15 고든 비 힝클리

Gordon B. (Bitner) Hinckley
1910 - 2008

고든 비 힝클리 회장

“나는 낙관주의자입니다. 나는 미래가 더 좋아질 것이라고 생각합니다”

교회 회장으로 처음 5년 동안 고든 비 힝클리 회장은 남극 대륙을 제외하고 세상의 모든 대륙에 사는 교회 회원들을 방문했다. 그는 1996년 10월 연차 대회에서 이렇게 말했다. “‘전 여행을 좋아하지 않습니다. … 하지만 저는 충실한 후기 성도들의 얼굴을 보고 인사를 나누는 것을 좋아합니다.’…”

“… [여러 해 후에 그는 이렇게 말했다.] 저는 이렇게 할 힘이 있는 동안은 이런 일을 계속해서 하겠다고 결심하고 있습니다. 저는 점점 나이가 들어 6월에 90세가 됩니다. 참으로 오랫동안 살았습니다. 이제 다리에 힘이 줄어들고 있음을 느낄 때도 있습니다. [그러나 회원들 사이에 있어야겠다는 것이] 저의 소망입니다. 교회 사람들이 교회 회장을 만날 기회를 가질 자격이 있다고 저는 생각합니다.”( “‘Looking into the Faces of Faithful Latter－day Saints’”, Church News, 2000년 3월 4일, 8, 13쪽)

그의 생애 (1910~)

1910년 6월 23일 솔트레이크시티에서 브라이언트 에스 힝클리와 에이다 비트너 힝클리 사이에 태어나다
1919년 8세, 4월 28일 아버지에 의해 솔트레이크시티에서 침례 받다
1930년 20세, 어머니가 사망하다
1933~1935년 23~25세, 영국에서 선교사로 봉사하다
1935~1958년 25~47세, 교회 여러 부서의 직책에서 일한 후에 교회 선교사 위원회에서 전임으로 일하다
1937년 26세, 4월 29일 마조리 페이 힝클리와 결혼하다; 주일학교 본부 임원회에서 봉사하라는 부름을 받다
1958년 47세, 십이사도 정원회 보조로 성임되다
1961년 51세, 사도로 성임되다
1981~1995년 71~84세, 제일회장단에서 스펜서 더블류 킴볼 (1981), 에즈라 태프트 벤슨(1985), 하워드 더블류 헌터(1994) 회장의 보좌
1995년 84세, 교회 회장으로 지지되다

회장 재임시 일어난 역사적 사건 (1995~)

1995년 십이사도 지역 대표의 해임과 지역감리 역원이라는 새로운 부름을 발표하다; “가족: 세상에 전하는 선언문”이 발표되다
1996년 모든 회원들이 정규적인 성전 참석의 축복을 누릴 수 있도록 하기 위해 전 세계에서 소규모 성전 건축 프로그램을 시작하다
1997년 지역 관리 역원으로 부름 받은 지도자들로 칠십인 정원회가 추가로 조직하다; 전 세계적인 칠십인 정원회가 도합 5개에 이르다
1998년 아프리카, 유럽, 아시아, 북남미, 오스트레일리아, 그리고 남태평양 지역에 있는 성도들을 만나며 전 세계를 여행하다
1999년 여러 텔레비전 프로그램에서 교회를 소개하다; 나부 성전의 재건축을 발표하다
2000년 솔트레이크시티에서 새로운 컨퍼런스 센터를 헌납하다; 그 해 초에 교회 회원수가 10,752,986 명이었으며, 그 해 여름 동안에 1,100만 명을 넘어서다
교회 회장으로서 처음 5년 동안 그는 거의 40만 킬로미터 이상을 여행하면서, 58개국을 방문하고, 220만 명의 교회 회원들과 다른 사람들에게 말씀을 했으며, 24개의 성전을 헌납했다.

Born 1910 Salt Lake City
Baptized as a child; Aaronic Priesthood as a youth; Melchizedek Priesthood as a young man
Missionary to European Mission; Served mainly in England
Married Marjorie Pay 1937; five children
Third generation Stake President
Assistant to Quorum of the Twelve, 1958
Ordained an Apostle 1961 and sustained to Twelve
Counselor to Spencer W. Kimball, 1981-82
Second Counselor to Spencer W. Kimball, 1982-85
First Counselor to Ezra Taft Benson, 1985-94
First Counselor to Howard W. Hunter, 1994-95
Fifteenth President of the Church 1995 - 2008
Died 2008 Salt Lake City, Utah

고든 비 힝클리 회장의 생애

1. “헌터 회장이 운명한 다음 고든 비 힝클리 장로가 교회의 회장이 되었을 때, 그는 제일회장단의 중점 사항이 무엇이 될 것이냐는 질문을 받았다. 그는 이렇게 대답했다. ‘계속하라!는 것에 초점을 맞추겠습니다. 그렇습니다. 저희는 앞서 사셨던 분들이 더욱 크게 이루셨던 위대한 사업들을 계속해 나아가자는 것에 역점을 둘 것입니다. 가족의 가치를 높이십시오. 그렇습니다. 교육에 온 힘을 모으십시오. 그렇습니다. 온 세상의 사람들에게 인내와 관용의 정신을 보이십시오. 그렇습니다. 예수 그리스도의 복음을 전하십시오.’”[Church News, 1995년 3월 18일, 10쪽]

2. “교회의 지도자로서 힝클리 회장이 광범위하게 경험을 쌓은 것은 그가 회장으로 봉사하는 데 좋은 준비가 되었다. 그는 1961년에 십이사도 정원회 회원으로 지지되었으며, 1981년부터는 스펜서 더블류 킴볼 회장, 에즈라 태프트 벤슨 회장, 하워드 더블류 헌터 회장의 보좌로 봉사했다. 제일회장단 보좌로 봉사하는 동안에, 회장들이 연로하였기 때문에 그는 그분들을 위해 막중한 임무를 수행했다.”

3. “젊은 시절에, 고든 비 힝클리 장로가 영국에서 선교 사업을 하고 있었을 때, 그가 받은 몇 가지 권고의 말씀은 어려운 책무를 수행해 나간 그 기간 동안에 그에게 큰 힘이 되었다. 다소 실망을 하고 있던 그는 부친에게, ‘저는 제 시간과 아버지의 돈을 축내고 있습니다. 제가 왜 여기에 있어야 하는지 알 수가 없습니다.’라는 편지를 썼다. 얼마 후에 그는 아버지로부터 다음과 같은 짧은 서신을 받았다. ‘사랑하는 고든, … 네가 보낸 편지를 받아 보았다. 단 한 가지만 충고하마. 네 자신을 잊고 일하러 나가거라. 사랑하는 아버지가.’”

4. “힝클리 회장은 그 당시의 일을 이렇게 말했다. ‘다음날 아침, 우리는 다음과 같은 주님의 위대한 말씀을 읽었습니다. “누구든지 제 목숨을 구원코자 하면 잃을 것이요 누구든지 나와 복음을 위하여 제 목숨을 잃으면 구원하리라”(마가복음 8:35) 나는 큰 감동을 받았습니다. 아버지의 편지와 연결된 그 말씀과 그 약속 때문에 나는 이층으로 올라가 … 무릎을 꿇고, 내 자신을 잊어버리고 일하러 가겠노라고 주님과 성약을 맺었습니다. 제가 그 때 그러한 결심을 한 이후로 훌륭한 많은 일이 제게 일어났습니다.’”[Gordon B. Hinckley: Man of Integrity, 15th President of the Church, 비디오 카세트 (1994)]

5. “힝클리 회장은 항상 하나님과 미래를 믿는 불굴의 낙천가로 유명하다. ‘힝클리 회장은 “만사가 잘될 것입니다.”라는 말로 가족과 친구들과 곁에 있는 사람들에게 언제고 되풀이해서 확신을 줍니다. 그분은 또 이렇게 말씀하십니다. “계속 노력하십시오. 믿음을 가지십시오. 낙담하지 마십시오. 행복한 사람이 되십시오. 만사가 잘될 것입니다.”’[제프리 알 홀런드, “고든 비 힝클리 회장”, 성도의 벗, 1995년 6월호 특별부록, 6쪽]

6. “어떤 기자가 교회가 당면하고 있는 가장 큰 어려움이 무엇이냐고 질문하자, 그는 이렇게 대답했다. ‘우리가 당면한 가장 중대한 문제요, 또한 가장 훌륭한 문제는 성장에 따르는 문제입니다.’그는 교회가 크게 성장함에 따라 더 많은 성전을 포함하여, 더 많은 건물이 필요하게 된다고 설명한다. ‘지금은 성전 건축에 있어서 교회 역사상 가장 위대한 시대입니다. 성전의 건축이 현재 진척되고 있는 추진력으로 시행되어 나갔던 적은 한번도 없었습니다. 우리는 47개의 성전을 운영하고 있습니다. 설계부터 건축까지의 과정에 있는 성전은 13개입니다. 우리는 성전을 계속해서 지을 것입니다.’[Church News, 1995년 3월 18일, 10쪽] 또한 교회가 계속 성장해 감에 따라 몰몬경을 여러 나라 말로 번역할 필요가 있었다.”

