On Saturday, Jan. 28, the Religion Department sponsored the 20th Annual Religious Lecture Series. Students and members of the local community had the opportunity to attend lectures and mingle with others.

S. Michael Wilcox, an instructor at the University of Utah and author of several books and audio CDs, was the keynote speaker, along with over 30 professors from the various Brigham Young Universities and the Church Educational System.

Two students from BYU-Idaho even had the opportunity to teach a class, one of which was David Hunt, who was asked to present based on an essay he wrote for a class.

The Religious Lecture Series is an annual event that seeks to assist participants in scripture and theological study.

“It gives you a deepening of scriptural meaning, the insight of others that you might not have considered, and the associations with others who want to learn,” said Desari Read, daughter of Scott Read, a teacher from Weber-Davis Institute, who also lectured at the conference.

Approximately 650 people attended the conference for a variety of reasons.

“I came to meditate and figure out what’s going on in my life,” said Carolyn Brant, a local from St. Anthony, Idaho.

This year’s theme was “Holiness to the Lord – Sanctified by Temples and Covenants.”

“I love the theme. Learning about temples is so important; especially now that we are going to have a temple built in Rexburg,” Read said.

Participants enjoyed many different kinds of classes and speakers.

Classes were centered around the temple and the Old Testament, but also included topics such as the Latter-day Saint hymns.

“I liked Tony Blake and how he talked about the atonement healing our families,” said Emily Bee, a senior from Bloomington, Idaho.

The Religious Lecture Series will occur again next year.