SALT LAKE CITY — Forty-eight new callings for general authorities and general auxiliary leaders in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were announced on Saturday afternoon during the Church’s 182nd Annual General Conference.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency, read the names for sustaining. According to the LDS Newsroom website the announcement included, “a new member of the presidency of the Seventy, new members of the First Quorum of the Seventy, a new Presiding Bishopric, a new Relief Society General Presidency and 40 Area Seventies.”
Bishop Gary E. Stevenson was serving as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy and as president of the Asia North Area at the time of his call to serve as the Presiding Bishop. His counselors are Bishop Gérald Caussé and Bishop Dean M. Davies.
Bishop Stevenson succeeded Bishop H. David Burton — along with his counselors Bishop Richard C. Edgley and Bishop Keith B. McMullin — who served as Presiding Bishop of the Church for nearly 16 years.
In the July 2005 Ensign, Bishop McMullin explained that part of the Presiding Bishopric’s responsibility is to administer the Church’s temporal affairs.
“These temporal matters include issues that deal with tithes; fast offerings; the recording, disbursement, and management of funds and the welfare program of the Church and its humanitarian efforts,” Bishop McMullin said. “The Presiding Bishopric is also responsible for Church buildings; for membership records; for the production of temple clothing; and for the translating, printing, binding and distributing of materials that are used in support of proclaiming and teaching the gospel.”
One of the most recent tangible responsibilities of the Presiding Bishopric was the building of City Creek — a three-block mall opened in Downtown Salt Lake City on March 22.
According to the LDS newsroom website, Bishop Burton was given the Salt Lake Chamber’s “Giant in Our City” Award in March 2011. Upon receiving the award Burton turned the thanks back to the community.
“The true ‘giant in our city’ is all of us, hand-in-hand, arm-in-arm, shoulder-to-shoulder, coming together to do good things, to do hard things, and do them in a way that blesses this community and its residents and its wonderful institutions,” Burton said.
General Relief Society President Julie B. Beck and her counselors, Sister Silvia H. Allred and Sister Barbara Thompson, were also released Saturday afternoon.
Speaking from the Conference Center Sunday morning, Beck spoke about the organization that she led for the last five years.
“Relief Society is a not a program,” sister Beck said. “It is an official part of the Lord’s Church that is divinely ordained of God to teach, strengthen and inspire sisters in their purpose regarding faith, family and relief. … It follows the pattern of female disciples who served with the Lord Jesus Christ and His Apostles in His ancient Church.”
Sister Linda K. Burton, previously serving on the Relief Society general board, was called as the new general Relief Society president. Sister Carole M. Stephens was called to serve as first counselor and Sister Linda S. Reeves as second counselor.
In the Presidency of the Seventy Elder Richard J. Maynes succeeded Elder Steven E. Snow. Elder Maynes had been serving in the First Quorum of the Seventy at the time of his call.
In the First Quorum of the Seventy, Elder Larry Echo Hawk, Elder Robert C. Gay and Elder Scott D. Whiting were called and sustained.
Forty new brethren were called as Area Seventy. According to the LDS newsroom website, “Area Seventies give part-time voluntary Church service within their assigned geographic areas and support area presidencies in international areas.”