7. “힝클리 회장은 교회의 극적인 성장에 개인적으로 연관된 경험이 많다. 1967년, 일본 오사카에서 열린 대회에 참석했을 때, 그는 많은 젊은이들이 섞여 있는 청중들을 보면서 이렇게 말했다. ‘여러분에게서 나는 일본 내의 교회의 미래를 봅니다. 위대한 미래를 봅니다. 우리는 겨우 시작 단계에 있는 상태입니다. 그러나 나는 오랫동안 느껴 왔던 것을 말하지 않을 수 없는데, 그것은 이 위대한 나라에 시온의 스테이크가 설 날이 그리 멀지 않았다는 것입니다.’[ “Addresses,”AV 1801; LDS Church Archives] 한 세대도 지나지 않아, 일본에는 100,000여 명의 후기 성도와 수많은 스테이크와 선교부, 지방부 및 성전이 들어섰다.”

8. “힝클리 회장은 또한 필리핀에서의 교회 성장에 대해 많은 관심을 갖고 계시다. 이 나라에서는 1973년, 마닐라에 스테이크가 처음 세워졌다. 20년 후, 그가 교회의 회장이 되었을 때는 300,000명 이상의 필리핀 회원들이 복음의 축복을 받았으며, 그 나라에 성전도 들어섰다. 힝클리 회장은 한국과 중국 및 동남 아시아를 포함한 아시아 각국에서의 교회의 성장에도 큰 관심을 보여 왔다.”

9. “아시아에서 영성을 지닌 회원들이 얼마나 많은가는 필리핀의 어느 스테이크에서 새로운 스테이크 회장을 부르도록 지명 받은 한 총관리 역원의 경험만으로도 잘 알 수 있다. 여러 명의 신권 소유자들을 접견하고 난 그는 이십 대 중반의 형제를 스테이크 회장으로 불러야겠다는 영감을 받았다. 그는 젊은 형제에게 옆방으로 가서 잠시 시간을 갖고 보좌들을 선택하라고 말했다. 그 형제는 30초 만에 돌아 왔다. 총관리 역원은 그가 잘못 안 것이 아닐까 하고 생각했으나, 새로운 스테이크 회장은 이렇게 말했다. ‘아닙니다. 저는 주님의 영을 통해서 제가 스테이크 회장이 되리라는 것을 한 달 전에 알았습니다. 저는 이미 제 보좌들을 선택해 놓았습니다.’”

10. “전 세계에 교회를 설립하기 위해 그처럼 많은 일을 한 힝클리 회장이 그의 재임 기간에 다음과 같은 말씀을 한 것은 오히려 당연한 일이다. ‘통계 전문가들은 현재 추세가 계속된다면, 앞으로 몇 개월 남지 않은 1996년 2월에는 미국 밖의 회원들이 미국 안의 회원들보다 더 많아질 것이라고 말하고 있습니다. 그러한 변화는 참으로 중요한 의미를 갖습니다. 그것은 엄청난 노력의 결실을 의미하는 것입니다.’”[성도의 벗, 1996년 1월호, 70쪽] …

11. “어느 총관리 역원은 어떻게 모든 성도들이 힝클리 회장을 가장 잘 보필할 수 있는지 설명했다. ‘선지자요, 선견자요, 계시자요, 관리 대제사이자 예수 그리스도 후기 성도 교회의 회장이라는 거룩한 직분에 부름 받은 그분을 지지하기 위해 우리가 행할 수 있는 가장 최상의 일은 다음과 같은 것이다. “나아가세, 나아가세, 나아가세!”라고 말하며 중단하지 않고 계속 전진하는 것이다.”’[제프리 알 홀런드, “President Gordon B. Hinckley,”13쪽] (우리의 유산, 139~143쪽)

고든 비 힝클리의 가르침과 간증

12. “장래에 관해 질문을 받았을 때 힝클리 회장은 이렇게 말했다. ‘저는 교회에 속해 있는 우리 젊은이들을 봅니다. 참으로 많은 젊은이들을 봅니다. 모든 면에서 그들을 보고 있습니다. 그들의 생활, 그들의 힘, 그들의 선함, 그들의 충실함의 질적인 면에 완전히 몰두하고 있습니다. 저는 우리 젊은이들을 보면서 이 교회의 미래에 대해 조금도 걱정하지 않습니다. 그들은 경전을 공부하고 있습니다. 그들은 세미나리와 종교 교육원에 다니고 있습니다. 그들은 그들의 결정에 관해 기도합니다. 그들은 충실함이 있는 훌륭한 분위기 속에 섞여서 스스로 사회성을 배웁니다. 그들은 강하고 충실한 후기 성도, 그리고 그들이 다른 사람들을 구원하기 위한 부름을 받을 때 그렇게 행할 수 있는 능력이 있는 후기 성도가 되어가고 있습니다.’”( “‘We Must Look After the Individual’”, Church News, 2000년 3월 4일, 13쪽)

13. “우리 성도들의 생활이 우리 신앙의 유일하고 의미있는 표현이 되어야 [합니다] …”

14. “… 이처럼 구주께서 살아 계시기 때문에 우리는 그분의 죽음의 상징물을 우리 신앙의 상징으로 사용하지 않습니다. 그러면 무엇을 사용합니까? 어떤 표적이나, 어떤 예술 작품, 어떤 형태의 표현도 살아 계신 그리스도의 영광과 경이로움을 표현하는 데 적절하지 않습니다. 그분은 그것이 어떤 상징이 되어야 하는지를 이렇게 말씀하셨습니다. ‘너희가 나를 사랑하면 나의 계명을 지키리라.’(요한복음 14:15)”

15. “그분의 추종자로서 우리는 비열하고 거짓되고 무례한 짓으로 그분의 이름을 더럽혀서는 안될 것입니다. 오히려 우리는 선하고 품위있고 고결한 행위로 우리가 받들고 있는 그분의 이름의 상징을 더욱 빛나게 해야 하겠습니다.”

16. “우리의 생활은 살아 계신 하나님의 영원한 아들이신, 살아 있는 그리스도를 간증하고 그것을 의미 있게 표현하는 상징이 되어야 하겠습니다.” ( “분명한 희망”, 성도의 벗, 1995년 4월호, 4, 7쪽)

17. “여러분 모두가 선한 일을 행할 수 있는 굉장한 능력을 하나님 아버지로부터 부여받았습니다. 여러분의 지성과 재능을 갈고 닦아서 구성원으로 참여하고 있는 사회에서 훌륭하게 봉사할 수 있는 능력을 갖추어야 합니다. 친절하고, 사려 깊으며, 도움을 주는 방법을 계발하십시오. 여러분이 상속 받은 신성한 속성의 일부로 오는 자비의 특성을 여러분 안에서 갈고 닦으십시오. … ”

18. “여러분은 열등감을 느낄 필요가 없습니다. 선천적으로 재능이 없다거나 재능을 발휘할 기회가 없다고 여길 필요가 없습니다. 여러분이 어떤 재능이라도 가지고 있다면 그것을 키우십시오. 그러면 그 재능이 커지고 세련될 것이며, 그러한 재능은 타인이 인정해 주는 참자아의 표현이 될 것입니다.”( “여러분 내부의 빛”, 성도의 벗, 1995년 7월호, 98쪽)

19. “우리의 집에 질서를 세워야 할 때가 왔다고 말씀드리고자 합니다. 너무도 많은 사람들이 그들의 수입을 다 써 가며 살고 있습니다. 사실 어떤 분들은 빚 속에서 생활하고 있습니다. … 교회에서는 자립을 가르치고 있습니다. 가정이 심각한 부채를 지고 있을 때, 자립은 이루어지지 않습니다. 사람이 다른 사람들에게 의무를 지니고 있을 때, 그는 속박 속에서 독립도, 자유도 가질 수 없습니다.”(리아호나, 1999년 1월호, 53쪽)

