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SALT LAKE CITY — Haley McFadden, a young single adult in Salt Lake City who works in the church's broadcasting events division, said the Utah Area YSA Conference is one of the more fun things she has worked on in her position.
"We want to gather together; it's really empowering to be with other believers and other people who are in your same situation in life and to find camaraderie and understanding," she said.
The second Utah Area Young Single Adult Conference is being held Aug. 2 to Aug. 4 in Salt Lake City with the theme "Together in Christ." Some local events are also being held that weekend throughout the state as part of the conference.
The conference will include a two-day convention at the Salt Palace and concert on Aug. 2 and 3 in addition to a devotional on Aug. 4 at the Conference Center.
With the recent change adding single adult church members between 31 and 35 to the young single adult wards, young single adults between 18 and 35 are invited to the event. The change eliminated the mid-single adult category, which previously referred to single members between 31 and 45.
McFadden has been planning breakout classes and sessions. She said they have spent a lot of time working with the YSA committee to create classes that will be relevant and enjoyable for their audience.
"I think that a lot of people are going to find something to be interested in because that's been one of our goals. ... You'll find something to enjoy and connect with at some point in the conference," McFadden said.
Carly Clark, of Kaysville, a temporary church employee working on the conference, said she is excited for the two world record-breaking events, official events with adjudicators from Guinness World Records.
The largest speed-dating event record is currently 964 participants, and the Saturday morning speed-dating session aims to beat that by hundreds of attendees. The room will be split in half by age, one with ages 18-28 and the other 25-35.
One event will be the most contributions to a birthday card, hoping to surpass the record of 20,482, in a birthday card for President Russell M. Nelson's 100th birthday. The conference is hoping to collect over 100,000 messages.
Those who are unable to attend the conference in person can even contribute to the birthday card online on Saturday and help make it even bigger.
The large devotional on Sunday evening with Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf at the Conference Center will also be available remotely on the event's website and the BYUtv app.
Clark said the concert and gathering together in large groups with other young single adults was very impactful for her last year.
"It is cool to be, you know, in a full Delta Center with all these people who at least have something in common with you, whether it's the same age, the same beliefs, whatever ... having a fun time together," she said.
The concert at the Delta Center on both Friday and Saturday evening will feature Ben Rector, Rachel Platten and Emma Nissan. There will also be a dance at the Salt Palace on both evenings so attendees can go to one event Friday and the other on Saturday.
Clark said there is quite a large demographic within the people attending the conference, but the theme "Together in Christ" unites all of them.
"It's an amazing feeling, like, words don't do it justice. It's really cool to be there," she said.
There were lots of "iconic moments" in last year's conference, Clark said, encouraging single adults to come catch those moments this year. She said because things are being done on a larger scale, they are able to plan more than local church congregations can at smaller events.
Clark said she recognizes large groups aren't for everyone, and sometimes people need a break. Organizers planned smaller events as well, mini concerts and a wall where people can write answers to a question and read other responses. There will also be a quiet room available at the Salt Palace for people to get away from the noise.
Although McFadden encouraged church members who are currently young single adults to attend the conference instead of volunteer, she said they are looking for volunteers and would love to see parents of young single adults or members assigned to work with young single adults to sign up for a volunteer shift.
Tickets are required for all of the Salt Lake City events. The tickets for Sunday's devotional are free, while tickets to the Friday and Saturday's conference are $50. Utah Transit Authority will honor the ticket as a public transit pass during the conference to help with transportation and parking.
