Hello again, everyone! Several weeks after the December 28 on temple reopenings, one major update has been announced today. In addition to the updated Church News article, the Newsroom has also shared the updates, which are likewise reflected in the temple reopening status tracker. This post will explore that update and what that means for temples worldwide.
This week's major update is that the San Jose Costa Rica Temple, which moved to phase 2-B earlier this month, will transition to phase 3 as soon as next Tuesday (February 1). As a result of this change, 167 of the Church's 170 temples will be in phase 3, which allows those temples to provide living ordinances in priority order and limited proxy work as scheduled.
The Church News incorrectly notes that 166 of the 170 temples are open, but that article failed to take the situation of the Medford Oregon Temple into account. That requires some additional context: The Church News incorrectly lists the Medford Oregon Temple in phase 2-B, but that is not technically correct. That temple, originally announced to transition to phase 3 in August, closed not long after its' anticipated phase 3 transition for what the Church News incorrectly terms "extended maintenance", while the Newsroom and the Church's official page for that temple indicate it is closed for renovation.
As recently mentioned, the temple's renovation may be minor, with the labor carried out by Church members rather than a construction crew including friends of other faiths, so there may be no need for the Church to publicly or privately rededicate that temple. That being said, the page for Medford also indicates that the temple has been granted a phase 3 designation, which allows those in the Medford temple district to schedule living ordinances and proxy work at the nearest temples open in phase 3.
That's an update we haven't had before. As a result, while the Church News asserts that 97.6% of temples are in phase 3, the correct percentage should be 98.2%.No temples have currently transitioned to phase 4 (a full return to regular operations). But the good news is that, as COVID-19 conditions inprove in various parts of the world, the number of appointments scheduled for proxy work is gradually going to be able to increase.
As a result of this transition for the San Jose Costa Rica Temple, that leaves 2 temples in phase 2-B, which allows living ordinances in priority order and proxy baptisms. So that means that, with all but 1 temple (Suva Fiji) offering limited proxy work, 99.4% of those 170 temples are now in phase 2-B or phase 3. So while the Church News incorrectly notes that 3 temples are in phase 2-B, there are only 2 temples still in phase 2-B: Barranquilla Colombia and Seoul Korea (neither of which have been announced for a phase 3 reopening in the near term).
So this means that 9 temples are closed for renovation, with all 9 granted phase 3 status. 1 has been "paused" in phase 3, with 1 more in phase 1, and 0 in phase 2. With 2 temples in phase 2-B, the remaining 158 are in phase 3. I continue to be impressed by the inspired way in which the Church cautiously coordinates temple reopenings. The announcements on that, which may now come more sporadically than they have in the past, are wonderful to hear, and I'm grateful to have passed this news on to you all here.
For my part, I continue to monitor all other major Church news updates and temple developments and will do my best 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.
The Church News podcast today featured a virtual visit between Church News editor Sister Sarah Jane Weaver and Sister Wendy W. Nelson, wife of Church President Russell M. Nelson, who reflected on her experience of being the wife of the prophet in the last 4 years, where so much has changed for the Church and for the world:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/podcast/2022-01-25/sister-wendy-nelson-church-news-podcast-president-nelson-four-years-prophet-240778
And the following additional reports speak for themselves:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-01-25/week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-philippines-elder-bangerter-240694
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-01-25/president-bingham-ensign-college-devotional-build-foundation-in-christ-240768
https://www.thechurchnews.com/history-revisited/2022-01-25/joseph-smith-papers-revelations-translations-vol-5-original-book-of-mormon-manuscript-240902
And the Newsroom has shared the following two reports:
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/president-bingham-shares-the-antidote-to-the-unique-anxieties-of-this-era
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/joseph-smith-papers-original-book-of-mormon-manuscript
My thanks once again to you all.
The following additional Church News update was shared:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-01-25/president-nelson-lauds-new-volume-of-joseph-smith-papers-project-images-of-original-book-of-mormon-manuscript-240954
And the Newsroom has shared one new report as well:
https://news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/volcano-erupts-in-tonga-triggering-tsunami-waves-flooding-and-falling-ash
Additionally, as reported by the Church Temples site, the Helena Montana Temple has officially moved ahead of the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple, and is set for a completion window of mid-2022, with Saratoga Springs still listed for completion in mid-to-late 2022. As I have mentioned in the recent past, we may only see the dedications of the Quito Ecuador, Praia Cabo Verde, Belem Brazil, and San Juan Puerto Rico Temples in the first half of this year. But beginning in August of this year, and continuing for the foreseeable future, we could see 2-3 temple dedications per month. My thanks once again to you all.
Hello again, everyone! The Newsroom has shared two new updates:
Deletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/finding-strength-in-the-lord-through-emotional-resilience-training
https://news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/volcano-erupts-in-tonga-triggering-tsunami-waves-flooding-and-falling-ash
The Church News, meanwhile, has shared several more reports as well:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2022-01-26/azumah-nelson-african-boxer-rootstech-keynote-speaker-241009
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2022-01-26/emotional-resilience-course-help-with-anxiety-stress-depression-240914
https://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2022-01-26/gambia-presidential-inauguration-west-africa-area-presidency-240889
The above article shares a quote from one of the Malawi government officials who has oversight for a few things, including religion. That quote indicates that the Malawi government will welcome the Church’s presence in their nation, and will help facilitate the process of expanding the Church therein. Since Malawi falls within the Africa West Area, either Elder Soares (who most recently had confirmed oversight of the Africa West Area) or his apostolic colleague who now has oversight of that area, might be sent to dedicate that antion for the preaching of the gospel. Very exciting news!
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-01-26/inside-church-headquarters-videos-about-councils-237273
And an update has been provided on the Bentonville Arkansas Temple:
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/bentonville-arkansas-temple/
My thanks once again to you all.
Hello again, everyone! The Church News has reported the following development:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-01-27/olivia-moultrie-video-soccer-faith-and-the-goal-portland-thorns-241063
Additionally, the following announcement (and supporting resources) indicate that all new CES hires will be required to hold and remain worthy to hold a temple recommend, in addition to (where applicable) adhering to the BYU Honor Code:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2022-01-27/changes-to-church-educational-system-hiring-standards-temple-recommends-241090
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/church-educational-system-employment-standards-refinements
https://news.byu.edu/announcements/church-educational-system-announces-refinements-to-employment-standards
https://hrs.byu.edu/byu-employment-standard
In my opinion, this adjustment is long overdue. And I would certainly hope that anyone employed by the Church Educational System would make an effort to meet the new standard. I also like the fact that the news releases and other resources mentioned this was an adjustment to specifically ensure that CES employees were adhering to the counsel of Church President Russell M. Nelson, who, in last October's General Conference, urged Church members and friends of other faiths to strengthen our spiritual foundation.
My thanks once again to you all.
The Church News has provided the following additional reports:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-01-27/tom-holmoe-liz-darger-byu-sports-honor-code-student-athletes-240810
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-01-27/portland-oregon-justserve-interfaith-trash-pickup-latter-day-saints-muslims-240493
My thanks once again to you all.
Here is one additional report from the Newsroom:
Deletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/food-donations-for-local-charities-received-by-missouri-governor
My thanks once again to you all.