20. “이 교회의 회원이 되는 것이 쉬운 것은 아닙니다. 대부분의 경우, 그것은 오래된 습관을 버리고, 오랜 친구와 단체들을 떠나 색다르고 어떤 의미에서는 요구까지 하는 새로운 사회에 발을 들여놓는 것을 포함합니다. 개종자의 수가 지속적으로 증가함에 따라 우리는 개종자들이 길을 찾도록 그들을 돕는 실질적인 노력을 더욱더 기울여야 합니다. 개종자 한 사람에게는 세 가지, 곧 친구와 책임, 그리고‘하나님의 선하신 말씀’(모로나이서 6:4)을 가지고 양육하는 것이 필요합니다. 이러한 것을 주는 것이 우리의 의무입니다. … 현재 개종자의 수가 그 어느 때보다 많아지고 있기 때문에 그 어느 때보다 해야 할 일도 많아지고 있습니다. … 개종자 모두는 하나님의 아들 딸입니다. 개종자 모두를 크고 막중한 책임감을 갖고 대해야 합니다.”(성도의 벗, 1997년 7월호, 47~48쪽)

21. “이 [창조된 지구를] 보시고, [하나님께서는] 보기에 좋았다고 말씀하셨으며, 그 다음 하나님의 형상대로 인간을 창조하셨습니다. 그리고 하나님의 영예로운 창조 사업의 마지막을 장식하는 여자를 창조하셨습니다. 저는 하나님이 모든 것을 만드시고 그분의 일을 쉬기 전에 마지막 걸작품으로 이브를 창조하셨다는 것을 말씀드리고 싶습니다.”(성도의 벗, 1992년 1월호, 118쪽)

22. “저는 조셉 스미스가 살아 계신 하나님의 선지자라는 것을 알게 해 주신 주님께 감사드립니다. 저는 전에 한 번, 집사로 처음 성임받은 열두 살 때의 경험을 말씀드린 적이 있습니다. 저는 아버지와 함께 스테이크 신권 모임에 갔습니다. 아버지는 스테이크 회장단의 일원이셨기 때문에 단상에 앉으셨고, 저는 예배당 뒷줄에 앉았습니다. 그 많은 남자 회중이 일어나 [ “찬양해 여호와와 대화한 사람”을] 불렀습니다.”

“저는 그분들이 힘차게 확신을 가지고 부르는 그 찬송가를 들으면서 하나님이 소년 조셉을 부르셨다는 간증을 마음 속에 갖게 되었습니다. 그 이후 70년이 넘는 기간 동안 주님께서 그 간증을 유지시켜 주셨다는 사실에 대해 감사드립니다.”(성도의 벗, 1994년 1월호, 51쪽)

23. “오늘 아침 그 무엇보다도 특별히 더욱 감사함을 느끼는 것이 하나 있습니다. 그것은 전능하신 하나님의 아들, 평강의 왕, 거룩하신 이인 예수 그리스도에 대한 살아있는 간증입니다. …”

“ … 저는 그분의 뜻을 행하고 그분의 말씀을 가르치는 사도가 되었습니다. 저는 세상에 대해 그의 증인이 되었습니다. 저는 … 저의 목소리를 듣는 여러분과 모든 사람들에게 그 신앙의 증거를 반복해서 말씀드립니다. …”

“예수님은 저의 친구이십니다. 저에게 그처럼 많은 것을 준 사람은 없습니다. …”

“그분은 저의 모범이십니다.…”

“그분은 저의 교사이십니다.…”

“그분은 저의 치료자이십니다. …”

“그분은 저의 지도자이십니다.…”

“그분은 저의 구주이며 구속주이십니다. 그분은 아픔과 말할 수 없는 고통을 겪으며 그분의 생명을 주심으로써, 죽음에 따르는 영원한 어둠의 심연으로부터 저와, 우리 각자, 하나님의 모든 아들과 딸들을 끌어 올리기 위해 손을 뻗치셨습니다. …”

“그분은 저의 하나님이시며 저의 왕이십니다. … 그분의 영광에는 밤이 없을 것입니다. …”

“ … 그분은 하나님의 어린양이십니다. 저는 그분에게 경배하고 그분을 통해 하늘에 계신 영원하신 아버지께 다가갑니다.” (리아호나, 2000년 7월호, 83~85쪽)

고든 비 힝클리의 가르침과 간증

    "The fifteenth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Gordon B. Hinckley stood as the mouthpiece of the Lord for a period of almost thirteen years. He was sustained to this office after serving 14 years as a counselor in the First Presidency and 20 years in the Quorum of the Twelve.

