He will serve as the new operation manager for Media and Communications Services.

"It has always been exciting to participate in the Church's work of preaching the gospel to the world," said Mr. Salyer. "I am anxious to get involved in the day-to-day efforts of the Media and Communications Services department, as both the Council and the administration step up plans to reach our fellow man with the good news of God's Kingdom.

"I want to thank Peter Eddington and his staff for laying a good foundation for future growth, and I look forward to working alongside them."

The target date for this appointment will be May or June, when the Salyers can move to Cincinnati and a new pastor can take his place in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Grand Junction, Colorado.

"Mr. Salyer brings to the table a long history of administrative and management background in the Church, much of which involved media matters," said Mr. Kilough. That experience, international in its scope, includes supervising various editorial operations ranging from editorial to publishing to mail fulfillment; dealing with media advertising; previewing and editing television scripts and evaluating programs; budgeting and analyzing product effectiveness.

"Peter Eddington, who has served diligently in this capacity since December 1999, will continue as operation manager until the Salyers arrive in Cincinnati. The value of Mr. Eddington's leadership cannot be overestimated, and he deserves a great deal of credit for the tremendous impact of our media efforts to this point.

"Mr. Eddington will work closely with Mr. Salyer, focusing primarily on the technical and production end of media. Now, with this level of management experience working together at the home office, our commission to preach the gospel to the world will be more focused and effective than ever," said Mr. Kilough.

Mr. Salyer attended the Vertical Thought and managing editors' meetings Jan. 23 to 25