This Week in Mormons

We invited one podcast over to visit our podcast. A big thanks to the guys at Bless the Refreshments podcast for stepping in. Check them out here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bless-the-refreshments/id1565091703 Links: Real House Wives of Salt Lake Heather Gray  in litigation with Church over book UK poll suggests people have less favorable opinion of the Church Can the church help save the Great Salt Lake? Church efforts in Turkey and Syria Andy Reid in the Super Bowl

11 Feb 20231h 6min

This Week's Hosts: Jennifer Roach Sarah Allen Links: YoungBoy Never Broke Again Is Considering a Mormon Baptism Jana Riess: For today’s Latter-day Saints, it’s food storage light Elder Gerrit W. Gong, wife to keynote RootsTech Family Discovery Day ‘You Cannot Separate Jesus Christ From the Church,’ Teaches Elder Hamilton BYU faculty members urged to align their teaching, research better with LDS tenets An alleged $500 million Ponzi scheme preyed on Mormons. It ended with FBI gunfire. The CES Letter Rebuttal Hear Him Retreats

4 Feb 202344min

TWiM Sisters are on the task this week! Links: Jana Riess: For today’s Latter-day Saints, it’s food storage light Ammon Bundy makes plea deal in St. Luke's Meridian trespassing case Members and missionaries help in flood and mudslide cleanup in California Church Volunteers Help Selma Cleanup Storm Damage Salt Lake Temple and Temple Square renovation: Revisiting 2022 progress and projecting 2023 efforts When can I register my youth for FSY? Anchorage Alaska Temple will double in size with reconstruction $5 per credit: A powerful reason for BYU-Pathway Worldwide Judge rules on whether Daybell trial will be postponed, jury sequestration and if Chad and Lori can meet The pioneer spirit that led to Welfare Square Before there was ‘Napoleon Dynamite,’ there was … ‘The Phone Call’ How counseling together can increase unity and revelation in Sunday Relief Society meetings Murdered Microsoft exec Jared Bridegan’s ex moves cross country as cop sources reveal major break in case

29 Jan 20231h 5min

Geoff Openshaw and Jared are back! Links: A prophetic promise fulfilled: San Juan Puerto Rico Temple is dedicated Say It Again, Sam (a Plea to Bishops) Church growth in Latin America How to use ‘The Chosen’ as you teach the New Testament Sister Mary Hales, wife of the late Elder Robert D. Hales, dies at age 90 R-Rated Sound of Musics, or R-Rated Films for Latter-day Saints

