Thousands of church leaders and members from around the world are expected to stream into Salt Lake City for the 158th Semiannual General Conference of the Church Oct. 1 and 2 in the Tabernacle on Temple Square.
Brilliant flowers and bedding plants, and green lawns, trees and shrubs on the Square will delight conference visitors. The landscaping is provided by Peter Lassig, manager of the chruch's Grounds Services Department, and his staff.Although Temple Square is still receiving many summer vacation visitors every day, portions of the grounds have been roped off as workers make minor repairs to the concrete surfacing on the grounds, Lassig said.
In addition to beautifying the grounds, Lassig's department is contributing to conference in another way. Performing at Saturday afternoon's session will be the Salt Lake Tongan Choir, and Lassig said the Grounds Services Department is decorating the podium with native Tongan flowers contributed by church members from that coutnry.
Other groups providing music will be the Mormon Youth Chorus at the Saturday morning sessions and the Tabernacle Choir at both Sunday sessions. The combined men's choruses form the Tabernacle Choir and Mormon Youth Chorus will sing at the priesthood session Saturday evening.
President Ezra Taft Benson will preside at the conference, his sixth general conference since being ordained president of the Church in November 1985. His counselors, Presidents Gordon B. Hinckley and Thomas S. Monson, will assist in conducting the conference. Speakers will be the First Presidency, members of the Council of the Twelve and other General Authorities.
General sessions are scheduled for 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. MDT each day of the conference. The priesthood session on Saturday will be at 6 p.m. MDT.
Conference prodeedings will be broadcast live over local television and radio in many areas, and will be carried over the Church's satellite television network to some 2,000 meetinghouses in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
And listeners in the Intermountain Area who watch the proceedings on KSL television, Channel 5, will be able to receive it in Spanish if they have stereo television sets.
Conference will be translated into Spanish and transmitted on KSL's second audio program (SAP) channel, which is the second sound channel of stereo receivers.