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Question-and-Answer Session Headlines
Australian Broadcast
SYDNEY, Australia — Thousands
of Australians from many faiths gathered in 38 chapels recently
to interact with an apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints in a historic countrywide broadcast.
The telecast, which originated in Sydney,
was the culmination of a 12-day visit to Australia by Elder David
A. Bednar, who said it was an “emotional pilgrimage and privilege”
to come to the land of some of his ancestors.
Elder Bednar’s great-great grandparents
were among the first members of the Church in Australia. Their home
became one of the stop-off points for the missionaries and Church
leaders who went to Australia in the mid-1800s.
Elder David A. Bednar, an apostle in The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
recently led a satellite-linked Q&A session involving 9,000
Australian Mormons in 38 chapels.
© 2008 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
During the broadcast, Elder Bednar
did not use a prepared text but instead encouraged those in attendance
to ask questions. “The role of a teacher is not just to talk
and dispense information. Rather, the role of a teacher is to invite,
encourage and entice learners to act in accordance with truth,”
Elder Bednar said. “The very process of formulating a question,
raising a hand, asking a question and listening attentively is an
expression of faith. This principle of seeking learning by faith
invites individualized teaching by the Holy Ghost.”
Broadcast producer Matt Henderson said
the format required a phone bank of five people, who received questions
called in from various broadcast locations. A question was phoned
in, written on a card with the person’s name and location
and then given to Elder Bednar at the pulpit to answer in real time.
To make it possible for everyone to
participate, the broadcast was beamed to Salt Lake City for translation
into Samoan, Tongan, Cantonese and Mandarin and then beamed back
to the chapels in Australia.
“People started calling before
the meeting started and continued until after it ended. We probably
fielded over a hundred calls and only ended the meeting after two
hours because we ran out of satellite time,” Henderson said.
“Everyone was very attentive and enthralled with the answers
and instruction.”
Elder Bednar said the most poignant
moment of the broadcast for him was when an 11-year-old boy raised
his hand and asked how he could honor his priesthood when he turned
12. (In the LDS faith, eligible young men at 12 years of age have
the opportunity to receive the priesthood.)
“It was inspiring to me to observe an 11-year-old boy stand
up and ask that question, knowing that people all over Australia
were watching and listening to him. It was a great learning and
teaching moment,” Elder Bednar remarked.
Eleven-year-old Dallan Maurer asked Elder Bednar a question during
the meeting.
© 2008 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
That boy, Dallan Edward Maurer, said
as soon as he heard he could ask a question at the meeting, he knew
he wanted to participate. “When I stood up to wait my turn,
I started to feel really nervous and thought about sitting down,
but when I came to the microphone I didn't feel any pressure or
nerves. I just felt excited and uplifted."
Dallan said he will follow Elder Bednar’s
advice to make sure he always acts and dresses appropriately so
he will be worthy to perform his priesthood duties. “It was
a good experience to have an apostle of the Lord speak to me personally
and answer my question. I will always remember it."
Those of other faiths also took the
opportunity to ask questions. One man said he noted from the New
Testament that Christ was “the great high priest” and
asked why, then, there was a need for the priesthood today.
Elder Bednar taught that the priesthood
is the authority to act in the name of Jesus Christ. He responded:
“Because Christ is not here with us, His priesthood is needed
to teach His doctrine and to perform the ordinances of salvation.
Priesthood authority is given to worthy male members of the Church
and is received ‘by the laying on of hands by those who are
in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances
thereof’ (Articles of Faith 1:5). Theological training or
reading the Bible does not convey priesthood authority; rather,
it comes from God according to the pattern He has established.”
The nationwide broadcast in Australia
is just one example of how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints uses technology to bless members of the Church and others.
This weekend the Church will broadcast its annual general conference
from Salt Lake City to more than 6,000 meetinghouses and other facilities
in 85 countries. It will be translated into 92 different languages,
ranging from Albanian to Yapese.
This article was prepared by the LDS Newsroom at lds.org.
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