BREAKING NEWS: Church Releases 11 New Hymns

Hello again, everyone! This just in from the Newsroom: Eleven new hymns have been released for the new hymnbook. The release of the latest batch of hymns fulfills the promise made earlier this month that the next batch would soon be released. The new hymns include the following selections:

“Look unto Christ”, “Oh, How Great Is Our Joy”, "I'm a Pioneer Too”, “As I Keep the Sabbath Day”, “Read the Book of Mormon and Pray”, “I'm Gonna Live So God Can Use Me”, “The Lord's My Shepherd” (not to be confused with "The Lord Is My Shepherd", which is in our current hymnbook), “Because”, “His Voice as the Sound”, “O Lord, Who Gave Thy Life for Me”, and “Still, Still, Still. ” 

Most of these new hymns are in the section "Sabbath & Weekday", which now includes 41 selections, but "Still, Still, Still" is now grouped with the "Easter and Christmas" selections, which now number 7. Only "Still, Still, Still" was familiar to me from this newest batch. Some of the origins of these songs were detailed in the news release to which I linked above. There have now been a total of 48 new selections released.

I don't know when to expect the next batch, but  Additional information was shared in the above news release, and I think I will let that additional information speak for itself so that I don't add or detract from that. I will just add that I was impressed by the accounts of several Church members who have described their experiences with the new hymns.

And it's probably a no-brainer that Church leaders, specifically those involved in music callings, are invited to add these newest hymns to the collections available in meetinghouses worldwide, and to continue to incorporate the new hymns as a regular part of Sabbath Day worship. Meanwhile, Church members everywhere are invited to familiarize themselves with these new hymns.

I will also note that I continue to be surprised by the chosen numbering scheme, which seems to be topical. I don't know how the numbering of current hymns and children's songbook selections will factor into that numbering scheme, but I look forward to finding out in roughly 2 years when the new hymnbooks are officially available.

I am grateful to have learned of these new releases almost as soon as they were announced. 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. If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated, but never required. 

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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Site Locatiion and Exterior Rendering Released for the Chihuahua Mexico Temple; Exterior Rendering Also Released for the Buenos Aires City Center Argentina Temple

Hello again, everyone! At the top of this 2:00 PM hour, I am pleased to report that the next major temple construction announcement has been made. The First Presidency has confirmed the site location and released a rendering for the Chihuahua Mexico Temple, and an exterior rendering for the Buenos Aires City Center Argentina Temple has also been released. Let's get right into the details:

We start with the Chihuahua Mexico Temple, which will be built on the corner of Avenida de la Cantera and Avenida Real Escondido, Reserva Territorial la Hacienda, Chihuahua, Chihuahua, 31216. The single-story templle, planned to be roughly 19,000 square feet, will rise on a 5.87-acre site at that address. The accompanying exterior rendering speaks for itself. 

Given its comparatively smaller size, it shouldn't take too long to build. The announced location and the release of the exterior rendering follow the announcement of this temple by Church President Russell M. Nelson during his April 2024 General Conference address. I will be intrigued to see how quickly this temple's approvals go through, as they are reportedly already being worked on by the Church.

We now turn our attention to the rendering of the Buenos Aires City Center Argentina Temple rendering, which follows its announcement  in October 2022, and the confirmation of its site location two months later. It appears that the Buenos Aires City Center Argentina Temple will be a multi-story edifice, similar in design to the Bangkok Thailand Temple, which is built up rather than out.

As I am not great at analyzing exterior renderings, I will let others comment on anything I may have msised. I am grateful we got these two exterior renderings and the site location confirmation today. I had hoped we would get the dedication information for at least the Burley idaho Temple today, if not also the arrangements for the Alabang Philippines Temple, both of which have been mostly sitting completed for several weeks/a couple of months. 

I still hold out hope, based on information I've received on my end, that there will be at least a couple more dedications before the end of the year, so hopefully such an announcement will come in a week or two. 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. 

