President Russell M. Nelson, prophet for the world, will share a video message on Friday at 1 p.m. In announcing this event, President Nelson said he had felt impressed to do so.
According to officials, “President Nelson has been an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ since 1984. He became the senior leader of the Church in 2018…. Prior to becoming a global faith leader, President Nelson was a pioneering heart surgeon. As a surgical resident in Minnesota in 1951, he helped research and develop the first heart-lung machine used in an open-heart operation. He performed the first open-heart surgery in Utah in 1955. He served as president of the Society for Vascular Surgery, director of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery, chairman of the Council on Cardiovascular Surgery for the American Heart Association and president of the Utah State Medical Association. He authored numerous chapters in medical textbooks and other publications. He also lectured at and visited professionally many organizations throughout the United States and other nations.”
When the Lord called him to be an apostle, Russell M. Nelson – like Peter, James and John – “straightway left [his] nets” and “forsook all” to “follow Jesus (Matthew 4:18-22; Luke 5:10-11). Today, he is the Lord’s prophet, a “fisher of men” (Matthew 4:19), ordained with priesthood power to preach “the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:2) – to testify, as Peter did, that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).
About the 11-minute video which will be shown Friday, President Nelson said, “The challenges that we face as fellow global citizens are immense, but our ability to feel hope and seek healing in Jesus Christ remains strong. Please join me for a special message of hope and healing.”
"The prophet will issue a challenge for members and the world that is so important everyone is encouraged to tune in," officials said.
Local officials in Chattanooga emphasized the uniqueness of this invitation by stating, “The prophet is a special witness for Jesus Christ, called by The Lord to speak for Him. Join with us this Friday to hear the message of Christ delivered through His prophet, proclaiming ‘good news and glad tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people’” (Luke 2:10).
The message will be on President Nelson’s social media accounts including Facebook (@russell.m.nelson), Instagram (@russellmnelson) and Twitter (@NelsonRussellM) and on the Church’s main YouTube channel in 31 languages. The video will also be available immediately afterward to watch and to download at Newsroom.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.