected. They discovered
not only the scenic wonder of this area, with its magnificent mountains and
valleys, they found not only the wonderful spirit of the international games
at their best, but they found beauty in this city. They found hosts who were
gracious and accommodating and anxious to assist them. I do not wish to infer
that such hospitality was limited to our people. The entire community joined
together in a great expression of hospitality. But out of all of this came something
wonderful for this Church. Representatives of the media, so often a tough and
calloused group, with very few exceptions spoke and wrote in language both complimentary
and accurately descriptive of a unique culture they found here, of the people
they met and dealt with, of the spirit of hospitality which they felt.
Television carried the picture to billions of people across
the earth. Newspapers and magazines ran story after story.
Thousands upon tens of thousands walked through Temple
Square, admired the majestic House of the Lord, sat in the Tabernacle and listened
to the matchless music of the choir. More thousands filled this great Conference
Center to watch a wonderful production dealing with the Church and its worldwide
mission. Other thousands visited the Family History Center. The media were hosted
in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. We were interviewed for television, radio,
and the press by correspondents from many parts of this nation and from across
the world. I am told that nearly 4,000 stories about the Church appeared in
the German press alone.
Georgie Anne Geyer, prominent syndicated writer whose
column appears in many newspapers, wrote as follows: "How on earth could a largely
Mormon state do something so daring as hosting an international celebrity meeting?
Would the world come gladly to a state whose dominant religion asks members
to abstain from alcohol, tobacco and even caffeine, three staples of international
conferences?"
And then she went on to quote Raymond T. Grant, artistic
director of the Olympic Arts Festival. He talked of the opening ceremony and
said: " 'You know, 98 percent of the entire cast were volunteers, and that's
huge. In fact, most were not paid at all. This is an extraordinary story, and
I'd link it directly to Mormon culture. As a Catholic boy from New York, I found
it interesting that Brigham Young, the founder of the Utah settlement of the
Mormons, built a theater before anything else.'
"He went on to tally up: The state has six dance companies;
more pianos and harps are sold in Utah than anywhere in the United States; the
Mormon Tabernacle Choir has [360] members; and the oldest Steinway dealership
in Utah . . . was started as early as 1862. In Utah, their per capita spending
on students is one of the lowest—yet they boast high test scores. 'It has been
fascinating for me, having to tap into this culture.' "
Miss Geyer concluded her story by writing: "It is simply
the mix of a serious and upright religion, of families who foster and insist
upon providing the highest levels of culture right along with the highest modern
technology, and of generally sensible organizing and governing. In short, it
is a modern mix of the old America" ("Salt Lake City and State of Utah Reveal
Themselves to the World," Salt Lake Tribune, 15 Feb. 2002, A15).
If there were time, I could give you many quotations from
the seasoned journalists of the world, who wrote in a most laudatory fashion.
Was there anything negative? Of course. But it was minimal.
We had private interviews with presidents of nations, with ambassadors, with
leaders in business and other fields.
In 1849, two years after our people first arrived here
and following the discovery of gold in California, many were discouraged. They
had struggled to wrest a living from the arid soil. Crickets had devoured their
crops. The winters were cold. Many thought they would go to California and get
rich. President Young stood before them and encouraged them to remain, promising
that "God will temper the climate, and we shall build a city and a temple to
the Most High God in this place. We will extend our settlements to the east
and west, to the north and to the south, and we will build towns and cities
by the hundreds, and thousands of the Saints will gather in from the nations
of the earth. This will become the great highway of the nations. Kings and emperors
and the noble and wise of the earth will visit us here" (in Preston Nibley, Brigham
Young: The Man and His Work [1936], 128).
We have witnessed the fulfillment of that prophecy in
these recent days. Needless to say, I am happy with what has happened. Those
visitors tasted the distinctive culture of this community. We believe that culture
is worth preserving. I compliment and thank our people who participated in such
numbers and so generously, and I compliment and thank all others who worked
together to make of this a wonderful and most significant event.
Now I wish to speak rather quickly of one or two other
matters.
Speaking of Brigham Young has reminded me of the Perpetual
Education Fund which we have established. It was only a year ago that I first
spoke of this in our general conference. The contributions of generous Latter-day
Saints have come in to assure us that this endeavor is now on a solid foundation.
We will need more yet, but already it has been demonstrated that vast good will
come of this undertaking. Young men and women in the underprivileged areas of
the world, young men and women who for the most part are returned missionaries,
will be enabled to get good educations that will lift them out of the slough
of poverty in which their forebears for generations have struggled. They will
marry and go forward with skills that will qualify them to earn well and take
their places in society where they can make a substantial contribution. They
will likewise grow in the Church, filling positions of responsibility and rearing
families who will continue in the faith.
I have time to read only one testimonial. It comes from
a young man who has been blessed by this program.
He says: "It is so wonderful that I do not have to just
dream anymore about my education or my future. The Lord has cleared the way,
and I am doing it!
"I am currently attending a great technical institute
in our country, where I am studying to become a computer technician. . . . By
going to school, I am discovering my abilities. The discipline I developed on
my mission helps me to succeed. . . . Never before has any young man felt more
blessed than I do. The PEF has strengthened my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, more than ever, I feel the responsibility the gospel places upon me to
prepare myself to be a better member, a better leader, and a better father. . . .
"My dear mother, who has sacrificed so much, gets so emotional
that she cries when she prays at night because of her gratitude to the Lord. . . .
"Now, I envision my town being blessed because of me.
I envision the Church with leaders who have financial stability and who can
support the Lord's work with all their might, mind, and strength. I see the
Church prospering. I am excited to start my own family and teach them that we
can be self-sufficient. So I must finish my education. I will then repay the
loan quickly to help my fellowmen. . . . I am grateful for the Savior's mercy.
He truly sustains us with His love."
And so it goes, my brothers and sisters. As this great
work moves across the earth, we are blessing now some 2,400 young people. Others
will be blessed.
May the Lord bless you, and each of us, as we rejoice
in our opportunity to be a part of this great cause in this wonderful season
of the Lord's work is my humble prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
