Sunday, April 15, 2018

BMC 2018

Tuesday, April 7, 1829 was the day Oliver Cowdery began writing for Joseph Smith as the Prophet's scribe in Harmony, Pennsylvania. We celebrated this historic day by convening the BMC 2018 Book of Mormon Conference on Saturday, April 7, 2018 in the Utah Valley Convention Center in Provo, Utah. It was the 15th annual Book of Mormon Conference sponsored by Book of Mormon Central (BMC) or Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum (BMAF) which merged into BMC in 2016.
BMC 2018 Book of Mormon Conference Flyer
570 people attended the all-day event and heard 10 presentations by outstanding Book of Mormon scholars including:
  • BMC editor Nicole Shepard, Spanish digital media publisher Benji Monroy, and researcher/writer Jonathon Riley who reviewed the past year of BMC accomplishments
  • BMC researcher/writer Matt Roper and statistician Paul Fields who shared the light the science of stylometry sheds on the Book of Mormon as composite literature 
  • BYU Ancient Scripture faculty member Mark Wright who discussed Mesoamerican ecology and cosmology that show up in the Book of Mormon text
  • LDS product manager Rob Jex who gave a sneak preview of the upcoming LDS Book of Mormon videos
  • LDS author and educator John Bytheway who explored the Book of Mormon through the lens of gardens and gardeners
  • BMC researcher/writer Neal Rappleye, product manager Jasmin Gimenez, and archivist  Jared Riddick who presented a workshop on how to study the scriptures using BMC resources
  • BYU Law faculty member John W. Welch who discussed the significance of April 7th in the historical sequence of events leading up to the miraculous Book of Mormon translation
  • BYU Church History faculty member Gerrit Dirkmaat who explained little-known details about multiple printers Joseph Smith approached hoping they would print the Book of Mormon
  • BYU Ancient Scripture faculty member Jo Ann Seely who illustrated and described life in Jerusalem in Lehi's day
  • BYU Ancient Scripture faculty member Tyler Griffin who showed the impressive internal consistency one finds in the study of several hundred Book of Mormon geographic referents
BMC 2018 Crowd Listening to Matt Roper and Paul Fields
Photo Courtesy Deseret News
Attendees also got to experience the world of the Book of Mormon via:
  • a set of doubled, witnessed, and sealed ancient Roman metal plates
  • replica Roman crucifixion nails
  • replicas of the golden plates, urim and thummim, breastplate, Liahona, and sword of Laban
  • replicas of the wooden box Joseph used to store the plates, and Joseph and Hyrum's death masks
  • a wonderful art gallery
  • a Bedouin goat-hair tent
  • virtual reality displays of the Tabernacle in the wilderness and Herod's Temple
  • virtual reality displays of stylometric patterns employed by Book of Mormon authors
  • a replica of E.B. Grandin's printing press
  • a replica of the breastplate worn by the High Priest in ancient Israel
Brent Bird Examining Dave Baird's
Replica of the Golden Plates
Photo Courtesy Deseret News
Elder Clate W. and Sister Carol Mask received the 2018 Father Lehi and Mother Sariah Award for lifetime service to the Book of Mormon and the posterity of Lehi and Sariah. Recipients of this award include:
  • 2003 Dale T. Tingey
  • 2005 Juan O'Donnell
  • 2006 Bruce W. Warren
  • 2007 Elder Robert E. and Sister Helen Wells
  • 2008 Elder Ted E. and Sister Dorothy Brewerton
  • 2009 John L. and Helen Sorenson
  • 2010 Hugh W. (posthumous) and Phyllis Nibley
  • 2011 Joesph L. and Rhoda Allen
  • 2012 F. Richard and Laura Hauck
  • 2013 V. Garth and Cheryl Norman
  • 2014 Stephen L. (posthumous) and Ruth Carr
  • 2016 Richard K. and Helen Miner
  • 2017 John W. and Jeannie Welch
  • 2018 Elder Clate W. and Sister Carol Mask 
Elder Clate W. and Sister Carol Mask at BMC 2018
Photo Courtesy Deseret News
Media coverage included a great article by Trent Toone that appeared in the digital Deseret News on Monday, April 9 and in the print edition (Mormon Times) on Thursday, April 12.