Hello again, everyone! On the heels of yesterday's announcement about the Willamette Valley Oregon Temple, more breaking temple news has been shared this morning. The Church has officially set a groundbreaking date for the Casper Wyoming Temple. The Church has set that event to occur on Saturday October 9, coinciding with both the Saturday following General Conference and the same date previously announced for the groundbreaking ceremony of the Pago Pago American Samoa Temple.
And it appears that the city of Casper is actually 5 hours ahead of Pago Pago American Samoa, which means if both temple groundbreakings occur at the same time of day, Casper would actually be the first of the two to have a groundbreaking. Elder S. Gifford Nielsen, who serves as the president of the North America Central Area of the Church, will preside at the groundbreaking for Wyoming's second temple.
It's also worth noting that the Church has not yet released a rendering for the Casper Wyoming Temple, but that was apparently not enough of a reason for the Church to delay the Casper groundbreaking any further. If I am correct, and if this temple does have a similar or identical design as the Helena Montana Temple, then we have some idea of what Casper will look like.
On my end, I am personally grateful that my hunch proved correct. In my post from yesterday about Oregon's newest temple, I had mentioned the theory from the Church Growth Blog that temples of a similar size and design as Helena would be delayed until Helena was further along, so that the Church could ensure that the "test case" in Helena was fully working as a faster way to build temples. I am grateful the Lord has proven otherwise today.
And it gives me hope that within the next week or two, we might also see a similar announcement (a groundbreaking scheduled) for the Elko Nevada Temple( sooner rather than later. In the meantime, the fact that the Church is moving forward on the Casper Wyoming Temple also gives me hope that other North American temples that have had preliminary information anonunced would be able to also see a groundbreaking sooner rather than later.
In the meantime, this development was also covered by the Church News not long after the Newsroom announcement was made. I am more certain than ever that the final four months of this year will be chock full of temple announcements. I continue to monitor all such developments and remain committed to bringing you word thereof as all Church news updates or temple developments are shared.
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! Despite my noting in my post above that the exterior rendering for the Casper Wyoming Temple had not yet been released, at some point this afternoon or evening, that changed. The Newsroom article has been updated to show a rendering for that temple now:
ReplyDeletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/groundbreaking-date-set-for-the-casper-wyoming-temple
The design is reminiscent to me of the Helena Montana Temple, although there are some design elements relating to the rendering that remind me of at least a couple of temples for which groundbreakings occurred last year. My thanks once again to you all.
I'm back again now with some additional updates from the Newsroom and the Church News. The first several updates speak for themselves:
Deletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/beneficiaries-of-church-s-transitional-services-initiative-receive-care-counsel-and-connections-to-rebuild-their-lives
https://www.thechurchnews.com/history-revisited/2021-09-03/face-to-face-events-topics-audiences-locations-international-reach-221591
https://www.thechurchnews.com/history-revisited/2021-09-03/face-to-face-events-timeline-videos-summaries-221602
https://www.thechurchnews.com/history-revisited/2021-09-03/face-to-face-events-timeline-videos-summaries-221602
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2021-09-03/lds-paralympians-day-10-sitting-volleyball-bronze-goalball-archery-swimming-224226
I have one other Church News update, which requires additional context, so I will share that update in a new comment shortly. My thanks once again to you all.
The update to which I alluded at the end of my previous comment was the latest published edition of "This Week on Social":
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2021-09-03/social-media-craig-porter-service-seeing-deeply-224265
Oddly enough, that edition was much shorter than I thought it would be, and only featured two posts: one from Sister Michelle D. Craig, First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency; and the other from Sister Susan H. Porter, First Counselor in the Primary General Presidency. My thanks once again to you all.
Hello again, everyone! The Church News has provided the following updates, which speak for themselves:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2021-09-04/music-and-the-spoken-word-the-labor-love-224266
https://www.thechurchnews.com/history-revisited/2021-09-04/elder-davies-sikahema-philadelphia-pennsylvania-temple-site-224292
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2021-09-04/sister-to-sister-series-church-magazines-224031
And I had failed to mention one additional article which was published by the Newsroom yesterday, just before the announcement about the groundbreaking for the Casper Wyoming Temple:
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/beneficiaries-of-church-s-transitional-services-initiative-receive-care-counsel-and-connections-to-rebuild-their-lives
Additionally, new updates are available on the construction process for the Layton and Taylorsville Utah Temples:
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/layton-utah-temple/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/taylorsville-utah-temple/
My thanks once again to you all.
