Hello again, everyone! As many of you may be aware, the dedication of the Cedar City Utah Temple will be held this weekend. I have wondered periodically who all might be in attendance from the general Church leadership, and we now know a little bit more about that. While no specific leaders have been identified as of yet, this article explains that there will be 9 of the 14 current apostles (the article says 15, but does not account for Elder Hales's death) participating during the three dedicatory sessions. That brings up an interesting question: who might those 9 be?
We know that President Monson likely won't be able to attend, which leaves 13 others that could. We also know that it has been several years since any temple dedication or rededication has been attended by every member of the First Presidency, so I think it may be safe to assume that only one First Presidency member may attend, and since President Uchtdorf presided at the dedications of the Tucson Arizona and Meridian Idaho Temples, it would make sense if President Eyring presided at this one. I am not ruling out both President Eyring and President Uchtdorf being in attendance at one or two sessions each, but it seems unlikely. We also know that the Church likes to spread out attendance at temple-related events so everyone has an equal opportunity to participate.
With that in mind, we also know that Elder Neil L. Andersen accompanied President Eyring to the dedication of the Paris France temple (in view of Elder Andersen's ties to France as a former missionary and mission president there), so he may not be involved with this dedication. Likewise, Elder Ronald A. Rasband accompanied President Eyring for the rededication of the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple, so he might not be involved in the dedication of Utah's newest temple. The same might be true for Elder Gary E. Stevenson, who accompanied President Uchtdorf to the dedication of the Tucson Arizona Temple dedication, and Elder D. Todd Christofferson, who accompanied President Uchtdorf to the dedication of the Meridian Idaho Temple.
Having said all this, if I am correct, then the apostles participating in this event could be President Henry B. Eyring, President Russell M. Nelson, Elder Dalin H. Oaks, M. Russell Ballard, Jeffrey R. Holland, David A. Bednar, Quentin L. Cook, and Dale G. Renlund. I also anticipate the participation of several other Church leaders, including Elder L. Whitney Clayton, Senior President of the Seventy, who presided at this temple's groundbreaking, Elder Craig C. Christensen, who oversees the three Utah areas of the Church, a representative or two from the Temple Department, and other leaders, including a representative from the Presiding Bishopric.
But these are just my thoughts. It is now your turn to "sound off" in the comments below with your thoughts. That does it for this post. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
Monday, December 4, 2017
More Information Provided on Cedar City Utah Temple Dedication; more specific information pending
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
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Elder Renlund will be in Albuquerque the day of the dedication so he will not be participating.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I wasn't ware of that. I wonder what he will be doing there. Probably organizing a new stake or presiding over the conference of an existing stake. That changes things for sure. I am keeping my eyes open for anything more official about this upcoming dedication, and I will try to pass any information about that along as I hear of it. Thanks for letting me know, Croft. I appreciate it.
DeleteElder Renlund will be holding a women's devotional and YSA devotional for five stakes in the area and holding a luncheon with all the missionaries. A letter has been read in sacrament meeting in all the wards in the area announcing the visit.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome, Croft! Thanks for that additional information. I have always been intrigued to learn everything I can about the ministry of our apostles, and I very much appreciate you letting me know more about Elder Renlund's assignment that will obviously keep him from taking part in the Cedar City Utah Temple dedication. Thanks for this additional comment, Croft.
DeleteThat is interesting. Elder Christopherson was in El Paso last week holding 5 different and specific meetings. Spanish, YSA, new coverts, women leaders, Priesthood leaders.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to realize just how frequently the apostles travel. I have noticed in General Conference more than once that one of the Brethren has talked about "a rare weekend" when he was able to attend his home ward. A good majority of articles published by the Church News highlight such travel. Our apostles truly have a worldwide ministry that ranges far. That is why I have been more than slightly impatient with people who talk about what the Church could or should be doing to better extend their outreach. The far-reaching ministry of these Brethren has given them a feel for the problems and challenges Church members face everywhere. That ministry, combined with their personal life experiences, have uniquely molded them to be able to analyze such problems on a global scale and a level of understanding to which we as lay members cannot comprehend with our own personal experiences. It is awesome to see and hear about what these men have done in interactions with Latter-day Saints in various places all around the world. Thanks for the tidbit on Elder Christofferson, Kenny, and for taking time to comment.
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