Logan LDS Institute gets visit from West African church leader

Raymond Egbo, the area director for church education in West Africa for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, will be speaking to students at the Logan Institute of Religion on Friday as part of a series known as Religion in Life.

“They call it Religion in Life for a reason, because they’re trying to show you how to live it, and not just believe it,” says Breanne Yamauchi, the LDS Student Association’s president of returned missionaries. “I think that’s why students enjoy it, because they find application in it.”

Egbo’s presence at the Logan Institute is no coincidence, Yamauchi said. Preparations were made almost a year in advance so that he would be available to speak while he was already in Utah for the LDS general conference.

Egbo is a native of Nigeria and became a convert to the LDS church at the age of 14. Among other church leadership positions, he served as the president of the Nigeria Calabar Mission beginning in 2009.

“He’s got a unique perspective because he comes from Africa,” said Konrad Erni, an institute instructor and coordinator of the Religion in Life series. “I know that he will come talking from his approach, his world view, and can hopefully share some things with us here.”

The Logan Institute hosts speakers every Friday, purposefully seeking out those with diverse backgrounds and unique experiences, Erni said. 

“I usually just get little insights that I find helpful, like maybe I had a question that I didn’t even know I had,” said Elise Maddox, a student at the Logan Institute of Religion. “And every speaker is different, and has their own perspective on life and things, so like it’s just cool to get their view. I find that it helps me out.”

The event, which is open to the public, will begin at 11:30 a.m. in the Cultural Hall of the Logan Institute building.