~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Talent,

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Audiovisual Department) is entering early pre-production on a very large film project whose subject is “The New Testament,” under the direction of the First Presidency.

based on the events of the New Testament, to be produced near Salt Lake City, UT. We seek a broad variety of cast who resemble the cultures and races represented within the scriptural account, namely: Semitic, Roman, Greek, Egyptian, and others of Middle Eastern, Southern European, or North African origin.

We seek ALL possible candidates for a variety of roles: Actors and Extras. If you know of anyone who fits the following description and would be willing to participate in our production, please forward this information to him/her.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Generally, we seek individuals with darker hair, olive or brown skin tone, the ability to grow a beard (for men), and other common Semitic characteristics are desired.

LOCAL and NON-LOCAL
Near or far, we need you! We are currently exploring the possibility of providing food and lodging for those who may require it during the production. If you live outside of the state of Utah and would be interested in such provisions, please indicate this when you submit your information. More information about this option will be available late 2010.

PAYMENT
Positions will be PAID based on our standard rate card.

TIME TABLE
Shooting begins Spring 2011. We are gathering cast and extras potentials now in order to alert participants to important benchmark dates and respond early to questions such as…
· When do I start growing my hair?
· Where and when will the productions take place so I can arrange my work schedule?
· In which production(s) am I cast (or extra)?
· What should I bring? …wear? …expect?
· Where will I stay?
· How long will I be needed?
· How much will I be paid?
· etc.

LDS MEMBERSHIP
The hiring process for both active, worthy members of the LDS Church and non-member candidates remains consistent with previous practice. There are two paths by which a candidate may participate:

As an employee: The LDS Church can only hire as employees members of the Church who are ‘temple worthy’, as determined by their ecclesiastical leader.

As an independent contractor: Candidates who are affiliated with a legitimate talent agency or have an active business license can be contracted as independent contractors.

(Proof of compliance with employment/contracting criteria will be obtained once contact has been made.)

TO APPLY
STEP 1: Please send an e-mail to SLcasting@LDSchurch.org with TWO (2) Current Photos of applicant taken within the last 3 months: (1) Oneheadshot, face forward; and (2) One profile shot. These photos need to be close enough and of sufficient resolution to clearly see your
entire face and hair. “.jpg” or “.bmp” formats only, please. Save your files with the applicant’s NAME (ex. “yourname_profile.jpg”).

Actors applying for speaking roles should also include a current résumé in this e-mail.

STEP 2: Please go to http://goo.gl/kR1z and complete the online application form.

Please submit your application AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. The earlier you apply, the greater your chances of being included.

We will make every effort to inform you when your information has been received. Please be patient. It may require as much as four weeks to process your application.

Thank you for your support of LDS Audiovisual productions! We look forward to your submission!

Best regards,
Alisa Anglesey
LDS Audiovisual Casting
SLcasting at LDSchurch.org

Mormon.org is a website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the main stop online for those seeking information about the gospel, the Plan of Salvation, and the doctrines of the Church.  Visitors to Mormon.org have nearly tripled over the past year to 650,000 per month, thanks to promotional efforts and a growing public interest in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.To better serve a rapidly growing audience, a newly updated version of Mormon.org launched recently with a freshened look and enhanced video sharing capabilities. The site provides a media-rich experience for its viewers and helps friends of other faiths get a sense for who Church members are and what they believe.

“The jewel of the new site is the “Videos” channel, which will deliver viewers a library of videos that can be watched online, embedded into blogs, or shared through e-mail or social networks,” Wilson said. “A cutting-edge feature of the ‘share’ and ‘embed’ functionality is the option for the viewer to crop a video clip to a specific section and then share or embed just that piece.”

The new site also profiles individual Mormons’ personal experiences with the faith. The experiences shared in the videos are real and unscripted.  Mormons who appear in the videos are from all over the world, representing the international reach of the Church. The majority of Church members reside outside the United States, and congregations are found in over 160 countries.

Prior to this latest release of Mormon.org, the Church implemented a chat function on the site so those interested in learning more about the Church could instantly chat with a missionary who could answer their questions, 24 hours a day. Missionaries have been conducting over 40,000 online chat sessions per month. In response to the remarkable success of the online chat, that feature has been given a much more prominent place on the new Mormon.org Web site.

Another important feature called “Worship With Us” provides a meetinghouse locator that lists the locations of thousands of Latter-day Saint chapels around world where everyone is invited to worship. Individuals interested in attending a service in their area will likely find a chapel on the site.