If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated, but never required. 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.

BREAKING NEWS: Church Releases New Details About Hymns--For Home & Church

Hello again, everyone! Through the newest episode of the Church News podcast, and a corresponding update found on the Newsroom website, we now have some additional information about the forthcoming new hymnbook, Hymns—For Home & Church. 

According to the new information in the podcast and corresponding news release, the next batch of new hymns will be released in English later this month, the total number of hymns in the new hymnbook will be around 375 (only about 30 more than the current hymnbook), Church members are being encouraged to continue to hold on to our current hymnbooks after the new ones come out, and the timeline for the full release of the English version of the new hymnal has moved up to mid-2027 (roughly 2 years from now).

There is valuable information about the new hymnal in both the podcast episode and the news release to which I linked above, and I will actually let most of that speak for itself, as I'd rather not add or detract from the subject matter in this particular case. But I will say that I look forward to the release of the new hymnal, and I am personally elated that it will be out sooner than expected. This is a most fitting way to celebrate today, which marks a year from when the first batch of hymns was released.

For my part, I continue to remain committed to providing 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. If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated, but never required. 

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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Church President Russell M. Nelson Will Dedicate the Syracuse Utah Temple

Hello again, everyone! A short time ago, the Newsroom provided an official update indicating that President Nelson will preside at the upcoming June 8 dedication of the Syracuse Utah Temple. I had projected that he would do so, but now we have official confirmation of that feeling on my part. The prophet will be accompanied at the dedication by Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who is a native of nearby Cache County here in Utah.

The temple's sole dedicatory session will take place at 4:00 PM MDT, will be carried live to all stake centers in the temple district, and will be rebroadcast at 7:00 PM MDT, again to all stake centers in the temple district. While this is huge temple news, I do not believe it will be the only major temple construction update we will get today. So stay tuned here during the 2:00 PM MDT hour for my coverage of whatever additional updates we may get.

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. If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated, but never required. 

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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Africa Newsroom Reports on the Groundbreaking for the Benin City Nigeria Temple & Dedication of the Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple; Groundbreaking Arrangements Set for the Vancouver Washington Temple

Hello again, everyone! During the last few days, the African Newsroom has confirmed Saturday's groundbreaking for the Benin City Nigeria Temple and Sunday's dedication of the Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple. I wondered if those would be the sum and total major temple construction updates we will get for the week, but still privately theorized that something else was likely to be announced today, in view of Memorial Day yesterday in the United States. 

That impression was proven correct with today's announcement of groundbreaking arrangements for the Vancouver Washington Temple. The confirmation of these arrangements, which I will detail shortly, follows that temple's original announcement during the October 2023 General Conference, the confirmation of the site location io February 2024, the release of the exterior rendering in September 2024, and the March 2025 announcement that preliminary site work was beginning.

As for the groundbreaking arrangements, that ceremony will be held on Saturday, August 23, 2025. Elder Mark A. Bragg, the outgoing president of the current North America West Area (which will be renamed the United States West Area on August 1), will preside at that ceremony. Interestingly enough, he will have been released from that assignment on August 1, so by the time of the groundbreaking, he will be filling other assignments at Church headquarters. 

Having previously served in the Family History and Church Communications Department, I could see him presiding at this groundbreaking in a new role, perhaps as the Executive Director of either the Family History or Temple Departments, either of which would make him a natural choice to preside at this groundbreaking.

Given that the Wellington New Zealand Temple groundbreaking will be on August 2, with this one set for August 23, I could potenitally see a couple others scheduled for groundbreakings in between those for Wellington and Vancouver. If nothing else is announced to occur before the latter date, this will be the twelfth temple groundbreaking in 2025. Last year, the twelfth temple groundbreaking was conducted on Saturday, September 27, so we are currently 35 days ahead of where we were, and other groundbreakings are forthcoming.

