Hello again, everyone! An interesting development has been reported today regarding temple scheduling this morning. While appointments will still be required for those receiving their own ordinances, the Church will now shift to a dual option for proxy work. While formal appointments are still going to be encouraged, patrons who desire to attend the temple will be able to do so without a formal appointment.
When it comes to temple ordinances, priority will be given first to those with an appointment, then to others who have come to the temple without one. Just yesterday, I had voiced the opinion that appointments would likely remain the normal status quo for temple attendance, and it appears I was correct on that, with the caveat that, where time and circumstances allow, patrons will now have the option to go without a formal appointment.
But it makes sense that the priority will be given to those who have a formal appointment. It will be interesting to see how things unfold worldwide with this adjustment. For my part, I continue to monitor all Church News and Newsroom updates, along with all temple construction developments, and I will be sure to pass the word along of such updates as they cross my radar. 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.
This idea has worked General conference and other conference center events. There are those with tickets (appointments) and those in the standby line.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great point, Chris! It had not occurred to me. Thanks for mentioning it. Overall, I think that continuing to schedule ordinance appointments would be wiser for all concerned, and that would be my recommendation to everyone here, since that will also help the temple staff to more fully prepare for the anticipated numbers. But it is nice to know that people can still come without an appointment.
DeleteI failed to mention above that, according to the announcement, the process of accommodating patrons without an appointment will be rolled out gradually to phase 4 temples. So the change won't happen overnight for all temples in phase 4. Apparently members with a Church account will receive emails advising them when the transition is made to their phase 4 temple. And that adjustment tells me that appointments may remain the status quo for the foreseeable future.
Not a development I was necessarily expecting, and certainly not this soon, but it is a very welcome update. Thanks again, Chris, as always, for your longtime readership and friendship, and for taking time to comment. I always appreciate hearing from you.
Later this afternoon and into the evening, the Church News provided three new reports. The first two speak for themselves:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-06-03/empower-women-and-girls-by-strengthening-identity-relationships-and-service-says-sister-carol-f-mcconkie-255919
https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2022-06-03/video-tokyo-japan-temple-visitors-center-ready-art-set-up-256222
And the latest edition of “This Week on Social” has been published as well:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-06-03/this-week-on-social-lighthouse-uchtdorf-soap-eubank-savior-light-of-christ-joseph-smith-256334
This week’s edition featured posts from three members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: Elders Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Quentin L. Cook, and Gary E. Stevenson. This edition also featured content from the outgoing Relief Society General President Sister Jean B. Bingham and her outgoing First Counselor Sister Sharon Eubank.
Also featured were the entire current Primary General Presidency: (outgoing General President and incoming Relief Society General President Sister Camille N. Johnson, her outgoing First Counselor and incoming successor Sister Susan H. Porter, and Sister Johnson’s outgoing Second Counselor and incoming First Counselor to Sister Porter, Sister Amy A. Wright.
Posts from the entire Young Women General Presidency were also featured: General President Sister Bonnie H. Cordon (from whom 2 posts were featured) and her respective First and Second Counselors, Sisters Michelle D. Craig (from whom 2 posts were also featured) and Rebecca L. (Becky) Craven. The only male General Officer featured this week was Brother Milton Camargo, First Counselor in the Sunday School General Presidency.
My thanks once again to you all.
James, here's the latest on the Grand Junction Temple construction process. I was gone for a week, and was surprised and pleased to see a lot of progress at the temple site. Major earth moving is happening, with dump trucks hauling away dirt (probably our hard-as-rock caliche soil that is not good growing medium) and dumping it about 1/2 mile away at an empty lot, and double semi trailers bringing dirt INTO the temple site. At the same time, lots of leveling and sculpting of the land is taking place. The center of the site, where the temple will be built, is now very level, though I'm sure much more 'terra-forming' will continue. It's great to see so much happening!
ReplyDeleteNancy, thank you for that update. I also saw that you've submitted some photographs to the Church Temples site. It's been interesting to see some temples under construction getting a slow start, then having the pace pick up over time. The US temples always seem to have a quicker start than their international counterparts, which is certainly reflected in your updates on the Grand Junction temple. Thanks again for sharing the latest.
DeleteHello again, everyone! On this first Saturday in June, I am pleased to be able to report that the groundbreaking for the Burley Idaho Temple took place as scheduled this morning. There are now 50 temples under construction, with 60 others announced. I will pass along official confirmation on that groundbreaking when those reports are available.