“The church supports this ordinance because it is fair and reasonable and does not do violence to the institution of marriage,” said Michael Otterson, managing director of the LDS Church’s public affairs office. View full story – Mormon Church supports Gay Rights.

The statement is not new. This has been the Church’s position and it is consistent with prior statements regarding gay rights and marriage, which can also be found in the Church’s August 2008 statement, “The Divine Institution of Marriage.”

“I represent a church that believes in human dignity, in treating others with respect even when we disagree — in fact, especially when we disagree,” said Otterson. “Our language will always be respectful and acknowledge those who differ, but (we) will also be clear on matters that we feel are of great consequence to our society.”

This is an article adapted from ldsmediatalk.com created by the technical staff at Church headquarters:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is gathering feedback from some of the youth of the Church about what kind of web site the Church could  build that would bring youth closer to the Savior and help them feel more connected to the Gospel and to the Church.

Anyone with a Facebook account, can join this Facebook site and enter the discussion. The builders of the site would love your feedback!

There is also a web site where the technical staff link to some things they’re thinking about which might never actually come to fruition. It’s called Labs. You can check out some prototypes on Labs. Use the ID “youthtester” and the password “helaman2000.”

The technical staff are accepting a limited number of people to have a more personalized experience on Labs. To apply, sign up for an LDS Account. You’ll need your member number, which you can get from your ward clerk, and your birth date. Then send your LDS Account name to labs@ldschurch.org. They’ll accept as many as they can until the servers get overloaded.

Once you send the email and they get back to you, you’ll be able to log into Labs with your own LDS Account and you’ll be able to view your own ward directory online and record your thoughts and feelings about General Conference and recall them later.

In addition, you’ll be able to use your LDS Acccount for other web sites the Church is currently working on that will come out this year.

You can adopt one of our existing websites in an area of your interest and we will train you on how to ‘care for, grow, and nurture the site’–it can be your own or a group’s ‘pet project’ so-to-speak. We’ll show you how to upload content, photos, videos, posts, if you don’t already know how to do those things. You don’t have to create the design or template, or host the site. We do that. You do not even know how to operate a site or upload content. We can show you that too. You do need to know how to type and have an interest in a particular topic that you would like to have shared online as a Mormon, and have a desire to add positive content to the Internet without being preachy or discussing only doctrinal things.

More Good Foundation will share with you a list of domain names that we have available, and you can choose an existing URL that needs a home, a lot of TLC (good content), a good master (willing to help it along), and we will guide you through the rest. For example, if you are obsessed with or much interested in single adult life, Mormon youth activities, German food, the Frankfurt Germany mission, the arts, or student life, we can create a website around those themes and have you share your thoughts, photos, videos, posts about that topic. The fact that you are a Mormon doing this means that people who visit the site will automatically learn more about who we are as a people, our diversity, our varied interests. This can often lead to further interest in our faith and serves in a significant and yet simple way to dispel misperceptions that are otherwise prevalent on the Net and in the media about us. You can share your interests online, and be an influence for good.

If you are interested, please contact the More Good Foundation, km@moregood.com or simply respond to this post.

We’re creating a new section on Christ.org–one of our More Good Foundation websites–that will include a composite of personal stories regarding the ways in which the Savior has intervened in our daily lives, and helped us to overcome, realize His hand, submit to His will, live on, receive understanding, see purpose, or find joy in the journey. (Possible topics and questions are listed below.)

We’d like to extend an invitation to you to write and submit to us, your own account of any way in which you have felt the personal impact of the Savior’s atoning love, grace, and influence in your life as you’ve moved forward in your journey of life, or as you’ve faced a particular life challenge. It doesn’t matter if the story revolves around a small moment, one event, or a long struggle. Selected accounts will be published on the site.

If you’re interested, please email your name, photo, and story to Karen Merkley, km@moregood.com. Stories should be approximately 350-1200 words. While we can post some stories anonymously, we’d also like to receive those from guests who would like to include a photo and first name, with their post, to keep the site inviting, real, and personal for our visitors.

Thank you for your interest and for all you already do to share your voices online in positive ways.
————

Topics

Coping with Fear
Dealing with Depression
Resolving Family Conflict
Dealing with Stress
Responding to Cancer or Other Illness
Forgiving
Dealing with Verbal Abuse
Overcoming Same Sex Attraction
Finding Comfort Amid Challenges
Finding Peace
Overcoming Loneliness
Dealing with Blended Families
Finding Joy
Overcoming Unresolved Guilt
Dealing with Tragedy
Handling Pain
Healing from a Hurtful Past
Surrendering to the Savior‘s Will
Dealing with Jealousy
Growing in Confidence

Questions:

How has the Savior helped you to find joy in your life?

