Hello again, everyone! On this Monday, the open house for the Casper Wyoming Temple has commenced. Elder Randall K. Bennett, North America Central Area President, Elder James R. Rasband, Assistant Executive Director of the Temple Department, and Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson were on hand to welcome guests.
Ordinarily, that update would not require a new post and a comment on my previous post would suffice. But with this media day being held, the dedication arrangements for the Casper Wyoming Temple have been updated. Previously scheduled to occur on October 13 in two sessions at 10:00 AM and 1:30 PM MDT, the dedication will now occur in one session at 10:00 AM MDT on Sunday, November 24.
No reason was given for the adjustment to the dedication arrangements. But what this means is that the dedications of the Salvador Brazil and Deseret Peak Utah Temples will actually precede the dedication of the Casper Wyoming Temple. And this also means that the Deseret Peak Utah Temple will be the 200th dedicated temple of the Church rather than the Salvador Brazil Temple.
Since the open house commencement was reported during this 10:00 AM hour, I fully expect and believe that an additional major temple construction announcement will be made as usual during the 2:00 PM hour. I will have another breaking news report on that announcement as soon as possible after it is made.
I also continue to monitor any and all other 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. With that in mind, while this post was being prepared for publication, the Church News also covered this update.
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.
If you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe. If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are never required but are always welcome and appreciated. 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 shared another report on temples, exploring how the change to Casper's dedication date has changed the path to 200 temples. My thanks once again to you all.
ReplyDeleteThe Newsroom has shared another new report. Stay tuned during the 2:00 PM MDT hour, as I will be covering whatever other additional major temple construction announcement is made. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteWell, the article about the 2024 Temple News has been updated with the news about the Casper Wyoming Temple open house, so it appears that is the only major temple construction update we will get today. And the Church News reported on an apostolic ministry visit that Elder Bednar made to Huancayo as the first apostle to visit that Peruvian city. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe famed Logan Tabernacle, for which renovations have concluded, was rededicated by Elder Quentin L. Cook, a Cache County native with many personal ties to the Tabernacle. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Tuesday, the Church News has shared a few new reports. Peruvian Latter-day Saints recently engaged in Interfaith and humanitarian efforts. The Church has launched a new initiative to support military veterans. In a BYU-Provo speech to faculty and staff, Elder Ronald A. Rasband instructed them to "look to our prophet". And with the 100th birthday of our beloved prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, now just 13 days away, former assistant Church Historian and Recorder Brother Richard E. Turley Jr. talks about his enduring legacy.
DeleteInterestingly, in that podcast, among other observations, he said that President Nelson may be the first centenarian prophet and apostle, but he likely won't be the only one. He noted that "the reality is that because of the Word of Wisdom and other good health practices of Latter-day Saints, we tend to live longer than our peers in other cohorts. And so it’s not unusual for our Church members to live a very long time.
"And it just so happens that with the exception of events like the flu pandemic of the early 20th century and recent COVID, life expectancy has been creeping upwards since Joseph Smith’s day. And in the United States alone, there are over 100,000 people who are centenarians, people who have reached age 100 or more . . . So in many ways, President Nelson is setting a standard for a new age group for our leadership." That suggests to me that President Nelson may be the first centenarian prophet and apostle, but he likely won't be the last one.
He also said this: "When he first became the candidate for President of the Church, he interviewed all of the potential people who could be his counselors right there in the temple with him, which is something that was not typical, and then that just sort of laid a standard for doing things in a way that was, what he felt, was following the Spirit, guiding him in his ministry."
So that suggests to me that future Presidents of the Church will follow his example in interviewing all of their potential counselors before making their selections. It's also worth noting that he got their recommendations for the two vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve as well, and that he likely consulted the other apostles about the most recent vacancy before calling and setting apart Elder Kearon. My thanks once again to you all.
This Wednesday is a slow News day. The Church News just barely shared this update. And I was just made aware of this update on the Cody Wyoming Temple. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe Church News has shared one additional update. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe Church News has shared how to get reservations for the open house for the Deseret Peak Utah Temple. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe Church Temples site has updated some of its' estimates for temples under construction or undergoing renovation. This document shows where those estimates stood on August 7 of this year, and this document shows where they stand now. For those who want the changes in a nutshell, the completion estimate for the Grand Junction Colorado Temple has shifted up from late 2024-early 2025 to now just being late 2025, and I have noted that renovations have begun on the Orlando Florida and Manhattan New York Temples. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteSorry. I made a mistake in my comment above that I just caught now. The estimate for the Grand Junction Colorado Temple shifted from late 2024-early 2025 to now just being late 2024. Aside from that shift yesterday, status updates were provided today on the Auckland New Zealand, Port Vila Vanuatu, and Port Moresby Papua New Guinea Temples. Aside from those status updates, the Phnom Pehn Cambodia Temple has been moved ahead of the Ephraim Utah Temple, although both retain the general completion estimate of late 2025.
