Sunday, February 16, 2020
UPDATED: Current Apostolic Statistics
Hello again, everyone! I wanted to take the chance now to provide the latest apostolic statistics. I have come to the conclusion that the best way to do so is to provide shareable links to those updates, so that anyone with those links can read them in their current forms. And that will also eliminate the need to publish two posts for this update. The updated data comprises two parts, the first and the second. The information largely speaks for itself.
One other unrelated thought: given the time difference between Utah and Durban South Africa, it is now 7:25 PM Durban time on this February 16, 2020, so the last of the 3 dedicatory sessions for the temple in that city has almost certainly wrapped up, or will do so very soon. I will, of course, pass along subsequent reports on that event, along with any additional Church news or temple developments, as I become aware of such things. That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. 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.
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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In addition to my life-long love for the subjects which I cover in the posts of this blog, I have long held the belief that we can disagree without becoming disagreeable. Differences of opinion are natural, while being disagreeable in expressing those differences is not. And in that sense, I have no desire to close the door on anyone who earnestly desires to contribute to the ongoing dialogue on subjects covered in the posts on this blog.
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Hello again, everyone! The following additional Church news stories have been reported, all of which largely speak for themselves, and the first of which relate to the dedication of the Durban South Africa Temple earlier tod Given that it is no just past midnight on Monday in Durban, the final dedicatory session for that temple wrapped up around 7-9 hours ago.
ReplyDeletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/south-africa-s-second-temple-is-dedicated
https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2020-02-16/elder-rasband-dedicates-durban-south-africa-temple-people-jesus-christ-174570
https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2020-02-15/durban-south-africa-temple-elder-rasband-zulu-royal-family-174530
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2020-02-13/elder-rasband-unique-preparation-dedicate-durban-south-africa-temple-174089
And the final two articles I wanted to share had nothing to do with that temple dedication, but are still well worthy of your time and attention:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2020-02-16/elder-callister-changing-behavior-nature-agency-choice-174047
https://www.thechurchnews.com/callings/2020-02-16/8-new-mission-presidents-companions-serve-ethiopia-california-peru-argentina-russia-174057
Among the newest 8 mission presidents whose biographies were shared in the above article, the following facts may be of interest to some of you here: 1 is a current area seventy, 1 is a former area seventy, and almost all have served in bishoprics, stake or district presidencies, with 1 or 2 former mission presidency counselors, and many more who had a variety of Church callings over the years, including stake presidents and bishops.
I continue to monitor all such developments and will do my level best to bring word of those here to you all as I become aware of them. In the meantime, my thanks once again to you all.
Hello again, everyone! I have some temple updates to share with you all here, and I will do so by again sharing the link to the most recently updated version of my temple construction progress report:
ReplyDeletehttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1_NjOQjruF_hn11NO04fVSNWAF-r2OuaSLMDTqQXWeXo/edit?usp=sharing
I have several notes about that latest version: First, with the dedication of the Durban South Africa Temple having been conducted earlier today, the Church now has 32 temples to dedicate in the 10.13 years between today (Sunday February 16, 2020) and the bicentennial of the Church's reestablishment (which will be marked on Saturday April 6, 2030). That will easily be accomplished if the Church dedicates roughly 3.16 temples per year. Within the next year alone, at least 3 temples will be dedicated, and at least 6 more temples could be dedicated in the year after that.
Next, given the fact that the open house and dedication information has been announced for the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple, the next announcement of a temple open house and rededication that is anticipated will be for the Washington D.C. Temple (with that temple's open house and rededication anticipated to be longer than what we have seen for any temple in recent years, although not as long as what is anticipated to be the case in 2024 for the open house and rededication of the Salt Lake Temple). Once the information about the Washington D.C. Temple is announced, it seems to be an equal probability that the next big announcement will either be for the dedication of the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple or the Tokyo Japan Temple. And it appears to be too early as of yet to tell whether the rededication of the Mesa Arizona Temple will occur before the end of this year, or may be deferred until early next year.
As far as more specific notes about other updates to this latest edition of my temple construction progress report, since many sources available to me for temple information had listed the general completion time-frame for the Praia Cabo Verde Temple as mid-2021, I had recently offered my opinion that that temple would be dedicated before the temple in Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire. But in the interim, within the last few days, the estimate for Praia has been updated to mid-to-late 2021, putting it in the same general time-frame anticipated for the completion of the Quito Ecaudor Tmeple.