    Standing in front of the heroic-sized casting of the Prophet Joseph Smith in the lobby of the beautifully refurbished Joseph Smith Memorial Building, Gordon Bitner Hinckley was formally introduced to the public and the press on 13 March 1995 as the fifteenth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Near the end of a warm, often witty, always winning exchange on a wide-ranging number of questions posed in this news conference, President Hinckley was asked by a reporter, “What will be your focus? What will be the theme of your administration?”
    Instinctively he answered, “Carry on. Yes. Our theme will be to carry on the great work which has been furthered by our predecessors.”
    That simple answer—crisp, clear, unpremeditated, inspiring—says much about our new prophet, seer, and revelator. “Carry on” is a familiar phrase taken from the text of a hymn written by Ruth May Fox some sixty-five years ago, a musical rallying cry filled with joy and determination. Its opening line and sometimes title? “Firm as the mountains around us”! Its bold declaration? “Stalwart and brave we stand”! Where? “On the rock our fathers planted For us in this goodly land—The rock of honor and virtue, Of faith in the living God. … Carry on, carry on, carry on!” (Hymns, 1985, no. 255.)
    So many hymns, like so many scriptures and sermons, could be cited to underscore the qualities and cast light upon the strengths of the prophets of God. But perhaps no hymn does better at catching something of the essence of President Gordon B. Hinckley than does this forthright and optimistic call to “carry on.”
    For one thing the hymn is youthful. It was written for young people and is particularly inspiring when sung by young people. And by the estimation of all who know him—or have to keep up with him—President Hinckley is the youngest 84-year-old anyone can remember. The brisk bounce in his step, the unrestrained buoyancy of his spirit, and his consuming appetite for hard work and long hours would be admired in a man half his age. President Gordon B. Hinckley looks young, acts young, and loves youth with all its potential and promise.
    “We are particularly proud of our youth,” he chose to say in that first, brief public statement. “I think we have never had a stronger generation of young men and women than we have today. … They are going forward with constructive lives, nurturing themselves both intellectually and spiritually. We have no fears or doubts concerning the future of this work” (Ensign, Apr. 1995, p. 5). He loves young people because at heart he is one of them—with never any fear of any kind “concerning the future of this work” (ibid.).
    To no less a publication than the New York Times, President Hinckley said in an interview conducted in Nauvoo, Illinois, “I see so many good people everywhere—and there’s so much of good in them. And the world is good. Wonderful things are happening in this world. This is the greatest age in the history of the earth.”
    From what source does this irrepressible optimism come to President Hinckley? It comes from that foundation of faith which inspired our forebears in this church to “carry on.” Indeed, the New York Times, in interviewing President Hinckley, received not only a lesson in LDS history, but great insight into the very meaning of faith:
    “We have every reason to be optimistic in this world,” President Hinckley insisted. “Tragedy is around, yes. Problems everywhere, yes. But look at Nauvoo. Look at what they built here in seven years and then left. But what did they do? Did they lie down and die? No! They went to work! They moved halfway across this continent and turned the soil of a desert and made it blossom as the rose. On that foundation this church has grown into a great worldwide organization affecting for good the lives of people in more than 140 nations. You can’t, you don’t, build out of pessimism or cynicism. You look with optimism, work with faith, and things happen.”
    Whether the reporter for the New York Times knew it or not, he was getting vintage President Gordon B. Hinckley— articulate, knowledgeable, courteous, confident, stirring. And always filled with faith in God and in the future.
    “Things will work out” may well be President Hinckley’s most repeated assurance to family, friends, and associates. “Keep trying,” he will say. “Be believing. Be happy. Don’t get discouraged. Things will work out.”
    First Counselor Thomas S. Monson, whose friendship with President Hinckley dates back more than forty-five years—long before either of them was a General Authority—and continues unabated, says: “President Hinckley is a prophet with keen vision, an enormous capacity for work, and abiding faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He combines all of that with a clear, commanding mind and a very tender heart. The Church and indeed the whole world will be blessed by his special qualities of leadership.”
    Second Counselor and forty-year friend James E. Faust says of the man whom he first met when they were young counselors serving in the presidencies of adjoining stakes: “President Hinckley is so capable, so knowledgeable and experienced about so many things, that sometimes people are in awe of him. But he is a very kind and considerate man.”
    The initial outlook was not quite so promising for Bryant S. and Ada Bitner Hinckley’s first son, born 23 June 1910 in Salt Lake City. As a child Gordon was not as healthy and robust as some. At age two he was stricken with whooping cough, the effects of which were threatening not only to the lungs but to the limbs and very life of such a young child. This malady would be followed by a serious history of asthma and allergies, all of which took their toll on the struggling lad’s health. “The boy needs more fresh air and sunlight,” the doctor told the anxious parents. So immediate plans were made to acquire a small farm in the East Millcreek area of Salt Lake City, in that day very much “in the country” from downtown Salt Lake City and quite literally “just what the doctor ordered” for young Gordon.
    On that farm through summers, weekends, and holidays Gordon grew to health and learned to work. And somehow there near the soil and close to nature his confidence in God’s good and provident hand prospered like the hundreds of fruit trees and vegetable seeds he planted, tended, and harvested.
    “After a day of good, hard labor, my younger brother Sherm and I would sleep out under the stars in the box of an old farm wagon,” President Hinckley recalls with a wistful look and smile. “On those clear, clean summer nights, we would lie on our backs in that old wagon box and look at the myriads of stars in the heavens. We could identify some of the constellations and other stars as they were illustrated in the encyclopedia which was always available in our family library. We identified some of the more visible patterns in the heavens, but our favorite was the North Star. Each night, like many generations of boys before us, we would trace the Big Dipper, down the handle and out past the cup, to find the North Star.
    “We came to know of the constancy of that star,” he recalls. “As the earth turned, the others appeared to move through the night. But the North Star held its position in line with the axis of the earth. Because of those boyhood musings, the polar star came to mean something to me. I recognized it as a constant in the midst of change. It was something that could always be counted on, something that was dependable, an anchor in what otherwise appeared to me a moving and unstable firmament.”
    The Hinckleys’ son Richard says of those boyhood days: “You could tell that even in his early years he was starting to form impressions and feelings about that quality of steadiness and of immovability and dependability. Those have always been great traits of his, and I think he has always appreciated them very much in others.”
    Part of that constancy comes from a heritage deeper and more distant than those work-filled days in East Millcreek as a boy. President Hinckley’s grandfather, Ira Nathaniel Hinckley, heard the gospel as a boy of seven only to find himself orphaned at nine. Later he made his way to Nauvoo and beyond, crossing the Plains to the Salt Lake Valley—burying his beautiful young wife along the way. Several years later Ira, remarried and established, accepted a call from Brigham Young to take charge of the Church ranch at Cove Creek, Millard County, in southern Utah. “As [this ranch] is some distance from any other settlement,” wrote President Young, “a man of sound practical judgment and experience is needed to fill the place. If you think you can take this mission you should endeavor to go a week from next Monday.
[Signed] Your brother in the gospel,
Brigham Young.”
    Says Ira’s admiring grandson, “They went where they were asked to go, and did what they were asked to do, regardless of what it cost in terms of comfort or money or life itself.” President and Sister Hinckley’s daughter Virginia adds: “To truly understand Dad it is necessary to understand his ancestry and its impact on his life and on his values. It’s woven through everything he’s ever done. It’s just the fiber of his life. It has always provided the continuity and the inspiration in his life. And he has always tried to show his gratitude.”
    It was there in the heart of Millard County that Ira erected the historic Cove Fort and presided over a fledgling stake of Zion, providing the circumstances in which his children, including President Hinckley’s father, Bryant S. Hinckley, would be raised.
    President Hinckley’s brother, now the director of the Cove Fort Mission for the Church, notes the legacy that came from such stern times in the western wilderness. Observing that the still-standing but newly refurbished fort was built of volcanic rock laid in lime mortar, with walls at the base a full four feet in thickness, Sherman Hinckley says of his brother: “He is solid. There’s nothing small about him. He’s been firm in the faith all his days. He takes after his father and his grandfather who were likewise. I’d say that in a way he’s a lot like Cove Fort. He’s rock solid.”
    And everyone who knows President Gordon B. Hinckley agrees. Rodney H. Brady, a distinguished educational, governmental, and business leader in his own right, has as president and chief executive officer of Bonneville International (the Church’s broadcasting corporation) worked under the direction of its chairman, President Gordon B. Hinckley, for ten years. “In my present position I have spent literally hundreds of hours with President Hinckley,” Brother Brady says. “In all that time I have never seen a man more fair in his considerations nor more decisive in his conclusions. When it is time for a decision to be made, he makes it—but always with a view to any previous promises made. I have never known a man of greater integrity.”
    Such observations coincide with the assessment of Stanley D. Rees, former president of the North German Mission, later president of the Swiss Temple, and longtime associate of President Hinckley. “I have known Gordon Hinckley for fifty-nine years,” says Brother Rees, smiling. “I grew up in his neighborhood, and his father, Bryant Hinckley, was my stake president. As long as I have known him, I have never seen him do anything nor say anything that would in any way be inappropriate in his present calling. I would trust him with everything I own.”
    Part of this Cove Fort, rock-solid, polar-star, firm-as-the-mountains integrity came from the things he had read and learned as well as from the family heritage he had been given. Both his father, Bryant S. Hinckley, and his mother, Ada Bitner Hinckley, were professional educators and had fine training for that day. In addition, Sister Hinckley was a musician and Brother Hinckley a skilled writer of history. President Hinckley remembers that as a boy there was in their modest family home an inviting library with a large oak table, a good lamp, several comfortable chairs, and more than a thousand books collected by his well-educated parents. President Hinckley’s son Clark notes that his father has often spoken to his children about what a quiet, inviting place it was.
    “Apparently it was a wonderful place to study,” Clark says, “and it reflected a love for good books and learning in that home. Now,” he adds with a smile, “I don’t think that as a boy Dad spent all his time reading, but there is no question he was exposed to great literature and that it had an impact on him. He speaks often of the ‘ambiance’ which that room had, an inviting impression he carries in his mind to this day.”
    President Hinckley grew up putting that love of language and literature to good use. His early academic intentions were toward a degree in journalism, so he went to the University of Utah to prepare. “I was most fortunate,” he recalls, “in the happenstance events that formed my early university education. I went to enroll in a freshman English class, and all the sections were filled. Because there were several of us still trying to register, they had to open up a new section, and apparently there was no one to teach it but the able and gifted head of the department. I had a wonderful introduction to the English language at his hand. I loved him and all my instructors. I read Carlyle and Emerson, Milton and Longfellow, Shakespeare and all the others. And from there I went on to study Latin and Greek. I couldn’t do it now, but once I could have read you the Iliad and the Odyssey in the original Greek. I finished up my work at the university with a minor in ancient languages.”
    Inevitably, when people meet President Hinckley, they comment on his facility with language, as it gives expression to the breadth and grasp of his intellect. “President Hinckley is a master orator,” says Wendell J. Ashton, his former missionary companion and a friend of more than sixty years. “I’ll never forget Lord Thompson of Fleet saying privately to his son a few years ago, ‘This Hinckley is a great speaker. He knows how to move people.’ ”
    Even though it was the time of the Great Depression and relatively few young men were serving missions, Bishop John C. Duncan approached him and urged him to consider a mission. President Hinckley discussed it with his father, his beloved mother having just passed away three years earlier from cancer. It was a hard time for the family, financially and every other way.
    “Nevertheless I remember my father saying, ‘We will do all we can to see that your needs are met,’ ” President Hinckley recalls poignantly, “and he and my brother committed to see me through my mission. It was at that time that we discovered a little savings account my mother had left—change saved from her grocery purchases and other shopping. With that little bit of help added, it appeared I could go on my mission.”
    He left shortly thereafter for England, considering sacred those coins so meticulously saved by his mother. “I guarded them with my honor,” he says on the edge of emotion. That respect for money sacrificed for and saved, and his memory of such an era of deprivation, affect to this day his detailed, watchful oversight of the Church’s financial expenditures. It is not insignificant that the principal appointment on his office credenza is a framed, minute, ancient coin—a lepton. Half a farthing. The “widow’s mite” mentioned in Luke 21:1-4.
    Surely his mission to Great Britain was one of those polar-star, firm-as-the-mountain experiences which would affect virtually everything else President Gordon B. Hinckley would do for the rest of his life.
    Sent first to Preston in Lancashire (where Heber C. Kimball and others had pioneered the first transatlantic mission nearly one hundred years before), Elder Hinckley found some of that discouragement common to missionaries facing new circumstances in a new land. He was not well physically, and as he went to his first street meeting in that impoverished mill town in the north of England, he recalls: “I was terrified. I stepped up on that little stand and looked at that crowd of people that had gathered. They were dreadfully poor at that time in the bottom of the Depression. They looked rather menacing and mean, but I somehow stumbled through whatever I had to say.”
