10th annual Mormon Night at the Los Angeles Dodgers

This evening was the annual Mormon Night at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. It was perfect weather, the game was exciting, and the Latter-day Saints were out in the thousands. LDS singers performed the national anthem and a few other songs. Elder Ballard threw the night's first pitch. It was a great evening!

The L.A. Dodgers host Mormon Night on an annual basis as a way to thank and recognize the Mormon community in Southern California for being the most active supporting organization. According to the Dodgers' website, this was the 10th annual Mormon Night!

For more information, check out:

http://www.mlb.com/la/ticketing/supergroup.jsp?group=lds

Pres. Uchtdorf and Elder Ballard at Obama's Inauguration

“It is always an honor for the Church to be represented at the inauguration of a new president,” said President Thomas S. Monson. “We send our best wishes to President Obama and pray for the blessings of a loving Father in Heaven to be upon him and his administration.”

In this second photo, the Church leaders attend and participate in the National Prayer Service on Wed., Jan. 21, 2009.

Church leaders pledge to engage press & media further

Elders Russell Ballard and Quentin Cook of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have pledged to continue promoting understanding of the Church, its beliefs, and its history through the international news media.  After extensive meetings, seminars, and interviews with the editors and journalists of the Washington Post, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, CBS, and many others, Elders Ballard and Cook are pledging to continue their media blitz.  

Elders Ballard and Cook commented that during the next months the Church will thoroughly observe how it is perceived publicly.

Elder Cook said the Church would not leave others to define its beliefs and its people. In some instances, anti-Mormon comments had been allowed to pass without much challenge.  “I don’t think we have to accept it when some people deliberately mischaracterize the Church,” he said.

Regarding the Church and politics, Elder Ballard has said: 

“We have members in the Church of all political persuasions. We encourage our people to get involved, to participate in party politics, to vote. But which party and which candidates are matters for them to decide.”

But he acknowledged that the need to avoid being partisan or drawn into political debate had sometimes hampered the Church in responding to criticisms or misrepresentations.

(Much of this information courtesy the LDS Newsroom.)

Michelle Obama meets with Mormon leaders

Michelle Obama visited LDS Church headquarters this morning, as part of her campaign stop in Salt Lake City. Her husband, Senator Barack Obama, was scheduled to visit Salt Lake City on Saturday, however due to the funeral services of President Gordon B. Hinckley, Obama canceled his campaign event. Instead, his wife, Michelle, visited Utah this morning. She visited with Elders Ballard and Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.