BREAKING NEWS: Church To Hold a Special Broadcast for President Nelson's 100th Birthday

Hello again, everyone! The Church just reported breaking news a short time ago. In a letter dated today, President Jeffrey R. Holland, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, announced a September 9, 4:00 PM MDT broadcast program for President Nelson's 100th birthday. It will be held on the same day as his actual birthday, which is awesome

Since that is being held awards the end of a typical work schedule, I assume that the broadcast will be available for viewing after the fact. The broadcast details can be found in the appropriate articles, which I will allow to speak for themselves. 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.

Elder Neil L. Andersen Marks His 73rd Birthday

Hello again, everyone! With this being my 2,300th post on this blog, let's get right into the latest birthday tribute I'm posting in honor of Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Neil Linden Andersen was born on this day in 1951 to Lyle and Kathryn Andersen in Logan Utah. His family relocated to Pocatello when he was five to run a dairy farm. He served a full-time mission in France, then obtained a bachelor's degree in economics, eventually earning his MBA from Harvard, also in economics.

During his time at BYU, he met and married his wife, Kathy Sue Anderson, and together they raised four children. He spent his professional career working various jobs. At the pinnacle of his career, he was Vice President of the Morton Plant Health System. He has served in the Church as a stake president’s counselor, stake president and mission president (assigned to the France Bordeaux Mission) from 1989-1992. Less than a year after his return, he was called to be a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. Interestingly, his call as a General Authority occurred in the same conference as that of his future apostolic seatmate, Elder D. Todd Christofferson.

Through the next couple of decades as a Seventy, he served in a wide variety of Church assignments, including as executive director of the church's Audiovisual Department, assistant executive director of the Priesthood Department, and in the presidencies of the following areas: Europe West ,Utah North, Utah South, North America Southwest, North America Northeast, and the Brazil South Area (during which time he also served as the area president).

In 2005, Elder Andersen was called to the Presidency of the Seventy (alongside Elder Ronald A. Rasband, who would eventually become Elder Andersen's apostolic seatmate). While serving in that Presidency, he was assigned to preside over the Idaho Area (from 2005-2007). By the time his stewardship switched to the North America Southwest Area (2007-2009), he had gone from being the second-least senior member of that Presidency to being the third-most-senior member. In 2008, with Elder D. Todd Christofferson’s call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (in April) and the release of Senior President Elder Earl C. Tingey (in August, in preparation for his being granted emeritus status in the October General Conference), Elder Andersen then became the Senior President of the Seventy, a role in which he would only serve for around 8 months.

With the December 2008 death of Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, Elder Andersen was subsequently called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during the April 2009 General Conference. An interesting bit of trivia is the fact that Elders Christofferson, Andersen, and Rasband were all seatmates in the Presidency of the Seventy as of August 2007, and they would all go on to be apostolic seatmates, with their apostolic calls occurring in April 2008, April 2009, and October 2015 respectively.

Since Elder Andersen's original call as a General Authority Seventy in April 1993, he has given a total of 34 addresses in General Conference (3 of which he gave as a General Authority Seventy, with 2 others given while he was a member of the Presidency of the Seventy, and the remaining 29 since his call to the QuorIum of the Twelve Apostles).

Elder Andersen continues to be the seventh in both senirotiy and chronological birth order among the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and ranks tenth among the 15 total apostles in both seniority and birth chronology. I gladly sustain him and each of his 14 apostolic colleagues as prophets, seers, and revelators, and am grateful to have been able to publish this tribute in honor of his birthday today. 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.

Elder Gary E. Stevenson Observes His 69th Birthday Today

Hello again, everyone! With today being August 6, Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is celebrating his 69th birthday. Gary Evan Stevenson was born to Evan and Jean Stevenson on this day in 1955 in Ogden, Utah. He grew up in the Cache Valley. He served full-time in the Japan Fukuoka Mission, after which he continued his secondary education at Utah State University's Jon M. Huntsman School of Business. 

During the course of his studies there, he met Lesa Jean Higley, whom he later married in the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple, and with whom he would raise four sons. He spent his professional career working as the COO of ICON Health and Fitness, and served on both the Marriott School of Management Advisory Council and also the USU Foundation Board.

In the Church, he has served as a bishop and a stake president's counselor. From 2004-2007, he and his wife presided over the Japan Nagoya Mission. Less than a year after his return, he was among the first general authority seventies called during President Thomas S. Monson's prophetic administration in April 2008. In August of that same year, he was called to serve as First Counselor in the Asia North Area Presidency, marking his third return to Japan as a representative of the Church. 

The following year, he became the president of that same area, and he served in that assignment until April 2012, at which point, he was released as a General Authority Seventy and sustained as the Church's 14th Presiding Bishop. In October 2015, with three vacancies in the apostleship due to the deaths of President Boyd K. Packer and Elders L. Tom Perry and Richard G. Scott, Elder Stevenson was unexpectedly summoned to meet with the First Presidency. 

