President Hinckley Addresses Single Adult Conference

Single adult members are “a wonderful people” from whom the Church derives great strength, President Gordon B. Hinckley, First Counselor in the First Presidency, said at a singles conference July 28.

He explained to the approximately six thousand people at a fireside ending the Utah Valley Singles Conference, in Provo, Utah, that single members’ path to joy and progress is the same as that for any other member.

The fireside, held in the Marriott Center at Brigham Young University, concluded a week-long conference.

President Hinckley told the group: “I feel some concern about the tendency in the Church to divide members into various classes and groups. I do not look upon you as being essentially different from other members of the Church.

“The Church is much stronger because of you. Your strong helping hands and your willing hearts have done so much to move forward the work of the Lord and bring to pass his eternal purposes,” he said. “Your present domestic situation may be different from that of others, but you certainly are not alone.”

He expressed the wish that every single man and woman who so desired might find a worthy, loving companion. “Do not give up trying. But do give up being obsessed with it.” His remark drew laughter. “The chances are that if you forget about it and become anxiously engaged in other activities, the prospects will brighten immeasurably.”

In keeping with the theme of the conference, “Lord, I Would Follow Thee,” he suggested three guideposts to help people find happiness.

The first is growth. “I urge you to discipline yourselves to grow in knowledge and understanding of the things of the world and the things of eternity, as the Lord has instructed us to do,” he said.

The second is service. He urged members to help the less fortunate, comfort the sorrowing, and give of their own substance. “Share, and the world will become a sweeter, more delightful place for you. Look to God and listen to him, and lose yourself in the service of others, which is the very essence of his divine work.”

Third, “walk by faith.” While we cannot know the future, “we can and must walk with faith in his eternal purposes concerning our places in his grand design.” He suggested several indicators of faith—serving others, shunning evil (particularly pornography), and paying honest tithes and offerings. “We can strengthen and build one another wherever we go. We can stand on higher ground and lift those who are in distress. We can walk by faith. God help us to do so.”

Among the other speakers during the conference were Elder L. Aldin Porter of the Seventy; President Ardeth G. Kapp, Young Women general president; Barbara B. Smith, former Relief Society general president; and Utah Congressman Bill Orton.