ReplyDeleteIn the interim, I am also pleased to report that full-scale construction has begin on the Farmington New Mexico Temple, per a new report from the Church Temples site:
https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/farmington-new-mexico-temple/
With 1 temple dedication scheduled, 2 other temples completed and awaiting the announcement of opening dates, and 6 more (including Burley Idaho) for which full-scale construction is pending, 41 are actively under construction at present.
And according to my calculations, the Church could set and perform the dedications of 18 additional temples by the end of June 2023. Stay tuned for more updates as they become available. My thanks once again to you all.
Given the fact that Burley Idaho is within the United States, I was not shocked to find that a Newsroom report on the groundbreaking for the temple in that city has already been published. However, I was rather surprised that the date on the news release in question was June 2, 2 days prior to today's groundbreaking. I assume that was just an oversight. Here is that report:
Deletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/groundbreaking-held-for-burley-idaho-temple
Meanwhile, the Church News has provided the text of the message that will be given during tomorrow's broadcast of "Music & the Spoken Word":
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-06-04/music-and-the-spoken-word-peace-like-a-river-256235
And a Church News staff writer who is either a Brazilian native or spent much of her growing-up years in Brazil provided a personal perspective on the growth of the Church there:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-06-04/vanessa-fitzgibbon-the-field-is-still-ready-in-brazil-and-south-america-256191
My thanks once again to you all.
A short time ago, the Church News provided a report on the groundbreaking for the Burley Idaho Temple:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2022-06-04/burley-idaho-temple-groundbreaking-turning-the-soil-for-a-new-kind-of-harvest-256379
My thanks once again to you all.
Just another quick note here: As I have continued to monitor temple progress, that has expanded to evaluating how current conditions (whether related or unrelated to COVID-19) might impact the timing of dedications or rededications, including both those already announced and those which might soon be announced.
DeleteFrom my latest checks on those factors, it appears that there will likely be continuing delays affecting the announcements of opening arrangements for both the Quito Ecuador and Belem Brazil Temples, which may also extend to the Brasilia Brazil Temple as well. Right now, those areas are being impacted by a high rate of crime, which may make traveling there inadvisable for our apostles for the time being:
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/ecuador-travel-advisory.html
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/brazil-travel-advisory.html
Additionally, both Hong Kong China and Tokyo Japan are currently seeing upward surges of COVID-19 cases, so that issue may make large public gatherings inadvisable in both cases:
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/hong-kong-travel-advisory.html
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/japan-travel-advisory.html
Of course, things can change later this month and into the rest of this year when the dedications and rededications are either scheduled or anticipated to occur, so nothing is definite on this question until the Church officially indicates that is the case. But I did want to mention that here as part of my ongoing reports on projected or scheduled timing for all such events. The good news is, the US seems to be past the worst of COVID-19, and travel across the nation is no longer as much of a risk as it was, so the temple dedications and rededications in the US will likely be good to go forward as planned without delay or special consideration.
Hope this information is helpful to all who read it. Thanks again, everyone!
The Newsroom and the Church News have both shared reports about a "Strive to Be" Concert that was held for youth yesterday:
Deletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/youth-encouraged-to-trust-in-the-lord-at-strive-to-be-concert
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2022-06-05/2022-youth-theme-concert-trust-in-the-lord-broadcast-worldwide-256428
And the Newsroom has also reported on some reflections offered by Elder Gary E. Stevenson and his wife, Sister Lesa J. Stevenson, who have been in Tokyo Japan leading the preliminary VIP/Media tours for the temple in Tokyo. As many of you might recall, Elder Stevenson has multiple connections to Japan. He served a full-time mission there. Around 2.5 decades later, he returned with his wife to preside over a mission in Japan. Following his 2008 call as a General Authority Seventy, he spent multiple years in Japan serving first as a counselor, then as president of the Asia North Area. So it was fitting that he was able to go back to Japan again as an apostle to lead those preliminary tours of the Tokyo Japan Temple. Here is that report:
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/elder-gary-e--stevenson-reflects-on-tokyo-japan-temple-open-house
The Church News shared a report about Elder Stevenson's immediate senior apostolic seatmate, Elder Ronald A. Rasband, who made an unannounced appearance at the final session for the first of 212 FSY sessions that will be held throuhgout this summer in North America:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-06-04/first-of-212-summer-fsy-sessions-finishes-with-surprise-visit-from-elder-rasband-256391
The Church News also shared the inspiring account of how working at a Deseret Industries helped a former stake president recover from anxiety and depression:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-06-05/deseret-industries-job-training-self-reliance-healing-from-depression-for-former-stake-president-256116
And the latest "Week in Review" has been published, highlighting the top 9 developments covered by the Church News this week:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-06-05/week-in-review-temple-attendance-without-an-appointment-lawsuit-involving-joseph-smith-burley-idaho-temple-256425
My thanks once again to you all.
