With 2016 coming to a close, it's time to look back on some of the big changes, announcements, and news from the Church throughout the year and reflect on the progress, miracles, and changes that continue to bless the lives of members worldwide.
It's been a busy year for the Church and its members, with no shortage of temple dedications, humanitarian aid, new Church websites and apps, political changes, and missionary work opportunities. See if you missed any big Church news from this year, with these 14 historic and newsworthy moments from 2016:
In February, the Church announced some major changes in how to prepare and do temple work for family names. Not only did they announce that we can print family ordinance cards from home, but they also
designated family priority times, so that temples can set aside times for families to come perform ordinances together without a long delay.
Every change seems to make it easier and more accessible for members to research and find their own family names for temple ordinances. If you haven't taken advantage of these changes, maybe make a New Year's resolution to find and perform work for family names.
Image retrieved from FamilySearch.
When the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights issued a report, it stigmatized tens of millions of religious Americans, according to a group of religious leaders of different faiths. The report stated that religious organizations "use the pretext of religious doctrines to discriminate."
In a response letter issued in October addressed to President Barack Obama, Senator Orrin Hatch, and House Speaker Paul Ryan, an interfaith group of religious leaders—including Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—defended the phrases "religious liberty" and "religious freedom" as our first freedom, not a means to discriminate.
The letter stated, "[We] call upon each of you to renounce publicly the claim that 'religious freedom' and 'religious liberty' are 'code words' or a 'pretext' for various forms of discrimination. There should be no place in our government for such a low view of our First Freedom—the first of our civil rights—least of all from a body dedicated to protecting them all."
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Image retrieved from Mormon Newsroom.
Since missionaries act "as an ambassador of the Lord," they are encouraged to look professional and maintain a certain dress code. In May, the Church updated the dress and grooming guidelines for missionaries around the world, allowing conservative sunglasses and wide-brimmed hats.
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Following their updated guidelines in May, the Church also announced that some sister missionaries in certain areas are allowed to wear dress slacks. With 230 missions in areas affected by mosquito-born illnesses like Dengue Fever and Zika, the change protects missionaries by allowing them to fully cover their arms and legs as a preventative measure.
Issued from the White House in May, President Obama instructed schools to allow transgender students to choose bathrooms according to their gender identity.
Church spokesman Eric Hawkins spoke on the subject, saying that the Church believes "everyone is entitled to respect," and "all people should expect an environment of safety, dignity, and privacy in settings such as restrooms, locker rooms, changing areas, etc."
In March, Sister Linka K. Burton, Relief Society general president, spokein the general women's session of general conference about aiding refugees. Announcing the new "I Was a Stranger" website, she encouraged the women of the Church to "prayerfully determine what you can do—according to your own time and circumstance—to serve the refugees living in your neighborhoods and communities."
Following Sister Burton's talk, Elder Patrick Kearon of the Seventy addressedthe worldwide Church about serving and aiding refugees:
"Begin on your knees in prayer. Then think in terms of doing something close to home, in your own community, where you will find people who need help in adapting to their new circumstances. The ultimate aim is their rehabilitation to an industrious and self-reliant life. The possibilities for us to lend a hand and be a friend are endless."
In February, the Church issued the following statement about medical marijuana:
"While we are not in a position to evaluate specific medical claims, the Church understands that there are some individuals who may benefit from the medical use of compounds found in marijuana. For that reason, although the Church opposes SB 73, it has raised no objection to SB 89. These two competing pieces of legislation take very different approaches when it comes to issues like access, distribution, control and the potential harm of the hallucinogenic compound, THC.
"In addition to the therapeutic, treatment, and control questions, there are several other important issues to be resolved. At the forefront is that the use of medical marijuana is still illegal under federal law. We agree with groups such as the American Medical Association, who have said (see the AMA policy below) that further study is warranted before significant public policy decisions on marijuana are advanced. For these reasons, the Church urges a cautious approach."
Image retrieved from St. George News.
Four missionaries in the France Paris Mission were seriously injured in the terrorist bombing at the Brussels airport on March 22, 2016. One senior missionary, Elder Richard Norby, and three full-time missionaries—Elder Joseph Empey, Elder Mason Wells, and Sister Fanny Clain—sustained burns from the explosion and injuries from flying shrapnel.
