LDS Church to broadcast priesthood session on TV and online

For the first time in its history, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will broadcast the priesthood session of its general conference live on television and online.

Addition info here...
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=26984558

Well, I guess our Priesthood session will be smaller this year - ice cream treats not withstanding.

Mikerowaved wrote:For the first time in its history, . . . on television and online.

True. But if you leave out "and online" this is number two for television. The General Priesthood Meeting held April 1968 was broadcast publicly through KSL radio and television and received throughout a wide area of Utah and adjacent states.

I attended the meeting at the stake center with my father and brothers. Mom watched it at home with my sisters.

I suppose many of the overanxious news media reporters may be forgiven for not doing their homework. Nearly all of them are too young to remember such an event, or even why it happened.

Very interesting. We invite non-LDS males and unordained males to attend the priesthood session. If a woman walked into the chapel, I'm not sure if anyone would evict her. But as the Church statement states, tickets to attend the session in person are restricted.

It's only been within the last year or two that they've made audio and video of the Priesthood Session available for download. Previously, you could only download the text. I'm happy to see more progress this soon. I just wonder if there will be "pressure" to attend the meeting at a stake center rather than staying home for a more convenient/comfortable viewing experience. Personally, I will not miss sitting on a folding chair for two hours and pinching my hands in the mad rush to put the chairs away after the meeting.

I'm sure we're not alone, but our stake presidency uses this meeting for important "priesthood-related" announcements. There's also a fellowship that's at the stake center that you won't get at home - including the ice-cream treats

techgy wrote:I'm sure we're not alone, but our stake presidency uses this meeting for important "priesthood-related" announcements.

Interesting. I've lived in multiple stakes, and have never heard of this being done. It's not an official stake priesthood meeting, so that seems unusual.

aebrown wrote:

techgy wrote:I'm sure we're not alone, but our stake presidency uses this meeting for important "priesthood-related" announcements.

Interesting. I've lived in multiple stakes, and have never heard of this being done. It's not an official stake priesthood meeting, so that seems unusual.

You could be alone as I have also lived in multiple stakes and have never seen this done either.

techgy wrote:I'm sure we're not alone, but our stake presidency uses this meeting for important "priesthood-related" announcements.

It happens here, occasionally. I guess this also means we will not need the URL and password to stream it this year in buildings that do not have satellite.

Our stake has often planned some kind of dinner at the Stake Center to go along with the General Relief Society broadcast. They're doing it again this weekend. I have no idea how well-attended this usually is but they still do it, although the broadcasts have been available on TV for several years (but maybe delayed that same evening instead of live).

We have only rarely been offered refreshments after the Priesthood broadcast but attendance has seemed consistent anyway. I suspect the number of men who'll stay home will be significant this time.

mrrad wrote:We have only rarely been offered refreshments after the Priesthood broadcast but attendance has seemed consistent anyway. I suspect the number of men who'll stay home will be significant this time.

I'm staying home. If I had an Aaronic Priesthood age boy still in my home we would go the the Stake Center so we could make it a night out togeater. We always went for Ice cream after the meeting.

Last time (April 1968) was a one-time deal, and then they went back to closed circuit for what will now be 45 years. I wonder if this is a more permanent change, or if there is just some very important topic they want more generally covered.

When I got the URL for the meeting last October, I was also sent a reference to D&C 101:22-23 and reminded that it was important to preserve the commandment to "gather together". I think that is a very valid concept. Of course, getting the water to the end of the row is a very valid concept, as well.

Gary_Miller wrote:

mrrad wrote:I suspect the number of men who'll stay home will be significant this time.

I'm staying home. If I had an Aaronic Priesthood age boy still in my home we would go the the Stake Center so we could make it a night out togeater. We always went for Ice cream after the meeting.

I am waiting to see what our stake president says about it. My guess is that he does not even know yet.

I do miss the ice cream after priesthood meeting with my sons (who are no longer at home).

lajackson wrote:I was also sent a reference to D&C 101:22-23 and reminded that it was important to preserve the commandment to "gather together". I think that is a very valid concept.

Larry you forgot a very important part of that scripture "Stand in Holy Places" our homes are a holy place, or at least we should be striving for them to be. And with the power of Technology we, the whole world, can be gathered together.

lajackson wrote:I am waiting to see what our stake president says about it. My guess is that he does not even know yet.

It will be interesting to see if its even discussed this coming Sunday especially in areas out side of Utah where the announcement was not on the local news channel. If you don't follow the news feed on LDS.org you may not even know it going to be available.

lajackson wrote:I do miss the ice cream after priesthood meeting with my sons (who are no longer at home).

I'll just sit and have Ice Cream with my eternal companion instead, and we won't have to wait until after the meeting:).

Gary_Miller wrote:If you don't follow the news feed on LDS.org you may not even know it going to be available.

I have tried and cannot find it anywhere at LDS.org. I learned about it at another email list to which I belong, and then here at the Forum. After seeing it at the email list, I tagged the Deseret News and the Salt Lake Tribune and found the story there. So from a very technical standpoint, this is still an unofficial rumor for me (which I fully believe to be true). I subscribe to the LDS.org news feed and did not receive it that way. (The feed is also down right now.)

