By Marci McPhee, Just Serve Specialist, San Antonio East Stake
An astonishing amount of food – more than 4,763 pounds, or almost 2½ tons of food – was collected by the San Antonio East Stake for our partner, Catholic Charities, on Saturday, May 30, 2020. Catholic Charities feeds thousands of people through various programs, including the monthly visit of the mobile food pantry to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Buena Vista building). Although many Latter-day Saints are struggling to make ends meet, their generosity in responding to the needs of the community was incredible.
Some food donations from High Country Ward
Lizzy Perales, Tracy Ladgenski, Brenda Beltran and Eduardo Rocha of Catholic Charities (CC) said, “Thank you friends! The amount of food we received is a major blessing. We are so blessed by your generosity!!” Antonio Fernandez, CEO of CC, soberly remarked, “Coronavirus has been very tough on all of us. The pressure to serve, protect clients and ourselves, fundraise, and be creative to provide for more and more who seek assistance is taking a toll on all of us. Despite the ongoing matters of this pandemic, we will continuously focus on serving all with love, respect, and dignity. We will do what needs to be done to ensure that we have enough food for those who come to us vulnerable, hungry and in crisis.” Continue reading “Sharing Food and Faith: Food Drive for Catholic Charities”
“Just like American women knitted socks during WWII, this is our time for ‘knitting socks.’” —Carol Neville
On March 21, weeks before the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) issued its recommendation for all citizens to wear face masks to stop the spread of the Covid-19 virus, Carol Neville (San Pedro Ward) decided she couldn’t wait. Neville and her husband, a local epidemiologist, grew increasingly alarmed by news reports of personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages for doctors and nurses, and the idea of using a scarf or bandana as protection against a killer virus appalled her.
“Heck, no!” she thought. “I’m making face masks. Just like American women knitted socks during WWII, this is our time for ‘knitting socks.’”
Although her research showed that homemade masks were not as efficient at filtering out the virus as medical grade ones, Neville felt something was better than nothing. Soon after posting her invitation for volunteer sewers on the Facebook group Latter-Day Saint Ladies of San Antonio, she extended the call to all area seamstresses with a new FB group, Sew Masks San Antonio. SMSA quickly became a clearinghouse for individual and professional requests, along with new ideas for patterns, research on the best material for filters, and trouble-shooting sewing problems.
“Health care workers in desperate need left requests, along with individuals at serious risk with asthma and diabetes. If a need presented, volunteers just jumped in and said they would take care of it,” according to Neville.
Because of stay-at-home orders, volunteers set up shop on dining room tables and kitchen counters, with most donating their own fabric and supplies for free. Marathon sessions of cutting fabric, pleating, ironing, clipping, pinning, wiring, inserting elastic, and sewing continued for weeks. Completed masks were bagged and left on porches, to be delivered by volunteers to nursing homes, hospitals, firefighters, police, even school cafeteria workers.
Neville and her son, David, take turns at the sewing machine. Her daughter Christine is actively involved in Phoenix, AZ’s face mask project.
One such delivery volunteer is Dr. Erica Middleton (Las Lomas Ward), a clinical psychologist who works in several local hospitals. During her rounds, Middleton noticed that wearing a homemade mask over her traditional surgical face covering helped patients relax and warm up to her quicker.
“Oh, my goodness, I love your mask!” and “It matches your outfit!” were familiar phrases that Dr. Middleton heard, from patients and staff alike. When she brought a large donation to hospital workers, “It was like Christmas, with nurses and other staff picking out masks!” They were pleasantly surprised when Middleton informed them that the masks were made by ladies from her Church, free of charge.
Colorful masks like this one, worn by Dr. Middleton over her hospital mask, are less intimidating for patients who find hospital settings a bit stressful.Middleton’s son Jack, age 6, shows off his “foxy” mask made by a church friend
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“Who would’ve thought that fabric hoarders would be the ones who came to the rescue of the Coronavirus pandemic!” —Sandy Starr
Many of the masks delivered by Erica Middleton were made by Sandy Starr (Sonterra Ward), a retired home economics teacher and professional sewer who immediately volunteered at SMSA. Starr’s personal stash of fabric and supplies was deep and she generously offered materials to those in need, along with expertise from years of sewing experience.
Starr began her lifelong passion for fabric and sewing at age 12, and has taught 2,000-3,000 students to sew.
“I’ve used one roll of 144 yards of elastic [almost one-and-a-half football fields!] and am on my second roll now!” she mused. “If we could’ve met together, we’d have formed an assembly line and it would have been easier.” Even so, she still felt the spirit of giving service while working alone.
