BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Site Location and Preliminary Information Released for Lagos and Benin City Nigeria Temples; Exterior Rendering Released for Rebuilt Kona Hawaii Temple

Hello again, everyone! The First Presidency just released the site locations and preliminary details for both the Lagos Nigeria and Benin City Nigeria Temples, and also released a rendering of the reconstructed Kona Hawaii Temple. With a preliminary version of this post having been published a short time ago, let's get right into the details: First, as most of you are likely aware, the Lagos Nigeria Temple was originally announced in October 2018, with the Benin City Nigeria Temple following in April 2020.

The single-story temple in Lagos will be approximately 19,800 square feet and will rise on a 2.7-acre site at Rumens Road and Bourdillon Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria. In addition to the temple proper, patron housing and an arrival center will be part of that project. The two-story 30,700-square-foot Benin City Nigeria Temple will also feature an arrival center and patron housing at 16 Commercial Ave., Benin City, Nigeria.

Before I move on to the Kona Hawaii Temple rendering, I wanted to note that, in view of these announcements about two Nigerian temples, all temples originally announced in October 2018 have, at minimum, had site locations and preliminary details announced, though a number of them are also in the construction queue, somewhere in between, or have already been dedicated. 

Only 2 temples originally announced in April 2020 have not had information released: Dubai United Arab Emirates and Shanghai China, both of which may take some time. Of the 79 currently announced temples, all but 39 (a little under half) have seen some information announced. I should also note I'm a little surprised we haven't gotten word on any other temple dedications yet. Hopefully, that's coming down the pike starting next week. 

With all of that said, let's now turn to the Kona Hawaii Temple rendering. That temple is scheduled to close for renovation on September 30, with plans to expand it from either 10,700 square feet or 9,500 square feet (the Church Temples page for that temple lists both numbers) to an even 12,000 square-foot edifice. That temple will close on September 30. That said, the rendering seems to be very much in keeping with temples designed under President Nelson's dynamic leadership. I will let others more qualified than I am comment on anything significant you see about the redesign.

I am grateful to have been able to learn about this news and to be able to pass it along to you all. Hopefully, this means that the Church may soon queue up more groundbreakings and release several more renderings in the weeks ahead. I also hope we get at least 1 or 2 temple dedication announcements before General Conference weekend, but time will tell in that regard. 

I continue to monitor all Church News, Newsroom, and Church Temples updates and will be sure to bring word of those to you all here as I receive those updates. 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 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. 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: Consolidated Collection of Hymns and Children's Songs Will Begin Rollout in the Next Nine Months

Hello again, everyone! A breaking news update was just provided on the new music collection the Church is creating. The Hymnbook and Children's Songbook will now be a single volume, with the hope being that Primary children will sing more hymns and that congregations will sing more children's songs in their meetings. The consolidated collection will begin rollout in the first half of next year (being made available online). 

Per the article, "By the end of 2026, the hymnbook is expected to be available digitally and in print in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French. By 2030, the Church plans to have it published in 50 languages. Other languages will receive a collection of around 60 hymns and children’s songs called “Selected Hymns.” 

This process starts in May 2024, when an early release of new hymns and children’s songs will begin to roll out online in English and other languages. They include such favorites as "Faith in Every Footstep", which were composed after the last edition of the hymnbooks and children's songbooks were released.

Elder Dale G. Renlund, Primary General President Sister Susan H. Porter, and Elder Isaac K. Morrison, a General Authority Seventy, were quoted in the article expressing their excitement for the new music collection. The news release provides other information, including how the new music is anticipated to be implemented in Sunday and at-home worship prior to the release of the full new volumes.

I am grateful to have learned of this update and to have been able to pass it along to you all here. I continue to monitor all other Church News, Newsroom, and temple construction updates and will bring word of those to you all here as I receive 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 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. 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 Austin Texas Temple; Site Location and Preliminary Information Confirmed for Lethbridge Alberta Temple

Hello again, everyone! Just a few minutes ago, the Newsroom released new information on two temples: An exterior rendering for the Austin Texas Temple and the site location and preliminary information about the Lethbridge Alberta Temple. The site location for the Austin Texas Temple was announced last year on December 19. With a rendering released for that 30,000-square-foot single-story temple, hopefully that means a groundbreaking could soon be announced.

That said, the Lethbridge Alberta Temple (set to be built in a region where President Nelson's wife Wendy lived) will be a multistory temple of 45,000-square-feet and an adjacent distribution center, which will rise on a site of more than 9 acres at the corner of Whoop Up Drive West and Mauretania Road West. The fact that it will be a multistory temple seems significant, and suggests that the temple will be built up rather than out.

I am grateful that the first Canadian temple announced by President Nelson now has preliminary information released. And the Church has announced sufficient information on several other temples that may soon have a groundbreaking. I'm also more than slightly surprised that today's announcement did not relate to a temple opening. We've got 3 temples awaiting the announcement of their opening arrangements, and a total of 4 others that are nearing completion.