On this Monday, the Church News has shared 2 new reports:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2022-06-06/church-membership-grew-in-49-of-50-states-over-past-10-years-utah-north-dakota-california-256299
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-06-06/finding-comfort-gaining-strength-at-fsy-256465
If there are any temple construction updates, I will pass those along shortly here. In the meantime, my thanks once again to you all.
The Church News has reported the death of another emeritus General Authority, Elder Robert L. Backman, at the age of 100:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2022-06-06/elder-robert-l-backman-obituary-emeritus-general-authority-service-young-men-president-256505
Additionally, though I wasn't sure why, I felt a need to check the Church's Online Communications Library. One of the newest letters posted since I had last checked in on that was an official First Presidency letter acknowledging the planned rededication of the Hong Kong China Temple on June 19.
Due to the sensitivity of the Church in Hong Kong and mainland China, the First Presidency has apparently assigned Elder Gerrit W. Gong, our Asian-American apostle, to preside at the three rededicatory sessions for that temple, which will be held at 9:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 3:00 PM Hong Kong time (which is equivalent to 7:00 PM and 10:00 PM Saturday and 1:00 AM Sunday here in Utah). This information supercedes anything I have previously projected regarding the reopening arrangements. My thanks once again to you all.
The Church News has provided two new reports so far today:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2022-06-07/byu-arts-brigham-young-music-provo-board-trustees-harris-256525
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2022-06-07/ancient-tabernacle-display-covenant-path-mural-missionary-artist-utah-256486
Also, I just wanted to note something else: in my last comment yesterday, I had mentioned that the new information about Elder Gong being asked to preside at the rededication of the Hong Kong China Temple superceded anything I had previously said on the matter. I thought that statement deserved further context:
Up until now, the pattern for the rededication of temples under President Nelson's leadership has seen those conducted by senior apostles (Presidents Oaks and Eyring of the First Presidency and President Ballard and Elders Holland, Uchtdorf, Cook, and Christofferson). A majority of the new temples dedicated since President Nelson became prophet have been assigned to the junior half of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in addition to Elder Bednar.
Because of that, up until yesterday, I had surmised and asserted that the assignment to rededicate temples would lkely be the responsibility of the 8 senior apostles over 70 (though I suppose at some point Elder Bednar could be assigned to a temple rededication). Which brings me to my point.
Elder Gong being assigned to rededicate the Hong Kong China Temple appears to be an exception to the rule, but is likely a one-time exception due to the compleixities of the situation of the Church in Hong Kong. It is likely easier for the Church to get approval for Elder Gong to go to Hong Kong than it would be to get approval to have any of the senior apostles there who do not have ancestral connections to both China and Japan.
The fact that all of the other temples set for rededication (with the possible exception of Washington D.C., for which the presiding apostle has not yet been publicly announced) will have senior apostles presiding over those events, and that all other new temples (except for Pocatello Idaho) have been dedicated by Elder Bednar and the junior half of the Quorum of the Twelve strengthens my new theory that Hong Kong is going to be a one-time exception. But just as I was wrong about a more senior apostle rededicating the Hong Kong temple, I could also be wrong about only the apostles over 70 rededicating temples as a general rule. Time will tell. In the interim, my thanks once again to you all.
Apparently, while I was putting together my comment above, the Church News also released the newest podcast. The latest episode does not feature live guests, but instead features snippets of interviews done by Elders David A. Bednar, Quentin L. Cook, D. Todd Christofferson, and Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Sisters Sharon Eubank and Reyna I. Aburto, the respective outgoing First and Second Counselors in the Young Women General Presidency, all of whom helped to lead tours of the Washington D..C. Temple.