    Down in spirit and facing no success in missionary endeavors, Gordon wrote a letter to his father, saying: “I am wasting my time and your money. I don’t see any point in my staying here.” In due course a gentle but terse reply came from his father. That letter read: “Dear Gordon. I have your letter [of such and such a date]. I have only one suggestion. Forget yourself and go to work, With love, Your Father.”
    President Hinckley says of that moment, “I pondered his response and then the next morning in our scripture class we read that great statement of the Lord: ‘For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it’ (Mark 8:35).
    “That simple statement, that promise, touched me. I got on my knees and made a covenant with the Lord that I would try to forget myself and go to work. I count that as the day of decision in my life. Everything good that has happened to me since then I can trace back to the decision I made at that time.”
    No sooner had young Elder Hinckley thrown himself into the work in Lancashire than he received a letter calling him to London as a special assistant to Elder Joseph F. Merrill, a member of the Council of the Twelve Apostles and president of the European Mission.
    “We didn’t baptize many people in London in those days,” recalls mission companion Wendell J. Ashton, “but Elder Hinckley was a knockout in those street meetings on Hyde Park corner. I can promise you we learned to speak quickly on our feet. And Elder Hinckley was the best of the bunch. I have always thought that he gained tremendous firsthand experience there in London’s Hyde Park doing what he would so skillfully do for the rest of his life—defend the Church and speak up courageously of its truths. He was good at it then and he is good at it now.”
    Soon enough young Elder Hinckley was back in Salt Lake City, weary, underweight, and (with grand irony in light of what lay ahead in his life) with a desire “never to travel anywhere again.” To keep an appointment with the First Presidency prearranged by his mission president regarding special challenges in the European Mission, he went to the Church Administration Building to meet President Heber J. Grant and his two counselors, J. Reuben Clark Jr. and David O. McKay. “President Grant told me they had allowed fifteen minutes for me on their agenda. I began to speak and they began to ask questions, and I left the room one hour and fifteen minutes later. Several days later President McKay called me and asked that I come to work as the secretary of the newly organized Radio, Publicity, and Mission Literature Committee of the Church.”
    That began, save for a brief two-year interlude during the war, a sixty-year career of staff assignments and General Authority callings at the headquarters of the Church. “President Hinckley’s unusually rich experience in Church administration combines history and memory in a remarkable way,” says longtime associate Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “His knowledge of things ‘as they were’ and now ‘as they are’ have prepared him to contribute to ‘things as they will be.’ ” The Administration Building, where the young missionary made that first impressive report to the First Presidency, is the same building today in which he now presides as President of the Church over sixty years later.
    Young Gordon B. Hinckley was as helpful as he was impressive to the many leaders of the Church he assisted with staff work. All found him to be bright, responsive, and very hardworking. But perhaps no one was closer to him, nor had more of an influence upon him through those years, than President Stephen L Richards.
    When President Hinckley first began working at Church headquarters, Elder Stephen L Richards, then of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, chaired the Radio, Publicity, and Mission Literature Committee of the Church, to which Gordon was assigned as executive secretary. Later, when Elder Richards became First Counselor to President David O. McKay in the First Presidency of the Church, Gordon stayed at his side as executive secretary of the Missionary Committee, which President Richards chaired.
    “Stephen L Richards had a tremendous impact for good upon my life,” President Hinckley says fondly. “He was a strong and gentle man who was particularly kind to me.”
    Obviously the feeling was mutual, for President Richards wrote to his young assistant on 22 December 1953:
       “Dear Gordon, Please accept my heartiest good wishes for a happy Christmas time for you and your family. I cannot tell you how deeply I appreciate your association and help. I do not see how I could carry forward my assignment without the efficient service you so willingly give. I am sure the Lord will bless you for it, for you are a great contributor to his holy cause. Gratefully and devotedly your brother and friend, [signed] Stephen L Richards.”
    Throughout his career President Hinckley has shown remarkable qualities of mind and judgment which have served him thoroughly and well. “But the greatest judgment he has ever shown in his entire life,” President Boyd K. Packer, Acting resident of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, says with a smile, “is the judgment he showed in marrying Marjorie Pay. You cannot know him unless you know her—the tender, guiding, patient influence she has been in his life and in that of their children.”
    “Marjorie was ‘the girl next door’ when we were growing up,” recalls President Hinckley’s younger sister Ramona H. Sullivan, “only in this case it was the girl across the street. And she was very pretty. The thing I remember most about Marge in those early years is how polished and impressive she was, even as a young girl, in giving readings and performances in the meetings and activities of our old First Ward. All the other kids would just sort of stand up and mumble through something, but Marjorie was downright professional. She had all of the elocution and all of the movements. I still remember those readings she gave.”
    Although they didn’t start dating seriously until after he was home from his mission, it was one of those very youthful readings Marjorie Pay gave which first caught his attention. “I saw her first in Primary,” President Hinckley says with a laugh. “She gave a reading. I don’t know what it did to me, but I never forgot it. Then she grew older into a beautiful young woman, and I had the good sense to marry her.”
    The Hinckleys were married 29 April 1937 and have had born to them three daughters and two sons—Kathleen H. Barnes, Richard Gordon, Virginia H. Pearce, Clark Bryant, and Jane H. Dudley. To this extremely close-knit family have since been added twenty-five grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren. “My husband has always taught by example,” Sister Hinckley says with obvious admiration. “Throughout our married life I have never heard him lecture the children. They just knew what he expected of them because they watched him.
    “For that matter,” she continues, “he has always been an example to everyone. In all the years I have known him I have never seen him say or do anything unworthy of an Apostle. Now, don’t misunderstand,” she laughs. “He is not sanctimonious by any means. He has a wonderful sense of humor. But he has never, ever done anything out of line. I think he is wonderful!”
    It’s not surprising that President Hinckley and the Hinckley children think Sister Hinckley is wonderful, too. “Mom is guileless,” says oldest daughter Kathleen. “She is absolutely pure. She is a friend to all and can’t give enough praise to people, whether that be the milkman, the mailman, the garbageman—everyone.”
    Youngest daughter Jane remembers her as their head cheerleader. “She knew everything we were doing and everything we were interested in, and now knows the same about all her grandchildren. She loved having us home after school and couldn’t wait for summer vacation to arrive. Other mothers were only too happy to see school start again in the fall, but not Mom—she would weep! She would grieve that we were leaving her.”
    With hearty laughter son Richard recalls the time he had to stay after school for some kind of grade-school disciplining. Always awaiting the children’s arrival from school each day, Sister Hinckley was immediately lonely when her son did not walk in the door with the others. The next thing anyone knew, she appeared from out of nowhere at the young penitent’s classroom, saying to a startled teacher, “You can do anything you want to this boy all day long, but after three P.M. he’s mine.”
    President Hinckley has been able to take his wife on many of his major travel assignments around the world. When he did, Sister Hinckley always brought that world back to their children. “She would write spellbinding letters,” recalls Kathy, “and then make a full report to the whole family when she got home. Sights, sounds, mementos—everything. It was a production!
    “For example, I remember the beautifully vivid description she gave of the events associated with the dedication of the Seoul Korea Temple. Such a firsthand report included a description of the national dress and costumes worn by the Korean sisters which she observed as Mom and Dad left the temple with the official party. She was reliving all of it—and helping us live it—with an enthusiastic, bright-eyed account of every aspect of the experience, particularly that of these women’s beautiful apparel and appearance. Right in the middle of that mesmerizing description, my father looked up and said, ‘What costumes?’ That is the difference between my mother and my father.”
    Throughout these years of service and travel, President Hinckley has had many opportunities to bless the Saints—literally bless them, with hands upon their heads—in countries far and near.
    In September 1972 newly ordained President Harold B. Lee asked Elder Hinckley, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, to accompany him on a historic trip to Europe and the Middle East. It would be the first visit to the Holy Land by a President of the Church in some two thousand years.
    “On that trip President Lee became quite ill,” President Hinckley recalls. “Late one evening Sister Lee rang our room and asked if I would give her husband a blessing. President Edwin Q. Cannon of the Swiss Mission was traveling with us on this assignment, so I asked him to join me in administering to the President. We did so, and then, with a good deal of concern about President Lee’s health, I went to bed.
    “Later in the night President Lee began to cough. It was a deep, terrible cough, and it went on for some time. Situated as we were in adjoining hotel rooms, I could hear him. He coughed and coughed and coughed. Finally all of that stopped and I went off to sleep, grateful he had been given some relief.
    “Brother Lee said nothing at all of the matter the next day, but on the following day he said to me, ‘We had to come to the land of miracles to witness a miracle within ourselves!’ He then told me how in the most violent of the coughing, he had coughed up a very large clot of blood. Just a little more than one year later, he died from what was spoken of as a pleural embolism.”
    Surely one of the most challenging moments came to the life of Gordon B. Hinckley when, in the summer of 1981, President Spencer W. Kimball called Elder Hinckley to serve as a counselor in the First Presidency. Although they were experiencing varying degrees of declining health, the First Presidency was “complete” with President Kimball, President N. Eldon Tanner, and President Marion G. Romney still serving. Nevertheless, in a moment of clear revelatory inspiration and good health, President Kimball asked Elder Hinckley to join the First Presidency as “Counselor in the First Presidency”—an additional counselor, for which there was ample precedent in Church history. “When I accepted President Kimball’s call to join them, I did not know exactly how I would function or fit in, and perhaps they did not at the time,” says President Hinckley. “But the circumstances called for additional help, and I was more than willing to give it. I did not know whether it would be for a few days or a few months.”
    As it turned out, President Gordon B. Hinckley would never again leave the First Presidency of the Church. In 1982 President Tanner passed away, with President Romney moving to First Counselor and President Hinckley being sustained as Second Counselor.
    “That was a very heavy and overwhelming responsibility,” he recalls. “It was an almost terrifying load at times. Of course, I consulted with our brethren of the Twelve.
    "I recall on one particular occasion getting on my knees before the Lord and asking for help in the midst of that very difficult situation. And there came into my mind those reassuring words, ‘Be still and know that I am God’ (D&C 101:16). I knew again that this was His work, that He would not let it fail, that all I had to do was work at it and do our very best, and that the work would move forward without let or hindrance of any kind.”
    Things will work out. Keep trying. Be believing. Be happy. Don’t get discouraged. Things will work out.
    These and other experiences like them have schooled President Hinckley for the sacred responsibility that is now his. “President Hinckley can do anything,” says friend and retired business and civic leader B. Z. “Bud” Kastler. “I compare him to General Patton, who was a great wartime traditionalist who adapted to changing military circumstances. President Hinckley is a traditional and very devout individual who will lead us into the changing circumstances of the twenty-first century.”
    Perhaps no man has ever come to the Presidency of the Church who has been so well prepared for the responsibility. Through sixty years of Church administration he has known personally, been taught by, and in one capacity or other served with every President of the Church from Heber J. Grant to Howard W. Hunter. As one of his associates says, “No man in the history of the Church has traveled so far to so many places in the world with such a single purpose in mind—to preach the gospel, to bless and lift up the Saints, and to foster the redemption of the dead.”
    Recollecting those crisp, clear nights of his youth, President Hinckley recently said to the worldwide Church: “Few of us see the Polar Star anymore. We live in urban centers, and the city lights affect our vision of the wondrous firmament above us. But, as it has been for centuries, the star is there, in its place, its constancy a guide and an anchor” (Ensign, May 1989, p. 67).
   The same might be said of President Gordon B. Hinckley as he assumes the holy office to which he has been called—prophet, seer, revelator, Presiding High Priest and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Like the prophets before him and the certainty of the gospel of Jesus Christ which guided them, he is there in his appointed place. “Stalwart and brave he stands.” His constancy and service and faith—firm as the mountains around him—are an anchor to us all. Surely the best thing we can do to sustain him in his office is to “carry on, carry on, carry on!”
    On April 6, 2004, The Prophet's beloved wife, Sister Marjorie Pay Hinckley succumbed to factors of age and exhaustion following a collpse four months earlier while returning home from the dedication of the Accra Ghana Temple.
    President Hinckley died January 27, 2008, at approximately 7 p.m. MST, He died at the age of ninety-seven while surrounded by family in his Salt Lake City apartment. According to a church spokesman, the death was due to "causes incident to age."

