The Name of the Church (LDS Newsroom) (August 20, 2018)
The Lord has impressed upon my mind the importance of the name He has revealed for His Church, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We have work before us to bring ourselves in harmony with His will.

Stop Saying ‘Mormon,’ Church Leader Says. But Is the Real Name Too Long? (New York Times) (August 20, 2018)
The word “Mormon” is out, says the president of the Utah-based church. But the proper term for what to call the faith and its followers is a mouthful. In an announcement on Thursday, President Russell M. Nelson insisted that Mormons and non-Mormons alike stick to the term “the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”

Inside the Quorum of the Twelve: Sustaining Is Act of Faith, Confidence, Love (Church News) (August 20, 2018)
In the challenging days after flooding inundated much of southeast Texas late last summer, President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles traveled to affected communities and worshipped with local Latter-day Saints.

New Zealand Temple Closes for Renovations; See What It Will Look Like (Church News) (August 20, 2018)
After serving Church members in the Pacific for six decades, the Hamilton New Zealand Temple—the first temple in the Southern Hemisphere—has closed for an extensive, three-year renovation.

How Is Your Heart? Serve to Be Like the Savior, Seventy Tells BYU Graduates (Church News) (August 20, 2018)
Elder Brent H. Nielson remembers exactly how he felt as he sat at his graduation from Brigham Young University exactly 40 years ago in 1978. While most of his classmates were excited about the completion of schoolwork and looking forward to the next phase in their life, his heart was “full of uncertainty, sadness, and a little bit of fear.”

This Week on Social: Elder Andersen talks about traveling with President Nelson, Elder Bednar on receiving revelation (LDS Church News) (August 20, 2018)
The social media accounts of Church leaders have covered the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, revelation and learning from the Prophet.

Newly Released Saints Volume 1 Provides Honest Look at Early Church History (Church News) (August 20, 2018)
On September 4, the Church will release a new history unlike any it has ever published before. Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days presents the inspiring true story of the women and men who dedicated their lives to establishing The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints across the world. Unlike past histories, which were primarily written as reference works, Saints is written as a narrative that is engaging to read.

Auditions Announced for 2018 “Savior of the World” in Salt Lake City (Church News) (August 20, 2018)
The Music and Cultural Arts Division of the Church is inviting adults and families (with children ages 7 and older) to participate in the 2018 production of Savior of the World: His Birth and Resurrection in the Conference Center Theater in Salt Lake City.

Digital Ellis Island Immigration Records Now Available (LDS Newsroom Blog) (August 15, 2018)
The entire collection of Ellis Island New York Passenger Arrival Lists from 1820 to 1957 is now available online at FamilySearch.org and the Statue of Liberty–Ellis Island Foundation. This online database contains family connections for more than 100 million Americans living today.

Apostle Speaks to Japanese Youth in Their Language at Face to Face Event (LDS Newsroom) (August 15, 2018)
Latter-day Saint youth from all over Japan participated in the first regional Face to Face broadcast in their country on Wednesday, August 15, 2018. The event, originating in Osaka and broadcast in Japanese, featured Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and his wife, Lesa. Elder Kazuhiko Yamashita of the Seventy and his wife, Tazuko, also participated.

New Zealand Temple Closes for Renovation (LDS Newsroom) (August 15, 2018)
The Hamilton New Zealand Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently closed for an extensive renovation. The New Zealand landmark has been in service since 1958 and needs seismic strengthening retrofit and significant upgrades to its mechanical systems.

New FamilySearch video makes learning about ancestors more interactive and fun than ever before (LDS Church News) (August 15, 2018)
A new video from FamilySearch shows viewers that they might have more in common with their ancestors than they think, and how memories can be recorded and preserved.

Emory Law Launches Immigration Clinic With Kuck Firm and Mormon Church (Daily Report) (August 15, 2018)
A new monthly immigration law clinic that is free to the public has just launched in Chamblee thanks to a partnership between Emory University School of Law, the law firm Kuck Baxter Immigration Partners and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

At 90 years old, this Utah man is proving that you're never too old to serve the Lord (LDS Church News) (August 15, 2018)
All callings are equal. That’s a truth that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints often hear repeated, especially when they are extended callings that may not seem immediately suitable for their circumstances.

A company accidentally put the Mormon temple on ‘Beauty and the Beast’ phone cases, and the internet bought them all (Fox 13 - Utah) (August 15, 2018)
Katie Hoyos didn’t know what was missing from her “Beauty and the Beast” collection until she saw it: a phone case featuring Belle and the Beast striding toward the LDS temple in Salt Lake City.