As I've commented previously, the Church may be waiting to announce opening arrangements for the Red Cliffs Utah Temple until more is known about Elder Holland's health. Based on the fact that President Nelson has assigned temple dedications to apostles with personal connections to areas in the past, Elder Holland's health may be the foremost factor impacting an announcement on Red Cliffs. As far as the delays on arrangements for Layton Utah and Puebla Mexico, not sure of the cause there.

But the Church continues to make such announcements as they can. Stay tuned here for more information as I find out about it. While composing this post, the Church News also covered these updates. I continue to monitor all such news, in addition to updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and on other temples under construction or announced and will be sure to pass word of those along here as time and circumstances allow.

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 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. 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: Manhattan New York Temple to Close for Renovation; Site Locations Announced for Temples In California, Brazil, and Bolivia

Hello again, everyone! The first major temple construction announcement in months that has not been related to a temple open house has just been released. As stated in the post title, the Manhattan New York Temple will close for renovations, and sites have been announced for the San Jose California, Natal and Teresina Brazil, and La Paz Bolivia Temples. Having posted preliminary coverage of this announcement, let's now dive into the details:

We start with the Manhattan New York Temple. The 119th dedicated temple of the Church will close for extensive renovations sometime next year, and those renovations are anticipated to wrap up sometime in 2027. The renovation will include an upgrade to the meetinghouse spaces, so while renovations are underway, the congregations that meet in the chapel spaces will be hosted in neighboring meetinghouses. Members in the Manhattan New York Temple district are encouraged to worship at the Hartford Connecticut or Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temples. An updated rendering of the temple has been provided.

The La Paz Bolivia Temple, planned to be a 18,850-square-foot edifice will rise on a 3.8-acre site near the intersection of Avenida Los Sauces and Calle 8 de Calacoto in Calacoto, La Paz, Bolivia. The temple was first announced in October 2021. The Natal and Teresina Brazil Temples were just announced in April by President Nelson. The Natal Brazil Temple will be a The La Paz Bolivia Temple, planned to be a 18,850-square-foot edifice will rise on a 3.8-acre site near the intersection of Avenida Los Sauces and Calle 8 de Calacoto in Calacoto, La Paz, Bolivia. The temple was first announced in October 2021. 

The Natal and Teresina Brazil Temples were just announced in April by President Nelson. The Natal Brazil Temple, a single-story edifice of approximately 19,800 square feet, will be built on a 5.53-acre site at Av. Senador Salgado Filho (BR-101), Nova Parnamirim, Parnamirim, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. And the Teresina Brazil Temple will be a 25,420-square-foot edifice (no indication whether it will be a single- double- or triple-story temple) at Av. Cajuína and Rua Pedro Conde, Noivos, Teresina, Piaui on a 3.6-acre site.

In view of today's significant update, the number of temples with sites announced now rises to 35. And with a total number of 79 temples, 2 have groundbreakings scheduled, leaving the number of temples with no official information announced yet down at 42. With the time between now and General Conference weekend, if several more temples have initial details announced, that will lower the numbers further. I am also cautiously optimistic that groundbreaking announcements might be coming more regularly, and that site announcements and exterior renderings might be more frequent in the weeks between now and the October 2023 General Conference weekend.

With that said, that concludes my report on the temple news today. However, I wanted to provide a preview of what I've got coming between now and the weekend of the October 2023 General Conference. Elder Quentin L. Cook will be observing his 83rd birthday on September 8. The next day, President Nelson will become the first prophet/apostle to observe his 98th birthday.  

My next apostolic milestone update and the third-quarter-2023 review of temple construction progress will both be published on October 1, along with any coverage on new temples that are announced on that date, which will be the Sunday of General Conference weekend. The Monday after General Conference, I will provide a birthday tribute to Elder Ulisses Soareas, who will observe his 65th birthday on October 2, followed by an October 8 post honoring President M. Russell Ballard on his 95th birthday.

So lots of good things planned ahead for this blog. Please stay tuned for further coverage on all Church News and Newsroom reports, temple construction updates, apostolic ministry, age, and tenure reports, and of course, extensive coverage on General Conference weekend (including new temples). 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 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. 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: New General Authority Seventy Called

Hello again, everyone! Breaking news was just reported a short time ago in the Newsroom and by the Church News. Effective immediately, Elder Alexander Dushku will serve as a  General Authority Seventy of the Church, He will be sustained in that assignment during the October 2023 General Conference. This marks the first time since May 2018 that the call of a new General Authority Seventy has been announced outside of General Conference, I will let the biographical information for him speak for itself.

