Hello again, everyone! The big temple news for today, and the first major announcement affecting temple construction in 2024 was the release of 3 exterior renderings for temples that have had sites announced previously. The three renderings are for the Londrina and Riberao Preto Brazil Temples (both of which were jannounced in October 2022 and had their sites confirmed one month later), and the Bakersfield California Temple (which was announced in April 2023 and had its' site location confirmed in July 2023.
I will let others more qualified than I am share anything they like in the comments about the features of these exterior renderings. I will just note here that I anticipate each of these temples might now be closer to a groundbreaking. But I also wanted to provide an update to my thoughts on the potential timing for temple dedications in the near term.
Since Casper is a smaller temple, I anticipate a short open hoouse there, which probably means the Church could hold its' dedication before the end of June. There has reportedly been a delay in completing the Taylorsville Utah Temple landscaping due to a supply shortage and backlog, so I anticipate that temple will only be dedicated after the Salta Argentina and Coban Guatemala Temples.
Those temples (Salta, Coban, and Taylorsville) will likely be at the top of the list for August and September, unless the First Presidency opts to dedicate any temples in July. There is a precedent for that, but whether they'd do it again remains uncertain. So that's why I say I anticipate that the bulk of temple dedications in 2024 will come in the last 5 months of this year.
There is also a precedent from last year to schedule 2 or more dedications for the same day, so we could see that occur this year as well. I continue to monitor any and all Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples updates and will be sure to pass word of those along to you all as they cross my radar. In the meantime, that does it for now.
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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 also reported on this update. I will just add that, if memory serves, the Londrina and Riberao Preto Temples will be approximately 32,000 square feet each, and Bakersfield will be approximately 30,000 square feet. My thanks once again to you all.
ReplyDeleteAnd the first keynote speaker for RootsTech 2024 has been announced. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteLondrina and Riberao Preto appear to have nearly identical design except for the spire.
ReplyDeleteNicely observed, Chris! I hadn't noticed that, but it makes sense. They will be about the same square footage. I am hopeful that more groundbreakings could be announced next week. I think it may be a few more weeks before the next temple dedication is announced. So groundbreakings, exterior renderings, and site announcements may be the focus for at least next week and the week after. Thanks, as always, for commenting and subscribing. I appreciate your friendship.
DeleteOn this Tuesday, the Sunday School General Presidency were the featured guests for the Church News podcast, a returned missionary celebrated Michigan State University's national football championship, and the news I covered yesterday indicating that open house reservations are now available for the Red Cliffs Utah Temple was also shared.
ReplyDeleteAside from these updates, there have been some additional changes noted in the time-frames and completion order for temples anticipated to be completed in the next year. Yesterday, those estimates stood as follows:
Early 2024: San Pedro Sula Honduras; Mendoza Argentina
Early-to-mid 2024: Deseret Peak Utah; Tallahassee Florida; Salvador Brazil; Abidjan Ivory Coast
Mid-2024: Pittsburgh Pennsylvania; Antofagasta Chile
Mid-to-late 2024: Alabang Philippines
Late 2024: Farmington New Mexico; Grand Junction Colorado; Syracuse Utah; Auckland New Zealand
Late 2024-early 2025: Burley Idaho; Harare Zimbabwe; Elko Nevada
And here is what that queue looks like as a result of today's adjustments:
Early 2024: San Pedro Sula Honduras; Mendoza Argentina; Tallahassee Florida; Salvador Brazil
Early-to-mid 2024: Deseret Peak Utah; Pittsburgh Pennsylvania; Abidjan Ivory Coast
Mid-2024: Antofagasta Chile
Mid-to-late 2024: Alabang Philippines; Farmington New Mexico
Late 2024: Grand Junction Colorado; Syracuse Utah; Burley Idaho;
Late 2024-early 2025: Auckland New Zealand; Harare Zimbabwe; Elko Nevada
Based on these adjustments, I am now projecting that the 200th dedicated temple will be the Salvador Brazil Temple (assuming nothing else changes in the queue between now and then) and that a dedication for that temple could occur at some point in November of this year. Of course, if the number of dedications does pick up between August and December, the 200th temple could be dedicated sooner. And other shifts in the queue are possible.
As I mentioned yesterday, I anticipate that the next temple dedication to be scheduled will be for the Casper Wyoming Temple, followed by Salta Argentina and Coban Guatemala, then Taylorsville Utah. Each of those four seem likely to have their dedications announced prior to the April General Conference, if not sooner than that. And with the latest changes, I'm still projecting that Casper will be the only other temple dedication set to occur before the end of June. I hope I'm wrong about that, because if I am, that will likely mean more significant shifts in the queue of temples, and that the Church would likely dedicate the 200th operating temple sooner than November. We'll see what happens there. My thanks once again to you all.
The Church News shared one additional report today. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteAnd here is another update from the Church News. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Wednesday, the Church News has shared several new reports. Following a Liberia tanker explosion, the Church has provided aid. Ensign College President Bruce C. Kusch spoke at the college's weekly devotional yesterday. At the Provo MTC devotional today, Elder Ulisses Soares offered 5 principles to help missionaries find joy during their missions and afterwards. And from JustServe comes six service-related goals to guide children, youth, and adults for the new year. I'm more than a little surprised that the Church News hasn't yet provided any coverage in the lead-up to Sunday, when President Nelson will mark his 6th anniversary as Church President, but I'm assuming such coverage is forthcoming the rest of this week and into next week. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteAnd an update has been reported on the Montpelier Idaho Temple. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Thursday, the Church News has shared one new report. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteHere are updates on the apostolic ministries of Elders D. Todd Christofferson and Dale G. Renlund. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteChurch News staff writer Rachel Sterzer Gibson shares her experience with responding to a prophetic invitation. As another quick note, given that today is January 11, and that there are only 3 days until Sunday, when President Nelson will mark his sixth anniversary as Church President, I am not sure how much coverage the Church News may provide on that. But I will be sure to pass along anything that is covered in that regard, and will post any such updates here as I become aware of them.