We also currently have some degree of a backlog in terms of temples that have had a groundbreaking recently but have not yet had full-scale construction begin, so hopefully some of those will be able to have construction begin soon. And with 3 temples completed and awaiting the announcement of their opening arrangements, I was a little surprised we didn't get any dedication announcements. Hopefully that is coming down the pike in the next week or two.

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. If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated, but never required. 

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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Groundbreaking Announced for the Singapore Temple

Hello again, everyone! This afternoon, the First Presidency announced a groundbreaking for the Singapore Temple. The announcement follows that temple's announcement in April 2021, with the site confirmed in October 2022, and the release of its exterior rendering just two months later. The Church selected its general contractor in May of last year, and the existing structures on the site were demolished beginning in December of last year.

I had projected that the groundbreaking for this temple would occur in the relatively near term, and I had also projected that the Church could break ground for other temples before that of the recently announced Welington New Zealand Temple on August 2, and I was correct on that as well. As for the groundbreaking for Singapore's first temple, it is set to occur on Saturday, June 28, under the direction of Elder Kelly R. Johnson, First Counselor in the Asia Area Presidency.

This announcement will now make this temple the tenth to have a groundbreaking this year, and knocks the Wellington New Zealand Temple down to being the eleventh. The eleventh temple groundbreaking last year took place on September 7, so the Church is now 5 weeks ahead and counting for temple groundbreakings in 2025 vs. 2024.

I am grateful for this fantastic news and the chance to share it here. 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. If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated, but never required. 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Exterior Rendering Released for the Colorado Springs Colorado Temple

 Hello again, everyone! This afternoon, the First Presidency released the next major temple construction announcement: an exterior rendering for the Colorado Springs Colorado Temple. The release of this rendering follows the announcement of that temple in October 2023 and the site confirmation and preliminary details being released just six months ago, in November of last year.

The rendering largely speaks for itself. I currently estimate (based on recent trends) that the groundbreaking for this temple may likely occur early next year at latest, but certainly sooner if approvals go through quickly. I am grateful this update was announced today, and am happy to have been able to cover it here.

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. If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated, but never required. 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Groundbreaking Set for the Wellington New Zealand Temple; McKinney Texas Temple Will Be Renamed the Fairview Texas Temple

 Hello again, everyone! This afternoon, the First Presidency set a groundbreaking for the Wellington New Zealand Temple, and also announced that the McKinney Texas Temple will be renamed the Fairview Texas Temple. While the latter development primarily speaks for itself, let's get down to the details about the Wellington New Zealand Temple.

The Wellington New Zealand Temple had a site announced in late November 2022. An exterior rendering was initially released in mid-June of last year and was included in today's announcement of its groundbreaking. As for the groundbreaking itself, that will take place on Saturday, August 2, 2025, under the direction of Elder Taniela B. Wakolo, the First Counselor in the Pacific Area presidency. 

The "two-story temple of approximately 14,900 square feet and an ancillary building with arrival facilities and patron housing" will likely take 2-3 years to construct once full-scale construction begins. And given the slower pace at which the latest temples have gone from groundbreaking to full-scale construction, it could be around 4-6 weeks after the groundbreaking occurs before full-scale construction begins. I hope I'm wrong on that, but time alone will tell.

Aside form the renaming of the McKinney Texas Temple to the Fairview Texas Temple (which was one of the conditions proposed by the planning and zoning commission for the city council approval process), today's news release confirmed the new exterior rendering as official, and that the temple will be built "on an 8.16-acre site located along Stacy Road adjacent to and east of an existing meetinghouse at 651 East Stacy Road, in Fairview, Texas." 

The revised plans for the temple are for a single-story edifice of 30,742 square feet. This marks the second name change for this temple. It was initially announced as the Prosper Texas Temple before being changed to the McKinney Texas Temple, and it will now be the Fairview Texas Temple. Hopefully, the latest concessions agreed upon between the Church and the city will allow city council approval to be granted in an expedited manner. 

