Hello again, everyone! This morning the Church has confirmed the location and preliminary plans for the Yorba Linda California Temple. Let's break down the details. The single-story temple (anticipated to be roughly 30,000 square feet) will rise on a 5.4 acre site on the corners of Osmond Street and Bastanchuury Road. Representatives from the Church will work on the approvals process for that temple alongside government leaders, but this very well could mean another temple that is likely to have a groundbreaking later this year.
With today's announcement, the only US temples announced earlier this year which have not had preliminary information confirmed are the Eugene Oregon and Ephraim Utah Temples, but I imagine word on the locations and preliminary details for thoesse temples will come down the pike at some point between now and the end of this month. In any case, I'd anticipate that the Church will have a very busy second half of 2021.
By way of review, the Church now has 14 temples in the queue which could conceivably have their groundbreakings during the second half of this month. With the information for most US temples being announced in stages, as has been the case lately, that does make it difficult to figure out what the timing of the next announcements (exterior renderings and groundbreaking arrangements) might turn out to be for each of these temples. which in turn will impact the construction time-frames.
Having said that, Iam grateful for the Church's approach here, which has been very measured for the time being, and I look forward to passing something more official on any of those temples along to you all once that is announced. In the meantine I continue to monitor all Church news updates and temple developments and will be sure to bring word of those to you all here as well.
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! The Church News also provided coverage on this morning's announcement of the site location for the Yorba Linda Temple:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2021-07-15/yorba-linda-california-temple-site-announced-219439
A deaf member of the Church is featured in a new Church video describing how she hears the Savior in her own life:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2021-07-15/hear-him-video-jamila-deaf-219292
And the second article in the new four-part Church News series of articles highlighting the importance of concils in the Church has also been published:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2021-07-15/inside-church-headquarters-quorum-of-the-twelve-apostles-218417
In that newest article, the members of the Quorum of the Twelve describe how the weekly meetings with their Quorum members and additional meetings with the First Presidency have enabled the apostles to be united in all decisions that are made at the general level.
Towards the end of that article, the Church News shared the plans for the remaining two articles in that four-part series. One week from today (July 22), the third article will feature insights from the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the female General Officers of the Church on the work of the three main Executive Councils of the Church (Priesthood and Family, Temple and Family History, and Missionary).
While I don't know for sure this will be the case, I am hoping that next week's article will provide specific information about which of these apostles and general officers specifically are serving on each of these Councils. Particularly with the recent confirmation that Elder Uchtdorf has wrapped up a three-year assignment as the Chairman of the Missionary Executive Council, hopefully we may then have verified information on which four members of the Quorum of the Twelve now serve on the Missionary Executive Council.
DeleteAdditionally, the latest information we had on the Temple and Family History Executive Council was that Elder Bednar was serving as the Chair thereof, with Elders Stevenson and Renlund assigned as members of that Council. And the latest confirmation we had about the Priesthood and Family Executive Council showed that Elder Cook chaired that Council, with Elder Gong being another member thereof.
We also know, as a result of President Nelson's remarks from the Salt Lake Temple annex on January 16, 2018 that apostolic assignments are periodically rotated so that by the time any apostle moves from the least senior chair to the senior chair (President of the Church), they will have had decades of experience with various Church councils and committees.
Further, it has traditionally been the 5 or 6 senior members of the Twelve usually chair each of the three main Executive Councils. With Elder Uchtdorf having concluded his service of chairing the Missionary Executive Council, it's my feeling he may be reassigned to chair the Temple and Family History Executive Council. If that proves correct, then Elder Bednar, as the outgoing chair thereof, may be reassigned to chair the Priesthood and Family Executive Council. Elder Cook, who has chaired that Council, may have been reassigned to chair the Missionary Executive Council.
Next week's article will confirm or correct all of that, while hopefully shedding light on which apostles and which female General Officers are now serving on each Council. Meanwhile, the series will wrap up with the fourth article the following week (July 29), with an article featuring counsel from apostles and other general Church leaders demonstrating how the work of the general councils of the Church can then in turn be applied to councils at the stake, ward, and family level.
DeleteWhile I was putting together my thoughts for each of the comments shared on this thread, the Church News also noted that 9 women have been called to serve on the Primary General Advisory Council (formerly known as the Primary General Board):
https://www.thechurchnews.com/callings/2021-07-15/9-new-members-of-primary-general-advisory-council-218844
My thanks once again to you all.
And more than two months after the biographies for most other new temple leaders have been provided, a new article today shares that the first president has been called for the Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire Temple:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/callings/2021-07-15/new-temple-leaders-called-to-serve-in-ivory-coast-218982
It was interesting to me to realize that the Abidjan Temple is anticipated to be one of the last ones completed sometime next year. That was especially true since the Quito Ecuador Temple looks most likely to be the next new temple to be dedicated following the Pocatello Idaho Temple, but the first president of that temple has not yet been announced.
