Stokes Sounds Off: BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Opening Arrangements Announced for the Nariobi Kenya Temple; Exterior Rendering Released for the Brussels Belgium Temple

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Monday, January 13, 2025

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Opening Arrangements Announced for the Nariobi Kenya Temple; Exterior Rendering Released for the Brussels Belgium Temple

Hello again, everyone! This afternoon, the First Presidency announced the opening arrangements for the Nairobi Kenya Temple and released an official exterior rendering for the Brussels Belgium Temple. Here are the details: Kenya's first temple will welcome the media on Monday, April 14, 2025, followed by two days of VIP tours. 

The public open house spans from Thursday, April 17-Saturday May 3, except for the Sundays of April 20 and 27. The temple will be dedicated on Sunday, May 18, 2025, under the direction of Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who will preside over the single dedicatory session, which will be carried to all units in the Nairobi Kenya Temple district. 

The dedication is coming 4 months earlier than I had projected it might, which is a good sign for other temples. I forgot to account for the smaller size of the Nairobi Kenya Temple when I made my estimates for its dedication. I should also note that this dedication will occur a week ahead of the previously announced dedication of the Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple.

We now turn to the rendering for the Brussels Belgium Temple. An existing building at Avenue des Arts 52, in Brussels, Belgium, will be home to an arrival facility and a meetinghouse, in addition to the multistory temple of 25,000 square feet.. The site location was announced on June 17 of last year. 

At a glance, the temple rendering released today reminded me of the redesigned exterior of the Manhattan New York Temple. The Church is currently seeking permits for the conversion of that existing building into the spaces I described, so the release of an exterior rendering for this temple gives me hope that construction may be able to begin soon.

I am grateful to have learned of this news and for the opportunity to share it with you today. Stay tuned here for updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I’ll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about them. 

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 all such 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. 

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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.

22 comments:

  1. Prior to today's major temple construction announcement, the Church News reported on how Church organizations and leaders participated in the inauguration of Utah's Governor, Spencer Cox. For my readers in Davis and Weber Counties here in Utah, the Church has put out a call for youth ages 14-18 to audition for a choir that will perform in the Saturday Afternoon Session of the April 2025 General Conference.

    The Church News also shared the updates about the Nairobi Kenya Temple and the Brussels Belgium Temple. The Church News also shared information about a new mother-and-child hospital sponsored by the Church that is bringing hope to underserved communities in Ghana. My thanks once again to you all.

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    1. On this Tuesday, the Church News has published a couple new reports. Today marks the seventh anniversary of President Russell M. Nelson's prophetic tenure and that of his First Presidency counselors, Presidents Dallin H. Oaks and Henry B. Eyring. President Nelson is the prophet with the eleventh-longest prophetic tenure thus far. President Oaks has also served inactively as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for the last seven years. His tenure as such is also the eleventh longest in Church History. The current First Presidency has the tenth longest tenure in Church History. The Church News marked this milestone by recapping prophetic invitations that President Nelson has given since he became President of the Church seven years ago.

      In other news, on January 9, the Newsroom shared this report on new tools available in the Gospel Library app. The Church News covered that update today. My thanks once again to you all.

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    2. An update on the Antofagasta Chile Temple indicates that the Nativity display is no longer on the grounds of that temple. As a result of that update, I am cautiously optimistic that opening arrangements could be announced for that temple soon, but I also recognize that the dedications of the Farmington New Mexico, Grand Juncition Colorado, and Burley Idaho Temples could all be announced before we get an announcement on the Antofagasta Chile Temple. Those three US temples might have dedications announced within the next 6 weeks or so.

      In the meantime, here are some Church News updates: the latest edition of the Church News podcast has been released. And there were summaries provided for this week's devotionals at BYU-Idaho and BYU=Provo. My thanks once again to you all.

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  2. Hello again, everyone! This comment is for the purpose of advising you all that I finally went back today and corrected my post covering the new temples announced during the October 2024 General Conference. That post can be found here. My thanks once again to you all.

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  3. On this Wednesday, the Newsroom and the Church News have provided updates on the status and safety of Church members and buildings in Southern California. The Church News also shared a new Church History website from which members worldwide can connect with historical sites in New York and Pennnsylvania. My thanks once again to you all.

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    1. The African Newsroom has shared one new report, while the Church News has shared two others. My thanks once again to you all.

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    2. Here is one more report from the Church News. My thanks once again to you all.

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    3. And the Newsroom has also shared one additional report. My thanks once again to you all.

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    4. On this Thursday, the Church News has shared one new report this far today. My thanks once again to you all.

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    5. The Church News shared this additional report. My thanks once again to you all.

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    6. The Pacific Newsroom and the Church News have provided updates on the recent earthquake that hit Vanuatu
      My thanks once again to you all.

