1. A New General Women's Meeting
Big news: after 20 years, the Church has announced that it is going to resume holding a "general women's meeting" the week prior to each general conference. The change, which unifies the seperate annual Young Women's and Relief Society meetings, will also include girls ages eight and up, a new twist on the old meeting parameters.
Though a specific reason for the change was not stated, the First Presidency has promised that “As the women of the Church gather together—sisters, mothers, and daughters—they, their families, and the Church will be strengthened and blessed.”
Online reaction to the news has been positive, with many members excited especially for the age allowance including younger girls.
The first reinstated general women's meeting will be held in March 2014.
2. Inside the Life of Henry B. Eyring
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See little more deeply into the life of apostle Henry B. Eyring in an amazing blog series celebrating the release of his new and unconventional biography. The recently-released book, I Will Lead You Along, includes many of President Eyring's sketches, watercolors, and journal entries, making it one of the most intimate and accessible biographies of a Church leader.
The blog series touched on just a few highlights from the biography, and includes the story of "Hal's" call to the first presidency--he thought President Hinckley had the wrong number! The series also discussed seven marriage lessons to be learned from President Eyring's life using quotes from his journals.
Also showcased was a small image gallery of Presideny Eyring's artwork, including this beauitful painting he did of the Hawaiian surf:
3. New Mormon Message from Elder Holland
The Mormon Channel released a new Mormon Message, featuring Elder Holland. The message, titled "Wrong Roads," discusses how sometimes the Lord allows us to go down wrong paths so we can be more certain of the correct one afterwards. As Elder Holland puts it in the video, "there are times when the only way to get form A to C is by way of B."
Watch the 4-minute message now:
4. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir Wins an Emmy
It's been 26 years since the Mormon Tabernacle Choir won it's last Emmy award--until this week. The Emmy, a regional award for "Special Event Coverage (other than news or sports) — Live or Edited," was awarded for the choir's TV broadcast of "The Mormon Tabernacle Choir Presents the Joy of Song."
This week, the choir also celebrated its YouTube channel's 1-year anniversary, and put out a great infographic which numerically outlines more of the choir's stunning success in 2013.
See a larger version of the graphic.
5. Why Marriage is Not For You
Member Seth Adam Smith of Anchorage Alaska in enjoying viral fame after writing a beautiful post about how marriage isn't for you--it's for the person you're marrying. In his eloquent post, he explains how he took his fears of marriage and cold feet to his father, who advised:
“Seth, you’re being totally selfish. So I’m going to make this really simple: marriage isn’t for you. You don’t marry to make yourself happy, you marry to make someone else happy. More than that, your marriage isn’t for yourself, you’re marrying for a family. Not just for the in-laws and all of that nonsense, but for your future children. Who do you want to help you raise them? Who do you want to influence them? Marriage isn’t for you. It’s not about you. Marriage is about the person you married.”
If you missed it, make sure to check out the thoughtful and inspiring original post, as well as Seth's response to the overwhelming popularity a few days later.
The viral posting, which has inspired others to take on the topic, now has over 24 million hits. Seth is scheduled to be interviewed by several major news outlets.