Today's announcement means that up to 5 currently-operating temples will see new presidents announced, while up to 6 new temples of the Church are anticipated to be dedicated within the next 6-18 months or so.
Meanwhile, the list of temples for which a new president has been called has now reached a total of 60. I look forward to seeing how the rest of the year turns out in terms of new temple president announcements. My thank once again to you all.
Elder Cook is the new chair of the missionary executive council
ReplyDeleteMichael, I thought that was the case. Curiosity question: where did you find that information? I'm sure that many of my readers would be interested in that.
DeleteDo you also have any information on the other members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are serving with Elder Cook on that Council? Thanks for stopping by to share that.
Since it appears that I was correct in terms of Elder Cook succeeding Elder Uchtdorf, that might also mean I may be correct that Elder Uchtdorf has replaced Elder Bednar as Chair of the Temple and Family History Executive Council. And if that's correct, I imagine Elder Bednar has succeeded Elder Cook as Chair of the Priesthood and Family Executive Council.
So, Michael, any additional information you can give me on how you found out about Elder Cook's assignment would be appreciated. Thanks for stopping by to share that. I always appreciate hearing from you.
Hello again, everyone! Today, the Church News reported the biographies of another new couple who will serve as mission leaders this year:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/callings/2021-07-16/read-about-these-new-mission-leaders-called-to-serve-in-washington-219387
Their service is set to begin on August 1, but they got word of their new assignment in enough time to participate in the recent Mission Leadership Seminar. The couple they are being sent to replace will apparently stick around until August 1 when the transition from that couple to the new couple will go into effect. As some of you might recall, Brother Jeff M. Simpson and his wife had been featured in a January article from the Church News as the new leaders for the Washington Yakima Mission:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/callings/2021-01-23/mission-presidents-companions-leadership-16-nigeria-california-washington-mexico-boston-202085
But, as a Newsroom article subsequently noted, at the request of the First Presidency, Brother Simpson accepted a different assignment, that of managing director for BYU Broadcasting:
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/byu-broadcasting-new-director
So that's why a different couple has now been announced to lead the Washington Yakima Mission. The new incoming president currently serves as a ward mission leader and had previously been a counselor in the stake presidency. He and his wife have also served separately and together in a variety of other assignments. Additional updates will follow in another new comment below. My thanks once again to you all.
Hello again, everyone! The Newsroom and the Church News have both reported updates on the renovation process for the Salt Lake Temple:
ReplyDeletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/temple-square-renovation-project-update--july-2021
https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2021-07-16/temple-square-renovation-july-update-219617
Meanwhile, the Church News has shared a report on the status of Latter-day Saints in Haiti, who are currently grappling with the assassination of their nation’s president. Elder Jose L. Alonso, who currently serves as the president of the Caribbean Area and will transition on August 1 to assignments at Church headquarters (including serving as Second Counselor in the North America Southwest Area), shared insights on how Church members in Haiti are responding to that unpleasant development. In the article, he gave particular credit to two area seventies who have provided invaluable service in ministering to the congregations impacted by that issue:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2021-07-16/haiti-caribbean-unrest-temple-latter-day-saints-faith-219591
And the Church News also shared the biographies of the new leaders who will assume oversight of the Washington Yakima Mission on August 1:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/callings/2021-07-16/read-about-these-new-mission-leaders-called-to-serve-in-washington-219387
The new president is currently his ward’s mission leader who also recently served as a stake presidency counselor, but he and his wife have both served separately and together in a variety of assignments, and he and his wife apparently got that assignment in enough time to allow them to participate in the recent Seminar for New Mission leaders.
As some of you might recall, Brother Jeff M. Simpson and his wife had originally been announced as the new leaders of that mission through an article published in January:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/callings/2021-01-23/mission-presidents-companions-leadership-16-nigeria-california-washington-mexico-boston-202085
But subsequently, with the call of Elder Michael A. Dunn as a General Authority Seventy, a replacement was needed to fill his role as Managing Director of BYU broadcasting. In June, the First Presidency invited Brother Simpson to fill Elder Dunn’s former role, instead of serving as a mission president as previously assigned:
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/byu-broadcasting-new-director
That’s why new leaders were called to replace the current leaders, who will extend that assignment for one month so that the new mission leaders can transition into that assignment on August 1.
One other note: As I mentioned previously, the Church Temples site reports that a groundbreaking for the Lindon Utah Temple is not anticipated to occur until sometime next year. The likely reason why that might not happen sooner than that is because the Lindon temple is another that will have two baptistries, which means the approvals process might take slightly longer:
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/lindon-utah-temple/
So that means I may have to revisit my estimates for potential time-frames in which temple groundbreakings might occur. I will present any adjustments that are needed as I’m able to figure that out. In the meantime, I still work as I can on my revised predictions for the October 2021 General Conference, and I hope to have those revisions posted here sometime before the end of this month. In the meantime, my thanks once again to you all.
