We had a great Thanksgiving holiday with our son and his family, who’ve lived in New York City for several years now. It’s amazing to think that all they need is within two blocks’ walking distance of their apartment, including the church! The vibrancy of the city and amazing mixture of cultures and ethnicities always draw me in (including the three cute little grandkids, of course!). And there’s always something fun to do.
But there’s much that seems so foreign there. Silence is near non-existent — the sounds of sirens, subways, fire engines and buses are present all night long. People are out on the streets well into the morning hours. The bright, bawdy billboards sometimes have you wishing you’d looked down instead of up. And not many people on the streets looked like they were headed to church.
Still, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has found a way to utilize gaudy Times Square to target New Yorkers and millions of visitors in promoting its message of faith in Jesus Christ for Christmas.
On “Mormon Times TV” this Sunday, you’ll see the latest advertising campaign — in the Big Apple, and on the Internet. I saw it for myself during our visit last week — and you’ll see how you can easily share the message of Jesus Christ over commercialism this holiday season.
Also on our Dec. 2 show, we’ll explore the pain and devastation that accompanies a suicide attempt. But, in the case of one young man — now serving an LDS mission — you’ll see how that dark time also acted as a catalyst for change. His mom and dad will be along to tell us how he’s grown, with a bright future ahead.
And you’ll also see four members of the Quorum of the Twelve share their testimonies of Jesus Christ during this season that is all about him.
The “Mormon Times TV" television show airs weekly on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. on KSL-TV/Channel 5 following the Mormon Tabernacle Choir broadcast. It can also be viewed online at mormontimestv.ksl.com, where you can see past episodes. And we invite you to follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/MormonTimesTV and join in the conversation. We’re always looking for inspiring, uplifting stories that involve people of the LDS faith. If you have some ideas you’d like to share with us, drop me an email at mking@ksl.com.
Michelle King is the host of "Mormon Times TV," which airs Sundays at 10 a.m. on KSL. Email: mking@ksl.com