Contributed BySarah Jane Weaver, Church News editor
Sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ remains a sacred priority for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, even in the current circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Church statement
In another response to the COVID-19 pandemic, temporary adjustments will be made to missionary work in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, leaders announced Monday morning.
Missionaries will continue to be called to serve and assigned to labor in missions worldwide, according to a statement from Church leaders. Missionary recommendations will continue to be received, and missionary assignments for worldwide service will continue to be made.
However, in an effort to adapt to constantly changing conditions and out of an abundance of caution, Church leaders are implementing temporary adjustments to missionary service.
These changes include the following:
Young missionary elders currently serving in missions within the United States and Canada who would complete their mission on or before September 1, 2020 may be released after they have served for 21 months. The length of service for sister missionaries serving in the United States and Canada will not be impacted by the adjustments.
Young missionaries with health issues and senior missionaries may be released from service.
Some missionaries may be temporarily reassigned to another mission.
Sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ remains a sacred priority for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, even in the current circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic, said Church leaders in a statement. We continue to monitor the spread of this condition and its impact on missionaries worldwide. We take very seriously the health and safety of our missionaries and of those they teach.
Young missionaries needing to work primarily from their apartments will continue teaching using technology, studying the scriptures, and Preach My Gospel, language learning, family history, online community service and other activities as identified by the mission president, according to the statement.
In addition, missionaries are encouraged to stay in contact with their families frequently and to take opportunities to leave their apartments for periods of exercise and fresh air, while observing wise guidelines for personal contact.
Church leaders will continue to monitor conditions and make further adjustments as needed. As a Church, we express our love and appreciation for all missionaries as they strive to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ and share His love wherever they serve, wrote leaders in the statement.
Family history missionaries work on computers and do paperwork.
Missionary work has been impacted by epidemics during other times in history.
Missionary work in Hong Kong was affected by theSARS outbreak in 2003.And following an outbreak of Ebola in Liberia, missionaries were moved out of the West African nation in August 2014; young missionaries returned in September 2015.Missionary work was also disrupted in Madagascarfollowing an outbreak of the plaguein October 2017.
In June 2009, the spread ofswine flu promptedChurch leaders to change MTC drop-off protocols. In addition, a suspectedstomach flu/norovirusimpacted 250 Latter-day Saint missionaries in the Provo Missionary Training Center in January 2013.
The Church slowed the expansion of Latter-day Saint missions during World War II. Missionary work continued, however, despite many men being drafted into military service.
Missionaries smile as they meet together outside in Mexico.
See original here:
Church Announces Adjustments to Missionary Work, Will ...
- You Can Now Take an Early $100,000 Retirement Plan Withdrawal Due to COVID-19, but Most Americans Don't Have That Option - The Motley Fool [Last Updated On: May 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 2nd, 2020]
- Why are more men dying from COVID-19? - Livescience.com [Last Updated On: May 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 2nd, 2020]
- The covid-19 crisis exposes the frailties of Germanys biggest firms - The Economist [Last Updated On: May 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 2nd, 2020]
- Ireland extends Covid-19 lockdown to 18 May before phased exit - The Guardian [Last Updated On: May 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 2nd, 2020]
- San Francisco to mandate COVID-19 testing in nursing facilities while state mulls providing them with broad legal immunities - Mission Local [Last Updated On: May 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 2nd, 2020]
- The Guardian view on Trump and Covid-19: Americans suffer. Will he? - The Guardian [Last Updated On: May 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 2nd, 2020]
- COVID-19 Deaths Are Being Linked to Vitamin D Deficiency. Here's What That Means - ScienceAlert [Last Updated On: May 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 2nd, 2020]
- Where did Covid-19 come from? What we know about its origins - The Guardian [Last Updated On: May 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 2nd, 2020]
- 41 nursing home residents died from COVID-19 in Illinois counties in News 4's viewing area - KMOV.com [Last Updated On: May 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 2nd, 2020]
- 'We're modern slaves': How meat plant workers became the new frontline in Covid-19 war - The Guardian [Last Updated On: May 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 2nd, 2020]
- Retiring Lakelands educators reflect on the COVID-19 pandemic, their careers - Index-Journal [Last Updated On: May 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 2nd, 2020]