I will just also note that, in view of this update, I may be revisiting my thoughts about including a list of changes in general Church leadership with my predictions for the October 2023 General Conference. I am grateful to have learned of this update and to be able to pass it along to you all here. I continue to monitor all major Church News, Newsroom, and temple construction updates and will be sure to bring word of those to you all here as I receive 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 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. 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 Location and Preliminary Information Confirmed for the Bakersfield California Temple; Exterior Rendering Released for Cleveland Ohio Temple

Hello again, everyone! As I predicted, today, the Church announced the latest major temple construction update has been announced. But contrary to what I had supposed, today's announcement did not include opening arrangements for the Red Cliffs Utah Temple. Instead, the First Presidency confirmed the site location and preliminary information for the Bakersfield California Temple, and an exterior rendering for the Cleveland Ohio Temple.

Let's break down the details: The Bakersfield California Temple was announced in April of this year. In addition to the 30,000-square-foot single-story temple, the Church will also be building a distribution center and a new meetinghouse at the northwest corner of Jewetta Avenue and Stockdale Highway in Bakersfield. Meanwhile, the site location and preliminary information were confirmed for the Cleveland Ohio Temple on December 19 of last year. 

The single-story temple of approximately 9,950 square feet will be built south of Longano Dr., Independence, Cuyahoga County. The current status of that temple suggests it is another that is being fast-tracked to the construction phase. The exterior rendering does not suggest this will be another modular temple, but since it is a smaller one, and because approvals are well underway for it, hopefully we will see a groundbreaking announcement soon.

In view of today's announcement, of the 79 announced temples, 46 have not yet had official information confirmed. Having covered these developments, I wanted to post a few thoughts about the timing for the opening arrangements for the next few temples. The announcement of opening arrangements for the Orem Utah Temple was made on Tuesday, June 20, with a dedication set for January 21, 2024. 

If we assume that the Red Cliffs Utah Temple dedication will have a similar length of time between the announcement of opening arrangements and the subsequent dedication, and we assume that the opening arrangements for that temple will be released next week, the dedication of the Red Cliffs Utah Temple is likely to be held sometime in March. 

I still don't know whether construction for the Puebla Mexico Temple is still being halted by the government, but we do know that that temple, in addition to those in Layton Utah, Salta Argentina, and Coban Guatemala, is nearing completion. So I think the Layton temple could be dedicated in either March or April, the Salta temple in April, the Coban temple in April or May, and the Puebla Temple in May.

The next 3 temples likely to be dedicated are, in order, Casper Wyoming, Taylorsville Utah, and Urdaneta Philippines, with a May or June window for Casper, a June window for Taylorsville, and a late June or early August dedication for the Urdaneta temple. Of course, these are no more and no less than my own projections, and they are subject to confirmation, correction, or clarification by an official announcement from the Church.

Whatever might happen with temple construction updates, you can count on my bringing word thereof to you all as I receive it. I also am continuing to monitor all Church News and Newsroom updates and will likewise pass word of those along to you all here as I receive it. 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 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. 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 Ceremonies Set for Modesto California and Fort Worth Texas Temples

Hello again, everyone! Although I previously stated that I didn't foresee the Church making any major temple construction announcements in the month of July, the First Presidency proved me wrong again. Just a few minutes ago, groundbreaking arrangements were announced for the Modesto California and Fort Worth Texas temples. Let's get right into the details: 

The groundbreaking for the Modesto California Temple will occur on Saturday, October 7 (the week after General Conference), with Elder Gary B. Sabin, the current Second Counselor in the North America West Area presidency (who will serve as First Counselor effective August 1), presiding. Ground will be broken for the Fort Worth Texas Temple on Saturday, October 28, with Elder Jose L. Alonso, First Counselor in the North America Southwest Area, presiding.

While I welcome the announcements of these upcoming groundbreakings, I was surprised they are spread out so far into the future. My hope is that the Church may be trying to get approvals for other temple groundbreakings that could occur between August 1 and these two October groundbreakings. I continue to monitor any and all temple construction updates, in addition to Church News and Newsroom reports and will be sure to pass those along to you all here as time and circumstances allow.

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 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. 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 Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple

 Hello again, everyone! Since today is not a state or federal holiday, the Church has resumed major temple announcements on Monday. Today, we have confirmation on the opening arrangements for the Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple. Let's get right into the details: A media day will occur on Monday, November 6, 2023. VIP tours will follow between Tuesday, November 7-Thursday, November 9, and the public open house will be held from Friday, November 10-Saturday, December 9, 2023.

The temple will be dedicated on Sunday, January 14, in two sessions (at 10:00 AM and 1:30 PM PET) by Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Interestingly enough, I mentioned over the weekend that I was recalculating my estimates for anticipated temple events, and I had just projected yesterday that the Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple would be dedicated on either January 14, 21, or 28. Now that this temple has had a dedication scheduled, the next one up will be the Red Cliffs Utah Temple.

It is possible that the Church could opt to make another temple announcement tomorrow at 2:00 PM (groundbreaking, exterior rendering, and/or site confirmation). Whatever might occur in that regard, I'll do my level best to cover it here. I continue to monitor all other Church News and Newsroom reports and other temple construction progress updates and will be sure to bring word of those to you all as I receive it.

