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News Release

A Glimpse of the New Program for Children and Youth: Focusing on Faith in Christ through Balanced Growth 

Church leaders share vision and basic principles in video to be shown worldwide September 29

What will the new program for children and youth to be implemented by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on January 1, 2020, look like? Six Church leaders, including President Russell M. Nelson, speak to the vision and basic principles of the coming program in a 48-minute video that Latter-day Saints worldwide will watch during the second half of worship services on Sunday, September 29, 2019.

The video was made available to local Church leaders on September 13 to help them prepare for the broadcast and address questions from their congregants.

 

The production features President Nelson, President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the faith’s Relief Society (Sister Jean B. Bingham), Young Women (Sister Bonnie H. Cordon), Young Men (Brother Stephen W. Owen), and Primary (Sister Joy D. Jones) leaders.

“This effort has been designed especially for you and your generation,” President Nelson tells youth in the video’s introduction. “Over the years, the Church has provided a variety of efforts to help children and youth. We would not be where we are today without them. Now the time has come for a new approach, designed to help today’s children and youth throughout the world. Instead of giving you many specific assignments, we are inviting you to counsel with the Lord about how you can grow in a balanced way. It will be rewarding and fun. But it will also take some effort on your part. You will need to seek personal revelation. You will need to choose for yourself how to act on it. Sometimes the Spirit may prompt you to do things that are difficult. I think you are up to the challenge. You can do hard things.”

The vision statement of the program, as outlined by President Nelson in a brief booklet that will soon be available for parents and leaders, is this: “Strengthen the rising generation’s faith in Jesus Christ, and help children, youth, and their families progress along the covenant path as they meet life’s challenges.”

Parents, teachers, youth and children will receive booklets with information about the new program at church during the second hour of worship services on Sunday, September 29, 2019. More information about this new program will be presented at a November 17 Q&A with Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

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