- 48th COVID-19 death reported in WV - WSAZ-TV [Last Updated On: May 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 2nd, 2020]
- I Had One of the Earliest Cases of COVID-19 I Think - D Magazine [Last Updated On: May 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 2nd, 2020]
- Britons will suffer health problems from Covid-19 for years, warn doctors - The Guardian [Last Updated On: May 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 2nd, 2020]
- How Cybercriminals are Weathering COVID-19 - Krebs on Security [Last Updated On: May 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 2nd, 2020]
- US consumers rush to buy meat amid concerns over Covid-19 shortages - The Guardian [Last Updated On: May 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 2nd, 2020]
- Do you think you have the coronavirus? Here's what you should do. - USA TODAY [Last Updated On: May 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 2nd, 2020]
- Could Poop Hold the Key to Measuring COVID-19 in the Population? - Santa Barbara Independent [Last Updated On: May 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 2nd, 2020]
- Janesville hospitals hoping to add on-site COVID-19 test processing - Janesville Gazette [Last Updated On: May 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 2nd, 2020]
- Reno ER doctor on COVID 19: 'We won the battle, now let's win the war' - Reno Gazette Journal [Last Updated On: May 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 2nd, 2020]
- Illinois Governor Proposes $80 Million Army To Track The Spread Of COVID-19 - WBEZ [Last Updated On: May 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 2nd, 2020]
- 757 more confirmed cases of COVID-19, five more deaths statewide - KCRG [Last Updated On: May 2nd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 2nd, 2020]
- Let's hear scientists with different Covid-19 views, not attack them - STAT [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2020]
- Mick Jagger and Will Smith to perform in India Covid-19 concert - The Guardian [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2020]
- COVID-19: France wants people to ride their bikes instead of public transport - World Economic Forum [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2020]
- Stroke and coronavirus: Blood clotting is a new Covid-19 mystery - Vox.com [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2020]
- Where The Latest COVID-19 Models Think We're Headed And Why They Disagree - FiveThirtyEight [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2020]
- After Covid-19: How will a socially distanced high street actually work? - The Guardian [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2020]
- Recovered patients who tested positive for COVID-19 likely not reinfected - Livescience.com [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2020]
- The effect of human mobility and control measures on the COVID-19 epidemic in China - Science Magazine [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2020]
- Congress is investigating cruise ship company Carnival over COVID-19 outbreaks - The Verge [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2020]
- Man and his daughter die of Covid-19 within days of each other - The Guardian [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2020]
- Antibody, Antigen And PCR Tests For COVID-19: Know The Differences : Shots - Health News - NPR [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2020]
- Covid-19 in prisons and meatpacking plants shed a light on Americas moral failures - Vox.com [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2020]
- COVID-19 tests offered to diverse neighborhoods in Harrisonburg - WHSV [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2020]
- Increased testing continues to push COVID-19 count higher - The Southern [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2020]
- Livingston County COVID-19 cases at 80 with 5 new cases confirmed Saturday - The Livingston County News [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2020]
- Covid-19 recap: Benchmarks, restrictions, and round two? - Port City Daily [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2020]
- Amid Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, Governor Cuomo Announces Results of Completed Antibody Testing Study of 15000 People Showing 12.3 Percent of... [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2020]
- The Covid-19 Riddle: Why Does the Virus Wallop Some Places and Spare Others? - The New York Times [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2020]
- Trump: US will terminate relationship with WHO amid Covid-19 pandemic - STAT [Last Updated On: May 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 31st, 2020]
- WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 - 29 May 2020 - World Health Organization [Last Updated On: May 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 31st, 2020]
- How to Recover From Covid-19 at Home - The New York Times [Last Updated On: May 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 31st, 2020]
- Nearing 100000 COVID-19 Deaths, U.S. Is Still 'Early In This Outbreak' - NPR [Last Updated On: May 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 31st, 2020]
- One New COVID-19 Case on Maui Brings Hawaii Total to 652; 95.7% Recovered - Maui Now [Last Updated On: May 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 31st, 2020]
- Bars and restaurants roll with changes amid COVID-19 - Gazettextra [Last Updated On: May 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 31st, 2020]
