Journey of Faith: The New World Screened in Hawaii

On November 9, 2007, the new Willes Center-sponsored DVD, Journey of Faith: The New World, was shown to a large audience in the IMAX Theater of the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie, Hawaii, adjacent to the campus of BYU—Hawaii. The screening was offered in connection with a three-day international business conference cosponsored by the University. The founder of the Laura F. Willes Center for Book of Mormon Studies, Mark H. Willes, opened the screening by explaining how the film came about, its significance as a study aid to help all better understand the cultural and geographical setting of events leading up to the Savior's visit in the New World, and also the anticipated impact of similar projects on students of "The Lord's Book."

The screening was followed by a question-and-answer session conducted by Peter Johnson, the film's director, and Andrew Skinner, executive director of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, which is the administrative home of the Willes Center. "Projects of this kind, which illustrate the profundity and truth of the Book of Mormon are the very things the Willes Center was created to support," said Professor Skinner, "and we anticipate many more in the coming years."

The Laura F. Willes Center for Book of Mormon Studies awards faculty scholarships to encourage important research on the Book of Mormon. Some awards include support for research on the BYU campus, but an awardee can pursue research from any locale as long as the topic relates to the Book of Mormon. Please go to our Web site at willescenter.byu.edu for more information.