Hello again, everyone! In a stunning and unusually-timed announcement, President Russell M. Nelson announced this morning that the multi-year renovation on the Manti Utah Temple will begin on or around October 1 of this year, that greater care would be taken with the multi-year project to preserve the pioneer's efforts and craftsmanship, and that renovation plans for the temple would be evaluated and adjusted on an ongoing basis as the Lord inspires the Brethren further in that process
But today's video from President Nelson also included something I had not expected. It has been somewhat traditional under the leadership of Presidents Gordon B. Hinckley and Thomas S. Monson for the bulk of new temples to be announced in General Conference, with a few announced outside of those gatherings. A few examples of that are the Payson Utah Temple, announced in January 2010, and the confirmation of the intention to build the Paris France Temple was acknowledged in the summer of 2011, with plans officially confirmed for that temple in General Conference several months later.
The trend of temples announced by President Nelson seemed to focus for the most part on announcing temples every six months in General Conference, with a focus between each conference on clearing the existing queue. But this morning, President Nelson announced that, in consideration of the multi-year closure planned for the Manti Utah Temple, the Brethren have felt impressed to build a new temple in Ephraim to serve those currently in the Manti Utah Temple district during its' closure, especially given the student body population of Latter-day Saint young adults attending nearby Snow College. So it appears the new temple announced for Ephraim will, in similarity to the Deseret Peak Utah Temple, be built on a similar accelerated schedule.
This is developing news I did not see coming, but I welcome it. I continue to monitor all such updates and will be sure to pass word of those along to you all as I become aware thereof.
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 was just commenting about this on your last post at the same time.
ReplyDeletePres Hinckley had said he was sad after renovating the Logan temple that they had lost a lot of the pioneer heritage. It surprised me that the church would do that again and here it with this announcement it won't. I had read that many thought the temple should have been built in Ephraim originally instead of Manti.
Brigham Young then told the members it was to be built in Manti because Moroni had dedicated that land for a temple.
With removing the live presentation in Manti, less workers are needed, so the new temple helps in many ways. Increase temple capacity in the area, preserve pioneer heritage, easier access to local students, and still not greatly increase the required workers needed.
Certainly a surprise announcement. Always a welcomed announcement.
I saw your comment on the other post, Kenny. Hopefully my reply to you here is a worthy acknowledgement of both of your contributed comments. We have seen with the Salt Lake Temple that general original plans have been clarified once or twice by more specific announcements, so the fact that something similar would happen for the Manti Utah Temple is not surprising.
DeleteYour point about less workers being needded for Manti with the switch the the live presentation is well-taken. My understanding is that the plans for this temple call for a similar accelerated approval and construction process as to what was originally planned for the new Deseret Peak Utah Temple. Hopefully there won't be as much community opposition to the official details for Ephraim like there were for the Deseret Peak Utah Temple in its' originally-announced location. I don't see that as an obstacle there, since this will fill a huge need during at least part of the renovation process for the Manti Temple. Thanks for stopping by to comment, Kenny. I appreciate hearing from you.
Very unexpected but exciting! As a side note, President Nelson looks incredible. He is amazingly healthy. He shows no signs of slowing down at all.
ReplyDeleteMichael Towns, thanks for stopping by to comment. I agree, a most unexpected but very exciting announcement. When President Nelson first became Church President, many of his apostolic colleagues and his wife repeatedly mentioned that he looks, moves, and acts with the vigor, mental clarity, and energy of one 20-30 years younger than his actual biological age. So if at 96, by all reports, he's moving with the energy, vigor, and mental clarity of one who is 76 or even 66, we are almost certain to see the fulfillment of what Elder Andersen expressed in April 2018, that President Nelson could be around for the next decade or two. We have seen a recent increase in supercentenarians throughout the world, in and out of the Church, and I have no doubts in my mind President Nelson might very well be another one. Thanks again for taking time to comment, Michael.
DeleteKSL broke the story an hour before the Newsroom did. They also gave more details on the sizing, rooms, and other things, including how this will be near the student areas near Snow College. The overall size will compare with Brigham City.
