Hello again, everyone! Just before this 2:00 PM hour, the First Presidency released an exterior rendering for the Lethbridge Alberta Temple and the initial details for the Des Moines Iowa and Cincinnati Ohio Temples. There's a lot to get into, so let's dive right in! First, the site location for the Lethbridge Alberta Temple was announced on September 5, 2023.
The exterior rendering for the Lethbridge temple, as released today, reminds me a bit of the Burley Idaho and Syracuse Utah Temples, but I will defer to others to share their observations about this newest exterior rendering. That brings us to the two newest site locations announced today. Both temples were just announced earlier this month in General Conference by President Russell M. Nelson.
The Des Moines Iowa Temple will be a single-story edifice of approximately 18,850 square feet. The temple will rise on a 19.576-acre site at 9050 NW 62nd Avenue, Johnston, IA 50131. I have mentioned this previously, but Iowa has a Mount Pisgah stake, and the Mount Pisgah name has significance in the pioneer history of the Church. Could the new temple be renamed the Mount Pisgah Iowa Temple? I think there may be more than an outside chance.
As for the Cincinnati Ohio Temple, a 35-acre site located at the intersection of Mason-Montgomery Road & Cedar Village Drive, Mason, OH 45040 will be home to the single-story edifice, with the square footage estimated to be approximately 29,630. As a result of today's announcements, of the 109 announced temples, 2 have groundbreakings scheduled, an additional 58 have had site locations confirmed, and 49 lack official information. Of the 58 temples with site locations confirmed, 21 have also had exterior renderings released.
Once again, we didn't get any additional temple dedications or temple groundbreakings. But as today's updates clearly note, the Church is working through the approvals process for those 58 temples with site locations that have been confirmed, so at some point, groundbreakings will pick up. As for new dedications, not sure what is delaying an announcement on the Tallahassee Florida Temple. I was alerted to some bureaucratic issues impacting the Church's ability to announce the opening arrangements for the Salvador Brazil Temple, and the San Pedro Sula Honduras Temple just barely had major construction completed.
I think each of these temples could have dedications announced in the next month or two, which would put their dedications likely in October/November. And other temples are also drawing closer to completion. At this point, I'm not too unduly concerned about the lack of dedication/groundbreaking announcements. I would prefer that the Church take their time to get everything done right rather than rushing to get temples to a groundbreaking or dedication and run into problems as a result. I will be sure to monitor any updates I get on any of this on my end and will pass them along to you all here ASAP.
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. 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.
Hey, Noah! Great question. The Church Temples page doesn't list any square footage for the temple. It honestly doesn't look that large to me. I kind of wonder if the Church News staff accidentally added an extra digit that shouldn't be there. On the other hand, we have had instances where second temples in major cities have been larger than the first temples in that area. I believe that has been the case in most places where the Church has announced a second temple in major cities, but I'd have to check. Until further evidence suggests otherwise, however, I'm going to assume that the almanac page in question is in error on the size of the Alabang temple. Mario Miguel, who has commented on the Church Growth Blog recently, said he was an intern with the Church News and that the Almanac project recently moved to a new server, so it's possible that there may also be a bug in the new system. We'll find out eventually if that is correct or not. I don't think it is, but I could easily be wrong. Thanks for the inquiry, Noah!
ReplyDeleteHello again, everyone! Aside from the above temple updates, I posted this comment earlier today highlighting the open house beginning for the Salta Argentina Temple. And outside of that temple news, the Church News has published several other reports as well. 2 Latter-day Saint RMs have been drafted in the NFL. And in a surprising update, Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson's address for the BYU Women's Conference will be carried Worldwide.The Church News also shared what to know about the upcoming BYU-Provo Women's Conference, and has shared the text of the dedicatory prayer offered on Sunday by President Oaks for the Urdaneta Philippines Temple. My thanks once again to you all.
ReplyDeleteOn this Tuesday, the Church News has provided two new reports. The Newsroom has also provided two new reports. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteBYU-PW held its' weekly devotional today. And the Church News podcast features an introduction to the 11 new GA Seventies sustained in General Conference this month. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteEnsign College also held its' weekly devotional. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteAnd an update has been provided on the construction status of the Montpelier Idaho Temple. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteI don't think the Iowa temple will be named for Mount Pisgah, it is an hour south of the temple. Also, I am disappointed that we aren't having more groundbreakings scheduled. It sets 2028-29 for a drop in dedications.
