BYU Women’s Conference: Watch Sessions and Read Summaries

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By Sydney Walker, Church News

For 45 years, Brigham Young University (BYU) Women’s Conference has provided a sense of sisterhood, connection and belonging.

This year, thanks to technology, more women than ever before have the opportunity to participate. “We are grateful for the resources that allow us to join in a worldwide sisterhood and to remember that each of us is a child of God and that His promises are true,” said Sister Reyna Isabel Aburto, second counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency.

BYU Women’s Conference — co-sponsored by Brigham Young University, the Relief Society General Presidency and the Church News — happened Thursday and Friday, April 29-30. Video of sessions and summaries are now online.

How to Watch BYU Women’s Conference

Watch online on ChurchofJesusChrist.org, TheChurchNews.com and BYUtv. Sessions were also streamed on BYU Women’s Conference Facebook and YouTube and The Church News Facebook and YouTube.

Below are links to summaries of the various presentations and addresses. Watch full sessions on YouTube in the carousel above.

Thursday, April 29

Relief Society General Presidency
President Jean B. Bingham, Sister Sharon Eubank and Sister Reyna Isabel Aburto

Church News How to make Relief Society a safe place for every sister, the general presidency emphasizes at BYU Women's Conference

Primary General Presidency
President Camille N. Johnson, Sister Susan H. Porter and Sister Amy Wright

Church News What the new Primary general presidency taught about perfection and worth at BYU Women's Conference

Sunday School General President Mark L. Pace

Church News President Pace teaches how to navigate trials with faith and optimism

Young Men General President Steven J. Lund

Church News 6 reasons why President Lund and other Church leaders have faith in the Children and Youth program

Young Women General Presidency
President Bonnie H. Cordon, Sister Michelle Craig and Sister Rebecca L. Craven

Church News Young Women general presidency speaks on 'the beautiful reality' of divine identity and discipleship

Evening of Service: Sister Wendy Nelson

Church News BYU Women’s Conference Evening of Service broadcast: ‘You have something to offer that no one else can give’

Friday, April 30

Sister to Sister Event
Sister Sharon Eubank, Sister Michelle Craig, Sister Susan H. Porter

Church News Sister to Sister event: How to deal with unfulfilled expectations, disappointment and feel God's love

Elder Ronald A. Rasband and Sister Melanie Rasband

Church News Elder Rasband concludes BYU Women's Conference with focus on the divine destiny of daughters of God

Historically one of the largest gatherings of Latter-day Saint women in the world, BYU Women’s Conference held an entirely virtual event in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, the conference was again digital-only, with an expanded number of sessions and more sessions available in Spanish and Portuguese.

“We’re so excited for the opportunity to reach thousands of women worldwide with messages of hope and encouragement, and practical advice for living the gospel and living life,” said Rosemary Thackeray, chair of BYU Women’s Conference.

The 2021 theme is “I Am a Child of God. His Promises Are Sure.” Speakers include Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Melanie Rasband, in addition to members of the Relief Society, Primary, Young Women, Young Men and Sunday School general presidencies. This is the first time all five organization presidency members spoke at BYU Women’s Conference.

Sister Sharon Eubank, first counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency; Sister Michelle Craig, first counselor in the Young Women General Presidency; and Sister Susan H. Porter, newly called first counselor in the Primary General Presidency, participated in the Sister to Sister event.

BYU Women’s Conference this year included both free and paid experiences. All sessions are recorded and can be watched on-demand.

The seven sessions featuring Elder and Sister Rasband and the general leaders are available in English, Spanish and Portuguese. A digital registration package for $59 includes 35 additional English sessions available for viewing April 29 through September 30. Five sessions originating in Spanish and five translated to Spanish will also be available.

BYU Women’s Conference sessions include topics such as belonging, how to navigate trials with faith and optimism, what it means to be a daughter of God, how to protect children and teenagers from online hazards, marital intimacy, grief and loss, how to encourage women to speak out and speak up, and how to foster relationships with loved ones during faith transitions.

With a wide array of topics and speakers, the conference has “something for everyone,” Thackeray said. Even though participants are spread across distance and time, “I hope that they will come away with a sense of connectedness and sisterhood — that no matter where they are in the world, they will feel like they are a part of something bigger.”

In a BYU Women’s Conference preview, Sister Sheri L. Dew’s keynote address, “Exceeding Great and Precious Promises (2 Peter 1:3-4),” is now available for free on the conference’s website. This session is part of the April 29 digital registration package.

This year’s digital event featured music submissions from women worldwide. A virtual choir with participants from Brazil, Canada, Germany, Japan, Portugal and several U.S. states performed a song in English and Spanish.

A special service broadcast held April 29 celebrated the conference’s history of service and highlighted recent service opportunities. Sister Wendy W. Nelson and Sister Mary Ellen Edmunds shared prerecorded messages. The broadcast was streamed on Facebook and YouTube.

The 2021 Theme

In a world that seems to be increasingly divided, being children of God is “a common identity that we all share,” Thackeray said. This year’s theme — “I Am a Child of God. His Promises Are Sure” — is a reminder of that identity and God’s promises to His children.

In the October 2020 general conference, President Russell M. Nelson invited his global audience to study the Lord’s promises to covenant Israel. “Ponder these promises,” he said. “Talk about them with your family and friends. Then live and watch for these promises to be fulfilled in your own life.”

After a difficult year that has brought much isolation, Sister Aburto said, “More than ever, we need to support each other, and we need to remember the promises made by the Lord Jesus Christ.

“He has promised us that if [we] turn to Him, He will gather us, protect us and heal us. … We hope that our sisters and others will remember those divine promises, will feel of our love for them and will have the desire to care for each other in holier ways.”

Thackeray added, “Sometimes we’re in the middle of what Elder Neal A. Maxwell called ‘the muddled, mortal middle.’ We tend to forget all the amazing promises that we’ve been given. … If we can focus on those promises, it can provide hope and guidance in a world filled with stress and turmoil and uncertainty.”

Church News Episode 27: BYU Women's Conference chair on the virtual event: ‘I am a Child of God’

Increasing the Conference’s Global Reach

Typically, BYU Women’s Conference is a two-day conference held on the university’s campus in Provo, Utah. General sessions are held in the Marriott Center, followed by concurrent sessions each hour. Though the general sessions are usually broadcast, viewing of the other offerings are limited to those who attend in person.

During the all-virtual 2020 BYU Women’s Conference, live broadcasts were viewed on Facebook by people in 26 countries, including Denmark, Egypt, Guatemala, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa and the Philippines, Thackeray noted.

When faced with the question of whether to hold another all-virtual conference this year due to continued COVID-19 restrictions, the planning committee was all in.

“Women want to gather,” Thackeray said. “There’s a spirit that comes when we gather together, and you can feel that spirit no matter where you are in the world. I think that’s one thing that we learned last year that really prompted us to say, ‘We can do this again.’”

Thackeray said the 2021 planning committee has met entirely over Zoom, providing an opportunity to expand the committee to women who don’t live in Utah. One of the speakers this year, Melissa Dalton-Bradford, prerecorded her session from Germany.

“It’s going to open up great opportunities to expand Women’s Conference,” Thackeray said of embracing technology during the pandemic. “So stay tuned for next year.”

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