Hello again, everyone! On the heels of yesterday's announcement that the number of temples in Phase 4 was almost doubling, I am stunned and thrilled to be posting with yet another update: A new announcement made this afternoon indicates that more temples have been set to start transitioning to Phase 4. The latest changes are also outlined in the newly-updated status tracker. With that said, let's get to the details of today's unexpected additional update:
11 more temples began that transition as of today. The temples in question are: Calgary and Edmonton Alberta; Baton Rouge Louisiana; Detroit Michigan; Johannesburg South Africa; Palmyra New York; Philadelphia Pennsylvania; Regina Saskatchewan; Toronto Ontario; Vancouver British Columbia; and Winnipeg Manitoba.
As a result of today's announcement the reopening status for each of our current temples breaks down as follows: 8 are closed for major renovations (all of which have been designated a phase 3 status, allowing patrons within those districts to schedule living and proxy work at temples closest to them); 1 (Kyiv Ukraine) continues to have operations paused/suspended; 1 more is in phase 1; and with 0 in either phases 2 or 2-B, that leaves 77 temples in phase 3, and the remaining 83 in phase 4.
Although this announcement was unexpected today, I am grateful to have been able to learn about this and to pass the information along to you all here. I continue to monitor all Church news updates and temple developments and will do my best to pass all such updates along as I learn about them. In the meantime, 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 feedback offered is consistent with the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 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 has shared the following additional updates:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-04-20/ensign-college-president-kusch-devotional-prophet-nelson-pattern-teaching-questions-comfort-spiritual-vision-251254
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-04-20/byu-idaho-devotional-president-henry-j-eyring-pandemic-lessons-exodus-promised-land-new-semester-251428
My thanks once again to you all.
The Church News has shared the following updates:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/church-news-videos/2022-04-21/video-how-temple-visitors-are-finding-stillness-peace-in-the-nations-capital-251461
https://www.thechurchnews.com/history-revisited/2022-04-21/kanesville-tabernacle-iowa-changing-memorial-garden-brigham-young-mormon-battalion-oliver-cowdery-winter-quarters-251112
And the Newsroom has published one additional report:
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/president-camille-johnson-addresses-religious-freedom-symposium-iowa
My thanks once again to you all.
And here is a report from the Pacific Newsroom page:
Deletehttps://news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/personal-stories-about-hamilton-new-zealand-temple-appear-after-rededication-announcement
My thanks once again to you all.
Here are two more Church News updates:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-04-21/byu-graduation-elder-mark-palmer-presidency-seventy-president-kevin-worthen-251450
https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2022-04-21/elder-bednar-writes-about-the-washington-d-c-temple-answers-questions-about-why-it-exists-251501
My thanks once again to you all.
The last article I posted contained a link to the article Elder Bednar authored about the temple. Here is that article:
Deletehttps://medium.com/@Ch_JesusChrist/my-answers-to-three-questions-about-the-washington-d-c-temple-on-the-capital-beltway-b418d9af95
My thanks once again to you all.
And here is an article about the latest edition of "Saints", which is now available in print and online:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/history-revisited/2022-04-21/saints-volume-3-shares-hope-faith-through-pandemic-wars-and-challenges-251089
And here are two new reports from the Newsroom:
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/church-refugees-europe
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/dc-temple-open-house-continues
My thanks once again to you all.
Here is one more report from the Church News:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2022-04-21/welcoming-traditional-and-social-media-to-the-washington-dc-temple-251549
My thanks once again to you all.
On this Friday, the Church News has shared the following additional reports:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-04-22/iowa-drake-university-religious-freedom-to-serve-symposium-charities-volunteers-help-relieve-suffering-in-communities-globally-251208
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-04-22/tabernacle-choir-creates-new-managing-director-position-251657
https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2022-04-22/washington-dc-temple-what-those-who-visit-are-saying-251597
The Newsroom also shared a report on the recent release of "Saints: Volume 3":
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/saints-volume-3
And the latest edition of "This Week on Social" was also published:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-04-22/social-media-elder-bednar-elder-gong-washington-dc-temple-open-house-religious-freedom-251641
The newest article in that ongoing series featured posts from the following general leaders of the Church: Elders David A. Bednar (from whom 4 posts were shared) and Gerrit W. Gong (from whom 3 posts were shared), of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; Sister Camille N. Johnson, outgoing Primary General President and incoming Relief Society General President; and Brother Ahmad S. Corbitt, First Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency.
The article also linked back to "This Easter on Social":
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-04-17/president-nelson-church-leaders-testify-of-the-savior-on-easter-social-media-250980
Those interested in my prior analysis on those post can find it at the following web address:
https://stokessoundsoff.blogspot.com/2022/04/april-2022-post-conference-document.html?showComment=1650220660037#c5728364648887683497
My thanks once again to you all.
And in view of the fact that multiple temples have dedications announced, or groundbreakings scheduled, or sites announced, the Church of Jesus Christ Temples site has revised the breakdown of information on temples, as shown in the following page:
Deletehttps://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/statistics/
My thanks once again to you all.