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 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. 

Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. 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: Open House and Dedication Set for Orem Utah Temple; Closure Date Announced for Provo Utah Temple; Location and Preliminary Details Released for the Wichita Kansas Temple

 Hello again, everyone! At this 2:00 PM hour on this Tuesday, the Church has shared the next major temple construction announcement has been made, which means that Tuesday may be the new standard date for temple news going forward. What we have today is opening arrangements for the Orem Utah Temple; an official closure date for the Provo Utah Temple; and the site location and initial information for the Wichita Kansas Temple. There's a lot to break down, so let's get right into it.

We begin with the Orem Utah Temple. Following a media day on Monday, October 23, and VIP tours from Tuesday, October 24-Thursday October 26, the public open house will be held between Friday, October 27-Saturday, December 16, 2023, except for the Sundays of October 29, November 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30, and December 3 and 10. 

The dedication of that temple will follow in two sessions at 12:30 and 3:30 PM on Sunday, January 21, 2024. I was intrigued by the later times for these sessions. That may indicate that another temple dedication is anticipated to be held on that day.  No word on who will preside at that dedication, but the fact that this is the first temple dedication for 2024 is significant. 

I wouldn't be shocked if a member of the First Presidency, perhaps even President Nelson himself, presides at this dedication, but either of his counselors or any members of the Twelve with ties to that part of Utah County could be chosen for the task. At a glance, that may include President Dallin H. Oaks, or Elders D. Todd Christofferson or Ronald A. Rasband.

I also don't know what this might indicate about the timing of the dedications for the Lima Peru Los Olivos and Red Cliffs Utah Temples, but if I had to guess, one of the two might be dedicated by the end of the year, and the other might be delayed until next year. It's also possible that both will be dedicated next year on either January 14, 21, or 28. Stay tuned for further updates on this as I receive word thereof.

We now shift to the Provo Utah Temple, which, as we know, was announced to be reconstructed once the Orem Utah Temple was dedicated. Since that dedication has now been set, the Church has also announced the closure date for the Provo Utah Temple. That temple will be open through Saturday, February 24, and will close at the end of that day. I have ventured a completion estimate of late 2026 or sometime in 2027, but it could be completed sooner if construction goes smoothly and without interruption.

That brings us to the information released today about the Wichita Kansas Temple site. The temple will rise at at Lot 1 Block 1 of The Moorings Plaza Fourth Addition, Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas. Plans call for a single-story temple of approximately 9,950 square feet on the 6.42 acre site, and the temple may or may not use the modular design. I

t was my original understanding that the Church intended the Helena Montana, Casper Wyoming, and Elko Nevada Temples to all use the modular design, but the modular method was apparently only used on the first of those 3. The Okinawa Japan Temple was the right size for the modular design, but as far as I'm aware, that was built with normal methods. And the Casper and Elko temples were apparently built normally as well.

It's possible also that the Port Moresby Papua Nee Guinea, Port Vila Vanuatu, Tarawa Kiribati, and Torreon Mexico Temples all use the modular design as well, as could any temple with a floor plan close to 10,00 square feet. But I'm less sure on that than I once was. The Wichita Kansas Temple was one of the last two US temples announced in April 2022 that did not have any information officially confirmed. The last one is Missoula Montana. And today's announcement on the Wichita Kansas Temple means that 47 of the 79 announced temples have not had official information confirmed yet.

As I noted at the beginning of this post, with the Orem Utah Temple dedication set to occur next year, it remains to e seen how soon the Lima Peru Los Olivos and Red Cliffs Utah Temples could have official opening arrangements announced. But I'm glad we have additional information about these three temples today. Since it appears that Tuesday is the new standard day of the week for major temple updates, I will be sure to keep an eye out for those and will pass them along ASAP as time and circumstances allow.

I likewise monitor all updates from the Church News and the Newsroom, and any other temple construction developments and will pass those along to you all as I receive word thereof. 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 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. 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: Elder Holland Resumes Full-Time Ministry; Update on Current Apostolic Milestones

Hello again, everyone! In view of President Eyring's 90th birthday yesterday, the Church now has 4 nonagenarian apostles serving for the first time in Church history. In a surprising update, an essay written by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland highlights the blessing of having older, more mature leaders in the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. 

Elder Holland's article referenced a small gathering for President Eyring's birthday, which means the article served as confirmation that Elder Holland has officially resumed his full-time apostolic ministry following his recent medical leave. Aside from that good news update, the Church News also reports that, as of today, the current group of 15 apostles in the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is officially the sixth-longest tenured group in Church history. 

That update does not match the data I shared in my last apostolic milestone update, which indicated that the current group of 15 apostles actually moved up to the sixth spot on that list on April 27 of this year. I think that can be explained by using a different criteria for calculating that than I used, but I'm not sure on that. It is true they remain in the sixth spot now, and they will move up to the fifth spot on that list of apostolic groups in August. I am grateful to have learned of these key updates and to pass them along to you all here.

