New Leaders Sustained at General Conference

Members of the Church around the world participated by Internet, radio, television, and satellite during the 179th Annual General Conference held on April 4 and 5, 2009.

During the conference, which was broadcast in 94 languages, the First Presidency announced the calling of a new member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, a new member of the Presidency of the Seventy, and new members of the Seventy. The First Presidency also announced the reorganization of the Young Men and Sunday School general presidencies. (See page 27 for a list of those sustained and released.)

Elder Neil L. Andersen, senior member of the Presidency of the Seventy, was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to fill the vacancy left by the passing of Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (1917–2008) last December. (See biography on page 133.)

Elder Donald L. Hallstrom of the Seventy was called to the Presidency of the Seventy. (See biography on page 134.)

Six men were called to serve in the First Quorum of the Seventy. Called were Elder Mervyn B. Arnold of the Second Quorum of the Seventy (see Elder Arnold’s biography in Ensign and Liahona, May 2003), Yoon Hwan Choi, Brent H. Nielson, Dale G. Renlund, Michael T. Ringwood, and Joseph W. Sitati (see biographies beginning on page 135).

Seven men were called to serve as members of the Second Quorum of the Seventy (see biographies beginning on page 137), 38 were released as Area Seventies, and 40 new Area Seventies were called.