Hello again, everyone! On this Saturday, I am pleased to report that the Lindon Utah Temple groundbreaking took place as scheduled. I was privileged to be able to watch that event. Elder Kevin W. Pearson, Utah Area President, said that if the current rate of temple announcements continues, it is projected that the total number of temples will reach or slightly exceed a total of 500 by the weekend of the April 2030 General Conference (which will likely convene on Saturday April 6 and Sunday April 7, coinciding with the 200th anniversary of the restoration of the Church).
ReplyDeleteThat projection suggests that at least 218 new temples will be announced in the next 16 General Conferences. That would mean the announcement of 13-14 new temples in every General Conference between October 2022 and April 2030. But I would not be surprised if 500 temples in any phase was an underestimate of what the total will actually be.
In a subsquent comment, I will pass along the latest articles from the Church News or Newsroom, with temple construction updates, if any, being passed along later today. In the meantime, my thanks once again to you all.
The Church News has published the first biographical article (of which I believe the total will be 12) for those General Authorities and General Officers of the Church who were called in the April 2022 General Conference. Here is that article, focusing on new GA Seventy Elder Mark D. Eddy:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-04-23/elder-mark-d-eddy-seventy-credits-family-friends-leaders-with-helping-build-faith-250436
And Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles continues his ministry visits in Europe:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-04-23/greatly-desiring-to-see-thee-elder-uchtdorf-shares-message-of-joy-encouragement-with-german-speaking-saints-in-austria-germany-and-switzerland-251811
And the Newsroom has also reported on Elder Uchtdorf's European ministry:
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/elder-uchtdorf-germany-devotional
Hopefully, official reports on the groundbreaking will be provided soon. Once I become aware of such reports, I will be sure to pass those along to you all here. Thanks again, everyone!
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-04-23/greatly-desiring-to-see-thee-elder-uchtdorf-shares-message-of-joy-encouragement-with-german-speaking-saints-in-austria-germany-and-switzerland-251811
Also, FWIW, late last night, the HTML version of the May 2022 Liahona was made available. Within the next week or two, I anticipate that the PDF version thereof will be available as well. Whenever that does become available, I will share that information on this blog. For now, my thanks once again to you all.
DeleteAnd the Church News has shared the text of the message that will be given by Brother Lloyd D. Newell during tomorrow's broadcast of "Music & the Spoken Word":
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-04-23/music-and-the-spoken-word-slow-down-be-still-elijah-moses-ten-commandments-251698
My thanks once again to you all.
The Newsroom apparently provided a report on the groundbreaking for the Lindon Utah Temple within the last hour or so:
Deletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/ground-broken-for-lindon-utah-temple
Given the fact that Utah temples have almost always been able to begin construction the week following the groundbreaking, I'm going to venture a prediction that will be the case for Lindon. With work on this temple getting started in mid-to-late April 2022, I would project that the temple could potentially be dedicated in late 2024-early 2025. But time will tell on that. In the meantime, my thanks once again to you all.
And here is the Church News report on the same event:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2022-04-23/lindon-utah-temple-groundbreaking-signals-how-the-lord-is-hastening-his-work-251862
My thanks once again to you all.
A few hours ago, local news outlets (including KSL) reported that former US Senator Orrin G. Hatch, the longest-serving senator in US history, passed away this evening. Senator Hatch represented Utah, and in his capacity as both a senator and a Latter-day Saint, he played a key role in ensuring civil discourse, including reaching across the aisle to get things done. He also played a key role in crafting a wide range of legislation, and was a key figure in the confirmation of judicial appointees. The First Presidency released a statement about his passing:
Deletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/xx
My thanks once again to you all.
Re: 500 temples by 2030... While I defer to your thoughts, I would hesitate to put too much weight on this ~if~ projection. On one hand I hope for that to be far under the number actually built/announced in the next 7-8 years... On the other hand, Nephi saw that our numbers would be few.
DeleteI think we are currently playing catchup to building temples to meet the needs and capacity people can serve in them both as patrons and workers. As to what the equilibrium number would be, I
guess as that depends on the righteousness of the people. A true zion people could perhaps be translated and have no need for food drink or sleep or money and thus could spend day and night in the temple, or preparing research and records for ordinances to be done, but as to a number of temples needed for those of us that arent quite there yet... .
I did have a thought a few years ago that perhaps many of the chapels will eventually remodeled extensively to be temples. So maybe the number is in the 3,000-10,000 range.
Numbers and projections are fun, but obviously the task at hand is to gather Israel and whatever number that will be is up to the Lord and whether those called will choose to join the church and become covenant people.
Danny, thanks for weighing in here on this. I'd likely have a hard time believing or putting stock into such reports if I had not personally heard about them. But as I've mentioned, Elder Kevin S. Hamilton, the Executive Director of the Family History Department, presided at my stake conference in December of last year. He mentioned at that time that the Church had 300 temples in various phases. Since there were only 265 at the time, and since he has a key role in the Temple and Family History Executive Council, he would be privy to the discussions on future temples.