Before sewing hundreds of face masks for San Antonians, Starr sewed wallaby pouches for animals injured in Australian bush fires last year.
“I’m not an essential worker but given my limitations, it was a safe way for me to help. Who would’ve thought that fabric hoarders would be the ones who came to the rescue of the Coronavirus pandemic!”
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“This helps me get out of bed everyday — it makes me forget about myself and my pain by serving others.” —Lluvia Martineau
Lluvia Martineau (Sonterra Ward) wanted to use her sewing skills to help others during the Covid-19 crisis and was eager to join SMSA at Sandy Starr’s invitation. Martineau, a self-taught seamstress who designed and sewed her own clothes as a teenager, suffers significant pain and discomfort from unresolved health issues. She credits her newfound purpose in sewing masks to helping her overcome daily challenges.
Lluvia Martineau with another delivery of donated masks.
“This is what I needed to do at this time,” she reflects. “This helps me get out of bed everyday — it makes me forget about myself and my pain by serving others.”
Even with Martineau’s years of sewing experience, crafting face masks still presented challenges. “It took me forever to sew my first 45 masks, but I was so proud!” Her desire to increase her production rate was richly rewarded as she often felt the Spirit teaching her how to improve her technique.
One of Martineau’s most recent donations included sewing 20 masks for San Antonio’s Business Community’s “Covered with Compassion,” a drive for 50,000 face coverings by May 8. She and several other SMSA volunteers contributed hours of work in helping meet our city’s demand. Says Martineau, “I really want to teach my kids to serve and how happy it can make you.”
When cafeteria workers from Stahl Elementary needed face masks, Lluvia provided them.The Star Wars mask worn by Armando Diaz (Sonterra Ward) is one of Martineau’s favorites.
“I was his wife’s ministering sister until she passed away last month. He loves his mask because he gets compliments everywhere he goes and wore the mask for his wife’s funeral.”
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James, Carol, and David Neville (L-R) “share the trail”, not the air
Although it was impossible to interview all 250 members of Sew Masks San Antonio, it is important to note their participation in the cherished American tradition of defending their country against all enemies, including the invisible. Uniting in a worthy cause to help fellow citizens is a wonderful example of how the Savior wants us to minister to our brothers and sisters, and a bright reflection of our Church’s values. Today, two months after Sew Masks San Antonio volunteers revved up their sewing machines to meet the city’s urgent need for face masks, requests have slowed considerably. But as long as Covid-19 is still active, Sew Masks San Antonio is here to honor all requests posted on its site.
The line of cars which stretched over 5 miles long is a testament to the crushing weight the COVID pandemic has placed on many families. The people came this evening for the opportunity to get some free food, diapers and hopefully a little relief. “Food from the Heart”, sponsored by Catholic Charities of San Antonio brought out not only those in need, but hordes of volunteers.
Shannon Landen, and her daughter stuff diapers into bags
Volunteers came to show their support for those suffering during this time. Shannon Landen, from the San Antonio North Stake’s Sonterra Ward, really felt like she needed to come help this evening. That was a lot easier said than done since the virus has truly scared her. She said “If I can do this, anybody can do this because I am a huge chicken.” Landen continued, “Yesterday I had the thought come to me about the mothers of the Stripling Warriors, that their sons knew their mothers knew it. As I thought about that, I began to think about what example am I setting for my senior son who is about to go off to BYU and serve a mission. I thought, I’m not setting a very good example of faith if I’m hiding away in my house. I asked my husband for a blessing of comfort and here I am.”
Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller, M.Sp.S. personally went and thanked volunteers, here he is with several members from the Church’s San Antonio North Stake
Catholic Charities President/CEO, Antonio Fernandez, said, “We are so proud of our great city for stepping up to help their neighbors and to our partners who continue to serve with us by providing food, funds, and collaboration when our community needs us most.” Continue reading “Food from the Heart”
by Margot Millard, San Antonio North Stake Media Specialist
Tuesday, April 27, was one of those hot, muggy days that oblige most Texans to seek out the cool recesses of an air-conditioned home, but not the young men and missionaries of San Antonio’s North Stake! Armed with face masks that quickly lost their starch in the wilting heat, these eight young men and their leader, Amy Livingstone, emptied an entire shipping container of badly-needed donated diapers into a storage unit at Seton Home, where residents will use them in caring for their young children.
