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SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and The Mormon Tabernacle Choir recently released videos that coincide with the Easter season.
One video features the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and other singers performing the world's largest virtual "Hallelujah" chorus, according to the LDS Church.
Students, politicians, celebrities and other singers submitted 2,500 videos to be part of Handel's famous chorus, and the best voices were selected for the performance.
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir will live stream its performance of Handel's "Messiah" at 7:30 p.m. March 25. The performance will be in the Salt Lake Tabernacle. Details are available on the choir's website. Sunday, The LDS Church released a worldwide initiative that focuses on Jesus Christ.
The "Follow Him" initiative "is anticipated to reach tens of millions of people around the globe this Easter season," according to the LDS Church.
"It's based (on) Handel's 'Messiah,' the 'Hallelujah' chorus, which was initially produced for Easter, even though we use it a lot at Christmas," Elder Brent H. Nielson, a member of the Quorum of the Seventy and executive director of the Missionary Department said in a statement.
Along with social media efforts, displays in select visitors' centers, member and missionary tools and online paid promotion on Internet sites is a video titled " — An Easter Message about Jesus Christ."
The short video was filmed in Israel, Los Angeles and New York, and stars young adults from different parts of the globe. "The Easter initiative was filmed with Millennials, and those who see that will really love it. It's a great video," Elder Nielson said. "Those who watch that will see that 'hallelujah' means that we love the Savior, we worship Him, and it will be a portion of that celebration that we try to demonstrate."
The church released another video Sunday about how the atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ help people cope with difficult burdens.
English-speaking visitors' centers around the world will house displays for the initiative. The initiative provides resources for Latter-day Saints and people of other faiths to share on social media and spread Christ's message, according to Nielson. Those who wish can share content online using the hashtag #Hallelujah.
