News Story

Young Women and Youth Leaders Prepare for ‘Face to Face’ Online Sesquicentennial Commemoration

Young Women around the world are invited to join Bonnie H. Cordon, Michelle D. Craig and Becky Craven of the Young Women General Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at a worldwide Face to Face event on 15 November 2020, celebrating the sesquicentennial anniversary of the Young Women organisation.

To commemorate the occasion, young women globally were encouraged to think of an activity they could do related to “150.”

“Many of our youth took on the challenge, with some baking 150 cookies and handing them out to who they felt inspired to, whilst others researched 150 names of ancestors that could have work performed for them in the temple and another, 150 acts of kindness,” shared Leonie Parker, president of the Gold Coast Australia Stake Young Women.

She saw the young women develop their talents, serve others, grow in character and strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ.

To encourage the young women to participate, Leonie and her counsellors, Christine Boyce and Hineira Shortland, decided to take part in this challenge themselves. They prayed for guidance in choosing an activity that would centre on the youth.

 

“We discovered that we had exactly 150 young women on our membership records," Leonie said, “and felt inspired to visit each of the 150 young women, dressed as pioneers, to personally invite them to attend our activity in November to officially commemorate the 150th anniversary.”

Despite the difficulties of coordinating visits to young women in homes spread over parts of New South Wales and Queensland, the leaders were thrilled to experience the joy and surprise on the teens’ faces.

The stake young women’s commemoration activity will be centred around the history of the organisation, including experiencing some of the activities of young women over the past 150 years.

A pioneer hike, horse riding, learning the life-cycle of a bee (which is the origin of the first group of young women being called “Beehives” in 1915), making cloth dolls similar to how they were made in the early 1900’s, roller-skating like in the 80’s and a service project of making 150 facemasks for hospitals are planned.

At the conclusion of the day, everyone will gather to watch the Face to Face broadcast.

Several young women from the South Pacific will be featured in the global programme.

Watch the broadcast on Sunday, 15 November 2020, at 4:00 p.m. UTC-7.00 via the Church satellite system, ChurchofJesusChrist.org, Facebook, Youtube, BYUtv, and other media. It will be transmitted in ASL, English, French, Samoan, and Tongan.

Those who cannot join the event live may watch it later on Face2Face.ChurchofJesusChrist.org or YouTube any time after the event begins.

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