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Announcement

Elder Paul V. Johnson

Of the Seventy

CES Devotional for Young Adults • November 2, 2014 • Ogden Tabernacle, Ogden, Utah

My dear brothers and sisters, each of us is a son or daughter of a loving Heavenly Father who calls and inspires leaders to provide us with help and direction. What a blessing it is to join together as we learn from those who have been commissioned to teach us. Thank you for being here tonight. As we begin, I want to give you two brief but important announcements.

Our first announcement is that beginning in January 2015, CES devotionals like this will be called Worldwide Devotionals for Young Adults. These worldwide devotionals will occur three times each year—in January, May, and September. These changes are intended to highlight the importance of each broadcast and to ensure that each young adult, wherever you are and whatever your circumstance, is invited to participate. We hope you will make every effort to attend each devotional and encourage others to attend with you so that you and they might have a chance to associate together, listen to counsel from our leaders, and receive personal revelation and direction. We encourage priesthood leaders to make these worldwide devotionals important events in local areas.

The other announcement pertains to religion classes required for graduation from institutes of religion and Church universities. The Church Board of Education and the Boards of Trustees for BYU, BYU–Idaho, BYU–Hawaii, and LDS Business College have approved four new courses that will be offered beginning the fall of 2015. These courses are “Jesus Christ and the Everlasting Gospel,” “The Teachings and Doctrine of the Book of Mormon,” “Foundations of the Restoration,” and “The Eternal Family.”

These new courses are intended to be cornerstones of your religious education experience. They are centered in the scriptures and the teachings of latter-day prophets, with a focus on the Savior, His doctrine, and significant events in Church history. As you study across all of the standard works, the scriptures will become woven together, helping you to develop greater gospel scholarship and more fully understand and appreciate each book of the standard works. These classes will build on your previous church and personal experiences with gospel study. They will assist you in applying gospel principles in ways that are relevant to your current circumstances.

I might also note that all current scripture courses, along with other religion classes, will continue to be offered at our institutes and our universities. These new courses will be required for all incoming students and will be available to continuing students. Please take these classes and work toward graduation from a Church university or an institute of religion. If you have already completed the requirements for graduation, consider taking these classes as you continue your gospel study through participation in institute and Church university religion classes. In the coming days you will be able to learn more about these new classes by visiting education.lds.org.

I am confident that as you participate in the worldwide devotionals and religion classes, you will better understand the scriptures, you will associate with others who will lift and inspire you, and you will strengthen your faith and testimony in Jesus Christ. May it be so with each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.