DeleteWith Elder Pearson, he is not directly affiliated with either the Temple or Family History Departments. But my understanding is that, based on determinations made by the Temple and Family History Executive Council, they then pass along word of any temple-related plans or arrangements to area presidencies around the world. So as Utah Area President, Elder Pearson might have access to more information about temples, particularly in Utah, than other General Authorities or Officers might have.
And such reports have been shared repeatedly and frequently, so they are not isolated or unconnected. As a matter of perspective, 51 of the 100 temples announced by President Nelson have been announced since the beginning of last year. And new innovations in temple construction have been able to decrease building and maintenance costs and have sped up the construction of temples worldwide. If such innovations continue to be utilized, with new innovations found, the time and cost of temple building might continue to be cut short.
President Nelson has repeatedly said that "extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures." He said that several times last conference alone. He has also said due to the way temples are constructed, in times of natural upheavals, the safest physical and spirtual place to be would be inside the temple walls or living "inside [our] temple covenants." And with his efforts to determine what is "most needful" for the Church at this time, the announcement of additional temples will be a huge part of that.
I remember times in 2018, 2019, and 2020 when, in response to my prediction that temples would eventually be announced in Kiribati and Vanuatu, I was advised that meteorologicl forecasts projected both islands would be completely submerged by water in the next 100 years. That fact led to some trying to dissuade me from projections for those two nations. But temples were announced for both locations in October 2020, and, based on information from one of my Pacific Area contacts, ground is anticipated to be broken for both before the end of this year.
If 51 temples can be announced in 3 General Conferences, it is not a stretch to believe that the next few conferences could see a higher number announced. And given that we are more than halfway to 500 temples, I have no doubts that 500 temples being announced by 2030 is a reachable goal. Hope that addresses what you mentioned, Danny. I am grateful for your continued comments and questions, Danny, and hope you will feel free to continue to provide input here as often as you like. If I have failed to address anything in your comment above, please let me know. Thanks again.
Hello again, everyone! The Church News has shared the following new reports:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2022-04-24/ukraine-refugees-berlin-latter-day-saints-germany-europe-uchdtdorf-peace-251319
https://www.thechurchnews.com/callings/2022-04-24/23-new-stake-presidencies-recently-called-to-serve-in-portugal-philippines-utah-florida-california-mexico-ysa-251822
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-04-24/in-case-you-missed-it-washington-dc-temple-tours-saints-volume-3-plus-7-more-stories-251774
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2022-04-24/orrin-hatch-former-utah-senator-dies-at-88-church-statement-251887
And construction updates have been provided for the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, Salvador Brazil, and Antofagasta Chile Temples:
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/pittsburgh-pennsylvania-temple/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/salvador-brazil-temple/
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/antofagasta-chile-temple/
My thanks once again to you all.
As we begin a new week, the Church News has shared the following new reports:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2022-04-25/latest-refugee-efforts-in-europe-ukraine-shoes-netherlands-suture-kits-switzerland-welcome-bags-united-kingdom-251755
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-04-25/weber-institute-service-feed-my-starving-children-meals-ghana-orphanage-251093
https://www.thechurchnews.com/history-revisited/2022-04-25/saints-vol-3-7-inspiring-women-to-meet-japan-germany-england-251711
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-04-25/uscri-refugees-immigrants-receive-laptops-and-digital-literacy-training-with-help-from-the-church-251550
My thanks once again to you all.
Also, by way of announcement, it appears that Google has made minor adjustments to how comments are noted and published here. Your comments will still come through as usual, it's just a different format to submit them. Just wanted to make note of that. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Tuesday, there have not yet been any temple reopening updates. I am wondering if, with the two announcemets from last week, the Church is deciding to hold off on announcing any other tranisitions to phase 4 until an assessment can be made on how well that's working. It's also possible that other parts of North American (in addition to everywhere else) need more time in their current phases until they are advanced to phase 4 as well.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, the Church News has published two new reports thus far:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-04-25/weber-institute-service-feed-my-starving-children-meals-ghana-orphanage-251093
https://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2022-04-26/belgrade-serbia-roma-children-church-funds-school-clothes-homework-251114
My thanks once again to you all.
And while I was publishing the comment above, the Church News apparently provided one new report as well:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-04-26/fsy-spots-open-to-more-graduating-seniors-this-year-252109
I am honestly not sure how many parents of current youth in the Church are following this blog, but on the threads of the Church Growth Blog recently, it was mentioned that the registration for FSY by youth who are eligible for it has been lower than expected, leading to less of a need for younlg adult counselors. For any blog readers who are parents or leaders of youth, please consider talking to eligible youth about the great opportunity FSY conferences provide. The First Presidency instituted these new FSY gatherings to help foster the growth of youth in a variety of ways, and I wish an equivalent of that had been available when I was a young man. Just wanted to share those additional thoughts. My thanks once again to you all.
A new update has been reported on the Helena Montana Temple:
Deletehttps://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/helena-montana-temple/
My thanks once again to you all.