Those revised plans go before the Fairview City Council tomorrow. If they are approved, especially in light of the concessions made, a groundbreaking announcement for Texas's next temple may be forthcoming as well. Sorry. I droned on longer about that temple than I meant to. Anyways, I am grateful for today's announcements. 

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. If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated, but never required. 

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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Site Announced for the Eket Nigeria Temple; Exterior Rendering Released for the Huntsville Alabama Temple

Hello again, everyone! In a very unexpected early morning announcement, the First Presidency confirmed the initial details for the Eket Nigeria Temple and released an exterior rendering for the Huntsville Alabama Temple. Let's get right down to the details:

The Eket Nigeria Temple, which was announced in October 2022, along with 17 others, will be a single-story edifice of approximately 18,850 square feet, which will rise on a 7-acre site at Eket/Oron Road in Ikot Ibiok, Eket Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. A new meetinghouse will also be built as part of the project. The Eket temple is one of six planned for Nigeria. Groundbreakings have been announced for the temples in Lagos and Benin City, while we await more official details for the temples in Calabar, Abuja, and Uyo.

The rendering for the Huntsville Alabama Temple largely speaks for itself. I will just add that it follows a site confirmation on January 25 of this year, and the temple's announcement in the October 2024 General Conference. Given the accelerated pace of the site announcement and now the exterior rendering, I would not be shocked if we had a groundbreaking for this temple later this year, though it might only happen early next year.

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. 

If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe for the applicable updates. If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated but never required. 

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.

BREAKING NEWS: 2025-2026 Area Presidency Assignments Announced

Hello again, everyone! Hot on the heels of the announcements I covered a couple of hours ago, the First Presidency has also announced the area leadership assignments for the next year. Significantly, in addition to those assignments, the areas now covering just the United States (because of the creation of the Canada Area) will now be known as United States Areas, with the obvious exception of the Utah Area. 

So we now have the United States Central, United States Northeast, United States Southeast, United States Southwest, and United States West Areas. I will have additional analysis of these assignments later tonight or tomorrow, which will be shared in the comments of this post. I am still trying to do updates for the temple news, which is why I will just let the assignments speak for themselves until I can share that analysis.

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. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe for the applicable updates. If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated but never required.

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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Opening Arrangements Announced for the Antofagasta Chile and Bahia Blanca Argentina Temples; Rendering Released for West Jordan Utah Temple

Hello again, everyone! This afternoon, the First Presidency announced the opening arrangements for the Antofagasta Chile and Bahia Blanca Argentina Temples, and also released a rendering for the West Jordan Utah Temple. The rendering speaks for itself. So let's get down to the details:

The media day for Chile's newest finished temple will be held on Monday, May 12, 2025, with VIP tours following the next day. The public is invited to tour the temple during its' public open house from Wednesday, May 14-Saturday, May 24, 2025. The single-session dedication for this temple will be held on Sunday, June 15, 2024, under the direction of Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. I was quite pleasantly surprised by the timing of this temple's dedication, after the latest temple dedications were more spread out.

Meanwhile, for the Bahia Blanca Argentina Temple, the media day will be held on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, with VIP tours that day and the next day. The public open house will be held from Thursday, October 16-Saturday, November 1, 2025. The single-session dedication will occur on Sunday, November 23, 2025, under the direction of Elder Ulisses Soares, also of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. That dedication was further out than I thought it would be.

So one temple dedication is much sooner than I thought, while one dedication is occurring far later than I thought. Elder Stevenson will actually dedicate the Antofagasta Chile Temple before he dedicates the Elko Nevada Temple. And Elder Soares will oversee the Bahia Blanca Argentina Temple dedication just six months after he dedicates the Nairobi Kenya Temple. For more insight on apostolic temple dedications during President Nelson's prophetic administration, please see this document.