The Church Temples site has confirmed something I had suspected. As we know, in early May, the First Presidency announced that the Salvador Brazil Temple would have a groundbreaking sometime in August:
Deletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/groundbreaking-date-announced-for-salvador-brazil-temple
No specific date was mentioned in conjunction with that announcement, nor has anything official been clarified by the Church on that. But at some point in the last day or so, the Church Temples site has noted an exact date for that temple's groundbreaking. When the groundbreaking announcement was first made, it had occurred to me to wonder if it would take place on the first Saturday in August. And the recent update on that temple notes that the groundbreaking is set to take place on that date (Saturday August 7):
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/salvador-brazil-temple/
And the Church has also been able to announce specific dates for other temple groundbreakings, which I assume will continue to be the case. As another note of information that might be of interest to you all, with 4 temple groundbreakings having already occurred this year, and three more scheduled, the Church will have broken ground for 7 temples by the second Sunday in September. That will put the Church exact equal to the pace kept last year for temple groundbreakings. While I'm not sure how many other groundbreakings might be able to occur in August and September (if any), I anticipate that the last 3-4 months of this year might be fairly busy again in that regard. Right now, there are as many as 13 temples which could feasibly have groundbreakings in the final months of this year.
And that's not accounting for any that may unexpectedly move up on the list. With all of that in mind, I am more certain that ever that the Church will easily surpass the 21 groundbreakings held last year by the end of this year. My thanks once again to you all.
Hello again, everyone! I have new updates to report on several temples: Pocatello Idaho, Yigo Guam, Praia Cabo Verde, Layton Utah, Moses Lake Washington, Taylorsville, Deseret Peak, Syracuse, St. George, and Salt Lake (the final 5 of which are all in Utah). The updates on these 9 temples can be found on the following pages:
Deletehttps://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/pocatello-idaho-temple/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/yigo-guam-temple/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/praia-cabo-verde-temple/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/layton-utah-temple/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/moses-lake-washington-temple/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/taylorsville-utah-temple/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/deseret-peak-utah-temple/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/syracuse-utah-temple/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/st.-george-utah-temple/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/salt-lake-temple/
My thanks once again to you all.
The latest edition of “This Week on Social” was apparently published around 4 hours ago:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2021-07-16/social-media-church-leaders-scriptures-savior-temples-219654
The newest installment in that ongoing series featured posts from the following apostles: Elders D. Todd Christofferson, Neil L. Andersen, Gerrit W. Gong and Ulisses Soares, all of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; and the following General Officers of the Church: Sister Michelle D. Craig, First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency; Sunday School General President Brother Mark L. Pace and his Second Counselor, Brother Jan E. Newman; and Brother Bradley R. (Brad) Wilcox, Second Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency.
My thanks once again to you all.
On this Saturday, the Church News has provided a look at service projects being done by Church members and Church partners in the Pacific Area:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2021-07-17/pacific-area-latter-day-saints-serving-communities-219182
That article in turn linked to several recent articles featured on the Pacific Newsroom page:
https://news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/blankets-for-new-mothers-given-with-love
https://news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/volunteers-plant-600-trees-in-auckland-park
https://news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/as-temperatures-drop-church-donates-new-winter-pyjamas-for-kiwi-kids
https://news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/church-donated-computers-help-blind-and-visually-impaired-individuals-in-french-polynesia
And today, the Church News also shared the following article to introduce Sister Amy A. Wright, who was called in April to serve as the new Second Counselor in the Primary General Presidency:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2021-07-17/sister-amy-wright-primary-second-counselor-cancer-battle-218820
With the publication of that article, the Church News has now featured every new leader called to general service in April. So unless subsequent articles are published about Elders Paul V. Johnson and S. Mark Palmer, who will begin serving in the Presidency of the Seventy on Sunday August 1, I'm assuming there won't be any other articles on that subject. My thanks once again to you all.
The Church News has also shared the new message that will be given during tomorrow's hybrid broadcast of "Music & the Spoken Word":
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2021-07-17/music-and-the-spoken-word-persevere-with-hope-219420
My thanks once again to you all.
And the Church News has also provided a summary of the funeral services held today for Elder Rex D. Pinegar, an emeritus General Authority Seventy:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2021-07-17/elder-rex-pinegar-funeral-seventy-christofferson-first-presidency-navy-219696
My thanks once again to you all.
