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© 2008 Intellectual
Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Thomas S. Monson
was sustained Saturday as prophet, seer, revelator and president
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during a solemn
assembly of Church members worldwide.
Henry B. Eyring was sustained as first counselor
and Dieter F. Uchtdorf as second counselor in the First Presidency
? the highest governing body of the Church.
The new First Presidency was named and introduced
to the media in February but were officially sustained by Latter-day
Saints worldwide Saturday during the first session of the Church’s
annual general conference.
Members of the First Presidency participating in
Saturday's solemn assembly.
© 2008 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
The session also marked
the addition of Elder D.Todd
Christofferson as the newest member of the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles, the second highest governing body of the Church.
Elder Christofferson had most recently been
serving as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy with supervisory
responsibility for the North America Northwest and North America
West Areas. He previously had supervisory responsibility for the
North America Southeast Area and has served as executive director
of the Family and Church History Department and as president of
the Mexico South Area of the Church.
Elder D. Todd Christofferson
© 2008 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
Born in Pleasant Grove, Utah, he graduated from
high school in New Jersey, earned his bachelor’s degree from
Brigham Young University, where he was an Edwin S. Hinckley Scholar,
and his law degree from Duke University. He practiced law in Washington,
D.C. and has been a senior vice president and associate general
counsel for major banking institutions.
At a news conference early Saturday afternoon,
Elder Christofferson said that he felt a degree of incredulity,
as well as a deep sense of humility and gratitude for the trust
shown in him with respect to his new calling as an apostle in the
Church.
He said that he felt great desire, anxiety and
hope with respect to serving others in the spirit of Christ’s
admonition to Peter to “feed my sheep” and “feed
my lambs.”
Elder L. Whitney Clayton was named to replace
Elder Christofferson as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy.
Elder Clayton has been a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy
since 31 March, 2001.
Elder L. Whitney Clayton. © 2008 Intellectual
Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
His professional career was in law where he
was a business litigation attorney with a California law firm. He
earned a bachelor’s degree in finance at the University of
Utah and a law degree at the University of the Pacific.
He has served the Church in many positions including
regional representative, mission president’s counselor, stake
high councilor and bishop.
Elder Clayton was born in Salt Lake City, Utah
in 1950. He married Kathy Ann Kipp on August 9, 1973 in the Salt
Lake Temple. They are parents of seven children.
Fifteen new general authorities were also sustained
to serve in the First and Second Quorums of the Seventy. Called
to serve as members of the First Quorum of the Seventy are: Elder
Marcos A. Aidukaitis, Porto Alegre, Brazil; Elder Gérald
Caussé, Paris, France; Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge, Sandy,
Utah; Elder Eduardo Gavarret, Lima, Peru; Elder Carlos A. Godoy,
Barueri, Brazil; Elder James J. Hamula, Mesa, Arizona; Elder Allan
F. Packer, Sandy, Utah; Elder Kevin W. Pearson, Salt Lake City,
Utah; Elder Rafael E. Pino, Miranda, Venezuela; Elder Gary E. Stevenson,
Providence, Utah; Elder José A. Teixeira, Vila Real, Portugal;
Elder F. Michael Watson, Bountiful, Utah; and Elder Jorge F. Zeballos,
Concepcion, Chile.
Elder Tad R. Callister, Glendale, California
and Elder Kent D. Watson, Cedar City, Utah were called as members
of the Second Quorum of the Seventy.
Additionally, 38 Area Seventies have been called.
Elaine S. Dalton succeeds Susan W. Tanner as Young Women general
president, with Mary N. Cook as first counselor and Ann M. Dibb
as second counselor. Sister Dalton had previously served as first
counselor and Sister Cook as second counselor in the Young Women
general presidency. Sister Dibb had been serving on the Young Women
General Board.
This article was prepared by the LDS Newsroom at lds.org.
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