2009
The Sustaining of Church Officers
May 2009


“The Sustaining of Church Officers,” Liahona, May 2009, 27–28

Saturday Afternoon Session
April 4, 2009

The Sustaining of Church Officers

Brothers and sisters, it is proposed that we sustain Thomas Spencer Monson as prophet, seer, and revelator and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Henry Bennion Eyring as First Counselor in the First Presidency; and Dieter Friedrich Uchtdorf as Second Counselor in the First Presidency.

Those in favor may manifest it.

Those opposed, if any, may manifest it.

It is proposed that we sustain Boyd Kenneth Packer as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the following as members of that quorum: Boyd K. Packer, L. Tom Perry, Russell M. Nelson, Dallin H. Oaks, M. Russell Ballard, Richard G. Scott, Robert D. Hales, Jeffrey R. Holland, David A. Bednar, Quentin L. Cook, D. Todd Christofferson, and Neil L. Andersen.

Those in favor, please manifest it.

Any opposed may so indicate.

It is proposed that we sustain the counselors in the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators.

All in favor, please manifest it.

Contrary, if there be any, by the same sign.

It is proposed that we release Elder Neil L. Andersen as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy.

Those who wish to join in a vote of appreciation may so indicate.

It is proposed that we release the following as Area Seventies effective May 1, 2009: Gutenberg G. Amorím, Wilford W. Andersen, Koichi Aoyagi, José E. Boza, G. Lynn Brenchley, John J. Chipman, Yoon Hwan Choi, Clayton M. Christensen, Ernesto A. Da Silva, James Dunlop, David W. Eka, I. Lee Ence, Edgardo E. Fernando, Luiz C. França, Joseph T. Hicken, Michael H. Holmes, Pita F. Hopoate, Tohru Hotta, William K. Jackson, Bin Kikuchi, Miguel A. Lee, Yong Hwan Lee, Alfredo Heliton de Lemos, James B. Martino, Lamont W. Moon, Kent H. Murdock, Brent H. Nielson, Alexander A. Nuñez, Russell T. Osguthorpe, Adilson de Paula Parrella, Pedro J. Penha, Errol S. Phippen, Neil E. Pitts, Gary L. Pocock, Dale G. Renlund, Ronald A. Stone, Jean Tefan, and Allen P. Young.

Those who wish to join us in expressing our gratitude for their excellent service, please manifest it.

It is proposed that we release Brothers A. Roger Merrill, Daniel K Judd, and William D. Oswald as the Sunday School general presidency.

It is also proposed that we release Brothers Charles W. Dahlquist, Dean R. Burgess, and Michael A. Neider as the Young Men general presidency.

We also release all members of the Sunday School and Young Men general boards.

All who wish to join us in expressing thanks for the dedicated service given by these brethren, please manifest it.

It is proposed that we sustain Elder Donald L. Hallstrom as a member of the Presidency of the Quorums of the Seventy.

Those in favor, please manifest it.

Any opposed.

It is proposed that we sustain as new members of the First Quorum of the Seventy Mervyn B. Arnold, Yoon Hwan Choi, Brent H. Nielson, Dale G. Renlund, Michael T. Ringwood, and Joseph W. Sitati; and as new members of the Second Quorum of the Seventy Wilford W. Andersen, Koichi Aoyagi, Bruce A. Carlson, Bradley D. Foster, James B. Martino, Kent F. Richards, and Gregory A. Schwitzer.

All in favor, please manifest it.

If there be any contrary, by the same sign, please.

It is proposed that we sustain the following as new Area Seventies: Manuel M. Agustin, Victor A. Asconavieta, Juan C. Avila, Duck Soo Bae, Dennis C. Brimhall, Thomas M. Cherrington, Samuel W. Clark, Carl B. Cook, Kevin R. Duncan, Rodolfo C. Franco, Gerrit W. Gong, Mauro Junot, Larry S. Kacher, Von G. Keetch, Katsumi Kusume, German Laboriel, J. Christopher Lansing, David E. LeSueur, Paulo C. Loureiro, Steven J. Lund, Dmitry Marchenko, Abraham Martinez, Hugo E. Martinez, Freebody A. Mensah, Christopher B. Munday, Hirofumi Nakatsuka, Hee Keun Oh, Chikao Oishi, Alejandro S. Patanía, Renato M. Petla, Marcos A. Prieto, Jonathan C. Roberts, J. Craig Rowe, Manfred Schütze, Walter C. Selden, T. Marama Tarati, Warren G. Tate, Hesbon O. Usi, Jack D. Ward, and Randy W. Wilkinson.

All in favor, please manifest.

Any opposed.

It is proposed that we sustain Russell Trent Osguthorpe as the new general president of the Sunday School, with David Merrill McConkie as first counselor and Matthew Ottesen Richardson as second counselor.

It is proposed that we sustain David LeRoy Beck as the new general president of the Young Men, with Larry Miner Gibson as first counselor and Adrián Ochoa as second counselor.

Those in favor may manifest it.

Any opposed may so signify.

It is proposed that we sustain the other General Authorities, Area Seventies, and general auxiliary presidencies as presently constituted.

Those in favor, please manifest it.

Any opposed may manifest it.

President Monson, insofar as I have been able to observe, the voting in the Conference Center has been unanimous in favor of the proposals made.

Thank you, brothers and sisters, for your sustaining vote and for your faith, devotion, and prayers.

We invite Elder Hallstrom, the newly called members of the Seventy, and the new Sunday School and Young Men general presidencies to take their places on the stand.

We welcome all of those, especially also Elder Andersen, who became this morning the 97th Apostle to serve in this dispensation. The calling of an Apostle, as you know, goes back to the Lord Jesus Christ. And those Seventies you just see walking up there are the ones the scriptures call for that the Twelve should call on before any other (see D&C 107:38).

Thank you, brethren.