“Angels” in disguise – Henry Livingstone, Caden Gifford, Edric Munoz, Joshua Munoz, Gunner Tveten
“You are angels!” exclaimed Gladys Gonzales, Seton Home’s executive director, when the group (including four missionaries awaiting reassignment) finished 3.5 hours later. “People from your church are just awesome,” added Eduardo Rocha, Seton Home’s volunteer coordinator. “We can always count on you.” Continue reading ““Angels” Come to Help”
by Ken Jarvis, with Leisa Parsons – Area Media Specialists
Many of us, and possibly for good reason, have mixed feelings about social media. However, since the COVID 19 virus has kept us isolated in our homes this same social media allows us the opportunity to gather and socialize, learn, conduct business and participate in councils with our leaders.
Sergio Lozano on the piano and Benjamin Lozano perform for the Deerfield Ward
“Since the COVID 19 pandemic hit it has turned ministering on its ear,” said Peter Pixton, Bishop of the Encino Park Ward. “When it hit, I had 12 missionaries out in the field. Seven of them were brought home. For those who were brought home there was no opportunity to speak in Sacrament meeting, there was no youth fireside or any of those things.”
He explained, “What we’ve done, instead, is to have a question and answer session with our youth and returned missionaries using technology. They showed pictures from their mission and talked a bit about different experiences they had. That has been a fun and a rich experience for all.”
Elder and Sister Jackson speak during a Zoom fireside of their time in Malasia
The North Stake’s San Pedro Ward had a fireside to hear reports from their newly returned missionaries, Austin Zimmerman who served in the Dominican Republic and Elder Lyle and Sister Maime Jackson who were serving a Humanitarian mission in Malaysia. Sister Jackson told of a tradition from their branch in Borneo. She said, after people shook hands, they would immediately put their hand over their heart. “It was their love coming to you and you putting it in your heart.” But they had to leave all that behind. Continue reading “Pandemic Encourages Creative Use of Social Media”
Over 35,000 pounds of canned goods, flour, pasta and other non-perishable food items arrived at the San Antonio Food Bank just after midday. The delivery is part of an ongoing global effort from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to address the immediate needs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Food Bank has seen unprecedented numbers of people seeking help during the COVID pandemic. They have been handing out food on-site Monday through Saturday, with larger, mass distributions happening every Tuesday and Friday at various locations around the city. Phillip Kent, Communications and Marketing Director, for the Food Bank said, “We’ve essentially doubled what we usually do and so our need has doubled too. That’s why we’re grateful for donations like this one from your Church.”
The Food Bank usually feeds between 58,000 to 60,000 individuals a week, that has increased to 120,000 individuals. Those needing assistance pre-register on the Food Bank’s website. The need to register is explained by a statement that Food Bank CEO, Eric Cooper is known for, “Food for today, food for tomorrow, food for a lifetime.”
Kent explained the saying. Food for today is to take care of people’s immediate needs. He said, “Every distribution of food we get them to pre-register, that way we can address the ‘food for tomorrow’ by helping get those who need it enrolled in programs like SNAP and WIC.” “Food for a lifetime” is hopefully addressed through the Food Bank’s job assistance programs like their Culinary training program and by working with the Texas Workforce Commission and other partners.
Beef Stew from the Church’s Ogden Cannery
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has approved more than 110 COVID-19 relief projects in 57 countries so far, partnering with humanitarian agencies, health ministries, hospitals and food banks.
They may be stuck inside, but these sister missionaries are intent on doing good. Sisters Smith and Fowles, from the Texas San Antonio Mission, have been busily sewing much needed face masks to help protect others from COVID-19. As missionaries, a large part of their week is dedicated to service in the community. With the stay at home orders, many missionaries have had to adjust how they serve, along with how they teach the gospel.
Their schedules are much the same as they have always been, like many across the world missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are now learning to “work from home”. “Before, as missionaries we used technology in our teaching mainly in person, with our videos.” said Elder Van Ausdal. He continued, “… most of our finding and teaching was done in person. No one knew how to use technology very efficiently and so this has been very good because it has forced missionaries to dive into technology and it has given them the time to do it.”
A member lesson courtesy of Facebook Messenger
Elder Van Ausdal and his companion, Eider Caldwell, who are currently serving in the Castle Hills Ward in the San Antonio North Stake feel the work is progressing despite being indoors. “We have more frequent lessons instead of once a week for maybe 45 minutes, we can teach several times a week for 15 minutes each.” said Elder Van Ausdal. Elder Caldwell added, “We’re able to teach the same amount of doctrine and extend the same amount of invitations to help them progress, its just more frequent. It is moving the pace of the work forward that much more.”