But, knowing this was not really the first time the meeting was publicly broadcast, I then researched the Conference Reports to refresh my memory on the first occasion. I attended the priesthood meeting with my father (and yes, ice cream afterward), but it was so long ago I had managed to forget what actually happened. It was not as I recalled. But it was still good enough that I remembered something important happened.

Gary_Miller wrote:

lajackson wrote:I was also sent a reference to D&C 101:22-23 . . .

Larry you forgot a very important part of that scripture "Stand in Holy Places" our homes are a holy place, or at least we should be striving for them to be. And with the power of Technology we, the whole world, can be gathered together.

Oh, I didn't forget. I looked it up when I was given the reference and thought how interesting it was that they had used that scripture that way. They also used the phrase, "and in other locations", referring other scriptures that spoke of gathering together.

And while I agree with you, still there is great power when a group of priesthood holders are gathered together to be taught by the Spirit. This change, whether temporary again or permanent, will be fun to watch.

lajackson wrote: still there is great power when a group of priesthood holders are gathered together to be taught by the Spirit.

You must of been talking to my wife as that was the exact same-thing she said last night when I told her about the change.

lajackson wrote:I have tried and cannot find it anywhere at LDS.org.

Its buried in this articular posted yesterday in the News Room. Second to last paragraph.

Thousands to Attend 183rd Semiannual General Conference
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/t ... conference

If I had not seen it on the tech site I would not have even known.

Gary_Miller wrote:

lajackson wrote:I have tried and cannot find it anywhere at LDS.org.

Its buried in this articular posted yesterday in the News Room.

Yes. I did not see that article when I looked yesterday or early this morning, but it is there now. I would prefer to blame my browser cache than my old age, of course. [grin]

I'll take their word for it that this change is all about a global outreach and has little to do with convenience for Americans (or anything to do with women who want to watch the session). It makes sense and seems a bit overdue, really. I mean, here in the States it's a mark of obedience that we go to the Stake Center to watch the session live but in, say, the UK, where the meeting runs from 1:00 AM to 3:00 AM, I don't know when they all gather to watch a recording (because I doubt they get together when it's live).

lajackson wrote:When I got the URL for the meeting last October, I was also sent a reference to D&C 101:22-23 and reminded that it was important to preserve the commandment to "gather together". I think that is a very valid concept. Of course, getting the water to the end of the row is a very valid concept, as well.

What, going to Priesthood Meeting every non-conference Sunday doesn't fulfill this commandment?

I live in Omaha, and my stake center is in Council Bluffs. I have never watched the priesthood session at the stake center. I always watch it in my home ward meetinghouse. And yes, we have ice cream afterwards.

According to this posting from today's Salt Lake Tribune we will, in fact, be "encouraged" to attend the meeting at local chapels. A letter is apparently going to be read to us on Sunday about it. I still wonder what the deal will be in places like Europe. Can any forum members tell us what the local "tradition" is with regard to the General Priesthood Session? (Anyone here who lives there or served a mission there?) Just curious.

In the Uk in our stake we have been meeting at 10 in the morning our time to watch a re-broadcast of the priesthood session. For the last couple of years the session has been available on LDS.org by the time we get up and so we could watch it at home if we were inclined. the direction has always been to meet as a body of priesthood at the Stake centre. I haven't noticed a fall in attendance since the session has been available online.

simonawright wrote:I haven't noticed a fall in attendance since the session has been available online.

Up until now, you couldn't watch nor listen "live" at home. And it's only been recently that the audio and video have been available online (a few hours after the meeting, but the timing of availability was never consistent). Also, the availability of the audio/video files was not widely advertised. So I'm not surprised that attendance at the Sunday rebroadcast hasn't changed.

But now things will be different. It's a bit awkward that they announced the live broadcast and then waited a day or two to clarify that they still want people to go to the local church. It seems like that should have all been announced at the same time. Makes me wonder what kind of feedback was immediately received at CHQ (and from whom?) to warrant the clarification.

This reminds me a bit of when the church made books and manuals available in electronic form but you still had priesthood leaders trying to ban electronic devices from church buildings and/or giving talks about how much better it is to use paper books than electronic versions. For me, the electronic version has always been superior and it's too late to convince me otherwise. In the same sense, I'm sure I will enjoy watching the priesthood session at home. I don't consider it some kind of bonding experience to sit in an uncomfortable, darkened cultural hall watching a bad projector with bad audio, struggling to see over the heads of other men and singing "rest hymns" out of synch, followed by a mad rush to leave as soon as possible when it's over (including those near-misses in the dark parking lot). Just my two pennies.

Every stake I know in the UK watches a recording at the stake centre at 10am in the morning. I love the fact that we all go together, and will be making the 20 minute drive as always.

We also take our family to the live (in the UK) sunday morning session at 5pm - and it saddens me to see 50-60 people at the most. I'd love to believe the other 600 or so were all at home watching online, but I have my doubts.