SAN ANTONIO – Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathered in Salt Lake City this weekend for the church’s semiannual General Conference, leaning on messages of faith, kindness and unity after a difficult week marked by the death of their longtime president and a deadly church shooting in Michigan.
President Russell M. Nelson, the 17th president and prophet of the church, died Sept. 28 at age 101. He had led the church since 2018.
“(He was) just an amazing man,” said Gary Long, a local church president in the Texas Hill Country. “He was so humble, and the other thing that was so amazing about Russell was his memory. He could meet you one time, and years later, he would still remember your name.”
Even at his age, Nelson’s death came as a shock to many. “He was skiing until he was in his 90s,” Long added.
While church members mourned Nelson’s passing last Sunday, tragedy struck hundreds of miles away in Michigan. A gunman crashed a truck into an LDS meetinghouse before opening fire and allegedly setting the building on fire, killing four and injuring eight others before being killed by police.
“I can’t imagine who would go to that extreme,” Long said. “It’s supposed to be a safe sanctuary. I just don’t have words for it.”
Though the violence occurred far from Texas, Long said it hit close to home. “On one of the newscasts with Michigan, I think I saw a picture of the sign on the building — ‘Visitors Welcome,’” he said. “You can go out front here, and we have the same sign, ‘Visitors Welcome.’ The Savior invites all to come and worship.”
In response to the tragedy, church members have raised more than $300,000 — not for the victims’ families, but for the widow and child of the gunman. It’s a gesture many say reflects the church’s commitment to meet hate with compassion.
As the conference continues, church leaders are encouraging members to draw strength from their faith and from one another.
“Kindness and love,” one leader said during the opening session. “That’s the message we want to carry forward — especially now.”