Sharing a message via technology
Sisters Smith and Fowles, who are currently serving in the Sixth Ward in the San Antonio Stake, are also enjoying the opportunity to connect with so many through technology. Sister Fowles said, “We have tried to set up a lot of lessons with members and those have been fun. Those have been really fun!” Sister Smith added: “We … invite them to reach out to other people, so that they can take part in missionary work. Missionary work is really just reaching out to other people in love – whether that’s a member of the Church or somebody that they know…. Then we follow up, and they have had some awesome experiences themselves either just texting or thinking of ways to minister to others.”
Along with teaching, missionaries are asked to perform at least 10 hours of community service each week, this has proved a bit harder to accomplish. Sister Fowles and Smith became aware of a wonderful service making face masks, being performed by families in their ward and soon, they too were busy pressing, snipping and sewing. “Members brought us sewing machines, scissors, thread, fabric and everything we needed.” said Sister Smith. Sister Smith, who had sewed some previous to her mission, has been sewing while Sister Fowles has been cutting, pressing and trimming threads. As a companionship, they have been responsible for sewing close to 200 masks that have subsequently been donated. Currently they are sewing enough masks to equip all of the missionaries in the Texas San Antonio Mission.
Sister Fowles cutting fabric for a mask
The Sisters are quick to point out that all of this has been made possible by generous donations from ward members. The idea actually began with the White family. Naomi White works as Director of Operations for the operating room at North Central Baptist Hospital. She became aware of the shortage of face masks well before it became public.
Naomi and Daniel White started donating masks to her hospital, then to other Baptist hospitals and currently they are sending them to health care responders all over.
Naomi’s husband, Daniel, who sold medical equipment, found himself out of a job due to COVID. He said, “I’ve never been unemployed in my life and it’s been really difficult.” He hopes to teach his children something about service even when situations are hard. He is definitely teaching by example, with some of his children helping in the process.
Naomi White holding one of many masks they have made. They explained that the pleats allow the mask to be pulled down fully over the chin which is the proper way to wear the mask.
To date, the White family along with the Shirley family and the Sister Missionaries have made over 1,000 masks that they have donated. Quickly running out of funds and fabric they have adopted the philosophy of donating all they can and selling some to recoup a fraction of their costs. They hope by selling some to neighborhood folks and others that they can continue to make more to donate to health care facilities. Many that have received a mask have commented on their quality. With the Shirley family and the White family both in the medical field, they have really paid attention to detail.
Their masks, not only have fun fabrics, they also feature a deep pocket so that filters can be inserted to boost their effectiveness
Unlike the missionaries, Daniel White’s schedule has drastically altered since the virus. He routinely begins sewing before 7:30 am and finishes sewing around 1:30 in the morning. He has been taking a little time out of his long day to bake with his two daughters who are also helping make the masks.
Elders Van Ausdal and Caldwell are picking up a dinner from members instead of dining in
The missionaries, along with countless Church and community members have been forced to make large and small changes to their normal schedules. Daniel White summed it up so well when he said, “You have to step up and do something. You can’t watch the world go by.”
Ruth and Quincy Shirley have been working with the missionaries and the Whites
Elder Livingstone and his companion, Elder Sintyl, started teaching the boy seated between them. Before long they had attracted a group of children anxious to learn more of the gospel.
“I loved my mission! I loved the wonderful people of the Ivory Coast and I was devastated to know that I would have to leave them.” That’s how Elder Henry Livingstone felt when he was told he would have to evacuate his mission and return to the United States.
But not many of us have had a chance to hear him, or any other evacuated missionary comment on their experiences. As a matter of fact, unless you have a close personal relationship with one of those missionaries, you probably have no idea what they’ve gone through.
For those of us “back home” one of the first indications that the Corona Virus was something to be taken seriously was reading the announcement that many missionaries would be evacuated from their mission areas, returned to their homes to be quarantined and await further assignments.
Three missionaries from the San Antonio region were willing to share with us the very personal experiences and feelings they had as they left members and investigators behind and journeyed home.
Sister Horn (far left) with her trainer Sister Vargas and President and Sister Parker of the Guatemala Retalhuleu Mission
Sister Clair Horn served in the Guatemala Retalhuleu Mission for eight months. Elder Daniel Conner served the first eight months of his mission in the Liberia Monrovia Mission in West Africa. Economic instability in Liberia made it necessary to temporarily close the mission and transfer the missionaries to several different missions. So Elder Conner was sent to the Ghana Accra West Mission for about six weeks. Elder Henry Livingstone was serving in the Côte D’Ivoire Abidjan West Mission, also in West Africa. He had been out just under nine months.
