Hello again, everyone! This afternoon, the First Presidency officially announced opening arrangements for the Willamette Valley Oregon Temple and released the location and rendering for the Yuma Arizona Temple. Let's dive right into the relevant details:
The media day for the Willamette Valley Oregon Temple will be held on Monday, April 20. 2026. with invited guests touring the temple over the next two days. Public tours will follow from Thursday, April 23 though Saturday, May 9, 2026, excluding the Sundays of April 26 and May 3. The dedication will follow on Sunday, June 7, 2026, with Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presiding. The single-session dedication will be held at 10:00 AM, but will be rebroadcast at 2:00 PM. with both the dedication and rebroadcast shown in all congregations in the temple district.
This is just about when I had estimated the temple dedication would be, so it's nice to have that confirmed. And Elder Uchtdorf may have apostolic oversight for the Church's North America West Area, so it makes sense that he will preside over this temple dedication. I have updated that assignment on my document tracking temple dedications and rededications during President Oaks' prophetic tenure.
What I will be interested to see is, if any other completed temples are dedicated before August of next year. There has been precedent for temple dedications to occur in July (the typical recess month for the apostles), but there is also precedent for no temple dedications in July, so it could go either way. I will be interested to see what happens in that regard.
We biw turn to the information about the Yuma Arizona Temple. Originally announced by President Nelson in April 2024, an almost 7-acre site at the corner of East 36th Street and South 8 East Avenue, in Yuma, Arizona, will be home to the single-story temple of roughly 18,500 square feet and an ancillary building. The exterior renddering speaks for itself, but if any of you have any thoughts about it, I'd love to hear from you in the comments section below
This brings the number of temples with no official information confirmed down to 59, and hopefully that number will shrink more in the weeks between now and the April 2026 General Conference. I am grateful for today's announcements, and am glad to have been able to provide this analysis thereof here. I invite you all to stay tuned here for my coverage of the latest 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. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe to receive the applicable updates.
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.
Before the temple news was reported, there was one other update from the Church News that speaks for itself.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, the Church News covered the updates for the Yuma Arizona Temple and the Willamette Valley Oregon Temple. And Elder Gérald Caussé dedicated the new Logan Institutes of Religion building. My thanks once again to you all.
And the Newsroom has shared another update on Elder David A. Bednar's currently-ongoing ministry trip in the Middle East/Africa North Area. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe Church News has shared the English translation of the dedicatory prayer which was written and offered in Spanish by Elder Soares for the Bahia Blanca Argentina Temple. The Church News additionally reported on service projects by BYU alumni for away games. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Tuesday, the Church News has posted a few new reports: teaching and learning resources for the talk given by then-Elder Henry B. Eyring, a significant Church donation to Grand-Blanc Michigan following the Church shooting there; the Giving Machine kiosks are unwrapped in Salt Lake City; this week's edition of the Church News podcast features Sister Kristen M. Oaks testifying of her husband's prophetic calling; Elder Ulisses Soares' ministry in Brazil, and an explanation of what makes BYU unique.
DeleteAnd the Newsroom reports on Elder Ulisses Soares' counsel to young professionals. My thanks once again to you all.
Updates have been noted for the Teton River Idaho and Natal Brazil Temples. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Wednesday, the Church News has shared teaching and learning resources for the October 2025 General Conference talk by Elder David A. Bednar and the biographies of the new leaders of the Venezuela Valencia Mission, who will begin their service this month. He is a stake presidency counselor and sihe is a stake Releif Society President, and they have served separately and together in a variety of Church assignments. We do not often see new mission leaders begin serving in December, so I wonder what happened there. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe Middle East Newsroom has shared another report on Elder Bednar's ministry in the Middle East/Africa North Area. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe Newsroom has shared a few new reports: Elder Stevenson ministers in Missouri, the Church supports a Hindu temple here in Utah, and the Church has partnered with an Alaskan food bank.