ReplyDeletehttps://ksltv.com/461152/church-announces-new-temple-in-ephraim/
The other KSL story:
https://www.ksl.com/article/50158071/church-announces-new-latter-day-saint-temple-in-ephraim-manti-temple-to-retain-its-pioneer-heritage
That had even more information added after I first saw it.
Jim Anderson, on the information you're talking about, that was actually subsequently published in an updated version of the Newsroom release to which I linked above. That information is now confirmed in the following news release:
Deletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/ephraim-utah-temple-manti-temple-renovation
It could be that KSL simply had the details more ready to share before they were made ready for sharing by the Newsroom staff. That's my guess, anyways. With the information now in the news release that is idential to the details in the KSL article, we have another witness to the veracity thereof. Thanks, James Anderson, for stopping by to comment.
The Church News has also covered today's announcement about the Manti renovation plans being adjusted and about the new temple in Ephraim Utah:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2021-05-01/new-temple-in-ephraim-manti-temple-craftsmanship-212243
A couple of observations about the additional information, if I may offer them. When the Salt Lake and St. George renovation plans were shared in press conferences, the representative from the Presiding Bishopric that spoke about the plans had been Bishop Dean M. Davies, then First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, who was sustained in October as a General Authority Seventy (and who, in view of his age and in consideration of his health, may be granted emeritus status in October). Meanwhile, for today's announcement, Elder Kevin R. Duncan, who continues as the Executive Director of the Temple Department, was joined in today's press conference by Bishop W. Christopher Waddell, who succeeded Bishop Davies as First Counselor in October. I believe that means that Bishop Waddell is now the Presiding Bishopric counselor who serves as a member of the Temple and Family History Executive Council, but time may tell on that. If that's correct, it may also be safe to surmise that Bishop L. Todd Budge is now a member of the Missionary Executive Council, replacing Bishop Waddell in that assignment. More to come on that as I find out more.
In addition to the news about the Manti renovation plans and the new temple in Ephraim Utah, the Church News also reported on the death of the widow of another deceased General Authority Seventy:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2021-05-01/sister-joyce-sonnenberg-dies-212199
And 8 days after the first new biography was shared in the Church News for leaders called in the April 2021 General Conference, the second such article has been shared, introducing Elder Michael A. Dunn and his wife, Linda P. Dunn, to the Church:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2021-05-01/elder-dunn-general-authority-seventy-bear-attack-byutv-211624
I am not sure how much training the new leaders receive before they start filling assignments in their new roles, but since Elder Dunn has specifically had some experience spearheading things for BYUTV (and at one time, I believe, KUED, now PBS-Utah, as well), I could see the Church asking him to perhaps serve on the Public Affairs Committee, or with Communications, or perhaps to assist the Church in coordinating broadcasts around the world. Of course, the Lord knows why Elder Dunn's been called, and what He needs Elder Dunn to do, but these are just a few suggestions that came to mind as I read about his background and experience. Here is that biography:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2021-05-01/elder-dunn-general-authority-seventy-bear-attack-byutv-211624
It appears that, although Elder Dunn did not know this at the time he converted to the Church, his birth father was a direct descendant of Asael Smith, the grandfather of the prophet Joseph Smith. Although some of his ancestors initially joined the Church, most of them eventually fell away, and Elder Dunn became the first in his family for several generations to convert to the Church.
Now, while I do need to emphasize that his ancestry traces back to Asael Smith, it appears that Elder Dunn is not subsequently a direct descendent of the prophet Joseph Smith, but rather that the prophet is Elder Dunn's first cousin, four times removed.
I've mentioned in the past that the Church has alsmost always had a direct descedent of Joseph or Hyrum Smith in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Right now, President M. Russell Ballard is that direct descedent of Hyrum Smith. Hopefully President Ballard is another apostle who may live for a while yet. But if/when he does pass away, I currently have a list of 3 individuals who might be called to continue the legacy of those desceded from Joseph or Hyrum Smith. I am not sure when or under what circumstances I might share specifics on that list, but I do have 3 individualss listed thus far. I don't think Elder Dunn would fill that Smith descedent qualification, but it's something to keep in mind, if nothing else. My thanks once again to you all.
