The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian, Christian restorationist church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The church is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the United States, and has established congregations and built temples worldwide. According to the church, it has over 16 million members and 65,000 full-time volunteer missionaries. In 2012, the National Council of Churches ranked the church as the fourth-largest Christian denomination in the United States, with over 6.5 million members there as of January 2018. It is the largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement founded by Joseph Smith during the early 19th century period of religious revival known as the Second Great Awakening.
"The Family: A Proclamation to the World" is a 1995 statement issued by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which defined the official position of the church on family, marriage, gender roles, and human sexuality. It was first announced by church president Gordon B. Hinckley.
TheTabernacle Choir at Temple Square, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, is an American choir that is part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It has performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for over 100 years. The Tabernacle houses an organ, consisting of 11,623 pipes, which usually accompanies the choir.
Saints Unified Voices (SUV) is a Grammy Award-winning American Gospel music choir based in the Las Vegas Valley of Southern Nevada. The Saints Unified Voices Foundation, the governing organization of the choir, is directed by a board of directors, which includes Gladys Knight.
Music has had a long history in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, from the days in Kirtland, Nauvoo, and the settlement of the West, to the present day. In the early days of the Church, stripped-down Latter-Day Saint folk music, which could be sung without accompaniment due to the lack of instruments in Utah, was popular. In the 19th century, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir was created and began touring, while musicians began writing devotional and praise music with a Latter-Day Saint influence, paralleling the success of Christian Contemporary Music. Several organizations have existed and do exist to promote these artists, such as Deseret Book and the now-defunct Faith-centered Music Association. Starting in the late 20th century and to the present day, Latter-Day Saints have been increasingly involved in modern popular music in America and elsewhere in the World.
The Oakland California Temple is the 15th constructed and 13th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. During a January 23, 1961 meeting, plans for the temple were announced by David O. McKay. Ground was broken on May 26, 1962, with the cornerstone laid May 25, 1963, and dedication on November 19, 1964.
The Newport Beach California Temple is the 122nd temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The temple was announced on April 21, 2001 and dedicated by Gordon B. Hinckley on August 28, 2005. At the time of its dedication, it was the sixth operating temple in California. Prior to the dedication, 175,000 people attended an open house to tour the building. The open house was disrupted by a small group of protesters who carried signs reading "Mormon Lies Found Here" and "Jesus Warned Against False Prophets" and urged people not to enter. The temple was built to serve the 50,000 Latter-day Saints in Orange County at the time.
Craig D. Jessop is an American academic, musician and singer best known for his tenure as the music director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir from 1999 to 2008.
Jerold Don Ottley was the music director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir from 1974 to 1999. His duties with the choir included the preparation and performance of nearly thirteen hundred weekly radio and television broadcasts of Music and the Spoken Word. He also led the choir in more than thirty commercial recordings and more than twenty major tours, in addition to regular concerts in the choir's home in the Salt Lake Tabernacle.
Alexander Ferdinand Schreiner was one of the most noted organists of the Salt Lake Tabernacle. He also wrote the music to several LDS hymns, several of which are in the current edition of the hymn book of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Salt Lake Tabernacle organ is a pipe organ located in the Salt Lake Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Utah. Along with the nearby Conference Center organ, it is typically used to accompany The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square and is also featured in daily noon recitals. It is one of the largest organs in the world. Schoenstein & Co. President and tonal director Jack Bethards describes it as an "American classic organ" and "probably one of the most perfect organs ever built."
Ebenezer Beesley was a Latter-day Saint hymn writer and composer. The music for twelve of the hymns in the 1985 English-language hymnal of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was written by him.
Robert Sands was the fifth conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir; however, he was the first after the building of the Salt Lake Tabernacle on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. Prior to Sands taking over as conductor, the choir was led by Charles J. Thomas and performed in the "Old Tabernacle", which was also on Temple Square.
As of June 24, 2016, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reported 49,576 members, 12 stakes, 105 congregations, 2 missions, and 2 temples in Tennessee. However, as of December 31, 2018, this church reported 51,863 members utilizing 12 stakes, 111 congregations, 35 “family history centers”, two missions, and two temples.
Alex Boyé is a British-American singer, dancer, and actor. He was named the "2017 Rising Artist of the Year" in a contest sponsored by Pepsi and Hard Rock Cafe.
The Latter-day Saints Channel is an over the air and Internet radio station owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is based in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Wales reported 9,343 members in three stakes, 24 congregations, no missions, and no temples in Wales, as of 1 January 2011.
Rob Gardner is an American Latter-day Saint composer of primarily oratorios. One of his most widely performed works is his oratorio Lamb of God about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra at Air Studios in London in June 2010.