DeleteMeanwhile, a new update on the Yorba Linda California Temple verifies that major construction has now been completed, and that finishing touches are now being applied. 4 temples are now completed and awaiting the announcement of their opening arrangements. I do not currently anticipate another temple dedication being announced before the end of this year, given that we have only 3 viable Mondays for major temple news. I believe the focus will be on moving temples up the queue ASAP. My thanks once again to you all.
And the Church News has shared one other report that speaks for itslef. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteA construction status update has been noted for the Poer Cila Vanuatu Temple. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteAdditionally, the latest update on the Yorba Linda California Temple indicates that major construction has been completed and that the finishing touches are being applied. There are now once again four temples with that status: Phnom Pehn Cambidia and Miraflores Guatemala City Guatemala (for which the announcement of the first temple leaders is pending) and Davao Philippines and Yorba Linda California (for which the first temple leaders have been announced).
DeleteBased on the Church's recent trends, I do not anticipate any other temple dedications to be announced until after the new year. Could we see one or more temple dedications in July? Possibly. But more likely, the Church may opt to schedule out subsequent temple dedications for the back half of next year. And I would also particularly assume that the announcement of opening arrangements for the first temple in Cambodia and the second in Guateamala City will only occur once the First Presidency has announced the first leaders for both temples. Hope this analysis is helpful. My thanks once again to you all..
On this Thanksgiving Thursday, the Church News has shared> two new reports that speak for themselves. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe Church News has shared one new report that speaks for itself. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteAnd late yesterday afternoon, the Newsroom shared this homepage for coverage of the reports about the 2025 #LighttheWorld initiative. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe Asia Area Presidency has releeased this statement about the Tai Po, Hong Kong Fire, And celebrations of Christmas on Temple Square will center on the Light of Christ. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Friday, the Church News has shared one new update that speaks for itself. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe Church News has shared another Thanksgiving report, while a construction status update has been noted for the <a href='"https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/wichita-kansas-temple/" >Wichita Kansas Temple</a>. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe link for the Wichita Kansas Temple was broken. I apologize for the oversight. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe latest edition of "This Week on Social" features social media content from the following general Church leaders:
DeletePresident Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency; Elders Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Neil L. Andersen, Ronald A. Rasband, Gary E. Stevenson, Gerrit W. Gong, and Ulisses Soares of the Qourum of the Twelve Apostles; and Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson and her Second Counselor, Sister Kristin M. Yee. My thanks once again to you all.
And at a glance, the latest apostolic ministries include: Elder Gary E. Stevenson in Missouri, Elder David A. Bednar in Bahrain, Elder Ulisses Soares in South America; and Elder Patrick Kearon in the Philippines. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Saturday, the Church News has shared two new reports, which speak for themselves. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe Church News has also released the text of the message that will be given by Brother Derrick Porter during tomorrow's episode of "Music & the Spoken Word". My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteUpdates to the order and timing of some completed temples has beve been made in the last 12 hours or so. This document shows where those estimates stood as of November 26, while this one shows where those estimates stood as of yesterday (Saturday).
DeleteSpecifically, the ordering of temples for which construction has wrapped up has been updated. They were previously in this order: Phnom Penh Cambodia; Miraflores Guatemala City Guatemala; Davao Philippines; & Yorba Linda California Temples. Those temples are now in this order: Yorba Linda California; Davao Philippines; Phnom Penh Cambodia; & Miraflores Guatemala City Guatemala Temples.
The main reason behind that adjustement appears to be that the first leaders have been named for the Yorba Linda and Davao temples, but the announcement of the first leaders for the Phnom Penh and Miraflores temples is currently pending. And in light of these adjustments, I feel more confident than I did before that we may see one or two temples dedicated in July of this year.