ReplyDeleteGood point about the distance from Mount Pisgah, Scott. That makes sense. As far as groundbreakings go, as I've said, I think the Church is taking the time to get the approvals process right so nothing will delay construction once groundbreakings do occur. If that is what's happening, then that may actually translate into an easier construction process. The Church is evolving methods to hasten construction, so I wouldn't say the slow rate of groundbreakings now will definitively mean a drop in dedications in four years. That might only be true if we don't have any other groundbreakings before the end of this year. And I've got at least 10 on my radar that could see groundbreakings in the near term, if the necessary approvals go through as expected. Each of those could easily see dedications in 2028 or 2039 if all goes well. Hopefully that's encouraging. Thanks again for taking time to comment. I always appreciate hearing from you, Scott.
Delete2029. Stupid autocorrect!
DeleteEverything I can find lists thectemple as just over 10,000 square meters, which does convert to over 100,000 square feet. It is possible that the square meters is actually square feet.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, Scott! Thanks for that additional insight. Just from the rendering of the Alabang temple, it doesn't appear large enough to be 100,000 square feet. But if it is, that could explain why its completion is taking so long. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteOn this Wednesday, the Church News has shared two new reports, which speak for themselves. My thanks once again to you all.
ReplyDeleteThe Church News has provided a preliminary report on the BYU Women's Conference. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteAnd updates have been noted today on the construction status of the and Antofagasta Chile Temples. Particularly, major construction has been completed on the former temple, which makes it now the fourth current temple for which we are now awaiting the announcement of opening arrangements. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteSorry. The first link above was to the Deseret Peak Utah Temple, for which major construction has been completed. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Thursday, the Church News has shared two new updates. My thanks once again to you all.
ReplyDeleteTwo new reports have been shared about the BYU Women's Conference. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Friday, Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson spoke to women worldwide, counseling them to "let God prevail" in their lives. The Newsroom reported on aid given to children and mothers in Colombia, a new president and matron were called for the Buenos Aires Argentina Temple, and the next performer at the Organ Virtuoso Concert Series was announced.
ReplyDeleteAs a result of today's announcement of the new leaders for the Buenos Aires Argentina Temple, I have updated my document tracking these changes. My thanks once again to you all.
The PDF version of the May 2024 Liahona is now available online. I have updated my projected table of contents for the May 2024 Liahona as a result.
DeleteAnd the latest edition of "This Week on Social" has been published. The newest installment in that weekly series features social media content from the following general Church leaders: President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency; Acting President Jeffrey R. Holland and Elders D. Todd Christofferson and Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson; Sisters Amy A. Wright and Tracy Y. Browning, the respective First and Second Counselors in the Primary General Presidency; Brother Milton Camargo, the outgoing First Counselor in the Sunday School General Presidency; and Brother Bradley R. (Brad) Wilcox, the First Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency.
My thanks once again to you all.
The Church News has shared three new reports, all of which relate to the BYU Women's Conference. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteAnd a construction status update has been provided for the Knoxville Tennessee Temple. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Saturday, the Church News has shared three new reports: an introduction to Elder Gregorio E. Casillas, a lesson learned about the temple, and the text of the message authored by Lloyd Newell for the English and Spanish editions of "Music & the Spoken Word" tomorrow. My thanks once again to you all.
ReplyDeleteSince it is now May 5, Kristin M. Yee is marking her birthday today. The Church News has shared this tribute in her honor. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Sabbath Day, the Church News has shared a few new reports: 17 new stake presidencies have been called. A former BYU athlete describes her preparation process for the Olympic trials. The latest edition of "In Case You Missed It: Week in Review" has recapped the top 9 developments reported by the Church News within the last week. And the teachings of Church leaders and Book of Mormon scholars provide key context for this week's "Come Follow Me" study, which will focus on Mosiah 7-10. Also, we are now just four hours away from tonight's Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults, which will feature Elder Carlos A. Godoy, an outgoing member of the Presidency of the Seventy, and his wife. Stay tuned for a full report on that devotional as that is provided. I will return with any subsequent Church News, Newsroom, or Church of Jesus Christ Temples updates later today. For now, my thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Monday, with the next major temple construction announcement less than 3 hours away, the Newsroom and the Church News have summarized last night's Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults. I had the privilege of viewing that myself as it happened, and it was a great devotional indeed. The Newsroom and the Church News each provided one additional report apiece. My thanks once again to you all
ReplyDelete