Thousands of young, single members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints participated in the Young Single Adult Spiritual Summit over the weekend at the University of Utah's LDS Institute building.

The event, involving more than 40 LDS stakes, offered entertainment, workshops, speakers, a dance, carnival and fireside.

"I think we have tremendous speakers on every topic imaginable from dating to finance," said Nathan George, one of the regional representatives who oversaw the three-day event. "People will find answers to the questions they have."

Among those giving workshops Saturday were state Sen. Pat Jones, D-Holladay, speaking on politics and the LDS Church, author and financial planner Scott Marsh, speaking on how to make and save money, and KSL editorial director Duane Cardall, addressing "a reporter's reflections on (LDS) President Spencer W. Kimball."

"You always hope people will come and people have come," George said of the well-attended event.

The keynote speaker who kicked off Saturday's events was University of Utah President Michael K. Young. He spoke of the many good things currently taking place in the world, despite all the noticeable bad, citing many statistics of improvements in the last 20 years.

"There is something very exciting and very good going around in the world," Young told the group. "But there are still problems, and you have the extraordinary opportunity to make the world a better place."

After mentioning improvements around the world, including a decrease in conflicts and genocides and an increase in democracies, he mentioned that recognizing these positive trends can shed light on new problems. Young described the large income gap between first and third world countries. He also noted that despite efforts to protect the ozone, the environment suffers tremendously due to carbon dioxide emissions.

His conclusion was that the young adults gathered in the gymnasium Saturday morning are the hope for the future.

"Make the world a better place," Young challenged the group. "You're serious, committed people and have the blessing of education."

Workshops continued into the afternoon. Saturday evening, a carnival and dance were to be held at the institute. A fireside with Elder John H. Groberg was scheduled for 7 p.m. Sunday in the Tabernacle at Temple Square.

George summed up the "spiritual summit" as a chance for young single adults to be "part of the good going on instead of the bad."

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E-mail: amarshall@desnews.com