On May 1 and 2, the 2008 Brigham Young University Women's Conference, co-sponsored by the Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, will help women "Awake, Arise, and Come unto Him" through a broad range of instructional sessions and a service event.

Sheri Dew, president and CEO of Deseret Book and a former counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, will introduce this year's theme, "Awake, Arise, and Come unto Him," at the conference's opening session on Thursday at 9 a.m. in the Marriott Center. The conference will conclude with a session presented by one of the Church's senior General Authorities on Friday at 3:45 p.m.

After April 4, regular registration is $47, or $27 for one day. BYU faculty, staff and students with a BYU ID are eligible for a reduced registration of $15 for the full conference or $8 for either Thursday or Friday.

Registration may be completed by phone at 422-8925, online at http://womensconference.byu.edu or in person in the Harman Building lobby weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Women and men age 16 and older may register for the conference. Logistical and safety constraints on campus no longer allow accommodations for nursing infants and young children in any conference session, including at the Marriott Center, the residence halls and all Thursday night activities.

Throughout the two-day conference, more than 200 presenters will provide nearly 100 sessions, with up to 16 sessions to choose from each hour. Some of this year's notable presenters include former BYU president Elder Merrill J. Bateman and his wife, Marilyn S. Bateman, the members of the Relief Society and Primary general presidencies and LDS artist Greg Olsen.

Session topics center on the conference theme, as well as receiving answer to prayers, marriage and parenting, dealing with illness and addiction, civility and respect, providing for the needy and expressions of faith through the visual arts. Each day, three sessions will be given in Spanish, with native speakers as presenters.

On Thursday evening, several service projects to "Make the Pathway Bright" will be held in the Richards Building and the Smith Fieldhouse from 5 until 8:30 p.m. Hundreds of sisters will gather to complete service projects that include assembling newborn kits for maternity clinics in developing countries, and school and hygiene kits for the LDS Humanitarian Center.

Also on Thursday evening, LDS recording artists Kenneth Cope, Michael McLean, Jenny Jordan Frogley, Hillary Weeks, Eclipse and Mercy River will perform together in the Marriott Center at 8 p.m.

Parking for the conference will be available adjacent to the Marriott Center, and courtesy vans will be available to transport participants to campus sites, with preference given to seniors and those with disabilities.

Delayed broadcasts will be aired on Thursday, May 15, and Friday, May 16, on BYU TV and byubroadcasting.org.

Selected sessions will also be available on KBYU-TV, Channel 11 in Utah, in late May. Visit http://byutv.org for broadcast schedules.

For more information, visit http://womensconference.byu.edu, call 422-7692, or e-mail womensconference@byu.edu.