Saturday afternoon session: Summaries from Latter-day Saint general conference

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SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is holding its 196th Semiannual General Conference on Saturday, Oct. 3, and Sunday, Oct. 4.

This blog summarizes the key points from the Saturday afternoon session, the second of four held at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City this weekend.

Follow along with our talk summaries in the blog below, or watch the session live here:

Here is a glossary of the Latter-day Saint terminology used in this blog.

General conference is broadcast in multiple languages. The Spanish broadcast can be found here.

This story will be updated. To be notified about updates, please click Follow This Story below in the KSL app.

Saturday, 03:08 pm

Elder Jeremiah J. Morgan — 'The infinite power of God in our covenants'

Elder Jeremiah J. Morgan, of the Seventy, did not grow up a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but he said his mom belonged to a different church that believed in the Book of Mormon and read it to him daily. He learned the Book of Mormon was important to his mom, and that she knew it was true.At 14 years old, he began to question his family's church and secretly attended The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Elder Morgan said he has since felt the covenants his ancestors made in Nauvoo are responsible for his interest in the church.

"There is a discernible impact of those covenants on all our posterity. It was covenants that had impacted me, not my covenants, but those that came before me," he said.He said covenants have a generational impact; members are "intended beneficiaries of countless covenants.""Like the great binding power of gravity that stretches across the universe, covenants with God stretch over all time and all space," Elder Morgan said.He encouraged parents whose children are struggling to not give up, telling them that God hears them and will answer their prayers in his own time and way."If you are wondering whether you or a loved one has wandered so far away that the love of God and his covenantal power cannot reach you — I say to you, you have not," he said.Elder Morgan said the power and reach of Christ's atonement, "the greatest promise God made," is infinite."Your story, your family's story, is not all written. God is the author and the finisher of it," he told members.— Emily Ashcraft

Saturday, 02:56 pm

Elder Patricio M. Giuffra — 'Trusting the Lord through tithes and offerings'

Elder Patricio M. Giuffra, a General Authority Seventy for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, began his talk by discussing the importance of tithes and offerings.A woman he met on his mission initially doubted paying her tithing because of her indigent circumstances. Elder Giuffra said he approached his mission president to ask for an exception.Rather than agreeing, the mission president shared the story of the widow's mite from the Bible."You are no one to deny this sister the blessings of the law of tithing. There are no exceptions to this commandment," Elder Giuffra recalled his mission president saying.The woman told Elder Giuffra and his companion that she had prayed the night before and gained a testimony of the law of tithing. She was baptized and continued to pay even after he left the area.He bore his testimony of the importance of paying tithing. Throughout his life, he had seen blessings come from God as God opened the windows of heaven for him, according to his obedience.Elder Giuffra did not say that people would be free from their trials or difficulties because of their faithfulness in paying tithing. Instead, he testified that the lord knows the circumstances of each of his children.He said he had personally seen "men and women prosper both temporally and spiritually" as they paid their tithings faithfully.He ended by quoting Malachi, sharing the Old Testament prophet's promises that God would reward those who paid tithing, allowing God to work miracles in the lives of those who lived the law of faith.— Joe R. Wirthlin, Jr.

Saturday, 02:46 pm

Elder Christian C. Chigbundu — 'Spiritual immunity'

Elder Christian C. Chigbundu, a general authority seventy for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, compared spiritual strength to the body's immunity. Vaccines give people what their bodies need to build physical immunity to disease, and spiritual immunity gives people what they need to build spiritual immunity to get through life's challenges."As we build our spiritual immunity, we develop the strength and courage to withstand the challenges of life," he said.He teaches that difficult experiences are not evidence that God has abandoned us, but opportunities to become stronger.There are four small and simple things he recommends for spiritual immunity:

Scripture study

Prayer

The taking of the Sacrament

The making of covenants

He shared a story from his time as a mission leader during which a struggling missionary wanted to go home but found a sense of purpose in scripture study. Chigbundu then told a story of a woman battling cancer who found reassurance through prayer that Jesus Christ loved her.Although these practices don't remove the burdens, they can strengthen people to carry them and learn from the experience."Our 'why me?' questions will be replaced by 'what can I learn and what can I change?'" he said.Chigbundu encouraged listeners to consistently practice these seemingly simple acts of faith as protection against spiritual challenges.— Jenny Rollins

Saturday, 02:40 pm

President Timothy L. Farnes — 'Divine appointment'

Young Men General President Timothy L. Farnes encouraged conferencegoers to be aware of people around them and reach out to help them.He described an instance when he did not want to go to the temple right after receiving an assignment in a stake presidency, and he did not feel he had more to give. After counseling with his wife, he ended up going, and while there he met President Dallin H. Oaks, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who spoke to him genuinely, encouraged him and gave him a hug."I went from feeling like giving up to feeling like I could give my whole soul in service to the Lord," President Farnes said.Years later, he said President Oaks did not remember the experience, and when asked about it, said, "But it's what we do. Isn't it?" President Farnes said covenant followers of Christ "minister with compassion" to anyone in their path, because it is what Christ did."His life should be reflected in ours. It means that when someone encounters us, they should experience something of Jesus Christ — his kindness, his patience, his hope, his love, his compassion," he said.He told members that often God places someone in their path for them to help, something he referred to as "divine appointments."Elder Farnes talked about helping a missionary who was flying for the first time and happened to be on their plane."What we did for that elder didn't require much of us, but this ordinary encounter became a divine appointment we will always treasure," Elder Farnes said.He encouraged members to pray for divine appointments and "put compassion into action.""It's what Jesus did — and it's what we do," Elder Farnes concluded.— Emily Ashcraft

Saturday, 02:20 pm

Elder Dale G. Renlund — "How long will it be ere they believe me"

Elder Dale G. Renlund, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, began the second session of the 196th Semiannual General Conference by relating the story of a man who received a heart transplant.After a harrowing experience with a failed heart transplant and nearly dying from liver, kidney and lung failure, the man finally began to recover with a second heart transplant. However, 10 days after the successful surgery, the man complained to Elder Renlund about cold oatmeal.While giving the man grace after such a difficult time in surgery and recovery, Elder Renlund used the experience to relate to how people may focus on the here and now while losing sight of the bigger picture.He encouraged listeners to focus on the blessings God has already granted, and prepare for the bigger picture that may seem small when faced with daily challenges."As we reflect on the great things the Lord has already done and remember his goodness and mercy, we're better positioned to grasp the bigger picture and to rely on his promises to us," Elder Renlund said. "We can trust him."He said that some people may think that God's promises do not apply to them. He challenged people to re-think those assumptions and rely on God's promises in their personal lives.By relying on the memories of past promises fulfilled by God, Elder Renlund promised that people "can trust the lord, especially his promises."— Joe R. Wirthlin, Jr.

Saturday afternoon session: Summaries from Latter-day Saint general conference

UPDATED - Oct. 3, 2026 at 3:08 p.m. | Posted - Oct. 3, 2026 at 1:58 p.m.

The Tabernacle Choir performs during the Saturday morning session of the 196th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City. (Tess Crowley, Deseret News)

Elder Jeremiah J. Morgan — 'The infinite power of God in our covenants'

Elder Patricio M. Giuffra — 'Trusting the Lord through tithes and offerings'

Elder Christian C. Chigbundu — 'Spiritual immunity'

President Timothy L. Farnes — 'Divine appointment'

Elder Dale G. Renlund — "How long will it be ere they believe me"

Photos

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