Hello again, everyone! An unexpected temple announcement came down the pike today: opening arrangements for the new Anchorage Alaska Temple, along with a closure for the current Anchorage Alaska Temple, which will close for demolition on March 22, 2027. As a reminder, the new Anchorage temple is being built where the former chapel stood, so the plan is for a new chapel to be built where the current temple sits once the existing structure is razed. The Church will want to be able to dedicate the new meetinghouse when the new temple is dedicated, so closing the existing structure a couple of months before the new temple is dedicated will allow the Church to do that.
That brings us to the opening arrangements for the new Anchorage Alaska Temple: the new temple's media day will occur on Monday, May 10, 2027, with invited guests touring the temple the next couple of days. The public open house will occur between Thursday, May 13, and Saturday, May 29, 2027. The new Anchorage Alaska Temple and the adjacent chapel will be dedicated (not rededicated) on Sunday, June 13, 2027. The session will be broadcast to all units in the temple district. The presiding official will be named closer to the time, making it likely that a member of the First Presidency or a senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will preside thereover.
This marks a change from the Church's original plan to dedicate the new temple, then raze the existing structure and build and dedicate the meetinghouse. But it is a welcome change that makes sense when outlined as done herein. I will confess I was not expecting this temple's opening arrangements to be announced this soon, nor did I anticipate that the first temple event announced for 2027 would be this rededication. But it is welcome news nonetheless.
With no other temple news announced this week, hopefully next week will bring opening arrangements for the Pago Pago American Samoa, Smithfield Utah, or Fort Worth Texas Temples, in addition to one or two more temple groundbreakings. I suspect we will continue to see announcements every Monday this month. 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.
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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 Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple dedication was announced for the end of the month. Currently only on the Cambodia newsroom page.
ReplyDeletePer this page, the dedication of the first temple in Cambodia was originally announced on the main Newsroom on March 2 of this year. I covered that announcement in this post. The news release on the Cambodian Newsroom, with the same date on it, appears to be featured anew now due to the previously announced open house coming up later this month. Thanks for sharing this information to be sure we all are aware of it, Noah! I always appreciate hearing from you.
DeleteThe Church News has also covered the dedication of this new Anchorage Alaska Temple. My thanks once again to you all.
ReplyDeleteThe Church News has shared this new report about the wildfires in the Spokane Washington area. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Tuesday, the Church News has published a few new reports: Elder Michael A. Dunn threw out the first pitch at an Arizona baseball game; the new Frankfurt Institute of Religion has become an important gathering place for Young adults in Geermany; and the new episode of the Church News podcast features institute teachers Doony Anderson discussing how best to study the New Testament next year. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteIi failed to mention an update on the status of the Fairview Texas Temple. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Wednesday, the Church News has shared a couple of new reports, including: the origin story of another of our new hymns, "The Miracle", and Church leaders in Nigeria inspire others through BYU-Pathway Worldwide enrollment. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe Church News also posted this additional report. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteI don't think there's any way to demolish the original temple and build a new meeting house in 12 weeks. Especially when you take into account they don't want a construction zone next to the temple during the open house. That would make it a seven week turn around.
ReplyDeleteIt's just a theory of mine, Scott, based on the fact that the Church stated right from the start that the temple and the meetinghouse essentially switching places were one project. I could easily be incorrect in that theory. But from start to finish, as long as the necessary permits are in place, and the Church has land for the meetinghouse, which I believe is the case for this overarching project, it's my understanding that the construction of a meetinghouse can take only 9 to 15 months, including planning and approvals. And if the Church obtained the necessary permits for the whole project right from the start, that 9 to 15 months actually started when the project did. Once the temple is decomissioned and demolished, it may be a simple matter of putting a modular meetinghouse in that spot, which would allow for it to be completed before the temple is dedicated. In any case, it's just a theory, and I've been wrong before, so I'm not afraid of being so again. Thanks, Scott. I always appreciate hearing from you.
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