He related that he felt sure that he was being notified that one of his counselors (Bishops Gerald Causse or Dean M. Davies) were being called to the apostleship. He was stunned when the apostolic call was instead extended to him personally. He was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on October 3, 2015, and was ordained an apostle on October 8, then released as Presiding Bishop one day later. His call to the apostleship marked the second time a current General Authority Seventy who had subsequently been called as Presiding Bishop was also eventually called to the apostleship. Previously, that had been the case with Elder Robert D. Hales, who was called as a General Authority in 1975, and as Presiding Bishop of the Church in 1985 before being called to the apostleship in 1994. Those two former Presiding Bishops of the Church would serve together in the apostleship for approximately two years before Elder Hales' passing on October 1, 2017.

2015 marked the first time since 1906 that the Church needed to fill more than two apostolic vacancies. 1906 that the Church had more than two apostolic vacancies to fill at the same time. In 1906, following the resignations of Matthias F. Cowley and John W. Taylor over the Church's repeal of the doctrine of plural marriage, and the death of another apostle, Marriner W. Merrill, the Church called George F. Richards, Orson F. Whitney, and David O. McKay, Of the three, Then-Elder McKay was the youngest, with Elder Whitney being the oldest, and Elder Richards fell in age between the two. 

This was an exception to the general rule that when more than one apostle was called on the same day, they have typically been called and ordained from oldest to youngest. The three apostolic calls in 2015 saw a similar anomaly in that respect. Although Elders Ronald A. Rasband, Gary E. Stevenson, and Dale G. Renlund were all called to the apostleship on the same day of the week in the week prior to General Conference, Elder Rasband is the oldest, Elder Stevenson is the youngest, and Elder Renlund is in the middle of those three.

At the age of 60, Elder Stevenson was the youngest man called to the apostleship since Elder David A. Bednar (who was 52 at the time of his October 2004 apostolic call). He would retain his status as the youngest currently-serving apostle until the April 2018 call of Elder Ulisses Soares, who was 59 at the time of his call. With the apostolic calls of Elder Patrick Kearon in December 2023, Elder Stevenson is now the 8th in seniority in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the 11th in seniority among all current apostles. In terms of his age, he is the third-youngest among both the Quorum of the Twelve and the apostles overall.

In his 14 years of service as a general authority, he has given 21 addresses in General Conference (1 as a General Authority Seventy, 2 as Presiding Bishop, and the remaining 15 since his call to the apostleship). All of these addresses, covering a wide variety of topics, are well worthy of your time, attention and review. I gratefully sustain Elder Stevenson as a prophet, seer, and revelator, and appreciate this opportunity to post this tribute to him for his birthday. 

I similarly greatly admire and sustain each and every one of the other apostles in their God-given roles and responsibilities, and I am grateful to them for giving their time and talents to build up the kingdom of God, and to go wherever they are sent, bearing witness of the Savior at all times and in all circumstances. I share my witness that these men are called of God, and that we will be blessed as we give heed to their words.

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 and Groundbreaking Scheduled for the Wichita Kansas Temple

Hello again, everyone! This afternoon, in a First Presidency announcement, the groundbreaking arrangements and the exterior rendering have been released for the Wichita Kansas Temple. The Wichita Kansas Temple was originally announced in April 2022, with the site confirmed in June of last year. Ground will be broken for this 9,950-square foot single-story temple on Saturday, September 7, with Elder Steven R. Bangerter, who will begin serving as First Counselor in the North America Central Area Presidency one month prior, on August 1, presiding at that service.

I will let others more qualified than myself comment on this news as they may choose to do so. I would only add a couple of things: I have updated my side-by-side comparison of temple groundbreakings this year vs. last year and my document showing the announced temples for which no information has been officially confirmed yet. These latest updates indicate that the Church is on track to have a high number of temple groundbreakings occur this year. 

And if all of those with a groundbreaking scheduled can promptly begin construction thereafter, that, in turn, will increase the number of temples likely to be completed by sometime in 2028. So I look forward to any additional groundbreakings that might be announced over the next few weeks. It's also worth noting that we are probably a month or two minimum out before we get word of the next scheduled temple dedication(s). I think we are likely to see at least one temple dedication announced in the fall, with such announcements picking up as we hit winter here in Utah.

Stay tuned for more information, analysis, and discussion of all of these developments. For my part, 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.

UPDATED: Current Apostolic Data

Hello again, everyone! It has been a tradition on this blog for me to provide updates on apostolic data every 7 weeks. Having last done so on Sunday, June 2, it is time to publish the newest such data. As with every two-part update, the first part contains updated data about the age and tenure length records for all 17 Church Presidents, in addition to updated information on the tenure lengths for each of the 28 Presidents of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. 