What role does the Savior‘s grace play in your life?

How do you cultivate your relationship with the Savior?

How has prayer helped you understand the Savior‘s purpose for you?

How has the Savior helped you overcome worry or fear?

How has the Savior helped you overcome depression?

How has the Savior helped you forgive an abuser?

How has the Savior helped you overcome same sex attraction?

How has the Savior helped you cope with anxiety or panic attacks?

How has the Savior helped you overcome panic attacks?

How has the Savior helped you cope with the loneliness and uncertainty of having a deployed spouse?

How do you “come unto” the Savior?

How have you seen the Savior‘s hand in your affliction?

How has the Savior helped you deal with the feeling of being overwhelmed?

How has the Savior helped you deal with a child who is on a spiritually dangerous path?

How has the Savior helped you cope with abandonment, separation, or divorce?

How has the Savior helped you as you’ve battled cancer or other illness?

How has the Savior brought you peace?

How has the Savior opened your eyes to see new spiritual truths about yourself, Him, and/or others?

How has the Savior helped you deal with your spouse’s marital infidelity?

How has the Savior guided you in your daily choices and significant turning points?

How has the Savior lifted your burdens?

How has the Savior‘s forgiveness felt in your life?

How has the Savior helped you deal with infertility?

How has the Savior guided you in the adoption process?

How has the Savior helped you overcome anger or a temper?

What has increased your faith in the Savior and His atonement?

What personal meaning have you found in tragedy?

What have you learned about following the Savior?

How has the Savior helped you overcome an eating disorder?

How has the Savior helped you have unconditional love in a blended family?

How has the Savior helped you in a particular relationship?

Speaking of websites launched by Church employees, Brian Hansbrow has recently launched LDSTeacher.com. LDSTeacher.com is a social network with the goal of “improving teaching and learning in the … Church.”

At LDSTeacher.com you can discuss such topics as how to invite the Spirit into lessons, how to increase student participation, and how to prepare to teach. In a Church with no paid ministry, teachers may find these resources helpful.

Participants include the following individuals, as well as occasional guests:

• Larry Richman, LDS.org Product Manager
• Joel Dehlin, Church CIO
• David Nielson, Managing Director, Church Audiovisual Dept
• David Frischknecht, Managing Director, Church Curriculum Dept

A recent MormonTimes.com article quoted Larry Richman relative to the launch of this new site:

Richman said the principal writers for LDSMediaTalk.com will glean technology information useful to families based on each author’s area of expertise. The curriculum director will focus on teaching the gospel. The audiovisual director will focus on Hollywood, movie-watching and music. The CIO will dig into technology issues. “I’m somewhere in the middle of all of those,” Richman said.

You might also share applications of Gospel teachings. In fact, Elder Ballard recently spoke about “taking part in everyday conversations in an unforced way, where your values and your religious beliefs will arise naturally.” He listed several questions you might answer online:

• How do your beliefs lift and shape your life for the better?
• How does the gospel help you as a parent engage with your teens?
• How do your values encourage you to participate in civic affairs?
• How has your experience as a home or visiting teacher enlarged your compassion or care for the sick and needy?
• How has your Church life helped you to avoid such things as pornography and immorality?
• How have family councils or home evenings helped you resolve differences of opinion with members of your family?
• How has your experience in speaking in church helped you address large public groups?
• Where did you learn to respect and not to criticize other faiths?

Source: Elder Ballard’s speech given at BYU Management Society

We’ve preloaded these and other questions into MormonTestimonies.org. Each time you visit the site (or refresh your browser) a new question will be loaded. Feel free to answer these questions, or write something else entirely. If you think of other questions we might ask, please leave them in the comments below.

(If you had a user account on the old MormonTestimonies.org site, please contact us to get a new username and password.)

This week the Church launched JesusChrist.lds.org, a new website entirely about the Savior Jesus Christ.

The following “badges” can be used on your own blog or website to link to the site. This is a great way to share teachings of the Savior with your readers and visitors.