DeleteMeanwhile, today, the Church News has shared the following updates: Elder David A. Bednar spoke at a recent conference in Peru. The Church has donated $5 million to an organization fighting malnutrion. Church-owned schools will welcome a variety of speakers at their fall 2024 devotionals.The showrunner of a new series connected to Lord of the Rings shares how his faith influences his work. And as the 100th birthday of our beloved prophet President Russell M. Nelson draws closer, the Church News reviewed major announcements he has made and shared stories from general Church leaders responding to the prophet's invitation to reach out to the one. My thanks once again to you all.
On this Friday, the Newsroom has shared an update on the renovation of the Salt Lake Temple. The Church News shared an update on Elder David A. Bednar's ministry in Peru. There are other temple construction updates, including some changes in the construction queue
DeleteThose will be shared here ASAP. My thanks once again to you all.
As it turns out, the only difference between yesterday's temple timeline update and today's is that the Port Vila Vanuatu Temple has shifted down in the construction queue. Formerly anticipated to be the first temple completed in mid-to-late 2026, it is now the last new temple anticipated to be completed in late 2026-early 2027. So that will shift my estimated timelines yet again. While I have looked at the queue, I haven't yet assessed any status updates for temples under construction or undergoing renovation. That will be my next project.
DeleteIn the interim, the Church News has also shared the latest updates on the Salt Lake Temple, and additionally has published the newest edition of "This Week on Social".
The latest installment of this ongoing series features posts from the following general Church leaders:
President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency; Elders David A. Bednar, Quentin L. Cook, Ronald A. Rasband, Gerrit W. Gong, and Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; Sister Amy A. Wright, First Counselor in the Primary General Presidency; and Brother Bradley R. (Brad) Wilcox, First Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency.
My thanks once again to you all.
The Deseret News has published articles about the temple situations in Cody Wyoming and McKinney Texas. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteAnd updates have been provided today on the construction status of the Syracuse Utah, Grand Junction Colorado, Port Vila Vanuatu Temples. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe Tabernacle at Temple Square will host the Organ Fest XV on August 30. Featured performers will be the 5 organists that serve the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square and the sole organist at the Cathedral of the Madeleine. And in a special Friday edition of The Church News podcast, guest host Sheri L. Dew interviews Acting President Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles roughly one year after he was set apart to serve in that capacity. They cover a wide variety of topics that may be of interest to all of you, so I gladly endorse the episode as worthy of your reading or listening time. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteDue to the time difference, I am pleased to report that the groundbreaking for the Cagayan de Oro Philippines Temple occurred Saturday morning as scheduled Saturday morning. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteAside from the newest temple groundbreaking having taken place, updates have also been reported on the Auckland New Zealand and Torreon Mexico Temples. Just a note on the Auckland New Zealand Temple: It appears that major construction on that temple is winding down to its' completion.
DeleteAnd on a separate note, I am hopeful that the opening arrangements for the Antofagasta Chile Temple might be announced either this upcoming Monday or the following Monday. I'm cautiously optimistic that Monday will also bring other announcements, either more groundbreakings, more exterior renderings, and/or more site location announcements. My thanks once again to you all.
Or maybe Tuesday due to the Labor Day Holiday.
DeleteGood point, Chris! I hadn't registered that. But Labor Day will almost certainly mean that any major temple construction announcement is pushed to Tuesday. Good call! Thanks for that correction.
DeleteChurch headquarters will be closed Monday, so that will indeed push any announcements to Tuesday. Thanks again, Chris! Always a pleasure to hear from you.
DeleteOn this Saturday, the Church News has shared a few new reports: A Latter-day Saint woman in the Air Force Reserves has been promoted to chaplain. Church News editor Jon Ryan Jensen provides perspective on life lessons he learned from a smoky sky's sunrise. Information has been provided about Brazil's three newest temples. A new photograph gallery shares highlights of the recently-concluded BYU-Provo Campus Education Week. Derrick Porter will again offer a message previously given by Lloyd Newell for tomorrow's :Music & the Spoken Word". And as the Paralympics continue in Paris, the Church News shares highlights from Latter-day Saint athletes during the first 3 days of competition. My thanks once again to you all.