I continue to monitor all Church News, Newsroom, and temple construction updates and will bring word of those to you all here as I become aware thereof. 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 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. 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: Ste Location Confirmed and Official Details Released for Charlotte North Carolina Temple

Hello again, everyone! Contrary to what I had asserted, we got a major temple construction announcement today: official details for the Charlotte North Carolina Temple. This post will be updated with details later this afternoon. My thanks once again to you all.

(Added at 2:45 PM) I am back to provide a more detailed analysis of today's announcement. First, the Church News has also covered this announcement is significant, as the Charlotte North Carolina Temple was just announced 8 weeks ago in General Conference. The single-story edifice of 30,000 square feet will rise at 345 Providence Rd. S, in Weddington, North Carolina, on a 5.9-acre site. Given the size, it would not shock me if precast concrete panels were used to build this temple. 

There is no exterior rendering yet, nor has a groundbreaking been set. But if the Church has sufficient approvals for this temple to announce a site so soon after its' announcement, we might see quick action taken on this temple. Obviously, I was also not expecting any temple announcement today. So it begs the question: was this announcement made today because yesterday was Memorial Day in the United States, or is Tuesday now going to be the standard day on which major temple construction announcements are made?

Stay tuned for more on that as I figure it out. In any case, I am grateful for today's announcement and to have been able to pass it along to you all here. My assumption is that opening arrangements for the Orem Utah Temple could be released next week, with arrangements for the Red Cliffs Utah Temple being released either at the same time or a week or two later, with Lima Peru Los Olivos potentially following either in one or two weeks as well. 

I continue to monitor all Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples updates and will bring word of those to you all here as I become aware of 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 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. 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 Set for the McAllen Texas Temple

Hello again, everyone! I mentioned in my most-recent comment on the threads of the previous post that I did not believe that the Helena Montana open house beginning would be the only major temple update noted today. That theory has now been proven correct. The opening arrangements for the McAllen Texas Temple have been officially confirmed. Let's get right into the details: A media day will be held on Monday, August 21, with VIP tours following for the next three days.

The public open house will then follow between Friday, August 26-Saturday September 9, excluding the Sundays of August 28 and September 3. The temple will be dedicated in two sessions (at 10:00 PM and 1:30 PM) by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on Sunday, October 8, 2023. While the announcement of the arrangements for the McAllen Texas Temple was not unexpected, the timing of the dedication was a surprise. 

This dedication will occur on the same day as the previously-set dedication of the Feather River California Temple. And that opens the prospect that more US temples could be fit into the dedication schedule. I would therefore project that the dedication of the Red Cliffs Utah Temple might be set for October 22 or 29, or November 5. And if that happens, the dedication of the Lima Peru Los Olivos and Puebla Mexico Temples could take place in November as well, and that would still allow the Church to finish the year out with the dedications of the Layton Utah and Orem Utah Temples. 

But that's at a minimum. If two or more temple dedications occur on the same day again, the number of temples likely to be dedicated by the end of this year could be a lot higher than what has seemed likely with the more spread-out method of temple opening announcements. I will need to do some research and will try to pass along any updates on what we could potentially see ASAP. In the interim, I have started a new document to highlight the temple dedications and rededications by each of our current apostles during President Nelson's prophetic tenure.

I am grateful for this announcement. I continue to monitor all temple construction updates, along with all updates from the Church News and the Newsroom and will be sure to pass those along to you all here as I become aware thereof. 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 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. 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: Rededication Set for Historic St. George Utah Temple

Hello again, everyone! On this Monday, the First Presidency has announced the arrangements for the open house and rededication of the St. George Utah Temple. I was surprised that the announcement has been made already, and that it is apparently the only major temple news shared today. Let's get into the details: A media day will be held on Monday, September 11, with VIP tours held from Tuesday, September 12-Friday September 15, 2023.

Hello again, everyone! On this Monday, the First Presidency has announced the arrangements for the open house and rededication of the St. George Utah Temple. I was surprised that the announcement has been made already, and that it is apparently the only major temple news shared today. Let's get into the details: A media day will be held on Monday, September 11, with VIP tours held from Tuesday, September 12-Friday September 15, 2023.

A public open house will follow between Saturday, September 16-Saturday, November 11, 2023. The temple will then be rededicated in two sessions (at 10:00 AM and 1:30 PM) on Sunday, December 10, 2023. Interestingly, the release doesn't say who will rededicate that temple. I believe that is the case because the Church is waiting to see whether Elder Holland will be well enough to preside at that event.

Not only was this announcement sooner than I expected but the open house and rededication windows are both a lot shorter than I anticipated. I thought the Church would have a similar-length open house to the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple, and that this temple would only be rededicated next year. But the Lord knows what He's doing in inspiring these arrangements, so I have no doubt this was inspired.