Just another quick word on the rendering of the West Jordan Utah Temple. The release of that rendering comes just under two months after the release of the rendering for the Lehi Utah Temple. Given that the two temples both had site confirmations on the same day, I had thought the two might be twin temples. But each of the two similiarly-sized edifices have very different looks.

So lots of surprises with today's announcements. Nonetheless I am grateful for the advancing progress on each of these 3 temples. 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. 

If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe for the applicable updates. If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated but never required. 

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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Opening Arrangements Announced for the Elko Nevada and Grand Junction Colorado Temples

Hello again, everyone! Since no major temple construction updates were reported yesterday, something might be shared today during the 2:00 PM hour here in Utah. And I was right. Opening arrangements have been set for the Elko Nevada and Grand Junction Colorado Temples. Let's get right into the details: 

First up is the Elko Nevada Temple. A media day will be held on Wednesday, August 27, with VIP tours the following two days. The Newsroom release mistakenly notes that the VIP tours will be held Thursday, August 28, and Wednesday, August 29. Not sure how that happened. 

The public is invited to tour the temple between Saturday, August 30, through Saturday, September 13, with the temple dedication following on Sunday, October 12, 2025, with Elder Gary E. Stevenson presiding over the single-session dedication. 

Not sure why there is more than a month from the end of the open house to the dedication in question. As for the Grand Junction Colorado Temple, its media day will be held on Monday, September 8, with VIP tours following the next two days. 

The public is invited to tour the temple from Thursday, September 11, through Saturday, September 27. The temple will be dedicated in a single session on Sunday, October 19, with President Jeffrey R. Holland, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, presiding. These timelines were further out than I thought they would be. 

But I'm glad we got the news of these two temple dedications. I am grateful to have been able to report on these two important developments. 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. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe for the applicable updates. 

If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated but never required. 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: President Nelson Announces 15 New Temples

Hello again, everyone! A short time ago, during his concluding remarks in the Sunday Afternoon Session of General Conference, Church President Russell M. Nelson announced 15 new temples, just as I had predicted. This post has been preset to publish at 4 and will be updated with more particular analysis within the next couple of hours. While those updates are in progress, the ability to comment on this post may be unavailable. With my thanks to you all for your understanding and patience on this, the rest of my complete analysis follows.

A temple was announced for each of the following locations: Reynoso Mexico; Chorillos Peru, Rivera Uruguay, Campo Grande Brazil, Porto Portugal, Uyo Nigeria, San Jose Del Monte Philippines, Noumea New Caledonia, Liverpool Australia, Caldwell Idaho, Flagstaff Arizona, Rapid City South Dakota, Greenville South Carolina, Norfolk Virginia, and Spanish Fork Utah.

Of those 15, I correctly predicted the following 6, down to the exact location: Campo Grande Brazil, Porto Portugal, Uyo Nigeria, Flagstaff Arizona, Rapid City South Dakota, & Spanish Fork Utah.

I had the right general location but the wrong specific city for the following 5 temples: Reynoso Mexico, Chorillos Peru, San Jose Del Monte Philippines, Liverpool Australia, & Caldwell Idaho,

And I wasn't anticipating the following 4 temples at all: Rivera Uruguay, Noumea New Caledonia, Greenville South Carolina, & Norfolk Virginia.

Truly, the Lord's wisdom is superior to mine. I am grateful for each of these newly announced temples. Because of this announcement today, I don't know whether or not to expect any other major temple construction updates tomorrow, or if this will be it for the next week. 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. I am grateful for the veritable spiritual feast we have enjoyed this weekend, and for the opportunity I have to share such news as this. 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. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe for the applicable updates. 

