Hello again, everyone! The latest temple announcement has just been released. Locations have been confirmed for the Kumasi Ghana and Oslo Norway Temples. Additionally, a rendering has been released for the Oslo Norway Temple. And renovations are coming to the Toronto Ontario Temple. Let's get right into the details: The two-story 22,750 square-foot Kumasi Ghana Temple will be built at Y11 Suntreso Rd, Bantama, in Kumasi on a 2.08-acre site
As some of you might recall, the African Newsroom shared a report on December 1, 2021, highlighting a visit from Elder Larry S. Kacher, then First Counselor in the Africa West Area presidency, to the king of the Ashante people of Kumasi. During that visit, a rendering, purportedly of the Kumasi Ghana Temple, was presented. If that rendering proves to be official, hopefully with the release of site information about the site announcement, the release of the exterior rendering could follow soon.
Moving on to Oslo Norway, not only do we have a site confirmation, but an exterior rendering as well. A single-story edifice of approximately 10,800 square feet will rise in Hvalstad, Norway, on an 8-acre site at the corner of Smedsvingen and Ravnsborgveien roads. Based on the exterior rendering, it seems likely that modular components could be used. Both the Oslo and Kumasi temples were announced in April 2021.
In view of today's announcement, official information has been announced for all but 3 of the 20 temples originally announced during the April 2021 General Conference. And now, the number of announced temples that have not had any official information confirmed is down to 49. That brings us to the announced renovation of the Toronto Ontario Temple.
The renovation closure will only last around 9 months and is set to begin in October 2023. So this may be a similar situation to the San Diego California Temple, where the work needed is sufficient enough to close the temple, but not sufficient enough to require a long-term closure. A nine-month closure beginning in October 2023 means that the Toronto Ontario Temple could be rededicated (whether publicly or privately, and whether in one or multiple sessions) in August or September 2024.
I am grateful to have learned of all of these updates and to be able to pass them along to you all here. I continue to monitor all such updates in addition to Church News and Newsroom updates and will bring word of those to you all here as they cross my radar. In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
The Church News has covered today's updates in two reports:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2023/5/1/23706448/locations-2-new-temples-oslo-norway-kumasi-ghana
https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2023/5/1/23692461/toronto-ontario-temple-canada-close-2023-renovations
And one additional report has been provided by the Church News:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2023/5/1/23706993/boyd-matheson-hanging-on-by-thread-all-the-savior-needs
And here is one more Newsroom report:
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/more-than-1-700-students-in-guatemala-receive-new-desks-for-their-classrooms
My thanks once again to you all.
The rendering for the Oslo Norway Temple is the 70th rendering released since 2011 to not feature an Angel Moroni statue, including Hong Kong's and Provo's renovations. It's also interesting with the wording for the announcement for the Toronto temple. Unlike most renovation announcements, this one does not clarify if it will be rededicated. The only other temple in recent memory to have an official update stating that a temple is closed for extended maintenance was the Medford Oregon Temple during Covid. I do think that the description of a 2-story temple for Kumasi Ghana would mean that the rendering presented earlier may not be actual as the Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple is 1-story, but then again, the Church stated that the Singapore Temple would be 2 stories, but the rendering depicts a single-story structure.
ReplyDeleteNoah, thanks for those observations. The Church is definitely steering away from using the Angel Moroni in most cases, and it makes sense that this trend will continue with respect to the Olso Norway Temple. And while it's true that the announcement relating to the Toronto temple does not say it will be rededicated, I wouldn't take it as a given that it will not be rededicated. Even if it is a one-session private event, I'd only be surprised if no rededication is held. I guess that question will hinge on whether the work in question will be carried out by Church members or will include efforts from friends of other faiths or no faiths who are skilled craftsmen. if the work is done entirely by Church members, a rededication won't be needed. I guess we'll have to see what happens there.