To use an image from the left, copy the HTML code on the right to your own blog or website:

	<a href="http://jesuschrist.lds.org/?cid=wpatsblg01" title="Visit JesusChrist.lds.org"><img src="http://badges.lds.net/jesus-christ-images/jesus-christ-01.jpg" alt="<a href="http://www.mormonwiki.com/Jesus_Christ" class="internal_link_tool_jesus christ">Jesus Christ</a>, the Son of God" style="border:none;" /></a>
	<a href="http://jesuschrist.lds.org/?cid=wpatsbsm01" title="Visit JesusChrist.lds.org"><img src="http://badges.lds.net/jesus-christ-images/jesus-christ-01-small.jpg" alt="<a href="http://jesuschrist.lds.org" class="internal_link_tool_jesus">Jesus</a> <a href="http://www.lds.org/" class="internal_link_tool_christ">Christ</a>, the Son of God" style="border:none;" /></a>
	<a href="http://jesuschrist.lds.org/?cid=wpatsblg02" title="Visit JesusChrist.lds.org"><img src="http://badges.lds.net/jesus-christ-images/jesus-christ-02.jpg" alt="Jesus Christ, the Son of God" style="border:none;" /></a>
	<a href="http://jesuschrist.lds.org/?cid=wpatsbsm02" title="Visit JesusChrist.lds.org"><img src="http://badges.lds.net/jesus-christ-images/jesus-christ-02-small.jpg" alt="Jesus Christ, the Son of God" style="border:none;" /></a>
	<a href="http://jesuschrist.lds.org/?cid=wpatsblg03" title="Visit JesusChrist.lds.org"><img src="http://badges.lds.net/jesus-christ-images/jesus-christ-03.jpg" alt="Jesus Christ, the Son of God" style="border:none;" /></a>
	<a href="http://jesuschrist.lds.org/?cid=wpatsbsm03" title="Visit JesusChrist.lds.org"><img src="http://badges.lds.net/jesus-christ-images/jesus-christ-03-small.jpg" alt="Jesus Christ, the Son of God" style="border:none;" /></a>
	<a href="http://jesuschrist.lds.org/?cid=wpatsblg04" title="Visit JesusChrist.lds.org"><img src="http://badges.lds.net/jesus-christ-images/jesus-christ-04.jpg" alt="Jesus Christ, the Son of God" style="border:none;" /></a>
	<a href="http://jesuschrist.lds.org/?cid=wpatsbsm04" title="Visit JesusChrist.lds.org"><img src="http://badges.lds.net/jesus-christ-images/jesus-christ-04-small.jpg" alt="Jesus Christ, the Son of God" style="border:none;" /></a>
	<a href="http://jesuschrist.lds.org/?cid=wpatsblg07" title="Visit JesusChrist.lds.org"><img src="http://badges.lds.net/jesus-christ-images/jesus-christ-07.jpg" alt="Jesus Christ, the Son of God" style="border:none;" /></a>
	<a href="http://jesuschrist.lds.org/?cid=wpatsbsm07" title="Visit JesusChrist.lds.org"><img src="http://badges.lds.net/jesus-christ-images/jesus-christ-07-small.jpg" alt="Jesus Christ, the Son of God" style="border:none;" /></a>
	<a href="http://jesuschrist.lds.org/?cid=wpatsblg08" title="Visit JesusChrist.lds.org"><img src="http://badges.lds.net/jesus-christ-images/jesus-christ-08.jpg" alt="Jesus Christ, the Son of God" style="border:none;" /></a>
	<a href="http://jesuschrist.lds.org/?cid=wpatsbsm08" title="Visit JesusChrist.lds.org"><img src="http://badges.lds.net/jesus-christ-images/jesus-christ-08-small.jpg" alt="Jesus Christ, the Son of God" style="border:none;" /></a>
	<a href="http://jesuschrist.lds.org/?cid=wpatsblg09" title="Visit JesusChrist.lds.org"><img src="http://badges.lds.net/jesus-christ-images/jesus-christ-09.jpg" alt="Jesus Christ, the Son of God" style="border:none;" /></a>
	<a href="http://jesuschrist.lds.org/?cid=wpatsbsm09" title="Visit JesusChrist.lds.org"><img src="http://badges.lds.net/jesus-christ-images/jesus-christ-09-small.jpg" alt="Jesus Christ, the Son of God" style="border:none;" /></a>
	<a href="http://jesuschrist.lds.org/?cid=wpatsblg10" title="Visit JesusChrist.lds.org"><img src="http://badges.lds.net/jesus-christ-images/jesus-christ-10.jpg" alt="Jesus Christ, the Son of God" style="border:none;" /></a>
	<a href="http://jesuschrist.lds.org/?cid=wpatsbsm10" title="Visit JesusChrist.lds.org"><img src="http://badges.lds.net/jesus-christ-images/jesus-christ-10-small.jpg" alt="Jesus Christ, the Son of God" style="border:none;" /></a>
	<a href="http://jesuschrist.lds.org/?cid=wpatsblg11" title="Visit JesusChrist.lds.org"><img src="http://badges.lds.net/jesus-christ-images/jesus-christ-11.jpg" alt="Jesus Christ, the Son of God" style="border:none;" /></a>
	<a href="http://jesuschrist.lds.org/?cid=wpatsbsm11" title="Visit JesusChrist.lds.org"><img src="http://badges.lds.net/jesus-christ-images/jesus-christ-11-small.jpg" alt="Jesus Christ, the Son of God" style="border:none;" /></a>