Bibliography
    Much of this page is adapted from Jeffrey R. Holland, “President Gordon B. Hinckley: Stalwart and Brave He Stands,” Ensign, June 1995, 2-3
    Lawrence R. Flake, Prophets and Apostles of the Last Dispensation, p.141
    2005 Church Almanac, Multiple citations; see index
    Gordon Hinckley Website

Selected Discourses and Writings
Grampa Bill believes this to be the most complete link listing available of President Gordon B. Hinckley's talks and articles on the web. Please email the Grampa if you note any broken links, errors, or if you are aware of any Gordon B. Hinckley talks or articles not listed here but available on the web.

You will note that some are available only as text; some are available only in the MP3 format; while still others are avaible in both text and MP3. A few, mostly more recent talks, are also available in ASX Video.

Talks marked with an asterisk (*) are not (to my knowledge) available anywhere else on the web. As a service, they have been copied onto this web site.

TITLE SOURCE AUDIO

No Man Proceeds Alone *
Note: This talk was the first address delivered by Elder Gordon B. Hinckley after he was called to the ranks of the General Authorities in the capacity of an Assistant to the Council of the Twelve Apostles. General Conference, April 1958

Seven Pillars of Wisdom BYU Devotional, 5 June 1958 MP3

The Consequences of Conversion BYU Devotional, 28 January 1959 MP3

Building An Eternal Home BYU Devotional, 4 November 1959 MP3

The Feelings of my Heart *
Note: This talk was the first address delivered by Elder Gordon B. Hinckley after he was called to the Council of the Twelve Apostles. General Conference, October 1961

And Be Not Faithless But Believing BYU Devotional, 3 January 1962 MP3

Caesar, Circus, or Christ BYU Devotional, 26 October 1965 MP3

Joseph the Seer BYU Devotional, 6 December 1967 MP3

The Loneliness of Leadership BYU Devotional, 4 December 1969 MP3

It's True, Isn't It? BYU Devotional, 1 January 1971 MP3

In Grateful Remembrance Ensign, March 1971

“Except the Lord Build the House …” Ensign, June 1971

The Sunday School as a Missionary Ensign, August 1971

“If Ye Be Willing and Obedient” Ensign, December 1971

What Will the Church Do for You, a Man? Ensign, July 1972

President Harold B. Lee: An Appreciation Ensign, November 1972

Watch the Switches in Your Life Ensign, January 1973

The True Strength of the Church Ensign, July 1973

“Here We Build Our Zion” Ensign, August 1973

God Shall Give unto You Knowledge by His Holy Spirit BYU Devotional, 25 September 1973 MP3

“We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet” Ensign, January 1974

Harold Bingham Lee: Humility, Benevolence, Loyalty Ensign, February 1974

The Marriage That Endures General Conference, April 1974

Why These Temples? Ensign, August 1974

A City Set Upon a Hill General Conference, October 1974

Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled BYU Devotional, 29 October 1974 MP3

The Symbol of Christ General Conference, April 1975

Opposing Evil General Conference, October 1975

“An Honest Man—God’s Noblest Work” General Conference, April 1976

Things Are Getting Better BYU Devotional, 8 April 1976 MP3

Everything to Gain—Nothing to Lose General Conference, October 1976

Forget Yourself BYU Devotional, 6 March 1977 MP3

Joseph the Seer General Conference, April 1977

Welfare Responsibilities of the Priesthood Quorums General Conference, October 1977

And the Greatest of These Is Love BYU Devotional, 14 February 1978 MP3

“Be Not Faithless” General Conference, April 1978

“Behold Your Little Ones” General Conference, October 1978

We Need Not Fear His Coming BYU Devotional, 25 March 1979 MP3

And Peter Went Out and Wept Bitterly General Conference, April 1979

“An Angel from on High, the Long, Long Silence Broke” General Conference, October 1979

"Praise to the Man" BYU Devotional, 4 November 1979 MP3

150-Year Drama: A Personal View of Our History Ensign, April 1980

“What Hath God Wrought through His Servant Joseph!” General Conference, April 1980

“Of You It Is Required to Forgive” General Conference, October 1980

The Joseph Smith III Document and the Keys of the Kingdom General Conference, April 1981

“Charity Never Faileth” General Conference, October 1981

Faith: The Essence of True Religion
Note: This is the first General Conference address delivered by President Gordon B. Hinckley after he was sustained as a Counselor in the First Presidency. General Conference, October 1981