The first document likewise notes information on the tenure length rankings for three sets of apostolic groups: the longest-serving First Presidencies (with the current First Presidency now moving up on that list), in addition to the longest-serving groups of members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and groups of all ordained apostles (the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles), and an overview of when each of those current groups will move up on the list.

Meanwhile, the second part of today's update shows the long-form and decimal ages for the members of the current First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the same data for the combined First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in addition to the average ages of each group and apostolic nonagenarians (with 3 of the current 15 apostles being on that list), and a final table showing the remaining time between today and when each of the other 12 apostles will become nonagenarians and join that list. With these updates coming every 7 weeks, the next update will be posted here on the morning of Sunday, .

Hopefully, this post is of interest to you all. Again, I offer an open invitation to ask anyone who has any questions about those documents to ask them here. 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.

Elder Patrick Kearon Observes His First Birthday Since His Apostolic Call (His 63rd)

Hello again, everyone! With today being July 18, our newest apostle, Elder Patrick Kearon, is observing his first apostolic birthday since his call to the apostleship in early December of last year. He is now 63 years old and is the youngest and least senior member of both the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and among all 15 current apostles. This is my first biographical tribute to him, so let's dive right in!

Patrick Robert David Kearon was born on this day in 1961 to Paddy and Patricia Kearon in Carlisle, Cumbria, Northern England. His parents met when both were serving in the British armed forces. Despite his family not being religious, Patrick, the youngest of five children, his upbringing was in an environment of service, sacrifice, and devotion to one another. While his family was stationed in Saudi Arabia, Patrick spent time away from his family in boarding schools, and he recounted the hardships of that. 

While at his second boarding school, he and his classmates were tasked with helping to clean up after flooding in the area of his boarding school. That too was a formative experience for him in his youth. Once Patrick finished high school, he returned to his family in Saudi Arabia, where he underwent vocational training in several industries. eventually concluding with a communications consultancy that he ran with his wife.

When he was 19 years old, his father and brother-in-law died in a tragic accident. Patrick went home to England to be with his mother for a time, but soon returned to Saudi Arabia to continue working. In a later return to London, he met some Church members. From them, he gained a genuine appreciation and respect for their Christlike examples. A couple of years after that, some impressive missionaries asked if he would like a priesthood blessing.

During that blessing from a senior missionary he knew well, he felt a strong peace, light, and joy that he couldn't deny. After a couple of other experiences that further touched his mind and heart, he was baptized on Christmas Eve in 1987. Two years later, he was in a YSA ward when he met Jennifer Hulme, who was an American-born student on a foreign-exchange program. She was impressed by the way he interacted with and treated people. They married in the Oakland California Temple in January 1991.

They raised their family in England for 19 years until Elder Kearon's April 2010 General Conference call as a General Authority Seventy. Coincidentally, that was the same conference in which his now fellow apostle Elder Gerrit W. Gong was also called as a General Authority Seventy. Prior to his call as a General Authority Seventy, Elder Kearon served as branch president, stake president, and area seventy.

Elder Kearon was called to the Presidency of the Seventy in August 2017, where he served alongside both Elders Gerrit W. Gong and Ulisses Soares, who would become his immediate apostolic seniors. Elder Kearon became the Senior President of the Seventy in August 2020, serving in that capacity until his aforementioned call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in early December of last year.

Prior to his call to the apostleship, Elder Kearon spoke in General Conference twice as a General Authority Seventy, and once as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy. His first apostolic talk was definitely one that stuck out to me from the most recent General Conference. Those who know Elder Kearon best describe him as very soft-spoken, kind, and genuinely interested in everyone with whom he comes in contact. 

As he continues to adjust to his new assignment, I am pleased to testify of the divine origin of his call to the apostleship. The moment I read about the call, the Spirit witnessed clearly to me that he was the right man to fill the apostolic vacancy. He brings a wealth of experience to bear on his new assignment. 

I'm grateful for the opportunity to pay tribute to Elder Patrick Kearon on this, his 63rd birthday. 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: Exterior Rendering Released and Groundbreaking Set for the Cagayan de Oro Philippines Temple; Rendering Released for the Joao Pessoa Brazil Temple

Hello again, everyone! As July continues, I wasn't sure we'd get another major temple construction announcement, but I had hopes that we would. And those hopes were justified. Today, the First Presidency released a rendering and set a groundbreaking for the Cagayan de Oro Philippines Temple and released a rendering for the Joao Pessoa Brazil Temple. The two renderings speak for themselves, and I will allow others more qualified than I am to comment on the renderings released today. 