If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated but never required. 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: First Presidency Announces the Location of and Releases the Exterior Rendering for the Retalhuleu Guatemala Temple

 Hello again, everyone! Just when I personally had given up hope that a new major temple construction announcement would be made today, an announcement was slipped in under the proverbial wire. The First Presidency has confirmed the location and released a rendering for the Retalhuleu Guatemala Temple. That temple was announced during the April 2023 General Conference. Since the rendering speaks for itself, let's get right into the location and size details:

According to the release: "The temple will be built on a 5.51-acre site located at Km. 182.5 RN-9, Caserío Puca I, Municipio de San Sebastian, Retalhuleu, Guatemala." Interestingly enough, though it looks to be a two-story temple (at least to me), the exact size of the temple was not officially given. The rendering appears to show a temple with the same general exterior look as the Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple. I assume the size will be detailed either when the groundbreaking is announced or when the groundbreaking is reported.

With that being the only update today, and it being released at the end of the 2:00 PM hour, this means that, of the Church's current 110 announced temples, 5 of which have groundbreakings, only 53 have not yet had any information officially released. I am grateful for this late-breaking announcement. As always, I continue to watch 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. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe for the applicable updates. If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated, but never required. 

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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Groundbreaking Confirmed for Birmingham England Temple; Opening Arrangements (Open House and Dedication) Announced for the Farmington New Mexico Temple; Groundbreakings Announced for the Lagos Nigeria, Benin City Nigeria, Budapest Hungary, and Natal Brazil Temples

Hello again, everyone! The report of the Birmingham England Temple groundbreaking has now been shared on the main Newsroom, but above and beyond that, the First Presidency just made the next major temple construction announcement, and it is a doozy. 

Opening arrangements (an open house and dedication) have been announced for the Farmington New Mexico Temple, with groundbreakings set and renderings released for the temples in Lagos Nigeria, Benin City Nigeria, Budapest Hungary, and Natal BrazilTemples. There's a lot to get to, so let's dive right in!

A media day will be held for the Farmington New Mexico Temple on Monday, July 14,followed by VIP tours the next two days. The public will be able to tour that temple between Thursday, July 17 and Saturday, August 2, with the exception of the Sundays of July 20 and 27. The single-session dedication will follow on Sunday, August 17, with Elder Neil L. Andersen presiding thereat. 

I am glad we got the dedication news for this temple, and the dedication is actually about when I thought it would be. I was a little surprised that we only got one dedication announced, but I hope for subsequent dedication announcements in the next few weeks. Having covered the first update, we move on to the four groundbreakings announced today.

The groundbreaking for the Lagos Nigeria Temple will take place on Saturday, May 10. with Elder Alfred Kyungu, Africa West Area President, presiding. There was an exterior rendering released with the temple, which speaks for itself. The groundbreaking for the Benin City Nigeria Temple will occur on Saturday, May 24, with Elder Adeyinka A. Ojediran, First Counselor in the aforementioned Africa West Area presidency, presiding. An exterior rendering was also released for that temple as part of the announcement, and it speaks for itself.

The groundbreaking for the Budapest Hungary Temple will occur on Saturday, June 21, 2025, under the direction of Elder Ruben V. Alliaud, Europe Central Area President. An exterior rendering and site announcement were previously released. The groundbreaking for the Natal Brazil Temple will occur on Saturday, May 17, with Elder Mark D. Eddy, Second Counselor in the Brazil Area presidency, presiding. The site announcement and exterior rendering of that temple were also released earlier.

As you can see from these announcements, the calendar of temple events this year is filling up. I have updated my document comparing groundbreakings in 2024 vs. 2025. By the time the Budapest Hungary Temple groundbreaking occurs, that will be the ninth to occur this year. As the document shows, the ninth groundbreaking last year occurred on August 17, while the ninth for this year will occur on June 21, which puts us ahead of 2024 by about 6 weeks.

I am grateful for this mammoth announcement. I think there's much more to come. I will admit that the four groundbreakings we got today weren't even on my radar for the near term, but I am glad we got this significant announcement, as I always rejoice over any new major temple news. I hope you join with me in rejoicing. My thanks to you all for tuning in for this report.

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. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe for the applicable updates. 