22 Jan 20231h 20min

News Links: President Nelson on New Year’s Resolutions: https://twitter.com/ChurchinCanada/status/1609547716371283968?t=YcAexLraH3fkrzIxsYW7bQ&s=03 https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm4AeqgNrjF/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY%3D Melissa Changes since President Nelson became prophet 5 years https://www.thechurchnews.com/2020/12/30/23217862/president-nelson-announcements-changes-church-prophet Matt Mexico City Temples https://twitter.com/the_churchnews/status/1609239837676027907?t=Xl_i69FvSxy-Wy6xQGf2xQ&s=03 Matt Congo River Temple https://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2023/1/3/23533638/congo-river-boat-trip-crossing-temple-trip-brazzaville-kinshasa?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=cn-social&utm_campaign=twitter-en&utm_content=ldsconf Melissa New Testament Come Follow Me https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022/12/31/23471766/how-to-understand-parables-new-testament-jesus-christ-byu-scholar-gaye-strathearn?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=cn-social&utm_campaign=twitter-en&utm_content=churchnews-en https://leadingsaints.org/the-art-of-teaching-an-interview-with-hank-smith/ Matt New Youth Theme for the Year https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2023/1/8/23540986/what-is-a-cairn-rock-formation-2023-youth-theme-logo?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=cn-social&utm_campaign=instagramstories-en&utm_content=churchnews-en https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders/2023/1/4/23537386/2023-youth-theme-philippians-4-13-young-men-young-women-general-presidencies?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=cn-social&utm_campaign=twitter-en&utm_content=ldsconf Matt LDS Members’ Pocatello Kidnapping is now fictionalized and streaming on Peacock https://www.wboc.com/tv-review---a-friend-of-the-family/article_61f34b98-8bc9-11ed-92c2-2bf3987277bb.html Melissa Elder Holland Devotional for Young Adults https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/elder-sister-holland-new-year-message-hope-christ https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders/2023/1/6/23542415/worldwide-devotional-with-elder-and-sister-holland-for-young-adults-2023?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=cn-social&utm_campaign=instagramstories-en&utm_content=churchnews-en Matt Standardized MTC online experiences https://www.ldsliving.com/changes-coming-for-online-missionary-training-at-select-mtcs/s/11247 FAMOUS MORMONS Matt Amy Adams Idina Menzel Jeremy Renner Melissa Pioneer Woman Joanna Gaines Rachel Ray (Big Deal, Little Deal, or No Deal?) Matt Slower than expected Church growth https://twitter.com/sltrib/status/1609600059909324802?t=-7uplvxNCP13u6wB0DoxlQ&s=03 Melissa Daybell https://kutv.com/news/chad-and-lori-daybell/lori-daybell-accused-of-killing-children-in-idaho-says-she-has-an-alibi-jj-vallow-tylee-ryan-merder-charges-tammy-chad https://www.ksl.com/article/50554091/lori-daybell-reveals-more-on-childrens-deaths-wants-to-meet-with-chad-daybell Matt Houston Transfer Center for Immigrants https://www.thechurchnews.com/2021/6/7/23217708/latter-day-saint-charitiesopen-houston-family-transfer-center-migrants-seeking-asylum Melissa Go Ask Alice https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/08/01/how-a-mormon-housewife-turned-a-fake-diary-into-an-enormous-best-seller?utm_campaign=falcon_e4bcaa8fba22b6feb7b8c2ec1e5388d1&utm_medium=social&utm_brand=tny&utm_social-type=owned&mbid=social_twitter&utm_source=twitter Matt Sex Abuse Suit Settled https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article271103342.html Melissa The Married Mom Advantage https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/12/motherhood-marriage-pandemic-covid-children/672563/ Matt Religious Affiliation in Congress https://pres-outlook.org/2023/01/congress-new-class-has-much-higher-percentage-of-christians-than-american-public/ Melissa No More Family History Libraries https://www.ldsliving.com/why-are-the-churchs-family-history-centers-getting-a-name-change/s/11246

14 Jan 20231h 5min

Jennifer Roach and Liz Busby review the news. Mormon Church condemned for photoshopping painting of Virgin Mary to cover her bust and shoulders  | Daily Mail Online ‘Come, Follow Me’: How to study the New Testament - Deseret News Faithful Study Resources for Come, Follow Me - FAIR (fairlatterdaysaints.org) Utah father kills wife, 5 kids, mother-in-law, police say, stunning ‘very close’ community (sltrib.com) LDS Church growth is stuck at less than 1%. Here are suggestions for boosting that number. (sltrib.com) MyBaby4Me program helping fight infant and maternal mortality rate in the Mid-South (msn.com)