DeleteAs far as the rendering being presented earlier being inaccurate is concerned, I wouldn't bet on that either. As I think I've mentioned in the past, different nations of the world have different definitions of what qualifies as one- or two-story buildings. Since the release about the rendering presented to the king of the Ashante said it was the rendering for that temple, until the Church corrects or clarifies that, I see no reason to believe it is not the genuine article. This may boil down to different building definitions in a US-based news release vs. the standards of an edifice being built outside the US. Either way, we will get clarification on this point closer to the time when the Church starts construction on that project. So in the interim, there's always room for differences of opinion regarding these matters. Hope these insights, such as they are, are helpful to you, Noah. Thanks, as always, for your thoughtful and thorough feedback. I always appreciate hearing from you.
On this Tuesday, the Church News has shared 2 updates thus far:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2023/5/2/23701339/wateraid-liberia-papua-new-guinea-clean-water-schools-communities
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2023/5/2/23697991/young-man-special-cytomegalovirus-cmv-needs-syracuse-utah-lds
I will be keeping my eyes open for any other new Church News, Newsroom, or temple construction updates today and will bring word of those to you all here as they cross my radar. For now, my thanks once again to you all.
The PDF version of the May 2023 Liahona is now available online:
Deletehttps://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2023/05?lang=eng
As a result, I have updated my document with the projected table of contents, which now reflects the correct page divisions in the magazine:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lUVpg-8ZLghrVss0QKYxexlR0QvDk-MiZjXGkLajpCY/edit?usp=sharing
And the Church News has shared the following additional reports:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/podcast/2023/5/2/23707722/episode-134-dean-brigitte-c-madrian-byu-marriott-school-of-business-positive-influence
https://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2023/5/2/23707378/ghana-stake-center-1000-muslims-celebrating-end-of-ramadan
There haven't been too many temple construction updates lately, but I will bring word of those to you all as I become aware thereof. Thanks again, everyone!
On this Wednesday, the Newsroom and the Church News have shared information about an Interfaith Event that was inspired by the Tabernacle in the Old Testament. Representatives from 5 denominations (which included Utah Area President Elder Kevin W. Pearson) spoke about the common beliefs that bind each faith group together:
ReplyDeletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/interfaith-event-inspired-by-old-testament-tabernacle-unites-5-faiths
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2023/5/3/23709199/elder-pearson-interfaith-fireside-religions-add-immeasurably-to-quality-of-life
The following additional Church News reports speak for themselves:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2023/5/3/23708273/peru-donations-lima-arequipa-piura-entreprenuers-classrooms-wheelchairs
https://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2023/5/3/23708676/6-brazil-donations-students-women-children-patients
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2023/5/3/23709930/byu-hawaii-devotional-president-kauwe-covenant-belonging
Also, I don't know whether or not I've mentioned this here, but if not, I want to make sure that I do so. I was made aware of information that apparently open house and dedication committees are functioning for the St. George and Red Cliffs Utah Temples. Though the committees are working separately, there is some degree of coordination between the two. The open houses for both temples are expected to be lengthy. As a result, those temples may only be dedicated/rededicated sometime in the spring of next year.
As a result of this new information, it now seems likely that the earliest the next temple dedication could be set for is November 19 or 26, and that a maximum of only 4 additional temples are anticipated to be dedicated by the end of 2023. So those 4 would be McAllen Texas, Lima Peru Los Olivos, Urdaneta Philippines, and Puebla Mexico. If only 3 of those are actually dedicated this year, my gut instinct suggests that Urdaneta could be the one deferred until next year.
What that means is that a minimum of 10 new temples could be dedicated between New Years' Day 2024 and the weekend of the April 2024 General Conference. If that theory is correct, then the coming months will likely see a significant uptick in the temple opening announcements. Stay tuned for coverage on all of that as such updates cross my radar. For now, my thanks once again to you all.
After what has been a very busy Thursday for me, I am pleased to report that the Newsroom and the Church News have begun coverage of the BYU Women's Conference, which runs from yesterday through Friday:
Deletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/relief-society-general-presidency-byu-womens-conference-we-stand-ready-to-provide-relief
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders/2023/5/4/23710346/byu-womens-conference-2023-relief-society-general-presidency-keynote-jesus-christ
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders/2023/5/4/23711750/byu-womens-conference-primary-general-presidency-spiritual-overwhelm-line-upon-line
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2023/5/4/23709796/2023-byu-womens-conference-provo-utah-keynote-summaries-session-highlights
And in a new Church News video, comments from Acting President M. Russell Ballard and Elders Jeffrey R. Holland and Quentin L. Cook during their return trips to their fields of missionary service also contained advice for current, future, and prospective missionaries:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders/2023/5/4/23711581/video-president-ballard-elder-holland-elder-cook-missionaries-england-let-the-world-know
If there are any new temple construction updates, I will pass them along shortly. If no other comments are posted today by me, you can assume there are no temple updates. For now, my thanks once again to you all.