DeleteAs another quick note, I was recently reminded that Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day here in the United States. Since that is a federal holiday, I believe Church headquarters will be closed on that day, meaning that the next major temple construction announcement may only come on Tuesday or on the following Monday. Stay tuned for coverage on that as well if/when it happens. For now, my thanks once again to you all.
For any of my female readers who might be interested, the Newsroom noted today that there will be a special Worldwide Relief Society Devotional on March 17, the anniversary of the Relief Society's organization. It will consist of ward or stake gatherings to watch short messages from President Nelson and the Relief Society General Presidency, followed by testimony meetings at each gathering. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Friday, we are 2 days away from the 6th anniversary of President Nelson's prophetic tenure. I have a new post set to publish honoring that milestone on that day. In the interim, a few Church News reports have been published.
ReplyDeleteThe biographies of 16 incoming mission leaders includes couples with a wide range of current and previous Church assignments. In prior years, I have broken down the current or past callings of mission presidents.
Starting this year, I will let the biographies speak for themselves and only provide notes on points of particular interest. For example, this week, the David Hoare whom I previously assumed was David J. Hoare, who formerly served as an area seventy, is actually David B. J. Hoare, who never served as such. As previously mentioned, current area seventy Elder Kevin J. Lythgoe has been called as a mission president, and he will thus likely be released in April as an area seventy. Other than that, the biographies and callings speak for themselves.
Additionally, a cancer patient has found comfort through actively volunteering at Transitional Services. And Latter-day Saint steeplechase champion Kenneth Rooks is leaving BYU for a professional career in that sport.
I will monitor any other Church News, Newsroom, or Church Temples updates and will bring word of those along to you all as I receive it. My thanks once again to you all.
The latest edition of "This Week on Social" was published. It featured posts from the following general Church leaders: Elders Dieter F. Uchtdorf and Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; Sister Tamara W. Runia, First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency; and Sisters Amy A. Wright and Tracy Y. Browning, the respective First and Second Counselors in the Primary General Presidency.
DeleteAnd the Church News also highlighted the update I shared yesterday about the Relief Society anniversary testimony meeting. My thanks once again to you all.
I found these two articles today about the church leasing and sharing space with other denominations in New York. It appears to be related the the New York Multipurpose temple being renovated: https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2024/01/11/lds-church-signs-40k-sf-lease-at-west-end-collegiate-church/
Deletehttps://www.westsiderag.com/2024/01/11/mormon-congregation-signs-lease-at-132-year-old-uws-church
DeleteOn of these articles gives an exact closing date of the temple.
DeleteSorry to add another reply. Found this on Wikipedia when learning about that historic building we will be leasing from: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_End_Collegiate_Church
DeleteChris, thanks for sharing all of these insights. I saw some of the links you left on the Church Growth Blog's threads earlier today, so thanks for sharing them here as well. According to the Church Temples site, the exact closure date for the Palmyra New York Temple is listed as being March 2, just one week following the reconstruction closure for the Provo Utah Temple (which will occur on February 24).
DeleteI am surprised those closures are so close together. I will be interested to see as well how soon work begins on the new Anchorage Alaska Temple, since that is supposed to start in early 2024. And I'll likewise be interested to see whether any other temple renovations are announced to start before the end of the year.
Chris, you have been a longtime friend and follower of this blog. I appreciate your input. Hope all is well with you and yours. Thanks again.
Hello again, everyone! As mentioned by L. Chris Jones and myself in the thread above, the closure date for the renovation of the Manhattan New York Temple has been identified as Saturday March 2, just one week after the Provo Utah Temple closes for reconstruction. Stay tuned for more on those renovations as they progress. In the interim, tomorrow marks the dedication of the Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple by Elder D. Todd Christofferson, who will also dedicate the Orem Utah Temple next week.
ReplyDeleteI have spoken before of my belief that the Church will have 300 temples by the 200th anniversary of the Church's reestablishment (which will be marked on Saturday, April 6, 2030). Tomorrow will be approximately 6.22 years away from that date. The Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple will be the Church's 187th in operation, leaving 113 temples to be dedicated within that time, or an average of 18.17 temples dedicated per year. More coverage will be provided on the Lima Peru Los Olivos dedication as it becomes available.
In other news, Primary children and their families have embraced the joy of ministering, the Bells on Temple Square are accepting applications, and the text of Lloyd Newell's Spoken Word message for the first English and Spanish broadcasts of "Music & the Spoken Word" has been provided, as has an update on Latter-day Saint athletes. My thanks once again to you all.
Found another article: https://commercialobserver.com/2024/01/church-latter-day-saints-lease-245-west-77th-street/#:~:text=The%20LDS%20Church%20signed%20a,reported%20in%20The%20Real%20Deal.
Deletehttps://www.amny.com/real-estate/upper-west-side-west-end-collegiate-church-lds-church/
DeleteChris, thanks for those additional updates. Very enlightening, as always. Stay safe out there.
Delete