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    7. The Newsroom just provided this update for all Relief Society sisters worldwide. My thanks once again to you all.

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    8. Here is another report from the Church News. My thanks once again to you all.

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    9. The Church News released their coverage of the aforementioned Relief Society devotional. My thanks once again to you all.

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    10. Construction status pdates have been noted today for the Wichita Kansas and Cody Wyoming Temples. My thanks once again to you all.

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    11. I once again took a hiatus from commenting here yesterday. There’s been a lot to catch up on, so let’s get started: The Newsroom and the Church News have reported on the visits of ambassadors from Portugal and the Dominican Republic to Church headquarters in Salt Lake. GA Seventy Elder Ahmad S. Corbett spoke at a South Carolina Religious Freedom Day. The Newsroom also published one other report which speaks for itself.

      The Church News also published articles about environmental sustainability efforts, shared a new video and the latest edition of "This Week on Social", which featured posts from the following general leaders:

      Elders David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; the entire Relief Society General Presidency (President Camille N. Johnson and her respective First and Second Counselors, Sisters Anette J. Dennis and Kristin M. Yee); Sister Tamara W. Runia, First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency); and the entire Young Men General Presidency (President Steven J. Lund and his respective First and Second Counselors, Brothers Bradley R. (Brad) Wilcox and Michael T. Nelson).

      That leads us to today’s updates. With no additional reports from the Newsroom thus far today, the Church News has shared the following three: Elder Clark S. Gilbert, a GA Seventy and the Church’s Commissioner of Education, spoke at the recent BYU Law Symposium about the importance of Church education and Church-governed schools. He was introduced at the symposium by GA Seventy Elder Alexander Dushki, who serves as the Church’s General Counsel. Also in attendance were President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency and Elders Quentin L. Cook and D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twevle Apostles, each of whom was an attorney at the time of their calls to general Church leadership. Each apostle attended with their wives, sisters Kristen M. Oaks, Mary G. Cook, and Kathy J. Christofferson, respectively.

      Church News editor Jon Ryan Jensen wrote about a life-chaing lesson he learned about example and instruction. And the message for tomorrow’s "Music & the Spoken Word" was also published. My thanks once again to you all.

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    12. And ground was broken today for the Tacloban City Philippines Temple. There are now 52 temples under construction, 3 of which have dedications announced, with 49 in early to late construction, which leaves 113 announced temples, 1 of which has a groundbreaking scheduled, with 54 having a site location confirmed (33 of which have also had an official exterior rendering release). and the remaining 58 temples in planning and design. I think at some point that the Church may be gearing up to announce several more groundbreakings all at once. We also lack an exterior rendering for 21 other temples that have had sites announced, so those releases may also be coming down the pike, along with confirmed information about any of the remaining 58 that are in planning and design phases. My thanks once again to you all.

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    13. For any of my readers who might perhaps be or know someone who plays the bell, the Bells on Temple Square are holding auditions. The deadline to get applications in is January 31, 2025. My thanks once again to you all.

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  4. Hello again, everyone! On this Sabbath Day, the Church News has shared a few new updates: In honor of President Nelson's 7-year anniversary as prophet, the Church News looked back at his legacy of protecting and preserving Church history. That included information about some of his significant temple announcements. The top nine developments reported by the Church News last week were recapped in "In Case You Missed It: Week in Review". This week's "Come, Follow Me" study will center on the remainder of Joseph Smith–History & D&C 2. Read what Church leaders have said about those passages. And with the second inauguration of US President Donald Trump coming up tomorrow, the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square was not invited to participate. They did, however, perform at his first inauguration in 2017, one of 7 times the Choir did so. With no additional reports from the Newsroom today, the only thing that remains is to note that, because tomorrow is both the US Presidential Inauguration and Martin Luther King Jr. Day, there will be no major temple construction announcement tomorrow, as Church headquarters is closed. There may, however, be such an announcement on Tuesday. So I will be sure to cover whatever additional reports we get tomorrow and will hope for some breaking news to share with you all for Tuesday. My thanks once again to you all.

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    1. As reported by the Newsroom, Elders Gary E. Stevenson and Gerrit W. Gong were in attendance at the inauguration of President Donald Trump and for associated celebrations and gatherings. The Church News has reported on the Church's collaboration on several humanitarian projects worldwide, how President Nelson has used and referenced the Doctrine & Covenants during his prophetic ministry, and how the Church's medical donations worldwide are being recognized and honored. My thanks once again to you all.

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    2. On this Tuesday, roughly 40 minutes prior to the anticipated 2:00 PM MDT hour (in which the latest major temple construction announcement is expected to be made), the Church News has also covered Elder Stevenson and Elder Gong's attendance at yesterday's inauguration of US President Donald Trump. My thanks once again to you all.

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    3. And here is an additional report from the Newsroom. My thanks once again to you all.

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