1976
Conference in Dortmund
October 1976


“Conference in Dortmund,” Ensign, Oct. 1976, 87

Conference in Dortmund

Three months of preparation whizzed by for President Klaus E. Hasse of the Dusseldorf Germany Stake and his hardworking helpers, but when August 6 came, bringing Germany’s second area conference, they were ready. So were the 5,700 members and friends who attended the Friday evening cultural event, the 6,400 who were there Saturday, and the 10,500 who arrived for the Sunday meetings.

Many of these had come only by great persistence. One sister from Hamburg, 300 miles to the north, had to work all day Friday and then persuaded a nonmember acquaintance to drive her to Dortmund.

President N. Eldon Tanner presided over the Saturday sessions, which included a mother-daughter session attended by 2,800 sisters and a father-son session attended by 2,900 brethren. Dusseldorf Germany Stake young people topped off the evening with a potpourri of folk songs, folk dances, and folklore outside the great Westfalenhalle, part of which was serving as a dormitory for 800 members.

A conference highlight was the arrival of President Spencer W. Kimball on Sunday morning. His mere presence helped the people feel even more the Spirit of God in the large hall. Even nonmembers commented on the unusual feeling.

Conference officials were delighted with the tone of the press coverage. “The questions at the press conference were by no means hostile—which is a great success for our area,” commented one.

Comments from local members after the conference were very positive:

“This will make missionary work much easier. The performances by the young people developed great rapport with the local nonmembers.”

“Not only do the General Authorities tell us what we need to do right now, but they also give us so much of their own inspiration that we can make our decisions in union with the Spirit.”

“What a blessing area conferences are! I’m already looking forward to the next one.”