ReplyDeleteHello again, everyone! Just a quick personal update: As my longtime reader/follower/good friend L. Chris Jones observed above, Monday is Labor Day, so any major temple construction announcement will be deferred until Tuesday at the earliest next week. I have an appointment set right at 2:00 PM, so my report and analysis on whatever might be announced will be delayed until later that afternoon, though I still have a generic post set to publish a few minutes after the hour. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Sabbath Day, the Newsroom and the Church News have provided final coverage on Elder David A. Bednar's 10-day ministry in Ecuador and Peru. The fact that only 2 nations were visited suggests the possibility to me that he was either assessing current temple sites (to determine how soon action could be taken on their temples) or potentially searching for other temple sites that may be announced in the future.
DeleteIt's also possible his visit had nothing to do with current or potential future temples, as he met with members, missionaries, and government and humanitarian leaders. But it did occur to me to wonder whether this means Elder Bednar now has some degree of apostolic oversight for the South America Northwest Area. I do wish the Church was more transparent about apostolic assignments.
Moving on to other reports, our "Come Follow Me" curriculum this week will comprise Helaman 7-12. The Church News has gathered teachings from general Church leaders about those chapters. The latest edition of "In Case You Missed It: Week in Reveiw" recapped the top 10 updates reported by the Church News within the last 7 days. 14 stake presidencies have been called, 1 for a brand new stake, and the other 13 for which stake presidencies were reorganized. And the Church News continues its' series reviewing the soon-to-be-200 operating temples of the Church with a look at temples 41-60, covering from Frankfurt Germany to Columbus Ohio. My thanks once again to you all.
On this Labor Day Monday, the Church News has shared one new report thus far that speaks for itself. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe Church News has shared one additional report. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe Church News has shared two new updates. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteUpdates have been noted recently on the Salt Lake and Manhattan New York Temples. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Wednesday, the Newsroom has shared one new update, while the Church News has shared another. And I failed to mention one other update from the Church News yesterday. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe Church News has shared the nexxt update on Latter-day Saints in the Paralympics. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe Church is putting out a call for online institute teachers, as BYU-PW moves to having all religion classes taught by such instructors. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteA construction status update has been reported on the San Luis Potosi Mexico Temple. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteIn honor of President Nelson's upcoming 100th birthday on Monday, the Church News has published an updated timeline of his life. My thanks once again to you all.
ReplyDeleteBYU President C. Shane Reese gave an update on BYU's planned medical school.
DeleteIn a recent Church News podcast, Acting President Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared his testimony of how the experiences of losing his wife, almost losing his own life, and losing his mentor and predecessor President M. Russell Ballard has shaped his ongoing ministry efforts.
That opportunity was poignant for him especially now that he has the responsibility to mentor and preside over 11 others who, like him, are prophets seers and revelators. President Holland's timeless wisdom is something I hope all of us will take to heart.
And the First Presidency has set the parameters for the upcoming October 2024 General Conference. Once again, the Saturday Evening Session will be for all members and friends of the Church. I assume that will continue to be the case unless the First Presidency announces otherwise. Any temple construction updates will be posted later today as time allows. My thanks once again to you all.
This just in (originally reported in an email at 6:30 PM): The next batch of new hymns is supposed to be available today, but when you go to the relevant section on the Church website, nothing new shows up. The notice may have been sent out prematurely or will be accurate within the next few hours. I will keep my eyes open on that and post any updates when they occur. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteWhile waiting for the new hymns to actually be available, I noticed two temple updates I hadn't yet passed along. They involve the Montpelier Idaho and Kona Hawaii Temples. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteI just received a correction that the next batch of new hymns will actually be released on September 12. My guess would be that will occur in the morning or afternoon. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteHello again, everyone! On this Friday, the Church News has shared a few new reports: young adults are reacting to prophetic counsel. Following the death of a Maori King, the Pacific Area Presidency has expressed condolences to his family. In a new Church News video, U of U President Taylor Randall talks about his faith. And the latest edition of "This Week on Social" has been published.
