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.

April 2025 General Conference Predictions (Final Version)

Hello again, everyone! 36 hours before the April 2025 General Conference weekend starts, I wanted to post the final version of my predictions for it. Here is the speaker lineup, the potential changes in general Church leadership (which also includes estimates for the 2024 statistical report), and my list of potential new temple locations. The predictions speak for themselves.

For my part, I continue to monitor updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites and will be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about them. And I am also keeping an eye out for any other major news up to and during General Conference and I will provide those updates here ASAP after I learn 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 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.

Temple Construction Progress During the First Quarter of 2025

Hello again, everyone! As March draws to a close and April begins, I wanted to provide a look back at temple construction progress during this first quarter of 2025. As a reminder, this is where things stood on the first day of this year, while this is where things stand as we close out this first quarter of 2025. Of course, this update will actually be outdated by this upcoming General Conference weekend, within which additional new temples will be announced.

Stay tuned here for updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites, in addition to any major updates coming during General Conference weekend. 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.

UPDATED: April 2025 General Conference Predictions

Hello again, everyone! I wanted to post an updated version of my predictions for the upcoming April 2025 General Conference. Here is the revised speaker lineup, my revised potential changes in general Church leadership (which also includes my revised estimates for the 2024 statistical report), and my list of potential new temple locations. The information speaks for itself.  The final version of these predictions will be posted at 10:00 PM on Thursday, April 3, 2025, until which time a commenting period remains open.

For my part, I continue to monitor updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites and will 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.

Elder Ronald A. Rasband Celebrates His 74th Birthday

Hello again, everyone! Elder Ronald A. Rasband is celebrating his 74th birthday today. Let's get right into this post in his honor. Ronald Anderson Rasband was born in 1951 in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Rulon Hawkins Rasband and Verda Anderson. He served as a full-time missionary in the Eastern States Mission, which was headquartered in New York City and encompassed the whole New York Metro area, while also stretching into western New York and Pennsylvania. Sometime following his honorable return from his mission, he met Melanie Twitchell in a class they both attended at BYU. At the time, both of them were dating other people, but they soon made arrangements to go on a date themselves, and once they started dating, that was it for both of them. They got engaged eight weeks later, were married in the Salt Lake Temple in 1973, and went on to raise their five children.

Following their marriage, they continued their studies at the University of Utah. He later discontinued his college experience in order to begin his professional career in the Huntsman Container Company as a Sales Representative in 1976. Still in that employment 11 years later (in 1987), he was promoted to the position of president and chief operating officer of Huntsman Chemical Corporation, where he closely worked with Jon Huntsman Sr. and later served on the board of directors of that company. It was not until 1995 that, in tribute to his success as a businessman, he received an honorary degree in business and commerce from Utah Valley State College (now Utah Valley University).

As prestigious as his professional career might have been, his life, in similarity to those of his fellow apostles, has been characterized by a variety of assignments in the Church. Elder Rasband has served as a bishop, Temple Square missionary guide, member of the Church’s Sesquicentennial Committee, and, from 1996-1999, as president of the New York New York North Mission. On April 1, 2000, he was sustained as a general authority and member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. Over the next 5 years, he served in the Europe North and Europe Central Areas from 2000-2003. Those areas were later consolidated into a single Europe Area before subsequently splitting agin in August of last year. From 2003-2004, Elder Rasband presided over the Utah Salt Lake City Area. In August 2004, responsibility for oversight of the work of the Church in North America was transferred to the Presidency of the Seventy (with oversight for the US and Canada subsequently being delegated back to area presidencies in August 2018).

He then served from 2004-2005 as Executive Director of the Temple Department. He was called to serve in the Presidency of the Seventy in August 2005, at which time he was assigned oversight for the North America Northwest and North America West Areas. Two years later, his assignment shifted to supervising the Utah North, Utah Salt Lake City, and Utah South Areas (from 2007-2009).

With the April 2008 call of Elder D. Todd Christofferson to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, he had become the second most senior member of the Presidency of the Seventy. The following April, as a result of Elder Neil L. Andersen's call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder Rasband became the Senior President of the Seventy, and, as such, was given oversight for all areas in the United States and Canada.

He was still serving in that same assignment when, in October 2015, he was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. With Elders Gary E. Stevenson and Dale G. Renlund called at the same time (something that had not happened since 1906), the number of those who had served as members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles reached a total of 100. He is currently the seventh in seniority among the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the tenth in overall apostolic seniority. He also ranks as the fifth oldest among the current members of the Quorum of the Twelve, and the eighth oldest among all 15 apostles.

