Hastening Now: A Weekly Church Report


Exciting things are happening as the Tabernacle Choir joins with African choirs in Utah and Nigeria for a special broadcast on April 19 to go to millions in Africa. A most unique group of men, the Black 14, once protesters against the Church, helped coordinate large donations from the Church to the Food Bank in Atlanta. Humanitarian projects across Africa and reviews of General Conference will make your day. Enjoy this week’s report.

ONE

The Tabernacle Choir’s ‘Music and the Spoken Word’ Expands Reach to Millions Across Africa
Monday, April 6, 2026
To All the World

The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square will present a special broadcast of “Music and the Spoken Word” on Sunday, April 19, 2026, marking a significant expansion of the weekly broadcast’s reach across Africa.

The special episode, titled “The Joy We Share,” will air live on television networks in more than a dozen African countries, with additional distribution internationally. This will expand the reach of the program to an anticipated African audience of approximately 8 million people across the continent. READ ENTIRE RELEASE HERE.

TWO

Children have ‘intrinsic worth and dignity,’ President Porter teaches at International Society Conference
Tuesday, April 7, 2026
Church Leadership

President Susan H. Porter spoke at the 36th annual International Society Conference on the inherent dignity of God’s children. President Porter, a keynote speaker at the event, centered her remarks on ways adults can treat children with dignity and help them understand their worth. She began by sharing the doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints regarding the worth of souls. Each of us is a spirit child of heavenly parents, she taught, and therefore has “intrinsic worth and dignity.” READ ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE.

THREE

Church Purchase Ad and Article in Philippines News Source about General Conference to be Rebroadcast
Tuesday, April 7, 2026
To All the World

During Holy Week, many honor the Savior Jesus Christ through worship, prayer, scripture study, and time with family. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints joins Christians worldwide in celebrating Easter as a season of renewal and a reminder of Christ’s love. Central to this celebration is Christ’s “greater love,” as expressed in John 15:13: “Greater love has no one than this, that a person lay down their life for their friends.” All are invited to experience Christ’s perfect love by listening to messages from the April 2026 General Conference. READ ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE.

FOUR

Bringing Hope Through Water: The Church Delivers Boreholes, Public Toilets, and a New Medical Clinic to Ghana’s Central Region
Tuesday, April 7, 2026
Humanitarian Outreach

Without adequate toilets, clean drinking water, and convenient health services, living and staying healthy have been challenging for many of the most underserved residents in the Mfantseman Constituency, located in the Central Region of Ghana. Thanks to donations from the Church, however, basic health and sanitation needs are now receiving significant support.  On 20 March 2026, Elder Isaac K. Morrison formalized the donation as local residents gathered to celebrate their relief and express gratitude for the blessings provided. READ ENTIRE RELEASE HERE.

FIVE

The Church Donates Borehole and Water Tank to Sierre Leone Community
Tuesday, April 7, 2026
Humanitarian Outreach

The small community of New England Ville in western Freetown, Sierra Leone, celebrated the donation of a sustainable solution to a long-standing need for clean and accessible water. On April 3, 2026, The Church of Jesus Christ joined with local residents at the Bethel Hope Academy Preparatory School to officially hand over a new borehole and water tank to the eager residents there. The stored water will serve both the school and the surrounding neighborhood, improving daily living conditions and supporting better health and sanitation. READ ENTIRE RELEASE HERE.

SIX

The Church Donates Early Education Facility in Liberia
Friday, April 3, 2026
Humanitarian Outreach

In a significant step toward strengthening early childhood education in Central Liberia, The Church has officially turned over a newly constructed Early Childhood Education (ECE) facility to the Ministry of Education in Bong County. The facility is designed to foster a safe, engaging, and inclusive learning environment. The campus includes six modern classrooms, each brightly decorated to create a welcoming atmosphere for young children. The handover was facilitated by a senior missionary couple. READ ENTIRE RELEASE HERE.

SEVEN

Hospital in Côte d’Ivoire Receives Equipment from the Church
Reported Tuesday, April 7, 2026
Church Newsroom

The Church donated needed medical equipment to the Saint Giuseppe Moscati Catholic Hospital in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire. The donation marked another step in the Church’s commitment to improving healthcare in West Africa. Upon learning of the hospital’s needs, The Church donated an electric intensive care bed, an intensive care patient monitor, and five state-of-the-art electric syringe pumps—tools that are crucial for treating cardiac emergencies. READ ENTIRE RELEASE HERE.

EIGHT

The Church Donated 36,000 Pounds of Food to Atlanta Food Bank
Tuesday, April 7, 2026
Humanitarian Outreach

In collaboration with The Church, the Black 14 Philanthropy and College Football Hall of Fame donated 36,000 pounds of food to the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Mel Hamilton and his former teammate, Tony McGee, represented the Black 14 at the donation event. Hamilton and McGee were two of the 14 Black players dismissed from the University of Wyoming football team in 1969 after asking to participate in a peaceful racial protest prior to a game against Brigham Young University. At the time, Black men were not allowed priesthood ordination in The Church. READ ENTIRE RELEASE

HERE.

NINE

Rejoicing in Christ: Sunday General Conference Talk Excerpts
Sunday, April 5, 2026
Church Leadership

“Living worthy to meet Christ is no easy task,” taught President Dallin H. Oaks. “Many current writers characterize the time in which we live as ‘toxic,’ a time of ‘contempt’ or ‘hostility’ toward adversaries. This hostility affects many different relationships in society, involving many whose Christian beliefs should orient them otherwise. Our Savior Jesus Christ taught us how to relate to one another. The great commandments in the law, He taught, were to love—God and neighbor. READ ENTIRE REPORT HERE.

TEN

A Solemn Assembly, A Prophet Sustained, A Glorious Easter General Conference
Saturday, April 4, 2026
Church Leadership

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathered on the Saturday morning of this 196th annual General Conference for a Solemn Assembly. This is a rare event that only happens when a new president of the church is being sustained, and it gave members a unique opportunity. President Dallin H. Oaks reminded us that the sustaining is done in quorums and groups, so it gave some of us the opportunity more than once to stand and raise our right hand to sustain the prophet. READ ENTIRE STORY HERE.

ELEVEN

General Conference Highlights to Share
Sunday, April 5, 2026
To All the World

We’d love for you to share these posts of conference with friends and family! Each share or like helps Meridian Magazine and helps to spread the wonderful messages shared from general conference! CLICK HERE TO SEE 32 DIFFERENT MEMES TO SHARE.

TWELVE

Shepherds in Training: How BYU-Idaho Students Find Christ in Caring for Lambs
Friday, April 3, 2026
Chosen Generation

Spring has arrived at BYU-Idaho, and along with it, baby lambs. For the past four years, Aaron Stalker, a BYU-Idaho faculty member in the Department of Agriculture and Food Science, has partnered with a local ranch, Siddoway Sheep Company, to give students hands-on experience caring for these animals. The lambs that end up at the BYU-Idaho Agriculture Science Center are commonly referred to as “bum lambs.” When a ewe has too many babies, or when the lambs are not healthy, they require around-the-clock, labor-intensive care. That is where BYU-Idaho students step in to help. READ ENTIRE RELEASE HERE.

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