DeleteThe podcast also features comments from high profile visitors, including high-ranking leaders and friends of other faiths, politicians, and Church members, who shared some insights into their experiences with the open house:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/podcast/2022-06-07/episode-87-looking-back-on-what-church-leaders-others-of-influence-have-said-about-the-historic-washington-d-c-temple-256554
The open house is currently set to conclude this Saturday (June 11), and although the Church has announced the option to extend it, no extensions have been announced as of yet. I assume if there are extensions granted, that will be acknowledged in some way.
I will stay tuned for more information on that front, while continuing to monitor all other Church news updates and reported temple developments and will keep passing that information along as I receive it. In the meantime, my thanks once again to you all.
A minor update has been reported on the Layton Utah Temple:
Deletehttps://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/layton-utah-temple/
And for temples in the construction queue which are anticipated to be completed sometime in 2024, there have been further shifts to the queue order, as follows:
The Alabang Philippines Temple, which had been below the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple, has now been moved down in the queue, with the Syracuse Utah, Salvador Brazil, and Elko Nevada Temples now between the Pittsburgh and Alabang Temples. This appears to be due to the progress on the Syracuse, Salvador, and Elko Temples and the comparable lack thereof on the construction on the Alabang Temple.
My thanks once again to you all.
Hello again, everyone! The Church News has updated their temple reopening status tracker:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2022-06-08/temple-reopening-status-tracker-worldwide-199279
In the absence of an updated overview article explaining what has changed and when, it’s difficult for me to tell for sure what this update means. But in last week’s update, I noted that:
“8 temples remain closed for renovation, with all 8 granted phase 3 status so that the patrons in those districts can schedule living and proxy ordinances at the nearest open temple. 1 other (Kyiv Ukraine) has had operations paused/suspended in phase 3 due to the ongoing Russian invasion. 1 more (Suva Fiji) remains in phase 1, with no temples in phases 2 or 2-B. As a result of today's update, 15 temples remain in phase 3, with the remaining 148 in phase 4 and returning to normal operations.”
The notes about the number of temples closed for renovation, the one paused/suspended in phase 3, the 1 in phase 1, and no temples in phases 2 or 2-B still apply. But 13 temples are now in phase 3, with the remaining 150 temples now in phase 4. So the Church has been able to begin transitioning 2 additional temples to phase 4, but after a thorough check of the area-by-area lists, I’ve not been able to figure out which 2 have transitioned to phase 4 since last week’s update.
And Acting President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was the featured speaker at a devotional held on Sunday for Latino youth in Utah:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-06-08/president-ballard-to-latino-youth-in-utah-get-all-the-education-that-you-can-256638
If there are any additional updates from the Church News, the Newsroom, and on the construction status of temples anywhere in the world, I will be sure to pass those along ASAP. In the meantime, my thanks once again to you all.
Where did you find the letter about the Hong Kong dedication? I didn't see it when I checked through LCR.
ReplyDeleteScott, that's because it's not in LCR, so if you're looking there, it's no wonder you can't find it. You'll find the letter in question at letters.churchofjesuschrist.org, under "All". It's the First Presidency letter dated May 16, 2022. Hope that helps.
DeleteIt doesn't show up when I look. Is it still there?
DeleteYes. But again, if you're only looking just at the top of the page, you won't find it there. Since other letters/notices have been posted between now and then, you'll need to go down from the top to the fifth letter/notice (the First Presidency letter dated May 16). If you don't see it there, I'm not sure why that would be. I've had no problem accessing it since it was posted. Hope that helps, Scott. Thanks.
DeleteIt's not there for me. My calling must not justify access to it. What calling do you have?
DeleteI am a ministering secretary in the Elders' Quorum currently. That could explain the difference here. It didn't occur to me that different callings have different levels of access to information, but it makes sense. With that in mind, the best verification I can provide for the rededication arrangements on the Hong Kong China Temple is through the Hong Kong page under "Country and Area pages":
Deletehttps://hk.churchofjesuschrist.org/?lang=zho
If you scroll down to the section heading: "Recent Month Information", the details on the open house and rededication are on the second row down. As to the specific information (Elder Gong presiding at the rededication), I'm not sure where else that might be sourced. But I'm assuming that the Church will provide some kind of update on June 18-20 confirming the details and that the temple has been rededicated. It'll be interesting to see what happens there. Thanks, Scott.