Sister Horn at the home of an investigator mixing a huge bowl of corn to make Christmas tamales
When Sister Horn first heard about the Corona Virus she said, “We never ever thought that we would be sent home. We just thought it was something that was going to just go away. Something that would pass.”
At first, they were simply confined to their apartment. “Being stuck in our houses was extremely hard because we didn’t have smart phones so all we could do was call investigators and less actives on the phone and sometimes read the scriptures with them. Other than that, there wasn’t much we could do in terms of work.” She continued, “Waking up and studying together as companions was a special time though. And every night, our mission president held a mission wide phone call so we could all listen to a conference talk and hear testimonies of other missionaries.” Sister Horn said that was a special time.
Elder Livingstone said, “About 3 days after being transferred into a new zone I got a call from the mission president, letting us know that we would be heading back home by the end of that week.” He was shocked and upset with the news.
Elder Livingston with President and Sister Lewis of the Côte D’Ivoire Abidjan West Mission
He didn’t have much time to dwell on that, however, since he had to pack his bags to go home on a flight leaving in a couple of days. He added, “The flight that I was supposed to take was cancelled. And the flight after that, and the one after that. Eventually, after a LONG week of quarantine in an apartment close to the airport, we were put on a charter flight. We flew from the Ivory Coast to Sierra Leone, where we picked up another large group of missionaries, as well as U.S. citizens not of our faith.” After that they were finely homeward bound.
Elder Conner and his companion Elder Campo take time to pose with some children in the jungle in Ghana
Elder Conner and his companion got a call from the zone leaders saying that all of Africa was getting evacuated. “We were told we had 5 days to wrap everything up. Then the next day we were told that my companion was actually leaving in two days.” They had been working way out in a bush area so they quickly packed their bags and made the five-hour trip into the capital. “When we got there, he got his flight and I ended up waiting about five days in apartments and just moving around as we waited. Finally, the charter flight, arranged by the US Embassy, arrived and we were able to go.”
Elder Conner and his companion, Elder Bahr, provide service on the okra farm
“It was difficult to leave,” Elder Conner added. “I had become very attached to the people and loved the culture. I was happy I could spend 2 years with them and I was very sad when we left.” He then remarked that the only place he could find comfort was in the Book of Mormon. “There is a scripture in Jacob chapter 4 verse 9. It talks about The Lord working with his own hands. He has a plan for us and that brought me comfort.”
Sister Horn said, “Then the dreaded day came when we received a text from the mission offices that gave us the heart wrenching news that we had all suspected was coming. This text message felt like a physical blow. As my companion and I tearfully read the information in the text, we didn’t have much to say. Never in our lives did we really think this would happen.”
She said there was so much uncertainty and frustration. However, in the midst of that there was something that brought her much peace and comfort. “It was the firm hope and trust we had in the inspiration of the leaders in this Church. That didn’t mean that this process was going to be fun, easy, or joyful, but it did mean that we were doing exactly what the Lord wanted us to be doing and there was peace and comfort in that knowledge.”
Elder Livingstone said the trip home was mostly uneventful. “There weren’t too many hiccups. It was bizarre, however, to see less than 20 people in each respective airport that we passed through, which helped me realize how serious this pandemic really is.”
He said the usual post mission reunion with family was “bittersweet”. “My mother informed me that I would be released from my calling as a missionary as soon as possible. This news devastated me. I had built up such a peaceful and a sweet, loving relationship with my Father in Heaven and my Savior over the past 9 months. I did NOT want to lose that.” Nevertheless, he added, “I knew that it was the Lord’s will which came forth from the mouth of His prophet, so I had faith that everything would be OK.”
Like Elders Conner and Livingstone, Sister Horn had grown very attached to the people she was serving. “They have nothing. No money, no hope and no love.” She was concerned that there would be no one to minister to them now that the missionaries were gone. But that’s when she learned just how wonderful the members were. “When they found out we were leaving they asked for names and addresses of the people we were teaching so that they could go and keep checking on these sweet children of God because that is how important missionary work was to them.”
She added, “We left these dear souls in the hands of valiant servants of the Lord and I could not have been more pleased. I felt so much comfort and hope. And hope is something that is hard to feel in these times.”
