Hello again, everyone! As the final minutes of 2020 draw closer to their inevitable conclusion, I am pleased to be able to provide you all now with a review of temple construction progress that occurred throghout 2020. Over the course of five reports that have been edited as progress has been noted, I have tracked the many wonderful upddates that have been provided through the Newsroom, the Church News, and via the Church Temples website throughout the year. Perhaps the most impressive thing reflected in these reports has been the fact that, even in the midst of a global pandemic that resulted in all operating temples being closed for a period of roughly two months, temple construction has progressed unabated.
As a particular result of this year's events, there are now more temples under construction than there are announced (not yet under construction). That number now includes multiple temples under construction in Utah alone, in taddition to multiple others throughout the United States, in the Philippines, and in Latin America, for what I believe is the first time each of those regions have had multiple temples in the queue at the same time in the history of the Church. The developments largely speak for themselves. So here's a look at where temple construction stood as 2020 began, at the end of the first quarter, halfway through the year, just prior to the October 2020 General Conference, and where things stand at this year-ending hour.
I have gradually restructured various portions of the report, and the content in the latest one is almost certain to change as we move into 2021. As I hope is evident by these reports and the information compiled therein, the temple construction program of the Church is one of many that has seen the promise of President Nelson come to fruition. Part of the way the work is moving forward at an accelerated pace is in the temple construction milestones we have seen since President Nelson's statement on that was made last year.
To reiterate something I have previously noted, as many as 12 temples could have groundbreakings in the first part of 2021, with at least 6 of those almost certain to occur prior to the April 2021 General Conference, if all goes well. So I'm certain that we have just scratched the surface on what is to come in terms of temple construction. With that in mind, whatever occurs in that respect in the coming year, you can count on my tracking those developmnts and passing those along here as I becine aware of it.
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.
Hello again, everyone, and Happy New Year! As I mentioned in the threads of the previous post, the Church News is providing advanced coverage of the upcoming 3-year anniversary of President Russell M. Nelson's prophetic administration. I have set up a repository in the form of a specific thread in the previous post that will share that coverage, and that can be found at the following web address:
ReplyDeletehttps://stokessoundsoff.blogspot.com/2020/12/looking-back-on-2020-and-ahead-to-2021.html?showComment=1609359159195#c9140410101023218778
That section of that thread will be updated with additional coverage as that is provided. Just wanted to mention that here, FWIW. For now, my thanks once again to you all.
Additionally, on this New Year's Day, the latest edition of "This Week on Social" has been published:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2021-01-01/this-week-on-social-year-end-2020-2021-blessings-lessons-questions-200890
In the final days of 2020, the Church News collected posts from the following general leaders: Church President Russell M. Nelson; Acting President M. Russell Ballard and Elders Dieter F. Uchtdorf, David A. Bednar, and Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (from the latter of whom two posts were shared); Sister Lisa L. Harkness, First Counselor in the Primary General Presidency; and Sister Michelle D. Craig, First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency.
My thanks once again to you all.
The Newsroom and the Church News have both reported some tragic news on this first day of 2021, the death of another full-time missionary who would otherwise have wrapped up his service a few months from now. The unexpected passing of the young man was due to a health issue not related in any way to COVID-19:
Deletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/nigerian-missionary-serving-in-nigeria-passes-away
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2021-01-01/lds-missionary-nigeria-dies-friday-200899
The statement from the Church on this matter was made by Sam Penrod, a Church spokesman. For my readers here in Utah, if that name sounds familiar, that's because, until the latter part of 2019, he was a reporter for KSL, serving for a time as the Utah County Bureau Chief for KSL, and also covering major stories on developments reported by the Church. My thanks once again to you all.
Hello again, everyone! On this first Saturday of 2021, the Church News has published an advanced copy of the new "Spoken Word" message that will air in hybrid form with previously-recorded performances:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2021-01-02/music-and-the-spoken-word-dealing-with-disappointment-200845
My thanks once again to you all.
In the early hours of this first Sunday of 2021, I am pleased to pass along updates on the construction process for the two newest Utah temples (Taylorsville and Red Cliffs):
Deletehttps://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/taylorsville-utah-temple/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/red-cliffs-utah-temple/
Thanks again, everyone!
The Church News has published the latest edition of "This Week in Review", focusing on the coverage provided as the January 14 three-year milestone for President Nelson's prophetic administration:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2021-01-03/week-in-review-president-nelson-first-presidency-3-year-ministry-200909
And new updates have been noted on the status of the Richmond Virginia and Layton Utah Temples:
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/richmond-virginia-temple/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/layton-utah-temple/
My thanks once again to you all.