If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated but never required. 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Pre-Construction Work Underway for the Vancouver Washington Temple

Hello again, everyone! This afternoon, the Church reported that preliminary site work is underway on the Vancouver Washington Temple, which is the next step towards a groundbreaking. So that temple may now move to the top of my list of temples that could have groundbreakings announced soon. It appears this update may be all she wrote for 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. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe for the applicable updates.

If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated but never required. 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Rendering Released for the Lehi Utah Temple

Hello again, everyone! I am pleased to be able to share the latest temple news: the First Presidency has released the rendering for what will be my new temple, the Lehi Utah Temple. The rendering appears to show similar elements to the Provo Utah Rock Canyon,  Orem Utah, and Lindon Utah Temples. That is my only comment on the rendering itself.

The release of this rendering did not come as a surprise to me, as the mayor of Lehi is in my ward and has publicly stated that he and the city council have just been waiting for the Church to present the plans for it. So approvals, as they tend to do in Utah County especially, should be swift, I hope. Either way, this temple is now one step closer to a groundbreaking, so I will just be awaiting that.

I am more than slightly surprised we only got one rendering this time, as I was hoping for more dedications or groundbreakings to be announced or for additional site locations to be revealed. As I've stated before, the shorter open house announced for the Syracuse Utah Temple, along with the timing of its dedication, were unexpected to me, so I was hoping for more temple dedications to be set for June.

As it is, unless something changes, I assume that most of the completed temples might only be dedicated in August at the earliest. While I was hoping for more site announcements, I am not surprised we only got 2 this month, as that seems in keeping with the trends from last year.  Hopefully, more site announcements and groundbreakings are coming down the pike as well. Time will tell.

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. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe for the applicable updates. 

If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated but never required. 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: First Presidency Announces Groundbreaking Arrangements for the Lethbridge Alberta Temple; Confirms the Site Location and Releases an Exterior Rendering for the Tuguegarao Philippines Temple; and Confirms Prelminary Details for the Culiacan Mexico Temple

Hello again, everyone! Today, the First Presidency announced the groundbreaking for the Lethbridge Alberta Temple, released a site location and exterior rendering for the Tuguegarao Philippines Temple, and released preliminary information for the Culiacan Mexico Temple. There's a lot to get into, so let's start right in:

Though the Newsroom release shares these updates in a different order, I am starting with the groundbreaking for the Lethbridge Alberta Temple, which has been scheduled to occur on Saturday, April 26, 2025. Elder Randall K. Bennett, a General Authority Seventy currently serving as President of the Church's North America Central Area, will preside at that groundbreaking. Obviously, though, future oversight of that temple will be under the purview of the new Canada Area presidency beginning in August 2025.

Given that the groundbreaking is set for late April, other groundbreakings announced after today could potentially be held before this one. As reflected in this document, which shows a side-by-side comparison of the groundbreakings in 2024 and 2025, the current fifth temple groundbreaking for 2025 will be held roughly 1.5 months before the first anniversary of the fifth temple groundbreaking in 2024. So, temple groundbreakings in 2025 will continue to outpace what we saw in 2024. I'm sure we will see other temple groundbreakings this year that will continue to outpace 2024.

Since the rendering of the Tuguegarao Philippines Temple speaks for itself, we now turn to its announced parameters. The single-story temple, which will be approximately 18,850 square feet, will rise on a 5.3-acre site just south of Enrile Avenue, Cariq Regional Centre, Tuguegarao, Philippines. Patron housing units and a distribution center are also planned for the project. The temple was initially announced at the April 2023 General Conference. If any of you have any comments about the rendering in question, I warmly welcome them.

We now wrap up today's news with some preliminary information about the Culiacan Mexico Temple. The planned single-story edifice, which will be approximately 10,000 square feet, will rise on a 5-acre site off of Avenida Milenium in the Colonia Country Tres Rios, between the cross streets of Miguel Tamayo Espinoza de los Monteros and Boulevard José María Figueroa Díaz. The temple project will include adjacent patron housing. 