But aside from these changes, the following adjustments were made:
This:
Late 2026: Port Vila Vanuatu & Knoxville Tennessee Temples
Late 2026-early 2027: Ribeirão Preto Brazil; Londrina Brazil; & Freetown Sierra Leone Temples
Has changed to this:
Late 2026: Knoxville Tennessee & Port Vila Vanuatu Temples
Late 2026-early 2027: Freetown Sierra Leone; Ribeirão Preto Brazil; & Londrina Brazil Temples
Additionally, the status ofCambodia's first temple has been updated to eliminate the mention that the temple is hiring for posotions, suggesting that those positions have been filled. Meanwhile, the missionary couple supervising the construction of Papua New Guinea's first temple have concluded their service, and an updated status has been provided for the Queretaro Mexico Temple. My thanks once again to you all.
On this Sabbath Day, the Newsroom and the Church News feature the new #LighttheWorld video of children retelling the Christmas story. The latest edition of "In Case You Missed It: Week in Review" features the top 9 updates published by the Church News this week. And with this week's "Come, Follow Me" study focusing on D&C 137-138, see what Church leaders have said about those passages. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Monday, following a 5-day hiatus, the Church News has resumed publishing resources for studying and teaching from General Conference talks, with the latest resources being shared for the October 2025 General Conference address by Elder B. Corey Cuvelier. Given that the next temple's media day will only be on January 19, I don't see anything that would prevent the customary announcement of new temple construction news today at 2:00 PM MST here in Utah. With the Yorba Linda California Temple now at the top of the queue of completed temples, and in view of the November 26 update on that temple, I do not think it is unreasonable to believe that the opening arrangements could be announced for that temple today, and that the dedication could potentially be set for June 14, 21, or 28 of next year.
DeleteWhether or not that turns out to be true, I am also hoping for some groundbreaking news (I have eyes on at least 5 or 6 temples that could easily have groundbreakings soon), and perhaps also some more site confirmations and/or exterior renderings. Given that most temples for which sites have been announced under President Oaks have also had exterior renderings released simultaneously, we could see that occur again. Stay tuned here for my coverage of the announcement when it is made. My thanks once again to you all.
James, Good Morning/Afternoon.
DeleteWith the delays inn Matt approving our posts on his blog, i felt this is the most direct way to address your question about the current Utah area boundaries and maps. I concur that the version of the Utah Area Map you posted the link to is the most accurate representation i have found to date.
Here i will also provide a screenshot and link to my screenshot i made just before the old Classic Site went down in Summer 2022. That shows roughly the same areas you do.
The only way to verify also is the Associated Stakes and Area Districts are listed on the Meetinghouse site with this area link.
That all the listed Stakes including a few in Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming and elsewhere outside the Administrative borders of the State of Utah are including in this weeks Area update.
Meetinghouse link to Area Associated Units (but you have to be logged into your Church account to access the link):
https://maps.churchofjesuschrist.org/area/425303
If you would like i can send you a complete list of all other 23 areas with Area links
Hope this helps.
I tried emailing this to you, but it seems i have an old email address for you no longer valid or undeliverable. It included a screenshot i took in Summer 2022 of the Utah Area map on the old Classic Maps site before it went down. If you email me I can send it to you again.
Chris D.
Hey, Chris D., great to hear from you here. Thanks for addressing my question about the Utah Area. I was quite confused about what President Christofferson said, given the map I found and the map you shared above. I really do wish that there was a better way to draw area boundaries along state lines here in the United States, but I understand why that's not a logistical possibility. I would be interested in your other area maps. I will email you in the next few days to ensure you have my correct email to send those to. Thanks for stopping by to share your insights on my question. If you have anything else to share here on my blog, there's no need for current moderation here, so comments are posted as they are submitted. So I hope to hear more from you here in the future, if you have any insights to add to the threads here. Thanks again.
DeleteThe Japan Newsroom just featured this article about the Giving Machines in that nation. And with less than an hour to go before the next major temple construction announcement, stay tuned here for my coverage of that update whenever it occurs. My thanks once again to you all.
ReplyDelete