The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will hold its 187th Annual General Conference Saturday and Sunday.

Both members of the Church — there are currently 15.6 million throughout the world — and friends of other faiths are invited to participate.

Church officials say tens of thousands are expected to attend the ticketed sessions held at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, and millions more will tune into television, radio, satellite and internet broadcasts throughout the world.

Church leadership, including the First Presidency, members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and other General Authorities and General Officers, will speak during the conference.

“Mormons gather twice a year to hear general authorities and other Church leaders share messages of spiritual guidance and inspiration on topics related to the gospel of Jesus Christ,” according to a Church news release, which adds that a semiannual conference is also held each fall.

This weekend’s conference will include four general sessions that will take place at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday. There will also be a priesthood session at 6 p.m. tonight for men and young men ages 12 and older. The women’s session took place last week.

Many Mormons look forward to the conference.

“General Conference offers us the opportunity to receive counsel from modern-day prophets,” Fernando Castro, a religion teacher at Brigham Young University-Idaho, recently told the Standard Journal in Rexburg. “While their teachings are intended for a diverse audience spread all over the world, the Holy Ghost, when invited into our lives, can point out and gently direct our attention to inspired counsel each of us needs to hear at the time.”

In a letter read during local church meetings, the First Presidency encouraged members to listen to, study and apply the counsel given during the event.

John Parker, another religion teacher at BYU-Idaho, tries to do just that.

“I like to ask myself what changes I have made as a result of the conference. We get six months to practice and apply the teachings, and hopefully we just don’t hear it and say, ‘That sure was a great conference,’” he told the Standard Journal. “I believe the intent is to help us truly grow closer to Christ and become more like Him.”

For more information about the 187th Annual General Conference, people can visit LDS.org.