180th Annual LDS General Conference To Kick Off April 3rd, 2010, Preceded By General Young Women Meeting On March 27th

NOTE: Audio and video archives, as well as written transcripts of the 180th Annual Conference in English, are now available HERE. For any other language, go HERE and select the language of your choice.

It's that time of the year again, as the next General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is at hand. Preceded by the General Young Women Meeting on March 27th, 2010, the Conference itself will take place on April 3-4. LDS Church Broadcast Schedule available HERE. KSL Channel 5 Conference page now available HERE. Deseret News provides more information on public transit along the Wasatch Front HERE.

-- Primary Location: All sessions originate from the Conference Center Auditorium on North Temple unless otherwise specified. Additional nearby locations will be set up for overflow viewing.

-- Dates:
---- Saturday March 27th, General Young Women Meeting at 6:00 P.M. Attendance limited to young women 12-18, their mothers, and Young Women leaders. Audio and video options outlined HERE.
---- Saturday April 3rd, general sessions at 10:00 A.M. and 2:00 P.M. General priesthood meeting at 6:00 P.M.
------ Summary of Saturday 10:00 A.M. session now available HERE.
------ Summary of Saturday 2:00 P.M. session now available HERE.
------ Summary of Saturday 6:00 P.M. session now available HERE.
---- Sunday April 4th, general sessions at 9:30 A.M. and 2:00 P.M. Audio and video options for Conference outlined HERE.
------ Summary of Sunday 10:00 A.M. session now available HERE.
------ Summary of Sunday 2:00 P.M. session now available HERE.

-- Cable and Satellite Broadcasting: Current information available via Bonneville Communications. Click HERE, then select either Cable/Broadcast or Dish/DirectTV/Satellite TV, depending upon which applies. Follow subsequent instructions to find out the information for your area. Most LDS wards also receive Conference proceedings via the Church Broadcast System.

-- Tickets are required for admission to all sessions in the Conference Center. Contact your local priesthood leader in advance to obtain tickets. Tickets NOT required for admission to other venues.

-- Special Considerations (also includes information from HERE):
---- Admission to the Conference Center is limited to those ages 8 and older for general sessions and 12 years and older for the priesthood session.
---- Those attending are encouraged to park in designated parking areas only, as shown HERE. Better yet, consider leaving your vehicle where you are staying and take public transportation to Temple Square.
---- Sunday dress is encouraged.
---- Cameras, audio and video recorders are NOT allowed. Photographs are not permitted during the event.
---- You will be expected to turn off all pagers, cell phones, and simlar electronic devices while in the Conference Center. "Off" doesn't mean switch from "ring" to "vibrate"; it means "Off" as in O-F-F.
---- You will not be permitted to bring packages, backpacks, food, or beverages into the Conference Center.

For those who are unfamiliar, Wikipedia describes a General Conference as a semiannual meeting where General Authorities and other key church leaders deliver sermons and give guidance to the members of the church. Changes to church leadership are also proposed and sustained through the principle of common consent. General conferences are held on the weekends containing the first Sunday in April and the first Sunday in October. The April conference is known as the Annual General Conference, and the October conference the Semiannual General Conference.

The April conference includes annual statistical and financial reports not included in the October meeting. Both conferences are identified by the number of years since the church was founded in April 1830; thus, the April 2008 meeting was the 178th Annual General Conference, and the October 2007 meeting was the 177th Semiannual General Conference. The conferences have been held in Salt Lake City, Utah since 1848; in the Salt Lake Tabernacle on Temple Square before 2000 and in the Conference Center after that.

For those looking for some activities for kids while watching Conference, here are some sources:

-- Activities for Children from the LDS General Conference page.
-- LDS General Conference Easter Activities from A Little Tipsy
-- General Conference Activity Ideas from 2 Kids And Tired