That is the only temple announcement for today. So now we have an answer on the question of the St. George Utah Temple open house and rededication. I continue to monitor all such updates and will be sure to pass word of those along to you all here as I become aware thereof. 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 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. 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: Locations Identified for Kumasi Ghana and Oslo Norway Temples; Rendering Released for Oslo; Renovations Coming to Toronto Ontario Temple

Hello again, everyone! The latest temple announcement has just been released. Locations have been confirmed for the Kumasi Ghana and Oslo Norway Temples. Additionally, a rendering has been released for the Oslo Norway Temple. And renovations are coming to the Toronto Ontario Temple. Let's get right into the details: The two-story 22,750 square-foot Kumasi Ghana Temple will be built at Y11 Suntreso Rd, Bantama, in Kumasi on a 2.08-acre site  

As some of you might recall, the African Newsroom shared a report on December 1, 2021, highlighting a visit from Elder Larry S. Kacher, then First Counselor in the Africa West Area presidency, to the king of the Ashante people of Kumasi. During that visit, a rendering, purportedly of the Kumasi Ghana Temple, was presented. If that rendering proves to be official, hopefully with the release of site information about the site announcement, the release of the exterior rendering could follow soon.

Moving on to Oslo Norway, not only do we have a site confirmation, but an exterior rendering as well. A single-story edifice of approximately 10,800 square feet will rise in Hvalstad, Norway, on an 8-acre site at the corner of Smedsvingen and Ravnsborgveien roads. Based on the exterior rendering, it seems likely that modular components could be used. Both the Oslo and Kumasi temples were announced in April 2021. 

In view of today's announcement, official information has been announced for all but 3 of the 20 temples originally announced during the April 2021 General Conference. And now, the number of announced temples that have not had any official information confirmed is down to 49. That brings us to the announced renovation of the Toronto Ontario Temple. 

The renovation closure will only last around 9 months and is set to begin in October 2023. So this may be a similar situation to the San Diego California Temple, where the work needed is sufficient enough to close the temple, but not sufficient enough to require a long-term closure. A nine-month closure beginning in October 2023 means that the Toronto Ontario Temple could be rededicated (whether publicly or privately, and whether in one or multiple sessions) in August or September 2024.

I am grateful to have learned of all of these updates and to be able to pass them along to you all here. I continue to monitor all such updates in addition to Church News and Newsroom updates and will bring word of those to you all here as they cross my radar. 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 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. 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 Montpelier Idaho Temple

Hello again, everyone! On March 6, the Church announced a groundbreaking for the Montpelier Idaho Temple, but a rendering for it had not been released. Per a new update on the Church's home page for 2023 temple news, that news release has been updated to show an exterior rendering for the Montpelier Idaho Temple. 

So we now officially have a rendering for that temple. I am pleased we at least got this update. I continue to monitor all other temple construction, Church News, and Newsroom updates, and will be sure to pass those along to you all here as I become aware of 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 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. 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: Renovations Coming to the San Diego California Temple

 Hello again, everyone! As I mentioned at the tail end of my previous post, the Newsroom officially confirmed the dedication of the Okinawa Japan temple would occur, as specified in the Japanese Newsroom release. It also specified that  Elder Gary E. Stevenson will preside at that temple's dedication. That is fitting and proper since Elder Stevenson served his mission in Japan, later served as a mission president in that same nation, and came back again to Japan following his 2008 call as a General Authority Seventy when he served in the Asia North Area presidency and later as the president thereof.

But in addition to that, the Church's Newsroom release also indicated that renovations are coming to the San Diego California Temple, which will close in July 2023. That temple was originally dedicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley, then First Counselor in the First Presidency to President Ezra Taft Benson. The dedication occurred on April 25-30, 1992. 

Though no other details of this renovation are available, I wouldn't be surprised if electrical, mechanical, and ancillary systems are updated, and it's possible that some of the furnishings and fixtures will be replaced, that rooms could be reconfigured or that parts of the temple could be altered for greater efficiency and durability. An estimated completion and open house and rededication arrangements will be provided at a later time.

I am grateful for this unexpected announcement. I continue to monitor all Church News, Newsroom, and temple construction updates and will pass those along to you all here as I become aware thereof. 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 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. 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 Set for the Okinawa Japan Temple

Hello again, everyone! The next major temple announcement has been made from an unexpected source. Though the main Newsroom does not show this update, the Japanese version of the Newsroom has announced opening arrangements for the Okinawa Japan Temple. According to the release, open house tours will be conducted from Saturday, September 23-Saturday, October 7, 2023 (except for the Sundays of September 24 and October 1).

Though this is not specified in the release, I'm assuming media tours will be conducted on Monday or Tuesday, September 18 or 19, with VIP tours following for a few days prior to the public open house. The temple will be dedicated in two sessions on Sunday, November 12. Though the session times are not specified, every other two-session dedications have been held at 10:00 AM and 1:30 PM. 

