Jesus Christ offers belonging, oneness, stillness, peace and confidence, leaders said Saturday during the first three sessions of the 194th Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City.
They shared personal stories of loss and challenges, eased by anchoring themselves in Christ. The Savior provided comfort as they turned to the spiritual power of prayer, faith and kept temple covenants. They also called Christ’s peace a “joy that endures heartbreak, penetrates sorrow and diminishes loneliness.”
Saturday’s conference fell on April 6, the date the church was formally founded in 1830 by Joseph Smith. Today the church has grown above 17 million members — 17,255,394 as of Dec. 31, according to the statistical report released Saturday by the church.
Nearly 45,000 people attended the three sessions in the Conference Center, braving a cold day that began with snow in the grass around Temple Square and included a brief midday blizzard in downtown Salt Lake City.