August 2024 – A Perfect Brightness of Hope
Rome, Italy
Held at the Rome Italy Temple Visitors’ Centre from 9th to 12th August 2023, the EuroSeminar discussed issues of climate chagne and ecology, humanitarian service, and the unparalleled future of Europe. Participants atteneded discussion panels, listened to guest speakers, networked with peers and experts across a variety of fields, and participated in temple ordinances at the Rome Italy Temple.
January 2023 – The Privilege of Worship: Championing Religious Freedom
London, United Kingdom
During the EuroSeminar at the BYU London Center last January 4th to 7th, 2023 many topics were discussed such as the meaning of freedom religion and its cultural, social, and legal dimensions, interfaith best practices, and even a session of mentoring workshop. The invited speakers were BYU professors, directors of initiatives, founders, and leaders of the public sphere.
The participants were selected from different parts of Europe, it was a meaningful opportunity to share experiences, listen to points of view, and set goals for the coming days.
July 2022 – Family in the Wilderness
Prague, Czechia
Past prophets and people of the Lord have learned that the pathway to the promised land almost always leads through the wilderness. Today, in the aftermath of the Covid ‘stress test’ described by Elder Renlund, it is very much the same. Disagreements over politics, vaccine policies, sexuality, etc., pose a tremendous challenge.
The brunt of this challenge is felt in the family. As an institution, the family is belittled, ostracized, and often forgotten. All but abandoned, it is being driven into the wilderness. Yet the family remains the bedrock of Western society and a key to social stability. To stabilize society for the future, we start by finding effective ways to strengthen our own family.
We will explore how the divinely ordained family unit is facing unprecedented pressures and consider effective and realistic ways to address these pressures. In summary, what is the status of the family unit in 2022? And what can we do to call the family back from the wilderness and renew its work toward the promised land?
January 2022 – The European Family: A Religious Ideal in a Shifting Society
Online
The demographic landscape of our western society has changed dramatically in the 25+ years since the publication of “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.” Together we learn from international scholars and first-hand experiences, what the implications of crumbling family values have on our society. We want to discover how we can uphold the family as the highest value while at the same time not being ignorant of the fallout around us.
July 2021 – Moving the Mountains Ahead: Unity and Diversity in Times of Crisis
Online
The last year has been isolating for many of us. The Covid-19 pandemic, along with Brexit and other social and political upheavals, has tested and tried us. We have struggled with loneliness, illness, and a variety of personal challenges.
President Russel M. Nelson counselled us in the April 2021 General Conference that, “through [our] faith, Jesus Christ will increase [our] ability to move the mountains in [our lives], even though [our] personal challenges may loom as large as Mount Everest.”
We aim to learn, discuss, and explore together how we can move the mountains ahead – through our faith, unity, and diversity and by lifting others around us.
October 2020 – Strenthening the Global Family: Latter-day Saints Together in Christ
Online (joint conference with the South America Seminar series)
Our special guest was Dr. Melissa Wie-Tsing Inouye. She is currently Historian/Writer for the Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Senior Lecturer in Asian Studies at the University of Auckland. She holds a PhD from Harvard University in East Asian Languages and Civilizations, is a mother of four, and served a mission in Taiwan.
- We ask that participants prepare for this meeting by pondering the following questions:
- What role does fear play in my life?
- How does it affect the choices I make and the preferences I set?
- Does fear paralyze me or activate me? Should I try to suppress fear or learn to live with it?
October 2020 – Life without Fear?
Online
Our special guest and keynote speaker is President Hikombo Hitoto, Counselor in the Paris, France, South Stake. He is a specialist in infectious and tropical diseases, and head of department at Le Mans General Hospital. The title of his talk is: “Covid-19: A Curse or an Opportunity?” We will also hear from other specialists and academics on civil engagement, professional development, and mental health in our Covid-19 climate.
July 2019 – New Saints in New Lands
Prague, Czechia
The third EuroSeminar took place in July 2019, at the Hotel Stamberk – a venue outside Prague provided generously by Patrick Sedivy. Thirty-five young Latter-day Saints gathered together from all across western and eastern Europe, as well as Russia, Turkey, and several countries of the former Soviet Union. Fittingly the session was entitled “New Saints In New Lands.” President Gary Sabin, newly called Europe Area president, was the keynote speaker. A key theme was to build an appreciation of the history of the Church in the ‘new’ lands of eastern Europe while also challenging participants to consider making new history. Church history experts from Salt Lake and the United Kingdom led this discussion. Other panellists came mainly from Europe and included alumnae from past seminars, such as Elvi Rwankuba of Slovenia and James Perry of the UK. Adam Miller, a well-known Latter-day Saint scholar, gave a stimulating presentation on agency and doubt, which generated keen discussion. Medlir Mema, stake president from Tirana, Albania, challenged participants to be involved in making significant changes to their world, and Gjergj Bojaxhi, a former government minister from Albania, also encouraged active involvement in society on the basis of religious and humanitarian values.
December 2017 – Mormons in Europe: Religion, Refugees, and the Public Sphere
London, United Kingdom
The second EuroSeminar took place in December 2017, also at the BYU London Centre, under the title “.” The forty participants hailed from almost twenty different countries in Europe, and discussion centred heavily on a prevailing concern for refugees and displaced persons in Europe and the Middle East. Keynote speakers were Europe Area President Paul Johnson, and Baroness Emma Nicholson, member of the UK House of Lords and founder of AMAR, a humanitarian organization devoted to assisting displaced persons in Iraq. Panellists from Denmark, France, and the UK exemplified ‘European Mormons in the Public Sphere’, and a 2016 EuroSeminar participant led a panel on the Latter-day Saint experience with refugees. A key takeaway from this session was the need to prepare to offer a similar opportunity for young Latter-day Saints in eastern Europe.
December 2016 – First EuroSeminar
London, United Kingdom
The first EuroSeminar took place at the BYU London Centre in December 2016. Forty participants, from 18 countries and varied academic and professional backgrounds, engaged with panels made up of Latter-day Saint scholars and professionals from Europe, BYU faculty, and other guest lecturers. They gained in-depth perspectives from Latter-day Saints who believe in the life of the mind and the life of the Spirit and are actively engaged in European society. Keynoting the seminar were Elder Paul V. Johnson of the Europe Area Presidency and noted Latter-day Saint scholar Terryl Givens. Energetic small-group sessions took place each day where wide-ranging discussions were led by seminar participants, the results of which were shared in presentations on the last day. There was wide support was to build a network connecting European Latter-day Saints interested in public affairs.