From the official Newsroom also comes the report of a statement of sympathy from the members of the Middle East/Africa North Area Presidency following the recent tragedy that occurred in that area:
Deletehttps://news-middleeast.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/statement-lag-b-omer-tragedy
Also, it appears that the final work on the Mesa Arizona Temple has sufficiently advanced to the point where it now joins the Washington D.C. and Tokyo Japan Temples in the queue of those for which the renovation has been completed, but the announcement of the temple open house and rededication information are pending until large public gatherings are deemed safe. In conjunction with that temple, I wanted to also note that the COVID-19 situation in Arizona appears to be somewhat similar to what has occurred in parts of Brazil. Even with COVID-19 vaccinations being made more widely available in both Brazil and Arizona, the COVID_10 conditions in both places are still quite severe in highly-populated areas. With that in mind, I'm thinking that for the dedication of the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple and the rededication of the Mesa Arizona Temple. both very well could be delayed until either the end of this year or perhaps even the beginning of next year. I'm hoping I'm wrong in that respect, but that's the way things appear for the time being.
In either case, that's 3 temples now completed and awaiting their reopening and rededication arrangements, in addition to the Rio de Janeiro Brazil and Winnipeg Manitoba Temples that are awaiting revised open house and dedication dates. Those two temples may be joined in that status in the next month or two by the Quito Ecuador Temple, depending on what happens between now and then.
My thanks once again to you all.
In connection with this morning's announcement of the Ephraim Utah Temple, it is also worth noting that the announcement brings the total number of temples President Nelson has announced to 70. Last month's General Conference marked the seventh over which President Nelson has personally presided as prophet, which brings the average number of temples announced in each of those General Conferences to an even 10. I can't say this with any certainty, but given the trend of Nelsonian smalleer temples, and the fact that the Ephraim Utah Temple is anticipated to be constructed within 2 years from when that process starts, I think it may be safe to look at the number 10 as a reasonable average for the number of new temples that may be announced in subsequent General Conferences.
DeleteAnd of course, this announcement means that other new temples could be announced outside of General Conference. I can't state this with any certainty either, but it would not surprise me if, during General Conference weekend, with plans underway to renovate the Manti Utah Temple, the First Presidency (or at very least President Nelson) knew even then that the announcement of the Ephraim Utah Temple would occur in conjunction with the announcement of the plans for the renovation of the Manti Utah Temple. My thanks once again to you all.
As some of you might recall, in April 2018, President Oaks first made the major mention of the demographics related to the General Authorities of the Church. Since that time, that information has not been mentioned again. All of that changed this evening. The Church News has provided some demographical information on the 106 General Authority Seventies who are currently serving (7 of whom are in the Presidency of the Seventy):
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2021-05-01/general-authority-seventies-birthplaces-global-church-211614
My thanks once again to you all.
I think in 2008 just a few weeks after General Conference President Monson announced two temples for Arizona and then about a month later a third AZ temple. It seems his first announcements were done outside Conference and so closely after. Unlike the Paris and Payson temples which were announced closer to the halfway point between conferences. I wonder if we will start seeing more announcements like this again. I think that was more common in the past. Any thoughts? What percent of temples by prophet were announced in and out of General Conference?
ReplyDeleteHello, Chris, and thanks for stopping by to share your thoughts. In my post above, I was primarily listing the most recent temples that were announced (or at least acknowledged) outside of General Conference. But you are correct about the first three temples announced by President Monson in 2008 being the first of his prphetic administration, all of which were announced several weeks after General Conference.
DeleteAs far as whether this might constitute a new trend in temples announced by President Nelson, that's harder to say. During the most recent General Conference last month, President Nelson mentioned that the Manti Utah Temple would close for renovation later this year, and that further plans would be announced once they were developed. It seems likely to me, knowing what we know about President Nelson and the way he received revelation, that he perhaps knew during General Conference that a temple for Ephraim would be announced in the near future, and that the announcement should be made when the renovation plans were detailed.