As I’ve noted previously, I have an indirect personal connection to Elder Rasband. When my wife was initially involved in the institute program, Elder Rasband was one of her instructors. As a result of the three apostolic vacancies in 2015, my wife was one of many who felt Elder Rasband would be called to the apostleship to fill one of those, and she (and others who felt the same way) turned out to be right.

I will never forget praying in advance of the October 2015 General Conference for my own personal witness to know that whoever was called had indeed been chosen by the Lord. The moment President Eyring read the names of the three new apostles, I received the witness I had requested. That experience is one that has been repeated for every apostle called since I entered my adult years.For that reason, I gratefully sustain not just Elder Rasband, but also each of the other 14 apostles in their divinely-appointed roles.

Having served for nearly 23 years as a General Authority, Elder Rasband has had 25 opportunities to address us in General Conference: 1 as a General Authority Seventy, 5 more while in the Presidency of the Seventy, and the remaining 19 since his call to the apostleship. Any of those addresses, covering a wide variety of topics, is well worthy of review.

I am grateful to be able to provide both birthday tributes to and attest to the spiritual confirmation I continually receive regarding the inspired calls of those we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators. I am likewise grateful to have the opportunity to share the latest details on the global ministries of these Brethren.

I continue to monitor any and all Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples updates and will be sure to pass word of those along to you all 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: Groundbreaking Set for Antananarivo Madagascar Temple; Site Location and Preliminary Details Relesed for the Frorianpolois Brazil Temple

Hello again, everyone! The First Presidency is back to Monday major temple construction announcements. A few minutes ago, they officially announced the groundbreaking arrangements for the Antananarivo Madagascar Temple and released the initial official details for the Florianopolis Brazil Temple. Let's get right into the details: 

Ground will be broken for the Antananarivo Madagascar Temple on Saturday, March 15, 2025, with Elder Denelson Silva, Second Counselor in the Africa South Area Presidency, presiding at that ceremony. Interestingly enough, the announcement did not include an exterior rendering for that temple, which has not yet been released. 

But given its' announced size and how materials for the construction of that temple will have to be shipped in (due to Madagascar being separated from the rest of the African continent), I am assuming this temple will be modular, with a rendering released in the next week or two. This temple groundbreaking will occur 1 week before the previously announced groundbreaking for the Birmingham England Temple.

The total number of temple groundbreakings set for this year thus far has now risen to 4. Last year, the fourth temple groundbreaking was set for June 1, so we are several weeks ahead with temple groundbreakings this year as compared to last year. And the Church could very easily double the current number (4) by the end of this quarter.

That said, let's move on to the details about the Florianopolis Brazil Temple. That temple was announced in April of last year. With no estimated square footage announced, what we do know is that a 5.5-acre site at Rua Cassol, 1120, Kobrasol, São José, Santa Catarina, Brazil will serve as the temple's location. Whenever more details are announced, I will be sure to pass them along here.

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 Syracuse Utah Temple

Hello again, everyone! This afternoon, the First Presidency announced the opening arrangements for the Syracuse Utah Temple. Let's break down the details: a media day will be held on Wednesday, May 7, with tours for invited guests the next two days. Open house tours will be offered from Saturday, May 10-Saturday, May 31, except for the Sundays of May 11, 18, and 25. The temple will be dedicated in a single session on Sunday, June 8, 2025, a few months before I had projected. I am also stunned that the Syracuse Utah Temple had its' opening arrangements announced well before any of the others that have been ahead of it on the Church of Jesus Christ Temples construction status page.

This announcement does not include any indication of who will preside at that dedication. That suggests to me that it could be President Russell M. Nelson, assuming he feels well enough to do so. It is also possible that any other apostles could be assigned to that dedication. I will keep my eyes open for any updates on this and will pass that along as time and circumstances allow. I am grateful to have heard about this announcement and  to be able to share it 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: First Presidency Announces Next Major Temple Construction Update

Hello again, everyone! During this 2:00 PM MDT hour here in Utah, the First Presidency is expected to release the next major temple construction announcement. This post will cover that update whenever that announcement comes. Since updates will be in progress for the next hour or so, the ability to comment on this post may be unavailable until those updates are complete. My thanks once again to you all.