For Church News reporter Sydney Walker, the journey into journalism involved viewing challenges as opportunities and trusting the Lord would guide her to where she needed to be. A Brigham Young University journalism graduate in 2017, she interned for the Deseret News’ Faith section, worked as an assistant in the Priesthood and Family Department at Church headquarters and later became a reporter at the Church News. In this episode of the Church News podcast, Walker joins Church News editor Ryan Jensen to discuss how faith in a loving Heavenly Father and in the Savior, Jesus Christ, has helped her embrace opportunities to serve in various roles and places.

The Church News Podcast is a weekly podcast that invites listeners to make a journey of connection with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints across the globe. Hosts Jon Ryan Jensen, editor of the Church News, and Church News reporter Mary Richards share unique views of the stories, events, and people who form this international faith. With each episode, listeners are asked to embark on a journey to learn from one another and ponder, “What do I know now?” because of the experience. Produced by KellieAnn Halvorsen.

In 2026, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will study the Old Testament again for “Come, Follow Me” at home and church. According to Seminaries and Institutes of Religion teacher Aaron Coombs, focusing on gospel principles like covenants and the Atonement of Jesus Christ can help audiences understand thousands of years of history and cultural context found in these sacred texts. Coombs joins Church News reporter Mary Richards on this episode of the Church News podcast for a primer on the Old Testament, offering tips for teaching all ages and levels of understanding.

The Church News Podcast is a weekly podcast that invites listeners to make a journey of connection with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints across the globe. Hosts Jon Ryan Jensen, editor of the Church News, and Church News reporter Mary Richards share unique views of the stories, events, and people who form this international faith. With each episode, listeners are asked to embark on a journey to learn from one another and ponder, “What do I know now?” because of the experience. Produced by KellieAnn Halvorsen.

The Ulaanbaatar Mongolia Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was announced by President Russell M. Nelson on Oct. 1, 2023. For Sister Mary N. Cook, who served with her late husband, Elder Richard E. Cook, as the first mission leaders in Mongolia in 1995-1996, this announcement marked decades of challenges and miracles in this Central Asian country. Sister Cook joins Church News reporter Mary Richards on this episode of the Church News podcast to talk about the Church’s miraculous start and growth in Mongolia, as the restored gospel of Jesus Christ “shall be taught unto all nations, kindreds, tongues and people” (Doctrine and Covenants 42:58).

The Church News Podcast is a weekly podcast that invites listeners to make a journey of connection with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints across the globe. Hosts Jon Ryan Jensen, editor of the Church News, and Church News reporter Mary Richards share unique views of the stories, events, and people who form this international faith. With each episode, listeners are asked to embark on a journey to learn from one another and ponder, “What do I know now?” because of the experience. Produced by KellieAnn Halvorsen.

Since the early days of the Restoration, leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have championed the fundamental human right to religious freedom. In 2023, President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, asked, “Where would the absence of religious freedom lead society?” To consider this important question, author, researcher and professor on religious law Steven T. Collis joins Church News reporter Mary Richards on this episode of the Church News podcast. They discuss the importance of understanding religious freedom, including Collis’ conversion story; how to advocate for it by being peacemakers; and the need to promote this freedom worldwide.

The Church News Podcast is a weekly podcast that invites listeners to make a journey of connection with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints across the globe. Hosts Jon Ryan Jensen, editor of the Church News, and Church News reporter Mary Richards share unique views of the stories, events, and people who form this international faith. With each episode, listeners are asked to embark on a journey to learn from one another and ponder, “What do I know now?” because of the experience. Produced by KellieAnn Halvorsen.

The partnership of Young Men General President Steven J. Lund and his wife, Sister Kalleen Lund, has been an international one. Having met first in Frankfurt, Germany, while President Lund was enlisted in the U.S. Army after serving a mission, they reunited later as students at BYU in Provo, Utah, and married in the Salt Lake Temple in 1980. They have four children and several grandchildren, have served as mission leaders in the Georgia Atlanta Mission and have built a life of both religious and community service. They join Church News editor Ryan Jensen on this episode of the Church News podcast to discuss how patterns of service and sacrifice have blessed their lives as they serve their Church, community and family.

The Church News Podcast is a weekly podcast that invites listeners to make a journey of connection with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints across the globe. Hosts Jon Ryan Jensen, editor of the Church News, and Church News reporter Mary Richards share unique views of the stories, events, and people who form this international faith. With each episode, listeners are asked to embark on a journey to learn from one another and ponder, “What do I know now?” because of the experience. Produced by KellieAnn Halvorsen.

Callie Jo Smith is a former collegiate tennis player, an 11-time Professional Pickleball Association Tour champion and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As pickleball is the fastest-growing sport several years in a row, she is using her influence to share not only tips for the court, but her love for the sport, her family and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Callie Jo Smith joins Church News reporter Mary Richards on this episode of the Church News podcast to discuss her athletic journey, the power of prayer and how wholesome recreational activities bring her family closer together.

The Church News Podcast is a weekly podcast that invites listeners to make a journey of connection with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints across the globe. Hosts Jon Ryan Jensen, editor of the Church News, and Church News reporter Mary Richards share unique views of the stories, events, and people who form this international faith. With each episode, listeners are asked to embark on a journey to learn from one another and ponder, “What do I know now?” because of the experience. Produced by KellieAnn Halvorsen.

In early 2025, new mission presidents and their wives were called to serve in 167 missions around the world. In June, these new mission leadership couples gathered at the Provo Missionary Training Center to receive counsel and instruction from each member of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as well as other members of the Missionary Executive Council, before they reported to their missions in July.

This episode of the Church News podcast features excerpts from these messages shared during the four-day seminar, which focused on inviting others to come unto Christ, the power that comes from studying the Book of Mormon and other sacred scriptures, and the need to develop deep and personal conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Church News Podcast is a weekly podcast that invites listeners to make a journey of connection with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints across the globe. Hosts Jon Ryan Jensen, editor of the Church News, and Church News reporter Mary Richards share unique views of the stories, events, and people who form this international faith. With each episode, listeners are asked to embark on a journey to learn from one another and ponder, “What do I know now?” because of the experience. Produced by KellieAnn Halvorsen.

The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square celebrates a historic milestone on July 13, 2025, when it airs its 5,000th broadcast of “Music & the Spoken Word.” This occasion will commemorate more than nine decades of inspirational sacred music and messages shared with audiences around the world. To discuss this achievement nearly a century in the making, Tabernacle Choir President Michael O. Leavitt and the “voice of the choir,” producer, principal writer and presenter Derrick Porter join the Church News podcast — recorded inside the Tabernacle on Temple Square — to discuss the importance of sacred music. They explore how the choir’s music has touched the lives of members and friends of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints worldwide for generations past and will for generations to come.

The Church News Podcast is a weekly podcast that invites listeners to make a journey of connection with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints across the globe. Hosts Jon Ryan Jensen, editor of the Church News, and Church News reporter Mary Richards share unique views of the stories, events, and people who form this international faith. With each episode, listeners are asked to embark on a journey to learn from one another and ponder, “What do I know now?” because of the experience. Produced by KellieAnn Halvorsen.