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When Elder Empey and Elder Wells returned home to Utah to recover fully, they were able to visit Sister Clain in the Provo MTC before she departed to her full-time mission to Ohio. The photo below captured their reunion at the MTC.
Dresden Empey, Sister Clain's MTC companion, Sister Clain, and Mason Wells. Image from Mormon Newsroom.
Since Elder Norby's injuries required a longer recovery time, he was placed in a medically induced coma and was the last of the four missionaries to travel back to Utah.
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After getting feedback from LDS women worldwide, the Church released new garment options for endowed women, including natural waist garment bottoms, lower waist garment bottoms, and better fitting square neck garment tops.
The new garment options became available between October 2015 and June 2016 globally.
In October, the Church launched a new website, Mormon and Gay, to provide resources for members who experience same-sex attraction as well as their wards and families.
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Not only does the new website share videos of members sharing their personal stories, but it also includes information and advice for family members, frequently asked questions, resources to prevent depression and suicide, and explanations of LDS Church beliefs.
►You'll also like: 7 Ways the Church's New Website Helps Us Better Understand Homosexuality
Image retrieved from lds.org.
More recently, the Church made changes to the Gospel Library App that makes gospel study on your device even easier. Four major improvements will make your study experience even smoother:
1. Improved study tools—including reading footnotes in a sidebar, sharing notes with others, linking sources in both directions, etc.;
2. Video tutorials with tips and training;
3. Everything is annotatable—even videos and songs;
4. Same experience on Android or iOS.
If you want to learn more about the changes, read "Church Makes 4 Major Changes to Gospel Library App," or download the app on lds.org.
Image retrieved from The Indian Express.
Following the November 2016 presidential election, the First Presidency released a statement congratulating President-Elect Donald Trump and commending Secretary Hillary Clinton for her participation in the democratic process.
The statement also urged Americans, whether members or nonmembers, to pray for the leaders of our country:
"We invite Americans everywhere, whatever their political persuasion, to join us in praying for the president-elect, for his new administration and for elected leaders across the nation and the world. Praying for those in public office is a long tradition among Latter-day Saints. The men and women who lead our nations and communities need our prayers as they govern in these difficult and turbulent times.
12. Church Creates New Unique Mission
Image retrieved from Mormon Newsroom.
In December, Elder Craig C. Christensen of the Presidency of the Seventy announced the creation of a new mission—the Utah Salt Lake Headquarters Mission—as the 422nd mission of the Church.
Under the direction of mission president Warren G. Tate, the missionaries assigned to the Utah Salt Lake City Headquarters Mission will assist others in doing family history work, serve with the Temple Department, and help with military relations, security, and building maintenance.
13. 6 New Temples Dedicated, 2 Rededicated
Image retrieved from lds.org.
In 2016, there were six new temples dedicated:
1. Provo City Center Temple, dedicated March 20, 2016, by Elder Dallin H. Oaks
2. Sapporo Japan Temple, dedicated August 21, 2016, by President Russell M. Nelson
3. Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple, dedicated September 18, 2016, by President Henry B. Eyring
4. Fort Collins Colorado Temple, dedicated October 16, 2016, by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
5. Star Valley Wyoming Temple, dedicated October 30, 2016, by Elder David A. Bednar
6. Hartford Connecticut Temple, dedicated 20 November 2016, by President Henry B. Eyring
With the Provo City Center Temple, the Church reached 150 temples all over the world. At the conclusion of the year, there are 155 operating temples worldwide.
In addition to the newly constructed and dedicated temples, two existing temples were rededicated—the Freiberg Germany Temple and the Suva Fiji Temple. The Church also broke ground for four new temples: the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple, the Durban South Africa Temple, the Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple, and the Barranquilla Colombia Temple.
14. President Monson Announces 4 New Temples in Africa and South America
In the April 2016 general conference, President Thomas S. Monson announced four new temples in the following locations: Harare, Zimbabwe; Quito, Ecuador; Belém, Brazil; and Lima, Peru (which will be the second temple in Lima). Watch him announce the four new temples in the video below:
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Video Companion
President Thomas S. Monson Temple Announcement at April 2016 General Conference
Lead images from Mormon Newsroom, YouTube, and FamilySearch.
