Temple Updates Noted

Hello again, everyone! I am back again to pass along some newly-reported temple developments. In getting right into those, I wanted to share that the length of time between today and Saturday April 6, 2030 (when the Church will observe its' bicentennial anniversary of its' reestablishment) now stands at 11.41 years. In order for the Church to have 200 operating temples by that bicentennial, 3.51 temples will need to be dedicated per year to make that possible. And with 6 or 7 temples anticipated to be dedicated within the next year (3 of which are already scheduled), by this time next year, that average will be much lower. Therefore, I see no reason not to believe that the Church will have 200 operating temples by that date, and would not be shocked if there were more than that at that time. In the meantime, at the Fortaleza Brazil Temple, interior finish work is underway, and I would not be shocked if the announcement of the open house and dedication for this temple were to occur within the next month or less. And at the site of the Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple, final preparations are underway for tomorrow's groundbreaking ceremony.

Turning now to temples undergoing renovation, at the Raleigh North Carolina Temple, stone cladding has progressed to the front exterior walls and tower. And in Oakland California, shipments are arriving of materials which will be used to rebuild the interior. For the Washington DC Temple, interior and exterior renovations continue, including ongoing work on the spires. And while the window removal and grading of the grounds continues for the Mesa Arizona Temple, the work of clearing the Visitor's Center site has begun.

I will keep monitoring all Church news and temple developments to the best of my ability, and am committed to passing word of all such developments on to you all here as I receive it. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.

Church News Updates Reported

Hello again, everyone! This will be the first of two posts I will be publishing within the next hour or so. This one will share some extensive Church news updates which have been reported in recent days, and the second post will detail newly-reported temple developments. So let's get right into all of that. First of all, Elder Hartman Rector Jr., an emeritus General Authority, passed away yesterday at the age of 94. He was the first member of that Council who did not convert to the Church until his adult years. His inspiring conversion story is detailed in the article to which I lined

He was called as a member of the now-defunct First Council of the Seventy on April 6, 1968. While serving in that capacity, he spent a one-month period serving as the interim president of what was then the Church's Italian Mission. In 1971, he became the first president of the Alabama-Florida Mission. During the final year of his service in the First Council of the Seventy (October 1975-October 1976), he simultaneously served as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy, and as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy. With the reconstitution of the First Quorum of the Seventy, he was released from his assignment in the Presidency of that Quorum.,

Elder Rector also served for two years as president of the California San Diego Mission, spent two years as a counselor in the Young Men General Presidency, another year as a counselor in the Sunday School General Presidency, and also served in area presidencies in North and South America. He had an almost-3-year term as Assistant Executive Director of the Family History Department, and 9 years as the Managing Director of the Genealogical Department. He also gave 16 addresses during his many years of active service as a General Authority, each of which is worthy of review. I would refer you to the article cited above for any other information you may need on Elder Rector's life and ministry.

In other Church news, I previously referenced how the media did two interviews during the weekend of the Concepcion Chile Temple Dedication, one with President Nelson and Elder Stevenson, and the other with Sister Nelson. In the latter interview, Sister Nelson provided a first-hand look at the many positive changes she has seen in her husband since his appointment as Church President almost 10 months ago. A Church News article provides some additional details from what the Newsroom originally reported.

On the campus of LDS Business College, President Henry B. Eyring, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, spoke at a devotional in which he highlighted the life-changing moment in which he began to realize his full potential. Additional details were also provided on the recent meeting held between NCAA representatives and Church leaders regarding LGBT students. And another Church leader met in Brussels with EU officials, where the subject of religious freedom was addressed. And the Church News shared an inspiring story of how one man's patience in waiting for a quarter-century to receive the priesthood changed a community.

I continue to monitor any and all Church news and temple developments and will keep doing my level best to bring word of those to you all as I receive it. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.