Four B’s for Boys General Conference, October 1981

Temples and Temple Work Ensign, February 1982

Five Million Members—A Milestone and Not a Summit General Conference, April 1982

Tithing: An Opportunity to Prove Our Faithfulness General Conference, April 1982

“Whosoever Will Save His Life” Ensign, August 1982

What This Work Is All About General Conference, October 1982

The Priesthood of Aaron General Conference, October 1982

Reach Out in Love and Kindness General Conference, October 1982

“He Is Risen, As He Said” Ensign, April 1983

Overpowering the Goliaths in Our Lives General Conference, April 1983

He Slumbers Not, nor Sleeps General Conference, April 1983

“Fear Not to Do Good” General Conference, April 1983

“Praise to the Man” Ensign, August 1983

If I Were You, What Would I Do? BYU Devotional, 20 September 1983 MP3

God Grant Us Faith General Conference, October 1983

Be Not Deceived General Conference, October 1983

Except Ye Are One General Conference, October 1983

Live Up to Your Inheritance General Conference, October 1983

Let Us Go Forward! General Conference, October 1983

“What Shall I Do Then with Jesus Which Is Called Christ?” Ensign, December 1983

And the Greatest of These Is Love Ensign, March 1984

Special Witnesses for Christ General Conference, April 1984

The Miracle Made Possible by Faith General Conference, April 1984

Small Acts Lead to Great Consequences General Conference, April 1984

The Faith of the Pioneers Ensign, July 1984

“God Hath Not Given Us the Spirit of Fear” Ensign, October 1984

The Cornerstones of Our Faith General Conference, October 1984

The Good and Faithful Servants General Conference, October 1984

“If Thou Art Faithful” General Conference, October 1984

The Sustaining of Church Officers General Conference, October 1984

Live the Gospel General Conference, October 1984

Strengthening Each Other Ensign, February 1985

The Victory over Death General Conference, April 1985

To Please Our Heavenly Father General Conference, April 1985

God Has a Work for Us to Do General Conference, April 1985

The Environment of Our Homes Ensign, June 1985

Keep the Faith Ensign, September 1985

The Widow's Mite BYU Devotional, 17 September 1985 MP3

Rejoice in This Great Era of Temple Building General Conference, October 1985

Questions and Answers General Conference, October 1985

Joined Together in Love and Faith General Conference, October 1985

Ten Gifts from the Lord General Conference, October 1985

“Let Us Move This Work Forward” General Conference, October 1985

Feasting upon the Scriptures Ensign, December 1985

He Is at Peace Ensign, December 1985

The Continuing Pursuit of Truth Ensign, April 1986

The Question of a Mission General Conference, April 1986

Come and Partake General Conference, April 1986

Go Forward with Faith Ensign, August 1986

The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost General Conference, October 1986

The War We Are Winning General Conference, October 1986

“The Field Is White Already to Harvest” Ensign, December 1986

The Church in the British Isles 1837-1987 BYU Devotional, 31 January 1987 MP3

Giving Ourselves to the Service of the Lord Ensign, March 1987

The Lengthened Shadow of the Hand of God General Conference, April 1987

Reverence and Morality General Conference, April 1987

Taking the Gospel to Britain: A Declaration of Vision, Faith, Courage, and Truth Ensign, July 1987

There Must Be Messengers Ensign, October 1987

“Lord, Increase Our Faith” General Conference, October 1987

Take Not the Name of God in Vain General Conference, October 1987

We Have a Work to Do Ensign, February 1988

The Empty Tomb Bore Testimony General Conference, April 1988

The Aaronic Priesthood—a Gift from God General Conference, April 1988

The Power of the Book of Mormon Ensign, June 1988

“With All Thy Getting Get Understanding” Ensign, August 1988

Our Responsibility to Our Young Women Ensign, September 1988

Priesthood Restoration Ensign, October 1988

The Healing Power of Christ General Conference, October 1988

To the Bishops of the Church General Conference, October 1988

A Unique and Wonderful University BYU Devotional, 11 October 1988 MP3

The Order and Will of God Ensign, January 1989

“Be Not Faithless” Ensign, April 1989

Let Love Be the Lodestar of Your Life General Conference, April 1989

Magnify Your Calling General Conference, April 1989

To Single Adults Ensign, June 1989

In Search of Peace and Freedom Ensign, August 1989

A Wonderful Summer BYU Devotional, 3 September 1989 MP3

Rise to the Stature of the Divine within You General Conference, October 1989

An Ensign to the Nations General Conference, October 1989

The Scourge of Illicit Drugs General Conference, October 1989

A Word of Benediction General Conference, October 1989

The Sacred Law of Tithing Ensign, December 1989

“Thou Shalt Not Covet” Ensign, March 1990

Blessed Are the Merciful General Conference, April 1990

Rise to a Larger Vision of the Work General Conference, April 1990

Keeping the Temple Holy General Conference, April 1990

“Sacred Resolves” General Conference, April 1990

A City upon a Hill Ensign, July 1990

We Believe in Being Honest Ensign, October 1990

Mormon Should Mean “More Good” General Conference, October 1990

“In … Counsellors There Is Safety” General Conference, October 1990

“This Work Will Go Forward” General Conference, October 1990

Out of Your Experience Here BYU Devotional, 16 October 1990 MP3

The Blessings of Family Prayer Ensign, February 1991

What God Hath Joined Together General Conference, April 1991

The State of the Church General Conference, April 1991

His Latter-day Kingdom Has Been Established General Conference, April 1991

“Of You It Is Required to Forgive” Ensign, June 1991

“We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet” Ensign, September 1991

Christ Is the Light to All Mankind General Conference, October 1991

Daughters of God General Conference, October 1991

Our Mission of Saving General Conference, October 1991

Our Solemn Responsibilities General Conference, October 1991

“Do Ye Even So to Them” Ensign, December 1991

This I Believe BYU Devotional, 1 March 1992 MP3

“Ambitious to Do Good” Ensign, March 1992

“Believe His Prophets” General Conference, April 1992

Our Great Mission General Conference, April 1992

“A Chosen Generation” General Conference, April 1992

I Believe Ensign, August 1992

Only upon Principles of Righteousness Ensign, September 1992

The Church Is on Course General Conference, October 1992

Building Your Tabernacle General Conference, October 1992

Sin Will Not Prevail General Conference, October 1992

Trust and Accountability BYU Devotional, 13 October 1992 MP3

The Son of God Ensign, December 1992

The Salt Lake Temple Ensign, March 1993

This Peaceful House of God General Conference, April 1993

Some Lessons I Learned as a Boy General Conference, April 1993

“A Prophet’s Testimony” General Conference, April 1993

“It’s True, Isn’t It?” Ensign, July 1993

The Thing of Most Worth Ensign, September 1993

Bring Up a Child in the Way He Should Go General Conference, October 1993

My Testimony General Conference, October 1993

Pillars of Truth Ensign, January 1994

The Lord Is at the Helm BYU Devotional, 6 Mar 1994

Our One Bright Hope Ensign, April 1994

“Behold Your Little Ones” Ensign, April 1994

God Is at the Helm General Conference, April 1994

The Greatest Miracle in Human History General Conference, April 1994

Farewell to a Prophet Ensign, July 1994

Nauvoo’s Holy Temple Ensign, September 1994

Joseph, the Seer Ensign, September 1994

Save the Children General Conference, October 1994

Don’t Drop the Ball General Conference, October 1994

Codes and Covenants BYU Devotional, 18 October 1994 MP3

“To Do Good Always” Ensign, December 1994

And Peter Went Out and Wept Bitterly Ensign, March 1995

A Century of Family History Service Ensign, March 1995

"This is the Work of the Master"
Note: This is the first address given by President Gordon B. Hinckley following the Solemn Assembly in which he was sustained as President of the Church. General Conference Address 1 April 1995

A Prophet Polished and Refined Ensign, April 1995

The Light within You General Conference, April 1995

We Have a Work to Do General Conference, April 1995

This Work Is Concerned with People General Conference, April 1995

If Ye Be Willing and Obedient Ensign, July 1995

Faith: The Essence of True Religion Ensign, October 1995

Stay the Course—Keep the Faith General Conference, October 1995

Stand Strong against the Wiles of the World General Conference, October 1995

Of Missions, Temples, and Stewardship General Conference, October 1995

To a Man Who Has Done What This Church Expects of Each of Us BYU Devotional, 17 October 1995 MP3

