• SAME SEX: The church released in August a new pamphlet answering frequently asked questions regarding same-sex attraction and how to deal with it. The document, "God Loveth His Children," says: "You are a son or daughter of God, and our hearts reach out to you in warmth and affection.... Notwithstanding your present same-gender attractions, you can be happy during this life, lead a morally clean life, perform meaningful service in the Church, enjoy full fellowship with your fellow Saints and ultimately receive all the blessings of eternal life.... God does indeed love all His children."

• 13 MILLION MEMBERS: Addressing the New Mission Presidents Seminar on June 24, President Hinckley announced that LDS Church membership had reached 13 million. More members continue to reside outside the United States than within, reflecting the global depth and diversity of worldwide membership. The first million-member milestone was reached in 1947, the second in 1963.

• BYU SPEAKERS: Are Democrats or Republicans more aligned with LDS values? BYU students wrestled with that and other political questions and engaged in rare demonstrations — for and against Vice President Dick Cheney — as Cheney spoke at April commencement. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., visited campus in October. Cheney backed the Iraq War, while Reid, an LDS Church member, called it the "worst foreign policy blunder" in U.S. history.

• HUMANITARIAN AID: In 2007, the LDS Church responded to numerous disasters, providing relief and assistance to victims in Peru, Indonesia, Mexico and the United States. For example, humanitarian aid was sent immediately following a magnitude-8 earthquake that stuck southwest Peru on Aug. 15, killing hundreds and leaving thousands homeless. Among the 540 killed in the quake were nine Latter-day Saints. Earlier in the year, the church had sent relief supplies to Jakarta, Indonesia, after torrential rains flooded the area, killing dozens and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.

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Contributing: Carrie A. Moore, Lisa Riley Roche, Scott D. Pierce, Greg Hill, David Schneider, Jared Page, Leigh Dethman, Shaun D. Stahle, Sarah Jane Weaver, Tad Walch