Mere words seem inadequate to describe the magnificence of the new Conference Center where sessions of the 170th Annual General Conference of the Church were held April 1-2, 2000.
Its size is enormous, its beauty is simple yet elegant, its seating is most comfortable, the feeling inside is serene, and its very existence bespeaks inspiration, good planning, and hard work.Church leaders have talked on and off for decades about the inadequacy of the famed Tabernacle on Temple Square to house the conferences of a growing Church.
Though the center is not finished in its entirety, enough work was done to accommodate the conference sessions. This is reminiscent of the first general conference held in the Tabernacle in October 1867. President Brigham Young was so eager to hold the conference in the Tabernacle that he pushed the work forward enough to hold those first meetings. Not even all the seating was in place, so some had to stand.
In a letter dated Sept. 30, 1867, to his son Elder Heber Young serving then in Liverpool, England, President Young wrote:
"Our new tabernacle, though not quite finished in every respect, is yet so forward that we expect to hold our fall conference in it, commencing next Sunday. It has been pushed forward during the latter part of the summer with great diligence, and the workmen have manifested great zeal in their labors. It is a magnificent place and will answer the purpose for which it was constructed, admirably." (Letters of Brigham Young to His Sons, Deseret Book, 1974, p. 131.)
History has repeated itself with President Gordon B. Hinckley's great desire for the new center. It can truly be said, "It has been pushed forward. . . with great diligence," " . . . the workmen have manifested great zeal in their labors," and " . . . it is a magnificent place and will answer the purpose for which it was constructed, admirably."
Two great prophets in two different centuries but with one inspired desire.
As wonderful as the new Conference Center is it was not constructed to be the object of our worship. It is simply a means to the end of teaching and testifying of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
President Hinckley stressed this when he spoke poignantly of the wood from a black walnut tree he planted 36 years ago being used to build the beautiful new pulpit. The pulpit, he said, would be a place "in this great hall where the voices of prophets will go out to all the world in testimony of the Redeemer of mankind."
How powerfully given were the testimonies of the Savior Jesus Christ from this new pulpit. Those who spoke and testified affirmed once more the eternal and unchanging doctrines of the true Church of Jesus Christ.
In his personal testimony President Hinckley declared: "He is my Savior and my Redeemer. Through giving His life, in pain and unspeakable suffering, He has reached down to lift me, and each of us, and all the sons and daughters of God, from the abyss of eternal darkness following death. He has provided something better, a sphere of light and understanding, growth and beauty where we may go forward on the road that leads to eternal life. My gratitude knows no bounds. My thanks to my Lord has no conclusion. He is my God and my King. From everlasting to everlasting He will reign and rule as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. To His dominion there will be no end. To His glory there will be no night."
In his concluding remarks President Hinckley again stressed the basic, fundamental precepts of the gospel he has long taught: being better husbands and wives, kinder to one another, more thoughtful, more restrained in our criticism and more generous with our compliments. He admonished parents to more fully rear their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, treating them with respect and love, giving encouragement at every opportunity and subduing critical remarks. To children he asked that more respect be shown to parents and more obedience to their counsel.
"Let us as Latter-day Saints reach out to others not of our faith. Let us never act in a spirit of arrogance or with a holier-than-thou attitude. Rather, may we show love and respect and helpfulness toward them," he counseled.
And as has become typical of his closing remarks, he affirmed anew the importance of bringing temples closer to the world-wide Church membership. He stated that there are now 76 temples in operation and that 36 more will be dedicated this year. He further announced six new temples to be built in Aba, Nigeria; Asuncion, Paraguay; Helsinki, Finland; Lubbock, Texas; Snowflake, Arizona; and somewhere in the Tri-Cities area in Washington state.
"And so we shall go on in the process of bringing temples to the people," he avowed with firmness and conviction.
This was a memorable conference, one to be long remembered by those who first sat in the new center. But with the memories lingering of the inauguration of the new Conference Center, let us remember the gospel messages given that will enable us to stand a little higher and exemplify a true nobility of character in our lives.