This just in from the Newsroom: Apparently at some point this evening, several gunshots were fired at or near the Hill Cumorah Visitor's Center. Police are still gathering information on the incident, and the Church has published a one-paragraph statement on that courtesy of spokesman Eric Hawkins:
ReplyDeletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/statement-hill-cumorah-visitors-center
Stay tuned for more on this incident as more is learned. In the meantime, my thanks once agian to you all.
Shooting took place at the Hill Cumorah today. Around 22 shots. No one injured. Two hit the visitors center. Shooter not caught.
ReplyDeleteChris (if that was you), thanks for posting this. I felt impressed to check the Newsroom at around 8:30 last night, and posted the Newsroom release here just after I found it. But thanks for making sure that information was posted here.
DeleteYes, I am the Anonymous above. It has been doing that to me lately when I come on here and matt's site. I am trying to remember to check when I post. I did not see your post when I posted.
DeleteNo problem, Chris! Thanks for responding on that. No worries about double-posting on this. That's just double-insurance that the information will be read by those who peruse the comment threads here, so thank you for that. Always great to hear from you. Stay safe and stay well out there.
Deletehttps://www.deseret.com/faith/2022/6/8/23160703/gunman-at-hill-cumorah-fires-22-shots-no-one-injured-at-latter-day-saint-visitors-center-mormon
ReplyDeleteupdate on the Hill Cumorah shooting. it looks like a guy recklessly target shooting. https://www.eastidahonews.com/2022/06/man-arrested-after-shooting-near-hill-cumorah-visitors-center/
ReplyDeleteChris, thanks for sharing the additional updates. I was aware of the updated information but was unable to comment on that here before now. I have other updates to share here shortly, among which will include additional sources I have on this. I appreciate you!
DeleteHello again, everyone! On this Thursday, the Newsroom has shared information about the Church History Museum's recently-opened exhibit showcasing the work of Latter-day Saint artists. The exhibit is being held as part of the Church's 12th annual international art competition:
ReplyDeletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/church-history-museum-opens-exhibition-of-latter-day-saint-artists
Meanwhile, the Church News has featured two new updates on the ongoing global ministry of our apostles, with reports on Elder Andersen's visit to the Asia North Area and Elder Christofferson's visit to Bolivia and Peru:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-06-09/elder-andersen-asks-members-in-japan-korea-to-share-their-belief-in-jesus-christ-256704
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-06-09/elder-christofferson-ministers-in-peru-and-bolivia-encourages-faith-and-fellowshipping-256587
And Church News editor Sister Sarah Jane Weaver shared her personal perspective on how a simple graduation speech had a powerful impact on those who heard it:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-06-09/sarah-jane-weaver-how-a-graduation-speech-is-powerful-in-simplicity-256658
There do not seem to be any new temple updates, so for now, my thanks once again to you all.
Here is another update on the shooting incident at the Hill Cumorah:
Deletehttps://www.ksl.com/article/50420234/hill-cumorah-gunman-was-target-shooting-at-nearby-farm-police-say
My thanks once again to you all.
I have one quick item of personal business to mention here: I learned earlier today that the subscribe button in the sidebar of this blog was not properly working because that sidebar had been discontinued. This evening, I replaced it with a new subscribe button that should work much better. Please feel free to comment here at any point with any feedback on that change. In the meantime, my thanks once again to you all.
ReplyDeleteHere are two new reports from the Newsroom:
Deletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/what-you-need-to-know-before-visiting-church-historic-sites-and-pageants-this-summer
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/thomas-l-kane-award-2022-robert-abrams
My thanks once again to you all.
On this Friday, the Newsroom has provided 2 new reports:
Deletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/church-refugees-europe
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/love-thy-neighbor-special-tabernacle-choir-event
And the Church News shared coverage of two developments previously highlighted by the Newsroom earlier this week:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-06-09/former-new-york-attorney-general-robert-abrams-is-honored-for-his-friendship-there-is-a-need-to-build-bridges-he-says-256804
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-06-10/watch-teaching-in-the-saviors-way-broadcast-elder-uchtdorf-256961
With today being June 10, outgoing Relief Society General President Sister Jean B. Bingham is observing her 70th birthday. The Church News has shared 8 of her quotes this last year that were given in the course of her ongoing global ministry to the Relief Society sisters of the Church:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2022-06-10/relief-society-general-president-bingham-birthday-8-quotes-from-past-year-256358
My thanks once again to you all.