7 Jan 202328min

Melissa and Matt give us their top stories of 2022. January: (Melissa) TONGA VOLCANO https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-60051524 https://www.sltrib.com/news/2022/01/22/church-jesus-christ/ https://www.thechurchnews.com/2022/1/21/23218744/first-presidency-tonga-volcano-letter-update Tonga is a very devout nation, with most Tongans belonging to a Christian church. Statistics from a 2016 census show about 19% belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, also known as the Mormons - the fastest-growing religious group on the island.Jan 21, 2022 Tonga has the highest percentage of Latter-day Saints of any country in the world (nearly 63%) February: (Matt) UKRAINE SAINTS DEAL WITH WARTIME ISSUES https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/lds-missionaries-moved-out-of-ukraine-as-tensions-mount-with-russia-in-eastern-europe https://www.thisweekinmormons.com/2022/02/kyiv-ukraine-temple-closes-following-russian-invasion/ March: (Melissa) TEMPLE MASK REQUIREMENTS REMOVED https://ksltv.com/486974/church-of-jesus-christ-of-latter-day-saints-removes-mask-requirement-in-temples/ https://www.deseret.com/faith/2022/3/15/22979821/latter-day-saint-temples-may-begin-to-remove-face-mask-requirement-other-covid-19-precautions https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2022/03/15/lds-temples-worldwide/ April: (Matt) LDS MEDIA FEATURES… THAT AREN’T REALLY https://www.deseret.com/entertainment/2022/4/29/23048558/the-rumor-involving-latter-day-saints-that-producers-of-the-chosen-want-to-squash-mormons-social https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/andrew-garfields-under-the-banner-of-heaven-embroiled-in-controversy-days-ahead-of-the-premiere.html/ May: (Melissa) D.C. TEMPLE REOPENING / OPEN HOUSE https://www.npr.org/2022/05/25/1100850964/mormon-church-of-jesus-christ-of-latter-day-saints-temple-open-house https://www.deseret.com/2022/6/5/23144875/mormon-lds-church-washington-d-c-temple-open-house-hits-milestone https://www.thechurchnews.com/2022/8/13/23304018/washington-dc-temple-influence-closure-renovation-open-house-president-nelson-rededicate June: (Matt) IDK??? https://gephardtdaily.com/local/church-of-jesus-christ-of-latter-day-saints-announces-effort-to-reduce-water-use-at-meeting-houses-temples/ https://kslnewsradio.com/1970796/church-of-jesus-christ-of-latter-day-saints-reacts-to-roe-v-wade/ July: (Matt) FSY - FIRST YEAR https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/fsy-spots-open-to-more-graduating-seniors-this-year https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/youth/childrenandyouth/fsy/about/youth?lang=eng FSY BEGINS August: (Melissa) TITHING SETTLEMENT CHANGES https://ksltv.com/502338/church-of-jesus-christ-of-latter-day-saints-makes-changes-to-tithing-settlement/ https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/first-presidency-tithing-declaration Honorable Mention (but has been covered a lot already) https://www.abc4.com/news/religion/church-responds-to-ap-investigation-into-sexual-abuse/ September: (Matt) MISSIONARIES - SERVICE RETURNING TO ‘NEW’ NORMAL https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/area-breakdown-of-churchs-411-missions-worldwide https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/service-missionary/a-custom-experience?lang=eng October: (Melissa) NEW For the Strength of Youth https://www.ldsliving.com/elder-uchtdorf-announces-a-new-guide-for-youth/s/11035 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/for-the-strength-of-youth/01-message?lang=eng https://www.deseret.com/2022/10/1/23381979/10-new-things-to-know-about-the-new-for-the-strength-of-youth#:~:text=New%20chapter%20focuses,and%20Find%20joy%20in%20Christ. November: (Matt) RESPECT for MARRIAGE ACT https://www.deseret.com/2022/11/17/23464767/senate-church-of-jesus-christ-of-latter-day-saints-marriage-equality https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/respect-for-marriage-act-statement https://www.ldsliving.

31 Dec 20221h 1min

TWiM Sisters are back with an additional sister (Ciarran Burch)! The TWiM Triplets talk all things news during this busy Christmas week. Links: When the TWiM Sisters first interviewed their sister Ciarran Burch Bundy Lawsuit President Nelson Christmas Message Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert More Christmas Concert Even more Christmas Concert 3 Latter-day Saint Football Figures Mike Leach Article Miss Rodeo America 2023 11 Crumbl Cookie stores found violating child labor laws How being the only current woman to coach boys’ hoops in Oregon has been a ‘blessing’ for this Latter-day Saint Bishop and stay-at-home dad wins baking show on Joanna Gaines’s TV network Robbie and Alissa Parker on 10 years since Sandy Hook

24 Dec 20221h 6min