Hello again, everyone! With all operating temples having closed temporarily in mid-March of last year due to COVID-19, and phased reopenings beginning slowly and gradually roughly two months later, every week since that time, updates have been noted on changes in the status of temples.
ReplyDeleteThis first Monday of 2021 is no exception to that. The Church News and Newsroom have provided the following updates on that phased reopening process, noting changes that will go into effect one week from today:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2021-01-04/lds-temples-open-worldwide-phased-reopening-183918
https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2021-01-04/temple-reopening-status-tracker-worldwide-199279
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/first-presidency-limited-reopening-temples
With 4 temples now officially in phase 3, which allows for the performance of all living ordinances and limited proxy work, seven more temples will upgrade to phase 2 next week. Phase 2 allows for the performance of all living ordinances in the following priority order: first, for previously endowed couples to be sealed; second, living ordinances for those preparing to be sealed in the temple; third, living ordinances for missionaries who were not able to receive them prior to their departure for their fields of labor; fourth, to those preparing to serve missions; and finally, to any others who may need it for any reason.
The temples entering phase 2 next week include the following: 3 in Peru (Arequipa, Lima, and Trujillo); 2 in Colombia (Barranquilla and Bogota); and 2 others elsewhere in South America (Caracas Venezuela and Cochabamba Bolivia). As of next week, 122 of the Church's temples will be in phase 2.
There are no temples moving to phase 1 next week, and the Church also noted today that, due to local and governmental COVID-19 protocols, the following 4 temples would go into a "paused" status in its' reopening process: Durban and Johannesburg South Africa and London and Preston England. Today's announcement brings the total number of temples in a "paused" status to 15, leaving just 18 others in phase 1. The Kyiv Ukraine Temple has not yet reopened, and the remaining 8 temples are closed for renovations.
I am grateful to have been able to learn about and analyze this update, and to pass word of these changes on to you all here, and extend my thanks for your continued interest and ongoing support.
The Church News also shared some advice given by the Primary General Presidency in a new video. The three leaders gave instructions on how parents of Primary-aged children can help them have a good "at-home" experience while they are unable to meet in-person as usual:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2021-01-04/primary-general-presidency-video-at-home-experiences-children-200932
I would just add here that the information provided in that article builds upon the previous instruction from these same leaders that Primary and the way children learn through it has not stopped just because in-person meetings have been halted. Thanks again, everyone!
I have one additional temple update. Just over 6 weeks following the groundbreaking for the McAllen Texas Temple, full-scale construction has begun, per a report from the Church of Jesus Christ Temples site:
Deletehttps://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/mcallen-texas-temple/
This leaves 9 temples in the queue for which full-scale construction is currently pending. And excluding those 9, and the 2 for which dedications have been delayed, there are now 24 temples officially under construction.
It is also worth noting that, due to its' announced size, the Church Temples site has provided an initial projected completion window of late 2022-early 2023, and brings the total number of temples that currently have that window to 6. Additionally, the current projection is that the McAllen Texas Temple may be ahead of Orem Utah in its' anticipated completion, given the size difference between the two.
I am evaluating what that might mean for my personal projections. Right now, the temples which are or may soon be under construction are slightly in-flux in terms of their completion windows and the order in which they are listed. There is a distinctly high probability that some temples for which delays or halts have occurred in the progress thereof (the Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire and Urdaneta Philippines Temples come to mind) may see that happen again. Also unknown is how current conditions related to COVID-19 and other factors may interfere with temple construction. We have seen the temples in the United States that are under construction currently progress more swiftly than their international counterparts. So there is a lot to consider in terms of the current order, all unknown factors, and local conditions. As soon as I get anything figured out in that respect, I will be sure to pass word of that along to you all here. For the time being, thanks again, everyone!
It is also worth noting that I was delayed longer than usual this week in providing the updates on temple reopenings due to the fact that I was watching the inauguration ceremony this morning for Utah's newest Governor, Spencer Cox. The Church had a few participants, including Elder Evan A. Schmutz, First Counselor in the Utah Area Presidency, who offered remarks at an Interfaith Devotional held last night at the St. George Tabernacle; Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who chairs the Church Public Affairs Division and offered a benediction prayer for this morning's ceremony; the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, from whom a prerecorded performance of a patriotic song was showcased, and David Archuleta and Nathan Pacheco, both Church members and professional singers, who joined with a socially-distant choir for another performance. The Church News highlighted the role these Church members and leaders played in the following article:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2021-01-04/elder-rasband-schmutz-utah-inauguration-governor-cox-200954
My thanks once again to you all.
