28 January 2011

CARLINGFORD, New South Wales –  Twelve hundred visitors spent Christmas Eve enjoying the Christmas lights on the temple grounds at Carlingford and viewing artwork featuring the life of Jesus Christ.

Sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the bright temple lights attracted the crowds, most of whom then entered Buckland House to view the twenty-four fine art reproductions on the life of Christ. The artwork was part of an exhibit in the assembly room of Buckland House, the main administrative office of the Church in Australia.

The artists included many of world renown such as Carl Bloch, a Danish Rennaissance painter who is well-known for his artistic expressions of the Saviour's ministry, and German portrait painter, Johann Heinrich Hofmann. American artists included Robert Barrett, Harry Anderson, Del Parson and Walter Rane.

"I have been back several times," one viewer mentioned. "I bring someone new with me every time I come!" This could be the reason the total attendance for the three-week evening event totalled 8,300.

Not only were a majority of those who toured the exhibit not of the Latter-day Saint faith, but a considerable number were from cultures, nationalities and religious beliefs different to the Anglo-Australian majority. These included the many Chinese who live in the north-west of Sydney as well as Vietnamese, Pakistanis, Afghanis and Indians.

Many of these visitors, who are often employed in shift work and other inflexible jobs, pled with those who were hosting to have this same exhibit open next year on Christmas Day so that they could attend with their entire family. A number said they had to work until Christmas Eve and wanted to attend the exhibit as a family on Christmas Day when everyone had a holiday.

"With this in mind, we will certainly be opening the exhibition on Christmas Day in 2011," commented Alan Wakeley, Director of Public Affairs for the Western Pacific Region of the Church.

The art exhibition also gave the Church the opportunity to help the public come to a better understanding of the doctrines and practices of the Church.

"Some people do not understand that the Latter-day Saints are a Christian people and have views of Christ that are similar to most other Christian denominations," said Mr Wakeley. "This was a rare opportunity for us to be able to convey our beliefs regarding Christ, his resurrection and atonement to those of other faiths and backgrounds."

Debbie Gardner, a senior volunteer missionary for the Church who was also the art exhibit curator, mentioned that it was a great privilege to be involved with such a large number of people of other faiths.

"It is a lovely feeling to know there are so many people from all over the world who know and love the stories and teachings of Jesus," she said. "I was fascinated to witness children – many of whom were Chinese - teaching their older parents about the stories depicted in the paintings. This did not just happen once, but many, many times over the three weeks that the art display was open."

"Next year we will see a change," says Mr Wakeley. "We are going to order additional artwork on the life of Christ and expand the 140,000 lights already lighting up the Temple grounds." 

 
Chinese immigrant learns of the gospel from American Idol runner-up

Vanessa Xu, a Chinese immigrant with Debbie Gardner in the feature photo on the front page of this website, is a recent convert to the Church. In 2008, she followed Mormon David Archuleta as he finished as runner-up in American Idol.

Vanessa felt that there was something different about him and wanted to find out what it was. Further research that she undertook mentioned that he was a Latter-day Saint. When Vanessa's IT work took her to the United States she arranged to visit Salt Lake City, Utah, the headquarters of the Church.

There, Vanessa said, she felt a kinship with the teachings and beliefs that she encountered. When she came back to Sydney, Vanessa asked to be taught the gospel by the missionaries of the Church and she became a member over a year ago.

Vanessa is now a member of the Greenwich Ward in the Sydney Australia Greenwich Stake.