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders/2023/5/4/23711581/video-president-ballard-elder-holland-elder-cook-missionaries-england-let-the-world-know
After what has been a busy Friday for me, I am pleased to share the following Newsroom and Church News updates:
Deletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/relief-society-in-action-may-2023
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders/2023/5/5/23708460/sister-kristin-m-yee-birthday-9-quotes-from-past-year
https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2023/5/5/23707913/richmond-virginia-temple-groundbreaking-untold-story-pandemic-3-years-later
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders/2023/5/5/23711925/byu-womens-conference-sister-craig-sister-craven-removing-the-feeling-of-forever-falling-short
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2023/5/4/23709796/2023-byu-womens-conference-provo-utah-keynote-summaries-session-highlights
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2023/5/5/23712508/byu-womens-conference-evening-of-service-meals-school-kits-sewing-projects-hunger-fight-photos
And the Church News has also shared the latest edition of "This Week on Social":
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2023/5/5/23710452/this-week-on-social-president-ballard-tweets-and-testifies-of-focusing-on-the-savior
The apostles featured in this week's edition were Acting President M. Russell Ballard and Elders Dieter F. Uchtdorf, David A. Bednar, and Quentin L. Cook, all of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; and the following General Officers were also featured:outgoing Young Women General President Sister Bonnie H. Cordon and her outgoing First Counselor, Sister Michelle D. Craig; and Sunday School General President Brother Mark L. Pace and his Second Counselor, Brother Jan E. Newman.
My thanks once again to you all.
On this Saturday, the Church News has shared the following reports, most of which speak for themselves. If any of them require additional context, I will provide it:
Deletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders/2023/5/6/23699408/elder-robert-daines-general-authority-seventy-bio-2023-stanford-yale-law-business-professor
Note: The above article introducing new GA Seventy Elder Robert M. Daines indicates that one of his older sisters is Michelle D. Craig, the outgoing First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency. I find it interesting that in the same conference in which her release was announced, her brother was sustained as a GA Seventy. Unless I am mistaken, I don't believe that has ever happened before.
https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2023/5/6/23697650/richmond-virginia-temple-dedication-members-community
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2023/5/5/23712605/byu-womens-conference-irene-caso-theme-be-of-good-cheer
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2023/5/4/23709796/2023-byu-womens-conference-provo-utah-keynote-summaries-session-highlights
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders/2023/5/6/23710274/young-men-general-presidency-speaks-2023-byu-womens-conference
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders/2023/5/6/23712881/byu-womens-conference-president-bonnie-h-cordon-body-spirit-essential
https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2023/5/6/23712968/music-the-spoken-word-the-sheepfold-of-god-tabernacle-choir
My thanks once again to you all.
I failed to underscore something that was noted in the article about the remarks from the Young Men General Presidency. Brother Bradley R. (Brad) Wilcox, First Counselor, made a significant announcement: "for the first time in Church history, the Young Men general presidency and the Young Women general presidency are working, training, serving and meeting together on a regular basis to set an example for leaders in wards and stakes."
DeleteThat's pretty significant, and continues to underscore President Nelson's efforts to encourage a more unified effort for those who are serving the precious youth of our day. At the ward level, that would be equivalent to the bishopric and ward young women presidency working together for the benefit of their youth.
Aside from that, there are a couple new reports from the Church News:
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders/2023/5/6/23711615/president-johnson-byu-womens-conference-sisters-we-can-be-agents-of-the-saviors-relief
https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2023/5/4/23709796/2023-byu-womens-conference-provo-utah-keynote-summaries-session-highlights
My thanks once again to you all.