The release also fails to specify who will preside at the dedicatory services. I am somewhat surprised by the timing of this dedication, but I'm glad the Church has set those arrangements. In any case, the timing on this dedication means that we might not see dedications for the Lima Peru Los Olivos and McAllen Texas Temples until November. 

The Red Cliffs Utah Temple dedication could either be held in November or December, with at least the Urdaneta Philippines and Puebla Mexico Temples dedicated before the end of 2023. That would then put the rededications of the St. George Utah Temple and the dedications of the Urdaneta Philippines, Layton Utah, Orem Utah, and Taylorsville Utah Temples in January or February. 

So beginning in 2024, I believe we will see a double-digit number of temples dedicated per year going forward. Once the main Newsroom page and the Church News cover this update, I will be sure to update this post with those links. In the meantime, I continue to monitor all Church News, Newsroom, and other temple construction updates and will bring those to you as they cross my radar.

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. 

Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. 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.

Added t 4:09 PM: The Newsroom published an update on the Okinawa Japan Temple, which indicated that Elder Gary E. Stevenson will preside over the two dedicatory sessions for that dedication. The Newsroom release also included new information about  a temple in California. I will discuss that in a new post here in the next few minutes. For now, my thanks once again to you all.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: President Nelson Announces 15 New Temples as the April 2023 General Conference Concludes

Hello again, everyone! In all but one of the Church's 10 previous General Conferences held since early 2018, the Sunday Afternoon Session has usually concluded with closing remarks and the announcement of new temples by our beloved prophet, President Russell M. Nelson. Today was no different. I am pleased to report that 15 new templeshave been announced in each of the following locations: 

Retalhuleu Guatemala; Iquitos Peru; Teresina & Natal Brazil; Tuguegarao City & Iloilo Philippines; Jakarta Indonesia; Hamburg Germany; Lethbridge Alberta Canada; San Jose and Bakersfield California; Springfield Missouri; Charlotte North Carolina; Winchester Virginia; and Harrisburg Pennsylvania. Today's announcement brings the total number of temples in the Church to 315, 133 (42% of which President Nelson has personally announced).

I had the following 9 locations exactly correct: Iquitos Peru, Teresina and Natal Brazil, Jakarta Indonesia, Hamburg Germany, Lehtbridge Alberta Canada, San Jose and Bakersfield California, and Charlotte North Carolina. I had the right general location but the wrong specific location for the following temples: Retalhuleu Guatemala & Tuguegaro City & Iloilo Philippines, And the following temples announced were not on my radar, but perhaps they should have been: Springfield Missouri, Winchester Virginia, and Harrisburg Pennsylvania.

As a general note, unless I am mistaken, Sister Wendy Nelson is a native of Raymond Alberta, and the temple in Lethbridge will likely serve the area in which she grew up. Matthew Martinich, who maintains the Church Growth Blog, will likely have more information on this than I could provide here. With today's announcement of new temples, the Church may or may not have another major temple construction update announced at around 2:00 PM tomorrow afternoon. 

But if such an announcement is made, I will be sure to cover it here ASAP once I learn of it. 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 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.

Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. 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 Bangkok Thailand Temple; Groundbreakings Set for 3 Temples in Brazil and the Pacific Islands; Rendering Released for the Cody Wyoming Temple

Hello again, everyone! The Church's final Monday temple announcement before General Conference has just been shared. Today's update includes the opening arrangements for the Bangkok Thailand Temple, groundbreaking arrangements for the Belo Horizonte Brazil, Port Vila Vanuatu, and Port Moresby Papua New Guinea Temples, and the release of an exterior rendering for the Cody Wyoming Temple.

Let's get right into the details. We start in Bangkok Thailand. A media day will be held on Monday, August 28, with VIP tours held from Tuesday, August 29-Thursday August 21. Public tours will follow from Friday, September 1-Saturday, September 16, excluding the Sundays of September 3 and 10. Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will dedicate the Bangkok Thailand Temple in two sessions at 10:00 AM and 1:30 PM Bnngkok time on Sunday, October 22.

Although I had ventured an estimate of October 8, 15, or 22 for the Bangkok Thailand Temple, I was more than a little surprised that this dedication will occur on the last of those dates, given the Church's recent setting of 3 dedications for September 17. I don't know how or to what extent that might affect the timing of other temple dedications that I've protected, but I'll be looking into that ASAP and will provide updates as I make them.

I was also slightly surprised that the temple in Thailand will not be dedicated by one of our apostles with Asia connections. Elder Gerrit W. Gong served in the Asia Area presidency, and Elder Gary E. Stevenson served in the Asia North Area presidency. So I assume the Church is saving those apostles for other temple dedications. Despite the details of the announcement not being exactly what I anticipated, I am grateful to see this temple's dedication scheduled.