ReplyDeleteIt featured posts from the following general Church leaders: Acting President Jeffrey R. Holland and Elders Dieter F. Uchtdorf, David A. Bednar (from the latter of whom two posts were shared) and Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; Relief Society President Camille N. Johnson and her First Counselor, Sister J. Anette Dennis; Sister Andrea Munoz Spannaus, Second Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency; the entire Primary General Presidency (President Susan H. Porter and Sisters Amy A. Wright and Tracy Y. Browning, who did a joint post on Primary Worldwide); and Young Men General President Steven J. Lund.
My thanks once again to you all.
Just a reminder here of the special worldwide broadcast for President Nelson's 100th birthday, which will occur on Monday from 4:00-5:15 PM MDT on Monday, coinciding with his actual 100th birthday. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteI do have a couple of temple updates: The groundbreaking for the Wichita Kansas Temple will take place at 8:00 AM MDT tomorrow, which will be 9:00 AM local time in Wichita. Tomorrow will also mark the conclusion of the Mendoza Argentina and Salvador Brazil Temple open houses. I had originally thought that, in view of the birthday broadcast for President Nelson on Monday, there would be no major temple construction announcements on that day, but I had forgotten that Monday will mark the media day for the San Pedro Sula Honduras Temple, so that and the Wichita groundbreaking may be covered, and it is possible that other updates will be announced on Monday a few hours before the broadcast. I think it would make President Nelson's 100th birthday all the more special if some temple groundbreakings were announced, exterior renderings were released, and/or sites were announced. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe Church News summarized the highlights for Latter-day Saint Paralympians on 8 & 9 of the Paralympic Games in Paris France. And in a signal that the Church News podcast may be moving to a Friday release, the latest edition featured thoughts from President Nelson's family, his apostolic colleagues, and other general Church leaders about his century of dedicated devotion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and his lasting legacy of service as an apostle and the prophet of the Lord. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Saturday, the Church News has put out a call for watch party photos taken of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square's concerts in Florida and Georgia. The Choir has arrived in Florida for the first concert of that tour. And because the Choir is on tour, "Music & the Spoken Word" will not be live this week. Instead, a previously-aired episode will be rerun. That means a previously-offered message will be given again. Scott Taylor writes about putting the "you" in youth and their "Come Follow Me" endeavors. And Elder David A. Bednar continues to provide an inside look at his apostolic ministry by showing what a weekend assignment looks like. Never before has an apostle shared so much about what they do every day, so I am glad Elder Bednar felt impressed to do so now. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteAlso, since I haven't heard otherwise, I am assuming that the groundbreaking for the Wichita Kanas Temple took place as scheduled this morning. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe Church News has shared one other report related to President Nelson's 100th birthday coming up on Monday. Tomorrow, I will publish two new posts: one for Elder Quentin L. Cook's 84th birthday, and the other will be the next apostolic milestone update. Two additional new posts will follow on Monday: one for the Prophet's birthday, and the other to cover the next major temple construction announcement. It will be a busy couple of days. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe Church News has updated a previously shared report highlighting social media posts from general Church leaders responding to President Nelson's birthday invitation with the hashtag #99plus1. That report now includes posts from the following general Church leaders:
DeleteHis fellow apostles: Presidents Dallin H. Oaks and Henry B. Eyring, his respective First and Second Counselors in the First Presidency; the entire Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: Acting President Jeffrey R. Holland and Elders Dieter F. Uchtdorf, David A. Bednar, Quentin L. Cook, D. Todd Christofferson, Neil L. Andersen, Ronald A. Rasband, Gary E. Stevenson, Dale G. Renlund, Gerrit W. Gong, Ulisses Soares, and Patrick Kearon,
General Officers of the Church: the entire Relief Soceity General Presidency: President Camille N. Johnson and her respective First and Second Counselors, Sisters J. Anette Dennis and Kristin M. Yee;
the entire Young Women General Presidency: President Emily Belle Freeman and her First and Second Counselors, Sisters Tamara W. Runia and Andrea Munoz Spannaus (from the latter of whom two posts were shared);
the entire Primary General Presidency: President Susan H. Porter and her respective First and Second Counselors, Sisters Amy A. Wright and Tracy Y. Browning;
Young Men General President Steven J. Lund and his respective First and Second Counselors, Brothers Bradley R. (Brad) Wilcox and Michael T. Nelson;
and former Sunday School General President Mark L. Pace (from whom 2 posts were shared),
My thanks once again to you all.
Also, just a reminder that the coverage of all reports relating to the 100th birthday of President Nelson can be found on the Church News website (under the red button marked Latest Stories). My thanks once again to you all.
Delete