The Church News and Newsroom have both provided some coverage on the 2021 youth music album, entitled "A Great Work" and focused on the theme for Young Men and Young Women this year:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2021-01-04/lds-youth-theme-2021-music-album-a-great-work-200983
Also, it appears that at least part of the reason that the Church is pausing the reopening of the two temples in England is due to a government-enforced lockdown, and that in South Africa, a few cases of the more deadly strain of COVID-19 have been diagnosed, so the Church continues to monitor conditions worldwide and adjust accordingly. Thanks again, all.
The Church News has shared the following additional updates:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2021-01-05/marjorie-ethel-sackley-general-authority-world-war-ii-veteran-elder-sackley-lds-obituary-200981
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2021-01-05/for-the-strength-of-youth-magazine-brad-wilcox-joy-christ-201046
https://www.thechurchnews.com/podcast/2021-01-05/sister-wendy-nelson-sheri-dew-president-nelson-prophet-three-years-201007
My thanks once again to you all.
The Church News has today highlighted an invitation from Elder Gerrit W. Gong, given through social media, for all young adults in the Church to prepare for and tune in to the first Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults this year:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2021-01-06/worldwide-devotional-young-adults-elder-gong-201152
The Asian-American apostle and his wife, who successfully recovered from COVID-19 a few months ago, will focus their remarks on the challenges of our times in general, and on three particular invitations of counsel to assist in navigating the times in which we live.
In addition to that, new updates have been provided on the Praia Cabo Verde and Layton Utah Temples:
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/praia-cabo-verde-temple/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/layton-utah-temple/
My thanks once again to you all.
The following additional reports have been provided by the Church News:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/history-revisited/2021-01-06/church-historic-sites-purpose-covid-19-virtual-tours-201002
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2021-01-06/loneliness-byu-study-neighbors-acts-of-kindness-201078
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2021-01-05/for-the-strength-of-youth-magazine-brad-wilcox-joy-christ-201046
My thanks once again to you all.
Hello again, everyone! The Church News has today shared the following report:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2021-01-07/disney-don-bluth-animation-anastasia-land-before-time-lds-living-201194
It is worth noting that there has not been any major update provided by the Newsroom since the New Year's Day update on the Nigerian missionary who passed away. I can't say with any certainty that this is the case, but it did occur to me to wonder whether, while the outcome of the 2020 US Presidential election was being finalized, if the Church did not want to detract focus from that. That may mean that the announcement of any new missions that wil be created later this year and the list of ne mission presidents might exdperience a delayed release. To the best of my knowledge, the Church has never been dealing with the effects of a global pandemic at the same time that the results of a US presidential election are being finalized, so that may mean that any "usual timing" on announcements that would otherwise have been made will be shifted in consideration for and in deference to these monumental circumstances.
I should also pearenthetically note that I have a bunch of projects I am working on in order to get them published here. Among those include updated documents showing the list of temples for which a new president may be called later this year based on what is currently known, a separate list of temples which will have an extended closure period (of 4 weeks or longer), and, based on that list, an updated look at temples for which a renovation may soon be scheduled in coming years. That is, of course, in addition to pugging away at the initial draft of my April 2021 General Conference predictions, which I also hope to have posted sooner rather than later. And in the interim, I am additionally planning some form of acknowledgement of President Nelson's 3-year anniversary of his prophetic administration once that rolls around st one week from today. As I additionally noted when posting my list of blog projects for this year, on January 24, I will provide two new posts of content, one for Elder D. Todd Christofferson's 76th birthday, and my first 2021 update on apostolic age and tenure milestone data.
So despite any current delays on major Church announcements, there will be much more coverage from me here on this blog in the coming days and weeks. I also will continue to monitor all Church news and temple updates and pass those along as I learn of them. Stay tyned for all of that. In the menatime, my thanks once again to you all.
Hello again, everyone! The following additional updates have also been provided by the Church News:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2021-01-07/new-church-magazines-elder-cook-liahona-friend-youth-201126
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2021-01-07/president-ballard-prayer-united-states-capitol-protests-riots-201266
My thanks once again to you all.