Although only 3 days have come and gone since the Church announced the death of Elder Dean M. Davies, funeral services for him were held earlier today. Church President Russell M. Nelson presided over and spoke during the funeral, as did each of his counselors, Presidents Dallin H. Oaks and Henry B. Eyring. Also in attendance were several members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and other leaders serving in the Presidency of the Seventy, as General Authority Seventies, and from the Presiding Bishopric as well as a few of the Church's General Officers as well.
DeleteAside from the First Presidency, others invited to speak during the funeral included Presiding Bishop Gerald Causse and Elder Patrick Kearon, the Senior President of the Seventy, who read a letter written by the First Presidency to the widow, children, and grandchilder of Elder Davies. Each of Elder and Sister Davies' five children offered remarks honoring the life and legacy of their father ax well. You can find that report in the following article from the Church News:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2021-09-04/elder-davies-funeral-president-nelson-224373
My thanks once again to you all.
The Newsroom also provided coverage on Elder Davies' funeral services:
Deletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/elder-dean-m-davies-funeral
And the Church News has shared the latest report on "Latter-day Saints in the Paralympics":
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2021-09-04/lds-paralympians-day-11-sitting-volleyball-archery-224357
My thanks once again to you all.
Hello again, everyone! On this Sabbath Day, the Church News has provided the following additional reports:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/callings/2021-09-05/16-new-stake-presidencies-recently-called-to-serve-philippines-colombia-canada-new-zealand-india-argentina-mexico-224215
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2021-09-05/drought-utah-welfare-church-ranches-farms-miracles-223727
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2021-09-05/sarah-jane-weaver-what-a-1924-prophecy-teaches-about-prophets-today-224041
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2021-09-05/week-in-review-president-nelson-honors-elder-davies-life-of-president-ballard-bednar-mtc-224404
There may also be some temple updates to pass along as well. If there are any, I will share the relevant ones shortly. For now, my thanks once again to you all.
As it turns out, I only actually have one temple update to pass along. New photographs featured in the gallery for the Salvador Brazil Temple were taken and published just yesterday. The photographs appear to show that site clearing and leveling is underway, or will get underway within the next week. So I'm hopeful that the Church will be able to get that temple out of the "Full-scale construction pending" status. Parenthetically, I should also note that I have similar hopes for the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple to begin full-scale construction soon, but that I do not have any evidence to support that hope for the time being. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteHello again, everyone! As the United States observes the Labor Day holiday, the Church News has shared two new reports:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2021-09-05/drought-utah-welfare-church-ranches-farms-miracles-223727
https://www.thechurchnews.com/history-revisited/2021-09-06/september-11th-20th-anniversary-church-news-reflections-223857
If there are any additional updates from the Church News, the Newsroom, or in relation to temple construction, I will do my best to pass those along to you all here later today as I become aware thereof. In the meantime, it's worth noting that, aside from the weekly temple reopening updates and the Church News podcast episode (with those developments anticipated to be shared tomorrow as usual, I will also be covering Elder Quentin L. Cook's 81st birthday on Wednesday, and the 97th birthday of our beloved prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, on Thursday.
As I've also previously mentioned, I think we might soon see reopening arrangements announced for the Tokyo Japan and Hamilton New Zealand Temples, and also perhaps the opening dates for the Yigo Guam and Quito Ecuador Temple. Aside from any COVID-19 conditions that cause delays in the scheduling or the details of any of these temples, the one other unknown is how soon the Church might announce the first president and matron for the Quito Ecuador Temple.
Aside from the upcoming apostolic birthdays and any announcement of opening or reopening arrangements for any of the four temples I mentioned above, it seems likely that official initial details might be announced within the next week or two for the Ephraim Utah Temple.
And it does not seem to be a stretch to believe that groundbreakings could be announced in the near future for the Port Moresby Papua New Guinea, Willamette Valley Oregon, Bahia Blanca Argentina, and Elko Nevada Temples at minimum.