Hello again, everyone! On this Sabbath Day, the Church News has shared the following additional reports:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2021-07-18/temple-reopening-phases-charts-status-219729
https://www.thechurchnews.com/history-revisited/2021-07-18/mormon-battalion-175-anniversary-mustering-relevant-219335
https://www.thechurchnews.com/callings/2021-07-18/9-new-and-reorganized-stake-presidencies-zimbabwe-michigan-indiana-philippines-georgia-brazil-korea-217314
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2021-07-18/week-in-review-president-ballard-councils-primary-general-advisory-council-temples-prophets-pillars-haiti-219652
https://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2021-07-18/latter-day-saint-charities-type-2-diabetes-kiribati-garden-project-219645
And updates have been provided on the following temples: Pocatello Idaho, Yigo Guam, Praia Cabo Verde, Lima Peru Los Olivos:
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/pocatello-idaho-temple/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/yigo-guam-temple/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/praia-cabo-verde-temple/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/lima-peru-los-olivos-temple/
Quick sidenote on the Yigo Guam update. Since the temple president and matron have arrived in Yigo, we might be able to safely assume that the dedication of that temple will either take place just prior to the end of this year, or else in mid-January following the observance of Christmas and New Year’s celebrations. It may also be worth noting that, even though the Quito Ecuador Temple is almost completed as well, the Church has not yet announced the information on the first president and matron who will serve therein. Hopefully opening dates for Quito and Yigo will be announced soon, and the leaders of the Quito Ecuador Temple will be identified as well.
My thanks once again to you all.
Hello again, everyone! As we begin another new week of coverage of major Church news and temple developments, the Church News has featured an article written by Sister Michelle D. Craig, First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency, and Brother Bradley R. (Brad) Wilcox, Second Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency. The article provides counsel to those who have been called as advisers to Aaronic Priesthood Quorums and Young Women classes:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2021-07-19/youth-advisers-children-and-youth-program-bishops-219346
And the Newsroom has reported on the efforts of the Church to assess conditions and offer assistance to those in Germany who have been widely impacted by the recent massive flooding:
https://news-ie.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/lending-assistance-to-flood-victims-in-europe
A few more temple construction updates have also been noted today. A new report from the Church Temples site indicates that, just over three weeks following its groundbreaking, work has begun to clear the site for the Helena Montana Temple:
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/helena-montana-temple/
As I have previously mentioned, that temple is anticipated to be the first to use prefabricated modular components that are assembled elsewhere, then brought to the temple site for formal placement there. More information on how that will work can be found in the following article:
http://www.thisweekinmormons.com/2021/05/prefabricated-modular-temples-how-a-new-method-could-accelerate-temple-construction/
Since several key components of these modular temples are assembled elsewhere before being brought to the sites to be put into place, that cuts the anticipated duration of construction from 18-24 months (which has typically been the timeframe for temples of that size) down to 12-15 months. So there is a possibility that work could wrap up on the Helena Montana Temple by either October or November of next year, with a dedication following either before the end of 2022, or in the early months of 2023.
Right now, given what is and is not known specifically about the new modular methods, the Church Temples site has offered a general completion estimate of late 2022-early 2023, and the Helena temple is listed between the Feather River California and Lima Peru Los Olivos Temples in the queue. But I would not in any way be surprised if, in the course of the construction process, the new modular design speeds up that process in a way that might allow the Helena Montana Temple to be dedicated in September or October of next year.
It is also worth noting that apparently the Church may be using the temple in Helena Montana Temple as a kind of “test case” to see how quickly approvals and construction goes. I would anticipate that any other temples in the United States (along with perhaps a few of their international counterparts) which are of a similar or identical size (the Helena Montana Temple is anticipated to be roughly 10.000 square feet in area) may use the modular design going forward.
So whenever a rendering and groundbreaking for the Casper Wyoming and Elko Nevada Temples are announced, I anticipate that both will be a similar design to Helena. And if that method works well in the United States, I could see it potentially expanded to international temples of a similar size. Depending on what the Church determines, there may also be a possibility that temples of a larger size in some areas could also use the modular design, with a slightly-larger size of modular components used. It will be interesting to see what happens there.
The only other temple update I have (for now) relates to the status of the Red Cliffs Utah Temple:
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/red-cliffs-utah-temple/
My thanks once again to you all.
As I've mentioned in previous comments here, the Church News has taken the opportunity each month to look back on temple dedications or rededications which have previously occurred during that same month in previous years. Today, the Church News shared information about temples dedicated or rededicated in July in the past:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2021-07-19/july-temple-dedication-anniversaries-merida-veracruz-mexico-monticello-sweden-oklahoma-baton-rouge-219686
My thanks once again to you all.
And the Church News has shared information about some of the recent Pioneer Day concerts, which can be viewed again online in absence of a new one this year:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2021-07-19/tabernacle-choir-pioneer-day-concert-youtube-pandemic-219791
My thanks once again to you all.