Devotionals and Speeches

This Devotional address with Trent Shippen was delivered on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at 11:30 AM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. Trent Shippen played basketball for Ricks College while earning an associate’s degree in arts and sciences. He later graduated from Colorado State University with a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sports science, and from the University of Utah with a master’s degree in sports management.

Trent began his career with the Church Educational System in the Ricks College Admissions Office while coaching men’s and women’s basketball. Later, he coached the BYU women’s basketball team for five years. He has been working in Student Activities since 2002. Trent enjoys spending time with family, playing and watching sports, faculty noon hoops, and being outdoors. He and his wife, Jean, have six children and one grandchild.

Trent has served in almost every organization in the Church and currently serves with Jean as a valiant activity leader.

This Devotional address with Elder Robert C. Gay was delivered on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, at 11:30 AM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. Elder Robert C. Gay is an emeritus General Authority Seventy. As a General Authority, he served in the Presidency of the Seventy, as an Area President, and as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Church Educational System.

He also directed the development of the Church’s self-reliance program.

He and his wife, Lynette, have co-founded, served in, and currently work with multiple global humanitarian organizations. They are the founders of Ensign Global University, the only U.S. accredited university for public health in Africa, where they also served as mission leaders.

Prior to full-time Church service, Elder Gay worked in private equity investment management.

He earned a PhD in Business Economics from Harvard University, where he also taught economics. He and his wife are the parents of seven children and grandparents to 23 grandchildren.

This Devotional address with Kassandra M. Mackley was delivered on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at 11:30 AM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. Kassandra M. Mackley grew up in Utah, Virginia, and Blackfoot, Idaho. She served in the Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Vancouver, Washington Missions.

Kassandra graduated from BYU-Idaho in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in Communication and is pursuing a master’s degree in Professional Communication at Southern Utah University. She has worked at BYU-Idaho for nearly five years and currently serves as the Tours and Events Coordinator. Kassandra also serves as her ward’s service activities coordinator and as a JustServe social media specialist for the United States Central Area. For the past four years she has volunteered with the Rexburg Family Crisis Center. Kassandra enjoys reading, road trips, and attending concerts. She especially loves spending time with her family, close friends, her YSA ward family, and her work family at BYU-Idaho.

This Devotional address with President Alvin F. Meredith III was delivered on Tuesday, April 21, 2026 at 11:30 AM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. Alvin F. Meredith III became the 18th president of Brigham Young University-Idaho on August 1, 2023. He was sustained as a General Authority Seventy on April 3, 2021, and continues to serve in that role today.

Prior to his call as a General Authority, President Meredith served as president of the Utah Salt Lake City South Mission. He also served as an Area Seventy in the North America Southeast and Asia Areas, and in a number of other Church callings including as a full-time missionary in the Utah Salt Lake City Mission.

In his professional career, President Meredith worked as a senior executive of Asurion in Tennessee, Hong Kong, and Singapore. He also worked for The Boston Consulting Group and GE Capital.

President Meredith earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Brigham Young University and a Master of Business Administration in finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

This Devotional address with Jennifer E. Meredith was delivered on Tuesday, April 21, 2026 at 11:30 AM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. Jennifer E. Meredith received a bachelor’s degree in communications from Brigham Young University. She worked in Human Resources for Franklin Covey.

Sister Meredith served as a mission leader with her husband in the Utah Salt Lake City South Mission. She has served as a presidency member in multiple church organizations and as a full-time missionary in the Argentina Salta Mission. President and Sister Meredith were married on June 6, 1998, in the Salt Lake Temple, and they are the parents of six children.