There is precedent for prophets announcing temples outside of General Conference. In fact, there have been times when most new temples were announced outside of each General Conference, with others being more sporadically announced during General Conference.
What might that indicate regarding President Nelson's plans going forward? Personally, I think one of two scenarios might apply: Either this is the start of a new trend which will see a few temples announced between each General Conference, with the bulk of new temples announced during General Conference, which might eventually lead to a reverse situation where temple plans will be announced as they are developed, while fewer temples might then be announced each General Conference weekend. The second possibility is that it simply made more sense to hold off on the announcement of a temple in Ephraim, even if the prospect thereof was known when the other 20 templs were announced, with the temple announcement in Ephraim made more sense in this specific case to be made in connection with the announcement of details on the renovation for the Manti Utah Temple. In either casse, I welcome temple announcements whenever they come, and will be interested to see what happens in the coming days, weeks, and months, in relation to the Ephraim Utah Temple. Thanks again for stopping by to comment, Chris. I always appreciate hearing from you.
Chris and James, I think you made great comments on change in when announcements or made. I love Doctrine and Covenants 8:2-3, which reminds us that we need to use our feeling (heart) and knowledge (mind). Thee are other scriptures that expand on this idea (bring all things to your remembrance, fruits of the spirit). I am willing to bet that Ephraim may have on long term list, but that it was greatly moved up due to members' concerns of preservation of the Manti Temple.
DeleteThe Paris temple was interesting. The leaders in Paris announced it. The church more or less confirm. Saying that, it was in professional announcement form.
Hello, Nathanial, and thanks for taking time to weigh in on this here. After the exchange between Chris and myself here, I found an article on LDS Living that provided additional context on the announcement. I referenced that article and shared the link to it in the following comment that can be viewed further down on this thread:
Deletehttps://stokessoundsoff.blogspot.com/2021/05/breaking-temple-news-president-nelson.html?showComment=1619920289250#c4019353608695327779
But above and beyond that, I had been under the impression that President Nelson might have known about the adjusted renovation plans for Manti and the temple for Ephraim during General Conference weekend, but chose to defer both announcements until the press conference on May 1.
However, when KSL reported on these announcemnts on Saturday evening, their coverage featured comments from Elder Ronald A. Rasband who having ancestral ties to that part of Utah, had a personal connection to the area that would be impacted by the announcement.
In the segment where KSL shared comments from Elder Rasband on the announcement, he noted that the change to the Manti renovation and the new temple in Ephraim came about as the result of another late-night impression given to President Nelson. Elder Rasband further described how he happened to be with the propher not long after the impression came. And once the details thereof were shared with his counselors, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the Temple Department, and the members of the Temple and Family History Executive Council, Elder Rasband described how the Church went into "warp speed" to prepare the details for the May 1 member meeting and press conference.
This marks the second time (that we know of) where President Nelson received unexpected inspiration about a temple announcement, with the first being in the impression to announce the Bengaluru India Temple, which came the night before President Nelson's first General Conference. So in our current prophet, we have someone who is actively seeking for revelation, and faithfully follows it once it is received.
I'm sure that we will see many more such examples. That being said, I still believe that, for the time being, a majority of new temples will be announced in General Conference, with one or two here and there outside of those regular announcements. And it might not be for a while that we see more temples being announced outside of General Conference than are announced during those weekends in April and October. But I am all in on temple announcements whenever they come, and however many are announced. Thanks again for taking time to comment, Nathanial. I always appreciate hearing from you.
Great insight. I was referencing the scriptures on how the revelations may have been received, not that anybody of us commentators have not studied and have feelings. I think the opposite. As noted, some revelations are quick. We have also seen some take time to study. It seems like this was quick and we may not know and the feeling shared and knowledge available when making the decisions.
DeleteNathanial, the Church has been in interesting territory for the last 3 years in which President Nelson has been the prophet. Althoough we have heard several apostles testify over the years that certain changes, adjustments, or announcements were inspired, we have had in President Nelson a prophet who is quick to acknowledge how much of what he's announced has been specifically directed by the Lord. We also have statements from the apostles, from President Nelson himself, and from Sister Nelson, which illustrate that he has often received late-night impressions about particular actions.