Latter-day Saint Women Leaders Visit America’s Heartland (LDS Newsroom) (August 14, 2018)
Several women leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveled to four states in the Midwest in August to meet with community leaders and local members.

Brush up on your Church history with this new narrative (LDS Church News) (August 14, 2018)
Beginning in February 2018, the Church started publishing a four-volume history of the Church titled "Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." The first six chapters of Volume 1 are now available. The four volumes will be published in 14 langauges in book form (available at store.lds.org), online at saints.lds.org, and in the Gospel Library app for mobile devices.

BYU–Idaho Education Week Attendees Learn about Eclipses, Happiness, Trusting in God (Church News) (August 14, 2018)
For three days, more than 2,500 individuals came to the BYU–Idaho campus to hear uplifting messages, attend a variety of classes, and enjoy the many activities offered by the university.

Portion of lawsuit against LDS Church, former MTC president dismissed (Daily Herald - Utah) (August 14, 2018)
A judge Monday dismissed a portion of a lawsuit filed against a former Provo MTC president and the LDS Church by McKenna Denson, who claims she was sexually assaulted while at the MTC in the ’80s, though the LDS Church will still face claims of fraud in the case. U.S. District Court Judge Dale A. Kimball granted former Provo Missionary Training Center President Joseph L. Bishop a complete dismissal of a case brought against him by Denson.

Newly Published Joseph Smith Papers Are a Treasure Trove of Information Online (Church News) (August 14, 2018)
The Council of Fifty minutes, once unavailable for public inspection, are now freely accessible online. First published in print as part of the Joseph Smith Papers in 2016, the Council of Fifty minutes are the records of an organization that Joseph Smith created in March 1844 with about 50 of his closest associates to become what they believed would be the governing core of the literal kingdom of God on earth.

A glimpse of what President Monson was like during his more casual moments (LDS Church News) (August 14, 2018)
On a June afternoon in 1985, Deseret News photographer Ravell Call and I went to the home of President Thomas S. Monson to take photos for an article I was writing about him. I had visited President Monson and his wife, Sister Frances Johnson Monson, in their home before and, over the years, returned for more visits.

More than a thrift store: How working at the Deseret Industries gave one man new life after he lost his leg (LDS Church News) (August 14, 2018)
Working as a 25-year-old police officer in Texas, Mo Jarmin was directing traffic one day when a semi-trailer truck going 60 mph struck him, leaving him severely injured and barely alive. The report from doctors was grim — they never expected him to walk, or even talk, again.

Youth Participate in Asia's First Face to Face Broadcast (LDS Newsroom) (August 13, 2018)
Young members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints participated in the first live Face to Face broadcast in Asia on Saturday, August 11, 2018.

Inside the Quorum of the Twelve: Misconceptions about an Apostle’s Service (Church News) (August 13, 2018)
After the Savior’s death and Resurrection, He instructed His disciples for 40 days and then ascended into heaven. Left with a vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles—created by the betrayal and death of Judas Iscariot—members of the quorum gathered and petitioned the Lord.

Pocatello's LDS temple still has no set location (Idaho State Journal) (August 13, 2018)
It’s been over a year since The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced plans to build an LDS temple in Pocatello, but little information has been released since then. Immediately after the church’s president revealed at the biannual General Conference in April 2017 that Pocatello would be receiving a temple, there was much speculation about where the temple would be built.

“Find a Little Quiet Time” to Know God and Jesus Christ, President Ballard Says (Church News) (August 13, 2018)
Every member of the Church needs “to find a little quiet time,” said President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quourm of the Twelve Apostles. “That is when we come to know that God is our Father and Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of the world,” he said.

The ins and outs of LDS Charities and what it provides across the globe (LDS Church News) (August 13, 2018)
For more than 30 years, LDS Charities has worked across the globe to assist and partner with governmental ministries, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), religious organizations and community-based organizations. Millions worldwide have been helped in areas of self-reliance, decreased suffering, sustainability, personal responsibility and community support.

Quick Tip: Finding Older General Conference Talks (Church News) (August 13, 2018)
Looking for older general conference talks? Here are four sources: Conference.lds.org has conference talks back to 1971 in text and more recent talks in video, audio, PDF, and EPUB in many languages. Also in the Gospel Library app.

The LDS Church Quietly Doubles Down On A Controversial Gay Policy (KUER - Utah) (August 13, 2018)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has quietly doubled down on a controversial policy toward gay members by including it in a recently updated manual for missionaries. Commonly referred to as the “November Policy,” the guidelines were released on Nov. 5, 2015, just months after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage. The policy labeled same-sex couples “apostates” and disqualified their children from being baptized without special permission.