In addition to introducing new church leaders on Saturday, LDS Church officials warned members that cell phones, text messaging, video games and iPods are stunting missionary work.

With little fanfare, leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints introduced a new apostle and a new member of the First Presidency on Saturday.

Quentin L. Cook, whom church officials called "an experienced Church leader with a strong pastoral, administrative and legal background " in a press release, was named the latest member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, filling a spot left by the recent death of Elder James E. Faust, who died Aug. 10 from causes incident to age. Cook did not speak on Saturday.

President Henry B. Eyring was named second counselor in the First Presidency. Speaking in the Saturday evening priesthood session, he said the call had humbled him and brought him to his knees to pray. It was during one of these prayers that he said the Lord rebuked him, telling him to stop praying for himself and start praying for those he was to serve. Eyring warned against pornography and foul language and told Church members to remember the times the Lord had protected and blessed them.

"Be careful where your eyes go," he said of pornography. "When life puts you in a difficult place, God helps the priesthood holder who decides to see and say no evil."

Also speaking in the priesthood session, Elder L. Tom Perry said that text messaging, video games, cell phones and music in earphones has removed a generation from social contact, and the Church has begun to see the negative impact of this as missionaries arrive in the field without the necessary social skills.

He cautioned those preparing for missions to avoid these devices. To cure the problem, he encouraged those preparing for missions to find jobs requiring them to interact with people. He also encouraged the youth to find jobs in order to pay for most of their mission expenses on their own.

The last speaker in the priesthood session, as is traditional, Church President Gordon B. Hinckley said he wanted to address anger, calling it an unusual but necessary choice.

"I dare to say most inmates in our prisons are there because of anger," he said, noting that a moment of acting in anger had led them to "years of regret."

"Anger is the mother of a whole host of brutal actions," he continued. " ... Divorce is too often the bitter fruit of anger ... So many of us make a fuss of matters of no consequence."

Speaking in the first session on Saturday, President Hinckley spoke of the death of Elder Faust, calling him "an extremely able man, a man of great faith and capacity who contributed much to our meetings. We greatly miss him."

Elder Thomas S. Monson said he too would miss Faust but was "assured he's serving the Lord elsewhere."

Speaking during the afternoon session, M. Russell Ballard said the 2002 Winter Olympics and Mormon professionals across the nation were causing a spike of national interest about the Church.

"Now is the time to reach out and tell others who we are," he said, noting members could keep a list of facts and "talking points" about the Church to use in such discussions.

"We, of course, welcome people's interest, but there is a difference between interest and curiosity."

Members should refrain from "telling everything we know" to those who are just curious and want short answers, he said.

Incomplete information, half truths and false statements about the Church have been reported by some media and sources outside the church, he said, but "misinformation may be our own fault for not clearly stating our beliefs."

He listed a half-dozen facts Church members could share with nonmembers, including that there are 16 members of the Church in Congress, that Mormon is a nickname, and that with 13 million members, a new chapel is completed every working day.

Ballard also encouraged members to tell nonmembers that polygamy was "a limited practice in the early days of the church that was discontinued 117 years ago."

Also during the afternoon session, Elder Russell M. Nelson stepped forward to stand behind Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin when Wirthlin began swaying a few minutes after beginning to speak. Nelson remained behind Wirthlin, at one point placing a hand on his shoulder as Wirthlin's voice became breathless and almost violently shaky. Despite this, Wirthlin finished his address without incident, thanking Nelson as he and two others assisted Wirthin to his seat after his talk.

"If you love the Lord, spend time with him," Wirthlin said. "Meditate on his words, take his yoke upon you. ... When we love the Lord, obedience ceases to be a burden. Our love for the Lord deepens our minds."

Speaking at the end of the first session, Elder Monson told those gathered that "to understand the meaning of death, we must appreciate the purpose of life." He referred to the "tragic situation of the disbeliever" and said members should be grateful for their knowledge of the gospel.

Both elders Spencer J. Condie and Dieter F. Uchtdorf spoke of Christ's role in the Church.

"Christ is the head of the Church which bears his holy name," Condie said. "Divine guidance and inspiration are promised to those who feast on the words of Christ."

"The gospel of Jesus Christ has the divine power to lift you from what seems unbearable burdens or weaknesses," Elder Uchtdorf said. "... Through the Holy Ghost, any member can receive divine guidance at any time or place."

In a media statement, Church officials said President Eyring has twice served as Church Commissioner of Education and in several leading councils of the Church before becoming an apostle in 1995. He holds a B.S. degree in Physics from the University of Utah and Master of Business Administration and Doctor of Business Administration degrees from Harvard University.

Before his new calling on Saturday, Elder Quentin L. Cook had been overseeing the Church's worldwide missionary program, responsible directly to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Elder Cook has also provided leadership for the Church in the Philippines, throughout the Pacific and in the north-western United States. Before giving himself to full-time leadership in the Church, Elder Cook's experience included top executive positions in the health care industry, and as managing partner in a California law firm. He holds a Bachelor's degree in political science from Utah State University and a juris doctorate degree from Stanford University.

Eyring has served 12 years in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the second-tier of leadership for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. President of the church-owned Rick's College in Rexburg, Idaho, from 1972 to 1977, Eyring also taught in the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University from 1962 to 1971. He holds a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Utah and both a master's degree and doctorate in businesses administration from Harvard University.

Information from The Associated Press