It is also worth noting that the San Juan Puerto Rico and Pocatello Idaho Temples are still neck-and-neck in terms of their likely general completion order, and we may have a better idea this time next year as far as to the correctness of their current general estimates, or which one might potentially be dedicated first.
That said, let's move on to more major developments now reflected in that latest report: First of all, until construction formally begins on the Lima Peru Los Olivos and Puebla Mexico Temples, most sources from which I compile temple information I share in that report have eliminated any estimate of any kind, general or specific, from these temples. I have done the same.
In the interim, it appears that both the Bangkok Thailand and Saratoga Springs Utah Temples now have a similar general completion timeframe of late 2022-early 2023.
Additionally, although my research has now revealed more about the general completion time-frames for the Richmond Virginia, Alabang Philippines, and Layton Utah Temples, until construction is underway on all of these temples, I have eliminated any mention of a general completion time-frame, and based on how soon full-scale construction begins on each, it may be longer than I originally thought before I can definitively pin down more specific estimates for any or all of these temples.
Now, as far as the "Groundbreaking Anticipated" section of my report is concerned, I need to post a correction to past assertions I have given recently. I had repeatedly reported in the recent past that the groundbreaking for the Auckland New Zealand Temple would likely occur before the April 2020 General Conference weekend, and I had therefore suggested that the temple could subsequently be dedicated in late 2022-early 2023.
ReplyDeleteI had based my assertions in that respect on my understanding that crews were preparing the site for construction to begin before the end of summer in New Zealand (which coincides in the northern hemisphere with the end of winter, a period marked in mid-to-late March).
But those assumptions were apparently incorrect. New information of which I have become aware has now clarified that crews are merely preparing the temple site for its' groundbreaking before the end of summer in New Zealand. The actual groundbreaking may not subsequently take place until the mid-to-latter part of this year.
Consequently, I have downgraded the status of my listing for the Auckland New Zealand Temple from "Groundbreaking announcement anticipated" to "Groundbreaking anticipated". And my list of temples which are in a "Groundbreaking anticipated" status now lists San Pedro Sula Honduras, Coban Guatemala, Managua Nicaragua, and Orem Utah in that queue ahead of Auckland New Zealand. The timing and sequence of future groundbreakings in 2020 is, of course, up to the Lord as He conveys that to His prophet.
And I have no idea how many temples may actually wind up having a groundbreaking, either by the end of the first half of 2020, or in the year in its' entirety, but more alterations will almost certainly be coming for that report as the year continues to unfold. I will track all such developments and pass them along to you all here. In the meantime, thanks again, everyone!
I am back to share three additional Church News reports which have been shared. They can be found at the following web addresses, and largely speak for themselves. My thanks once again to you all.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2020-02-17/president-bingham-power-ministering-filipino-saints-isa-isa-174516
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2020-02-17/elder-uchtdorf-chile-missionaries-joy-174614
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2020-02-17/elder-uchtdorf-message-to-chile-have-hope-the-lord-knows-you-174611
And the Church News has published the prayer written and offered by Elder Ronald A. Rasband in dedicating the Durban South Africa Temple last Sunday:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2020-02-18/durban-south-africa-temple-dedicatory-prayer-174686
I continue to monitor all Church news and temple updates and will do my level best to pass word of those along to you all as I receive it. In the meantime, my thanks once again to you all.
Additional Church News stories have been published which provide a look at how indexing has become a powerful tool to combat the problem of pornography, and how Elder Paul V. Johnson drew analogies between the false philosophies of men in the Book of Mormon to how those philosophies are being perpetuated today, and how following the prophet in any phase of life can help us recognize the fallicies of such philosophies:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2020-02-18/pornography-addiction-family-history-indexing-healing-blessings-174645
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2020-02-18/follow-prophet-blind-guides-twitter-instagram-korihor-johnson-paul-hawaii-174781
My thanks once again to you all for your continued interest and ongoing support.
Hello again, everyone! I am pleased to share here that the Church has, as arranged, published a digital, single-volume new handbook for all leaders and members of the Church to aid in the performance of their dutiies. The Newsroom shares the following resources on that development:
ReplyDeletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/new-general-handbook
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/multimedia/file/first-presidency-letter-new-handbook-2020.pdf
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/general-handbook-frequently-asked-questions
And the Church News has released the following additional articles:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2020-02-19/new-handbook-church-leaders-members-released-174826
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2020-02-19/new-handbook-video-church-leaders-members-174860
And the Church News has also reported on how another former professional athlete has been called to serve as a stake president:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2020-02-19/pittsburgh-steelers-byu-football-stake-president-174640
My thanks once again to you all.