Today they boxed up 400 face shields to ship to the front lines in the fight against COVID-19. Yesterday, they dropped off over 70 shields to the Bexar County Fire Department who will then distribute them. Usually, the 3-D printers and laser cutter at the Printed Meeple, are busy making fun, sometimes useful gadgets, these days they are employed full time in the fight against the pandemic.
The Printed Meeple in February 2020
The Printed Meeple, which is owned and operated by three families in San Antonio East Stake’s Pleasanton Ward, is usually full of people and full of fun. “Our business is a family focused game store and 3d print makerspace. We focus on having a safe place for families to come and have wholesome fun.” said Toby Stewart, one of the owners. He continued, “Our store has 70% of the space dedicated to people coming in and playing board games.”
The store has over 700 board games to choose and play
Their business was impacted significantly after the executive order came out to prohibit public gatherings to 10 or less. Although they have temporarily closed their doors to the public, they are staying busy trying to provide much needed supplies for the medical community.
Stewart said,“…we are using our 3D printers and laser cutter to manufacture face shields and respirators. We currently are making 150 – 200 a day.” The folks at the Printed Meeple have mailed face shields to frontline responders in several different states, Montana, Minnesota and Idaho. “We have also donated face shields to several local medical groups, as well as the Bexar County Fire Marshal’s Office. We will continue to give all the time, money, and resources we can to provide help to those in need.” said Stewart.
Straps for face shields and respirators
The Printed Meeple isn’t working with a government agency. They have friends and family that are connected in the medical field. They said once they started donating the word got out quickly. Stewart said, “If you know anyone in need they can send a request to stopcovid@theprintedmeeple.com. If anyone is looking for a way to help they can donate to our go fund me page, https://www.gofundme.com/f/slow-the-spread-of-covid-19.”
The Printed Meeple’s 16 3-D printers
Stewart also said they are looking for donations of supplies, such as elastic, lexan plastic sheets, and 3d printer filament. “Right now we have materials to make about 1,500 more face shields and about 4,000 more respirators.”
Stewart also mentioned that they are “…working with a local orthodontist who reached out to us to help with respirators.” There is a large group of orthodontists who are closed because of COVID-19 and have started using their businesses to produce masks. “We supply them with the 3D printed parts and they customize them to fit snug with a proper n95 filter.”
Usual fun fare for Printed Meeple’s 3-D printers prior to COVID-19
They are grateful that they can be a small part of the solution. Like most of us, they are ready to get back to business as normal — which for them, is having fun!
We have a wonderful opportunity on Good Friday to not only unite in a worldwide fast, but also to unite in song with others around the world as the Tabernacle Choir streams Handel’s Messiah this Easter season.
This special Messiah performance, originally recorded in 2018, will be streamed on Good Friday, April 10 at 8pm our time, on a variety of websites and social channels to enable individuals and families to draw closer to Jesus Christ and celebrate Easter at home, especially since church services aren’t available due to current conditions.
The Tabernacle Choir website (tabchoir.org/messiah) contains rich background information sources about Handel, the writing of Messiah, talks about Messiah by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and more. These resources can be used for lessons with families prior to or after listening to the stream at home, particularly on Easter Sunday. Some of these resources are also available in Spanish.
Messiah was composed by George Frideric Handel in 1742 with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens. It recounts the story of Christ’s life in three sections, from His birth to His death and eventual Resurrection. Messiah has become one of the best known, most beloved, and most frequently performed choral works in Western music.
Messiah Stream Information
The Messiah internet stream will begin at 8:00 p.m. (Central time) on Good Friday, April 10, 2020 from the many options listed below:
On Friday, April 10 after the end of the stream (approximately 11 p.m. MDT), the full Messiah oratorio will be available to watch whenever convenient at TabChoir.org/messiah and YouTube.com/TheTabernacleChoiratTempleSquare. The oratorio lasts approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes including two short 5-minute intermissions. Also following the end of the stream Friday night, Alexa will play the Messiah oratorio upon request throughout the Easter weekend. (Just say, “Alexa, play The Tabernacle Choir.”)
BYUtv Broadcast and On-Demand Information
BYUtv, the family cable station, will broadcast the Messiah performance on Easter Sunday, April 12 at 2 p.m.(mountain) on TV, at byutv.org, and on the BYUtv app. The performance will be available for on-demand viewing on byutv.org
Live Messiah Tradition Anticipated to Resume in 2021 The live 2020 concert event originally scheduled in the Salt Lake Tabernacle was cancelled due to the COVID-19 virus. It is anticipated that the biennial tradition of Handel’s Messiah performances by the Choir and Orchestra will resume at Eastertime in 2021.