The Fabric of Faith and Testimony General Conference, October 1995

As We Gather Together General Conference, October 1995

“Be Not Afraid, Only Believe” Ensign, February 1996

Stand True and Faithful General Conference, April 1996

“Be Ye Clean” General Conference, April 1996

“Remember … Thy Church, O Lord” General Conference, April 1996

This Glorious Easter Morn General Conference, April 1996

“True to the Faith” Ensign, June 1996

Four Simple Things to Help Our Families and Our Nations Ensign, September 1996

Women of the Church General Conference, October 1996

“This Thing Was Not Done in a Corner” General Conference, October 1996

Listen by the Power of the Spirit General Conference, October 1996

“Reach with a Rescuing Hand” General Conference, October 1996

Stand Up for Truth BYU Devotional, 17 October 1996 MP3

“What Hath God Wrought through His Servant Joseph!” Ensign, January 1997

These Noble Pioneers BYU Devotional, 2 February 1997

A Conversation with Single Adults Ensign, March 1997

The Victory over Death Ensign, April 1997

“True to the Faith” General Conference, April 1997

Converts and Young Men General Conference, April 1997

Our Testimony to the World General Conference, April 1997

May We Be Faithful and True General Conference, April 1997

Inspirational Thoughts Ensign, August 1997

Latter-day Saints in Very Deed General Conference, October 1997

Drawing Nearer to the Lord General Conference, October 1997

Look to the Future General Conference, October 1997

Some Thoughts on Temples, Retention of Converts, and Missionary Service General Conference, October 1997

The BYU Experience BYU Devotional, 4 November 1997 MP3

A Season for Gratitude Ensign, December 1997

The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost Ensign, March 1998

Testimony General Conference, April 1998

Living Worthy of the Girl You Will Someday Marry General Conference, April 1998

New Temples to Provide “Crowning Blessings” of the Gospel General Conference, April 1998

We Bear Witness of Him General Conference, April 1998

Inspirational Thoughts Ensign, July 1998

Feed the Spirit, Nourish the Soul Ensign, October 1998

Walking in the Light of the Lord General Conference, October 1998

What Are People Asking about Us? General Conference, October 1998

To the Boys and to the Men General Conference, October 1998

Benediction General Conference, October 1998

Welcome to Conference General Conference, October 1998

The Quest for Excellence BYU Devotional, 10 November 1998 MP3

Life’s Obligations Ensign, February 1999

“He Is Not Here, but Is Risen”
General Conference, April 1999

Find the Lambs, Feed the Sheep General Conference, April 1999

The Shepherds of the Flock General Conference, April 1999

Thanks to the Lord for His Blessings General Conference, April 1999

The Work Moves Forward General Conference, April 1999

Inspirational Thoughts Ensign, June 1999

The Quest for Excellence Ensign, September 1999

Why We Do Some of the Things We Do General Conference, October 1999

Good-bye to This Wonderful Old Tabernacle General Conference, October 1999

Welcome to Conference General Conference, October 1999

At the Summit of the Ages General Conference, October 1999

Keep the Chain Unbroken BYU Devotional, 30 November 1999 MP3

“Fear Not to Do Good” Ensign, January 2000

My Testimony General Conference, April 2000

The Stake President General Conference, April 2000

A Time of New Beginnings General Conference, April 2000

To All the World in Testimony General Conference, April 2000

Inspirational Thoughts Ensign, August 2000

A Great Family in Reverence and Worship General Conference, October 2000

This Great Millennial Year General Conference, October 2000

Your Greatest Challenge, Mother General Conference, October 2000

“Great Shall Be the Peace of Thy Children” General Conference, October 2000

“An Humble and a Contrite Heart” General Conference, October 2000

The Wondrous and True Story of Christmas Ensign, December 2000

A Prophet’s Counsel and Prayer for Youth Ensign, January 2001

First Presidency Christmas Devotional: “My Redeemer Lives” Ensign, February 2001

Latter-day Counsel: Selections from Addresses of President Ensign, March 2001

The Work Goes On General Conference, April 2001

The Miracle of Faith General Conference, April 2001

How Can I Become the Woman of Whom I Dream? General Conference, April 2001

The Perpetual Education Fund General Conference, April 2001

Good-bye for Another Season General Conference, April 2001

“Behold Your Little Ones” Ensign, June 2001

Living with Our Convictions Ensign, September 2001

"Be Not Afraid, Only Believe" ASX Video CES Fireside, 9 September 2001 ASX

Remarks at Pioneer Day Commemoration Concert Ensign, October 2001

The Times in Which We Live General Conference, October 2001

Living in the Fulness of Times General Conference, October 2001

Reaching Down to Lift Another General Conference, October 2001

“Till We Meet Again” General Conference, October 2001

Overpowering the Goliaths in Our Lives Ensign, January 2002

Inspirational Thoughts Ensign, April 2002

Personal Worthiness to Exercise the Priesthood General Conference, April 2002

We Walk by Faith General Conference, April 2002

The Church Goes Forward General Conference, April 2002

We Look to Christ General Conference, April 2002

What This Work Is All About Ensign, August 2002

To Men of the Priesthood General Conference, October 2002

"O That I Were an Angel" General Conference, October 2002

Each a Better Person General Conference, October 2002

The Marvelous Foundation of Our Faith General Conference, October 2002

A Testimony of the Son of God Ensign, December 2002

Family Home Evening Ensign, March 2003

Benediction General Conference, April 2003

The Condition of the Church General Conference, April 2003

War and Peace General Conference, April 2003

You Are a Child of God General Conference, April 2003

Loyalty General Conference, April 2003

The Marriage That Endures Ensign, July 2003

Remarks at the Inauguration of President Cecil O. Samuelson BYU Innaguration, 9 September 2003 MP3

Inspirational Thoughts Ensign, October 2003

An Ensign to the Nations, a Light to the World General Conference, October 2003

To the Women of the Church General Conference, October 2003

The Shepherds of Israel General Conference, October 2003

The State of the Church General Conference, October 2003

Let Us Live the Gospel More Fully General Conference, October 2003

Four Cornerstones of Faith Ensign, February 2004

The Dawning of a Brighter Day General Conference, April 2004

Stay on the High Road General Conference, April 2004

“I Was an Hungred, and Ye Gave Me Meat” General Conference, April 2004

Concluding Remarks General Conference, April 2004

The Church Grows Stronger General Conference, April 2004

Inspirational Thoughts Ensign, June 2004

In Opposition to Evil Ensign, September 2004

The Women in Our Lives
This is the first General Conference address delivered by President Hinckley following the death of his beloved wife, Sister Marjorie Pay Hinckley. In it, he pays tribute to her. General Conference, October 2004

A Tragic Evil among Us General Conference, October 2004

Condition of the Church General Conference, October 2004

Closing Remarks General Conference, October 2004

Commencement Address BYU Hawaii Graduation, 11 December 2004

Pursue the Steady Course Ensign, January 2005

The Symbol of Our Faith Ensign, April 2005

Gambling General Conference, April 2005

Opening Remarks General Conference, April 2005

The Great Things Which God Has Revealed General Conference, April 2005

Closing Remarks General Conference, April 2005

A Testimony Vibrant and True Ensign, August 2005

Dedication of the Joseph F. Smith Building at BYU BYU Devotional, 20 September 2005 MP3

Opening Remarks
(Also in ASX Video) General Conference, October 2005 MP3

If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear General PH Meeting, October 2005

Forgiveness
(Also in ASX Video) General Conference, October 2005 MP3

Benediction
(Also in ASX Video) General Conference, October 2005 MP3

Joseph Smith Jr.—Prophet of God, Mighty Servant Ensign, December 2005

The Quorum of the First Presidency Ensign, December 2005

Put Your Trust in God Ensign, February 2006

Inspirational Thoughts Ensign, March 2006

The Need for Greater Kindness General PH Meeting, April 2006

Seek Ye the Kingdom of God
(Also in ASX Video) General Conference, April 2006 MP3

Until Again We Meet
(Also in ASX Video) General Conference, April 2006 MP3

In These Three I Believe Ensign, July 2006

A Perfect Brightness of Hope: To New Members of the Church Ensign, October 2006

We Bear Testimony to the World
(Also in ASX Video) General Conference, October 2006 MP3

Rise Up, O Men of God General PH Meeting, October 2006

The Faith to Move Mountains
(Also in ASX Video) General Conference, October 2006 MP3

Closing Remarks
(Also in ASX Video) General Conference, October 2006 MP3

In the Arms of His Love
(Also in ASX Video) General RS Meeting, October 2006 MP3

Experiences Worth Remembering BYU Devotional, 31 October 2006 MP3

Inspirational Thoughts Ensign, February 2007

Grampa Bill's General Authority Pages