So let's get right into the details of the groundbreaking ceremony for the Cagayan de Oro Philippines Temple: The groundbreaking will be held on August 31, 2024, with Elder Elder Carlos G. Revillo Jr. presiding. Elder Revillo is the current Second Counselor in that area presidency, but by the time the groundbreaking is held, he will have been the new Area President for about a month. The Cagayan de Oro Philippines Temple was originally announced in April 2018, with the site location confirmed on December 18, 2023. 

With this groundbreaking set, the number of temple groundbreakings set so far for 2024 now rises to a total of 10, well ahead of the 8 we saw last year. And with 4 more months left in the year, and with President Nelson encouraging the Special Projects Division to get moving on the queue of announced temples, I have no doubt we will continue to get other groundbreaking announcements this year. Just as a general note: most of the temples that have had groundbreakings recently are in the queue for completion sometime in 2027, which means many of those with a groundbreaking scheduled might be dedicated in 2028.

Having noted these things, 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: Opening Arrangements Announced for the Tallahassee Florida Temple; Elder Patrick Kearon to Preside at First Temple Dedication

Hello again, everyone! Today, the First Presidency announced the opening arrangements for the Tallahassee Florida Temple. A media day will be held on Monday, October 28, with VIP tours for the following two days. The public open house will run from Monday, November 4-Saturday, November 23, excluding the Sundays of November 10 and 17. The temple dedication will follow in two sessions at 10:00 AM and 1:30 PM EST on Sunday, December 8 (the same date as the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional). 

But the intriguingly significant part of this announcement is that our newest apostle, Elder Patrick Keaorn, will preside at his first temple dedication. Oddly, the dedication will be held on the same day as the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional. Still, considering that fact, it seems unlikely that Elder Kearon will represent the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in speaking at that devotional that evening. What does this mean for upcoming temple dedications? 

Barring anything unexpected, I anticipate that no other temples will be dedicated before the end of this year. Subsequent announcements may prove me wrong, but until then, I suspect that the Tallahassee Florida Temple will be the last one dedicated in 2024. That means that the beginning of 2025 will likely be swamped with temple dedications. I had estimated that this temple would be dedicated in mid-November, but I was also clearly wrong about that.

I am grateful for this announcement, and am glad I was right about us getting temple announcements in July. 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.

UPDATE: Second Quarter (and First Half) of 2024 Temple Construction Progress Review

Hello again, everyone! With the final day of June coming to its' official conclusion, and as we head into July, I am pleased to provide a look back at temple construction progress through the second quarter (and first half) of 2024. For this review, I have a link to what my temple construction progress report looked like on the first day of this year, a look at where things stood at the end of the first quarter of 2024, and where things now stand at the end of this second quarter (and first half) of 2024.

The Church continues to announce major temple updates almost every Monday, so there will be much more to come this year in terms of temple construction progress and updates. The big question is, as we head into July (which is the typical recess month for the Church's General Authorities), whether any such announcements will be forthcoming during the next month. We might still see announcements weekly, but it's also possible we might only get one or two if we get any at all. 

Whatever might happen in that regard, you can count on my covering it. I also 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 Held for the Riberao Preto Brazil Temple; Groundbreaking Set for the Santiago Chile West Temple; Site Location Announced for the Springfield Missouri Temple

Hello again, everyone! Today the First Presidency announced several major temple construction updates. They provided a summary of the groundbreaking for the Riberao Preto Brazil Temple. That part of the report speaks for itself. But they also announced a groundbreaking for the Santiago West Chile Temple and the site location and preliminary information for the Springfield Missouri Temple. Let's get into all the relevant details:

The Santiago West Chile Temple's original announcement occurred in October 2021. The site location was announced in December 2022. The exterior rendering of the temple was released in conjunction with the groundbreaking announcement. I will let others more qualified than I comment as they will on the exterior rendering. 

In the interim, the groundbreaking will take place on Saturday, August 17, the same day as the previously announced groundbreakings for the Londrina Brazil and Austin Texas Temples. It has been quite a while since more than two groundbreakings have been held on the same date. Elder Alan R. Walker, Second Counselor in the South America South Area presidency, will preside at this temple's groundbreaking. 

Additional details, including the official name of this temple, will be announced at a later date. This groundbreaking announcement indicates that the queue of announced temples is moving, albeit slowly, towards construction.

We now turn our attention to the details about the Springfield Missouri Temple. The temple, originally announced in April 2023, will rise on a portion of a 38-acre site located at 2720 East Farm Road #188, Springfield, Missouri. According to the news release, plans call for an approximately 29,000-square-foot temple.

I have heard through the grapevine that President Nelson is urging the Special Projects Division to move forward with greater urgency to secure the necessary approvals to build the many announced temples that are not progressing up the queue quickly enough. So I'm hopeful we'll have many more announcements of groundbreakings, exterior renderings, and site announcements in the days ahead.

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.