Source: Link to JesusChrist.lds.org

We intended for LDS.net to be like a fishbowl, allowing persons of other faiths to “peer in” and passively observe what Mormons think, believe, and say. But the result has been even better: several non-Mormons have signed up and are actively participating in conversations about the Church. LDS.net currently has 9,907 users.

LDS.net isn’t intended to compete with top social networks like Facebook and MySpace. They’re far more established and powerful. But if you want a place to share the Gospel online, alongside other Church members, LDS.net is a safe place.

You can also share the Gospel on Facebook. Most Church members on Facebook have both Mormon and non-Mormon friends. By simply being yourself online, non-Mormons will get a feel for what you do on Sundays, where you were for 18-24 months, where you were married, and other aspects of your faith.

In a BYU devotional, Gerrit Gong asked, “Would you feel comfortable showing your profile in Sunday School-or on the big screen at this devotional?” We believe many Church members would. Today we’re launching a new version of our Facebook Application — The LDS App. Our Facebook application allows Facebook users to share their testimony, favorite scriptures, and news from the Church directly on their profile page. Over 20,000 Facebook users have added the LDS App and hundreds are using it to share their testimonies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The More Good Foundation recently launched two new websites to coincide with the passing of President Hinckley and the calling of President Monson as prophet:

Gordon Hinckley dot com
Thomas Monson dot com

The Church also launched two new official websites about President Hinckley and President Monson:
Gordon B Hinckley dot org
Thomas S Monson dot org

The quick launch of these two Church websites is remarkable because it involved the coordination of almost a dozen teams. (More Good Foundation is just one team.) Kudos to the Church. The quality shows.

Dr. Holzapfel is a BYU professor of Church History and Doctrine and a prolific author. We are very excited and honored to work with him.

Christ.org will include top articles, music, and videos on the life, death, resurrection, and mission of the Savior Jesus Christ. It will be well documented, well designed, and translated into over a dozen languages. We hope it will bring everyone who visits it closer to Christ.

Question for Commenters: What resources or features should the top website on Jesus Christ include?

• Karen is our new editor, the quality control expert for all the published content on our websites. She brings an extensive background in writing and editing, including writing for the Ensign and Meridian Magazine. She speaks a bit of German and French. She’s the mother of two daughters.
• Heather is our new community manager. She’ll work with and communicate our gratitude to all the participants on our forums, wikis, blogs, and social news sites. Heather is a native to the Web, publishing her first web page in 1996 and having created and built several websites and online communities since then. She has two sons.

We’re a small team, we each wear lots of hats, and we depend on the kind contributions of member missionaries all around the world, but we’re thankful to have two talented women join our staff.

We are encouraged by all the faithful Church members who are sharing what they believe with the world. We hope we can add to what they are doing.

Since we started the More Good Foundation two years ago, many people have been generous with their time, knowledge, and contacts. A few have asked if they could contribute money, but we didn’t offer that option. We are now making that an option. Like every non-profit entity we are constrained by limited finances, so we’re grateful for all the help we receive.

If you’re able to help support the More Good Foundation financially, please consider making a donation.

Clay Gorton is “Gramps”, a former mission president and temple worker who answers questions on a variety of topics at www.askgramps.org. Thanks to Mikel and Clay’s hard work, Ask Gramps content is now available by podcast. Point your pod catcher at the standard feed or subscribe in iTunes. If you don’t have an iPod or other MP3 player, you can listen from your computer. See the list of articles with audio.

Clay is a great example of sharing the Gospel on the Internet. While he doesn’t speak officially for the Church, his deep knowledge and experience provide helpful insight to hundreds of people. Interestingly, he publishes only a portion of the questions he answers, often responding privately on especially sensitive concerns and often suggesting that people speak with their local ecclesiastical leaders.

Clay turns 84 today. Anyone who would excuse himself from getting involved in the Internet, blogging, podcasting, etc. certainly can’t use age as an excuse. Great work, Clay.

LDS News Watch will also call out newspaper editors and writers who report inaccurately about the Church. This will give interested Church members the opportunity to submit polite clarifications to those newspapers. We hope this will encourage accurate reporting about the Church while showing the civility and graciousness of Mormons even when misunderstood.