DeleteThere have also been reports of some decisions that the Brethren have studied and discussed for a little while before they are subsequently announced. That demonstrates that when it comes to any matter relating to Church doctrine, policy, practice, or a major announcement, the methods of arriving at inspired decisions can be markedly different based on what the Lord needs to be done and when.
I know that when the current pandemic led to a shut-down of normal Church operations, there were quite a few people (myself included) who wondered if the Brethren in general (and President Nelson in particular) knew about the prospect of a global pandemic before it became a reality last year. But subsequent statements from the apostles have also indicated that, while the pandemic didn't surprise the Lord, it required the Brethren to think about adjustments that they'd never had to consider before. And there have been further statements from a few apostles to the effect that, when the world normalizes, they are not just going to plan on going back to the "normal way" things had been done during the pandemic.
Elder Uchtdorf has recently mentioned that after the pnademic clears, he hopes that missionaries will continue to use the adaptivee methods that were necessary during the pnademic, and that technology can help missionaries in their labor going forward in a way that they wouldn't have consdered before the pandemic.
And then I think it was President Ballard who noted that, while he misses the chance to meet and personally shake hands and interact with members around the world, the Brethren have learned that, in some cases, technology can eAlxpand the ministry of the apostles, and that that is something that would not be as clear as it has become because of the pandemic.
So I think that perhaps the pandemic has changed the lines of thought deliberation, discussion, and decisions for the better when it comes to what the Lord needs His apostles to do in the future, espially post-pandemic.
I am not sure whether that tells us anything about how the pandemic may ultimately impact the decisions that are made about temple construction going foward, but it is something to keep in mind.
As I also mentioned below, it appears that any temples of the Church which are around the same size as the Helena Montana Temple could very well be built and dedicated within 12-18 months (or 15 months, on average). So if President Nelson opts to put more focus on smaller-sized temples that are more easily approved and more quickly built and dedicated, that could swiftly change the parameters of the Church's temple construction program as we know it going forward. Just some additional thoughts from me in response to your comment above. Thanks again, Nathanial, for stopping by to share your thoughts. I appreciate hearing from you.
This was also the trend for President Hinkley's 30/32 temples in 1998. We only got a number with a few country names(not cities) and and continents stated at that April Conference. But the official locations were announced as they were developed throughout the next year or two. Plus those temples were rapidly developed and built very swiftly. Sometimes constructed in only months rather than years. We are living in exciting times, the news for temple announcements doesn't just get put on hold for the six months between conferences.
ReplyDeleteChris, thanks for this additional comment. You are, of course, absolutely correct, and I'm sure if we looked far enough back, there are quite a few other templs which were announced outside of General Conference, including and especially the Salt Lake Temple.
DeleteThe one thing I'm still not sure about, which will be interesting in the days ahead, will be whether this is just a one-time scenario specifically for this temple to be announced in connection to and conjunction with the renovation plans for the Manti Utah Temple or whether that might be done in other cases as well. and if so, how the announcement of new temples outside of General Conference might subsequently impact the announcement of othr temples each General Conference weekend going forward. Eithr way, I'm grateful that, however today's announcement came about, the Church has made allowances for the temple district while the Manti renovation is underway. Thanks again, Chris, for taking time to comment.
This announcement specifically mentioned access to students within walking distance. I wonder if there will be a precedence for a temple in Buena Vista Virginia for access for the Southern Virginia University students. Even if the Richmond Virginia Temple is still under construction. Plus Price, Utah near USU-Eastern could use one.
ReplyDeleteChris, that's another good point. I'll be interested to see what happens in that respect. The bigger question might be what the student body critereon might be that determines whether the Church will build a temple near any other major universities. I'm not entirely sure that any university that has any degree of CHurch members in their student body would be as much of a factor for a temple as would be true if a majority of students at a specific university were members of the Church. In either case, I wouldn't anticipate the Church will be looking at a second temple in or near Virginia until the current one is further along. But the Lord has proven me wrong in that respect previously, so no doubt, it could happen again. Thanks for these additional thoughts, Chris.