- Global report: new clues about role of pangolins in Covid-19 as US severs ties with WHO - The Guardian [Last Updated On: May 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 31st, 2020]
- Could nearly half of those with Covid-19 have no idea they are infected? - The Guardian [Last Updated On: May 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 31st, 2020]
- 70 soldiers and trainees at Fort Leonard Wood test positive for COVID-19 - News-Leader [Last Updated On: May 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 31st, 2020]
- Williams: America is battling two lethal adversaries, COVID-19 and racism. One is deadlier. - Richmond.com [Last Updated On: May 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 31st, 2020]
- CDC Says Cars Are Better Than Mass Transit during COVID-19 Crisis - Car and Driver [Last Updated On: May 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 31st, 2020]
- Covid-19 misinformation: pro-Trump and QAnon Twitter bots found to be worst culprits - The Guardian [Last Updated On: May 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 31st, 2020]
- Navajo Nation Loses Elders And Tradition To COVID-19 - NPR [Last Updated On: May 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 31st, 2020]
- 103-year-old woman celebrates beating Covid-19 with a cold beer - CNN [Last Updated On: May 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 31st, 2020]
- Incidents of Pediatric Illness Associated With COVID-19 Still Low In Southern California - KPBS [Last Updated On: May 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 31st, 2020]
- Utah is averaging more than 200 new coronavirus cases a day over the past week as hot spots flare up from Logan to St. George - Salt Lake Tribune [Last Updated On: May 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 31st, 2020]
- ICE keeps transferring detainees around the country, leading to COVID-19 outbreaks - NBC News [Last Updated On: May 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 31st, 2020]
- Coronavirus daily news updates, May 31: What to know today about COVID-19 in the Seattle area, Washington state, and the world - Seattle Times [Last Updated On: May 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 31st, 2020]
- Coronavirus Update (Live): 5,792,314 Cases and 357,471 ... [Last Updated On: May 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 31st, 2020]
- Florida's cases of COVID-19 topped 56,000 Sunday; more than 1 million Floridians tested - FOX 13 Tampa Bay [Last Updated On: May 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 31st, 2020]
- UK Finalizes COVID-19 Production Guidelines Read Them In Full - Deadline [Last Updated On: May 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 31st, 2020]
- Covid-19 and the Rural Fear of Taking Advantage - The New York Times [Last Updated On: May 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 31st, 2020]
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) - Mayo Clinic [Last Updated On: May 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: May 31st, 2020]
- Police violence will make it harder to fight COVID-19 - The Verge [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2020]
- 11 employees and 1 patient test positive for COVID-19 at Lincoln Regional Center - Omaha World-Herald [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2020]
- First human trial of potential antibody treatment for Covid-19 begins - CNN [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2020]
- What you need to know about the COVID-19 pandemic on 1 June - World Economic Forum [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2020]
- Coronavirus brief: What happened in COVID-19 news yesterday in Sioux City, beyond - Sioux City Journal [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2020]
- Despite COVID-19, The Washington Center internships are up, virtually - WTOP [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2020]
- Experts warn COVID-19 battle isn't over as life starts to return to normal in Lexington - WKYT [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2020]
- Businesses hit by COVID-19 closures and damage from riots - FOX 5 DC [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2020]
- The Utah legislature's COVID-19 commission to re-open votes to go to 'green' this weekend - fox13now.com [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2020]
- Additional COVID-19 case reported in Dare; total now 23 - The Coastland Times - The Coastland Times [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2020]
- Americans vote in primaries amid Covid-19 and mass protests - The Guardian [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2020]
- Just As We Were Making Progress: Gov. Jared Polis Says He Fears Hundreds Of New COVID-19 Cases Due To Protests - CBS Denver [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2020]
- Coronavirus daily news updates, June 2: What to know today about COVID-19 in the Seattle area, Washington state and the world - Seattle Times [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2020]
- People Are Avoiding The Doctor Due To COVID-19 Fears - Honolulu Civil Beat [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2020]
- The challenges of containing the spread of COVID-19 in jail for both inmates and staff - KELOLAND.com [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2020]
- Gov. Beshear addresses protest shooting investigation, gives COVID-19 update - WSAZ-TV [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2020]
- Risk of COVID-19 exposure 'higher than ever,' as Utah reports 407 new cases and four deaths - Salt Lake Tribune [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2020]