We now move on to the three temple groundbreakings. First up, the groundbreaking for the Port Vila Vanuatu Temple has been rescheduled for Saturday, April 8, with Elder K. Brett Nattress, Pacific Area President, pressing as originally announced (it had been set to occur on March 4 but was postponed due to two major cyclones) The Church released the site location and exterior rendering for the Port Vila Vanuatu Temple on May 19, 2021. 

The groundbreaking for the Port Moresby Papua New Guinea Temple will occur on Saturday, April 22, with Elder Peter F. Meurs, First Counselor in the Pacific Area, presiding. The site location and exterior rendering for Papua New Guinea's first temple was announced on September 15, 2020, so it's great to have a groundbreaking announced almost 3 years later.

Ground will be broken for the Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple on Saturday, June 17, with Elder Juan A. Uceda, Second Counselor in the Brazil Area presidency, presiding thereat. The temple's site location and exterior rendering were originally released on September 23, 2021. Two of the other three temples for which site confirmations and renderings were released have had groundbreakings, leaving only the Cali Colombia Temple as the one from that group of four for which a groundbreaking has not yet been announced.

Finally, just two weeks after the Church confirmed the location of the Cody Wyoming Temple, the Church has today released its exterior rendering, which may suggest that the Church is fast-tracking that temple's construction start. With that in mind, this temple may also use the modular design to speed up construction. I am grateful to have learned of these updates and to be able to pass them along here. 

I continue to monitor Churchwide developments and will be sure to pass along Church News updates, Newsroom reports, and other temple construction updates as they cross my radar. 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 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. 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 Feather River California Temple; Rendering Released for Tampa Florida Temple; and Location and Preliminary Information Released for the Huehuetenango Guatemala Temple

Hello again, everyone! A few minutes ago, the Church made announcements about 3 temples: 2 in North America and one in Central America. The opening arrangements have been confirmed for the Feather River California Temple; the exterior rendering has been released for the Tampa Florida Temple; and the site location and preliminary information has been confirmed for the Huehuetenango Guatemala Temple. Let's break down the relevant details:

First, we start with the Feather River California Temple. There will be a media day on Tuesday August 15, followed by VIP tours Wednesday, August 16-Friday, August 18. Public open house tours will then be conducted from Saturday, August 19-Saturday, September 9, except for the Sundays of August 20 and 27, and September 3. The temple will be dedicated on Sunday, October 8 in two sessions at 10:00 AM and 1:30 PM, with Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presiding thereat.

Over this last weekend, I had reconfigured my estimates for temple events yet again, and my updated projection for the Feather River California Temple dedication was for October 8, 15, or 22. With October 8 confirmed now for Feather River, I wouldn't be shocked if the dedications of the Bangkok Thailand and Okinawa Japan Temples were set for any of those 3 dates as well. Given the fact that the Church will dedicate 3 temples on Sunday September 17, multiple dedications on the same day in October, November, and December may be in store for the Church.

Of course, the timing of any temple event is up to the Lord, so unless and until official announcements confirm, clarify, or correct any of the estimates I offer for such events, as a disclaimer, I want to ensure my readers understand that these are no more and no less than my own best projections. Until an official Church announcement sets the actual details, no one reading those estimates of mine should take them as gospel. I am just as elated when proven wrong as I am on days like today, where an announcement verifies any of my projections.

Let's move on now to the rendering released for the Tampa Florida Temple. The site location for Florida's newest temple was announced on October 31 of last year, so to have the official rendering released today is a clear indicator of progress made towards being able to hold a groundbreaking ceremony. With that temple planned to be roughly 30,000 square feet, the rendering released today seems reminiscent of other Southwestern US temples in general, but also, more specifically, of a couple of other recently-announced Florida temples of the Church. 

If anyone else has any observations about the rendering, their assessment would likely be better than mine. I don't know whether or not I've mentioned this, or how recently I last shared it if I did, but as part of my day-to-day health challenges, I do have some visual perception issues that may not prove helpful in analyzing such renderings. So if any of you have feedback on the rendering, please feel free to comment, because I love hearing from those who can see things I might miss.

That said, today's final announcement pertains to Guatemala's newest temple in Huehuetenango. The 10,787-square-foot single-story edifice will rise at 18 Avenida, Zona 4, El Terrero in Huehuetenango. That temple, originally announced in October of last year, may either use a slightly larger modular design or else have the dual-purpose ordinance rooms that can rotate between being used for temple sealings or endowment sessions as the need arises.

With today's announcement, the number of temples for which no official information has been confirmed now stands at 36. I am grateful to have been able to provide a look at this latest update, and it's good to see the Church continuing to announce such developments regularly. Today's announcement marks the second-to-last one the Church will make on a Monday before General Conference, which is now just under two weeks away.

Between now and General Conference weekend, I continue to monitor all updates from the Church News and the Newsroom and will be sure to pass those along ASAP after they cross my radar. 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 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. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. 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.