So I have no doubts that several major temple-related announcements might soon come down the pike. I will do my best to track and pass along these updates as they are announed. For now, my thanks once again to you all.
The Newsroom has shared the following report:
Deletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/coordinated-response-by-the-thousands-for-hurricane-ida-victims
And the Church News published an article recapping the sucess of Latter-day Saints in the Paralympics, which wrapped up yesterday with the closing ceremony:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2021-09-06/lds-paralympians-3-medals-records-2020-paralympics-tokyo-224442
To review any Church News coverage of the Olympics/Paralympics, there is the following special section on the hurch News website:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/category/olympics
My thanks once again to you all.
The Church News highlighted the same Newsroom report I shared in my last comment:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2021-09-06/helping-hands-serving-hurricane-ida-victims-louisiana-224463
My thanks once again to you all.
With the re-announcement of dedication dates for the Winnipeg Temple, I was wondering if you have any information about who will preside at that dedication. Prior to the COVID postponement, it was to be Elder Gong, and if that is still to be the case, that will leave Elder Stevenson as the only current apostle who has not presided at a temple dedication or re-dedication. I predict that Elder Stevenson’s first temple dedication will be the re-dedication of the Tokyo Temple. Your thoughts?
ReplyDeleteHello, Steve. Thanks for stopping by to comment. If you go back and read the announcement on the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple more closely, you'll find that the Church has already confirmed that Elder Gong will preside at that dedication as was previously announced.
DeleteAs to your question about Elder Stevenson possibly rededicating the Tokyo Japan Temple, if you go back and review the temple rededications in 2019, you'll find that Elder D. Todd Christofferson was the most junior apostle to preside at a rededication that year.
So that leads me to conclude that Elder Christofferson, as the junior member of the senior half of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, will be the. most junior apostle assigned to preside at a temple dedication. That opinion is further solidified by the recent confirmation that President Oaks will preside at the December dedication for the Mesa Arizona Temple.
Aside from that, if you look back at temple dedications from 2019 onward, you'll find that not all of them were dedicated by an apostle with personal connections to the area.
That being said, in view of Elder Stevenson's connections to the Asia areas of the Church, I think he'll be sent to dedicate the Yigo Guam Temple, which is part of the Asia North Area, to which he does have particular ties Thanks for stopping by to ask about this. I appreciate hearing from you.
Sorry, quick correction. When I referred to Elder D. Todd Christofferson being the most junior apostle to preside over a temple dedication, what I meant to say was he was the most junior of the senior half of the Quorum to preside over a temple rededication. I have not yet seen any evidence to suggest that anyone in the jnior half of that Quorum will be sent to rededicate a temple, and that is why I am surmising that Elder Stevenson may be given the assignment to dedicate a new temple, rather than rededicating a newly-renovated one.
DeleteRight now, there is no evidence to suggest that the jnior apostles might be given that opportunity. But if/when that happens, that will set a precedent for that question, which does not currently exist. So I think that Elder Stevenson will have his chance to dedicate a temple whenever the dedication for the Yigo Guam temple is set. But if further announcements do note that the junior apostles will have a role in rededicating temples, that will set the precedence. As a sidenote, I also believe the Church might have an easier time setting the opening arrangements for the Quito Ecuador Temple. along with the Rio de Janeiro and Belem Brazil Temples when that time comes if the Church specifically sends out the native Brazilian apostle to take care of those. But the Lord has been known to surprise us in the past, so I'm sure He will continue to do that going forward. Thanks again for the question, Steve. I appreciate hearing from you.
Hello again, everyone! I have some late updates on the two temples that are preparing for their open houses and dedications (Winnipeg Manitoba and Pocatello Idaho):
ReplyDeletehttps://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/winnipeg-manitoba-temple/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/pocatello-idaho-temple/
I just wanted to interject here that I have two new posts set to be publihed in honor of Elder Cook's 81st birthday (September 8) and the 97th birthday of our prophet, President Nelson (September 9). I am not sure whether any additional breaking news might be published this week, but if there are any such developments, I will be sure to provide coverage on those. For now, my thanks once again to you all.