Given the announced size, I will not be shocked if it is another modular temple. The Church seems to have recently increased the number of modular temples, so it seems safe to make that assumption. I am grateful to have learned of these updates and for the chance to share them with you all. 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. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe for the applicable updates. If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated but never required. 

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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: President Nelson Announces An "Open House Celebration" for the Salt Lake Temple in 2027

 Hello again, everyone! In a social media post earlier this morning, President Nelson announced an "open house celebration" for the Salt Lake Temple. Here is a plain-text copy of the post in question:

"On February 14, 1853, a groundbreaking ceremony in Salt Lake City began a 40-year journey of faith and sacrifice, culminating in the dedication of the Salt Lake Temple in 1893.  

"A current and comprehensive renovation to strengthen this sacred house of the Lord for future generations is now nearing completion. 

"Today, exactly 172 years after the groundbreaking ceremony, I am delighted to announce that the temple will reopen for tours during a public open house from April to October 2027. 

"We warmly invite our friends to come and learn about God's plan for His children and rejoice in the love of Jesus Christ. Details about this event will be shared as April 2027 approaches. 

"As houses of the Lord now dot the earth, I invite you to cherish your time and service at the temples closest to you as we prepare for the reopening of the Salt Lake Temple in 2027."

This official announcement supersedes anything I had privately or publicly theorized. Nothing in there about the temple's rededication, but the open house is obviously shorter than I had heard it might be. If the open house ends in October 2027, I imagine that the temple's rededication will likely follow in the early months of 2028.

Other than these notes, I will let this announcement speak for itself. 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. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe for the applicable updates. If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated but never required.

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.

BREAKING NEWS: Church Releeases 15 Additional New Hymns

 Hello agsin, everyone! Just a short time ago, the Church will officially release 15 new hymns from the new hymnbook, constituting the largest such release this far. I wi The newest selections will be available on all the appropriate channels within the next 24 hours or less. From the news release comes quotes from Elder Matthew L. Carpenter, the GA Seventy adviser to the hymnbook, but no new quotes from any of the apostles on this newest release. 

It occurred to me to wonder if the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have determined to use Elder Carpenter instead of an apostolic adviser, but I can't say that for sure one way or the other. If that is the case, then it would be in line with the Lord's direction for the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve to call on the Seventy "instead of any others" in such cases. Anyways, the new selections include the following: 

"Close As a Quiet Prayer”, “Come, Hear the Word the Lord Has Spoken”, “Faith in Every Footstep”, “Holy Places”, “I Can’t Count Them All”, “I Have Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ”,“I Know That My Savior Loves Me”, “Let Easter Anthems Ring”, “Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling”, “Standing on the Promises”,“Take My Heart and Let It Be Consecrated”, “This Little Light of Mine”, “To Love Like Thee”, “Welcome Home”, and “Were You There?”

I am familiar with the following new releases: "Faith in Every Footstep" (the Pioneer anthem created for the 1997 sesquicentennial celebration of the Saints' arrival to the Salt Lake Valley), "I Know That My Savior Loves Me", "Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling", "Standing on the Promises", "This Little Light of Mine" and "Were You There?". I look forward to familiarizing myself with all of these selections in the coming months.

There are now 31 selections in the "Sabbath and Weekday" section and 6 more in the "Easter and Christmas" section, for a total of 37.  Additionally, the Church announced today that the first hymns released in May 2024 are now available in German, Korean, and Tagalog. Later this year, those hymns will also be available in Mandarin and Japanese.

While I was getting this post ready for publication, the home page for the new hymnbook was updated to include the newest selections. It may take up to 24 hours before they are visible in the Gospel Library section of the same page and in the Sacred Music app. I am grateful for this newest release of 15 hymns and look forward to using them at Church and at home in the coming days.

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. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe for the applicable updates. If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated but never required. 

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.