DeleteI did look at the major colleges matter, posted that to Matt's blog but it has not cleared yet. What I have:
ReplyDeleteSalt Lake - U of U, Ensign College
Ogden - Weber State
Provo - BYU
Orem - UVU
Cedar City - SUU
St. George/Red Cliffs - Dixie State (renaming soon)
Taylorsville - SLCC
Rexburg - BYU-Idaho
Laie - BYU Hawaii
Ephraim - Snow College
Don't have figures on how big the member population at College of Eastern Utah, so it is hard to say when something could happen there.
SVU only has a couple thousand students according to what I have seen but I have not heard how many lately.
Any major schools that would have a significant member population that I missed>
Jim Anderson, interesting that you mentioned a large concentration of Latter-day Saint students as a criteria that might be considered. I just barely referenced that subject in my reply to Chris a few minutes ago. I agree that specific conditions would proably be used as a gauge wherever the Church might consider building a temple. I also agree with you that any students of any univiersity who happen to be members of the Church would not in and of itself be sufficient for the Church to build a temple near that school. More likely, such a choice could be made in cases where a higher percentage of the student body overall exists. I am not sure that would apply to Southern Virginia University, but if it did, I don't think the Church would even consider a Buena Vista Temple until the effects of the Richmond Virgnia Temple are properly analyzedl.
DeleteBut if nothing else, the timing of this announcement does suggest that, going forward, as he is inspired to do so, President Nelson might announce a new temple here or there outside of General Conference. And it may also be a while yet before we see more new temples announced outside of General Conference than we do during each General Conference weekend. Just my additional thoughts here. Thanks again for weighing in, Jim Anderson. I always appreciate hearing from you.
I just found some additional interesting information. Apparently, LDS Living has provided a look at 12 highlights from today's announcement:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.ldsliving.com/Rejoicing-on-both-sides-of-the-veil-12-highlights-from-the-Ephraim-temple-announcement-and-revision-to-Manti-renovation-plans/s/94261
A couple of specific highlights stood out to me. In view of the adjusted plans for the Manti Utah Temple renovation, it is anticipated that the renovation of the Manti temple will only take 18-24 months. So if that process does get underway at the beginning of October 2021, then by either April or October 2023, that temple will be rededicated. That's more accelerated than I thought it would be.
Additionally, Bishop Waddell also noted that, due to discoveries made in the course of temple construction, new methods have been developed to accelerate the building process for temples that are now or may soon be under construction. Citing the Helena Montana Temple as an example, Bishop Waddell further noted that it, and temples of a similar size and floor plan, are anticipated to be completed within 13 months or so of when construction begins.
If that proves true for all temples under 10,000 square feet in area, that in turn changes the potential time-frames whereby several temples of a similar size and design might be completed. It will be interesting to see what unfolds in that respect. My thanks once again to you all.
They are doing some of those new things at Moses Lake, this from Rick's site: Installation of the exterior wall forms for the Moses Lake Washington Temple is moving forward swiftly with the help of an innovative product known as insulated concrete forms (or ICF blocks). The interlocking, stay-in-place forms incorporate insulation, a vapor barrier, and rebar holders for efficient and cost-effective construction.
DeleteWell-spotted, Jim Anderson, and absolutely correct. I was aware of the latest update on the Moses Lake Washington Temple's construction status, but I hadn't necessarily thought to connect the dots between that update and what Bishop Waddell observed about tempksle construction advancements. So thanks for highlighting that here. For the Moses Lake Washington Temple, or others that employ similar methods, I'll be interested to see how that accelerates construction on temples of that size in comparison to the methods used to construct some of the larger temples. Either way, it looks like using some of the simplified time-saving methods could very well change temple construction and how fast and in what order several temples might move towards completion. I look forward to seeing what happens with all of this in the future. Thanks for mentioning that, Jim Andeerson.
Delete