Change in the wording of Relief Society Purposes

Hello. A comment featured on the LDS Church Growth Blog noted that a change was announced today for the wording of the purposes of the Relief Society. The question was asked in conjunction with the announcement, what in particular has changed? To answer that question, first let's look at the old wording, then follow that up with the new wording. Relevant changes are in bold typeface.

Old:
"Relief Society helps prepare women for the blessings of eternal life as they increase faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and His Atonement, strengthen individuals, families and homes through ordinances and covenants and work in unity to help those in need."

New:
"Relief Society helps prepare woemn for the blessings of eternal life as they increase faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and His Antoment; strengthen individuals, families, and homes thorough Sunday gospel instruction, other Relief Society meetings, visiting teaching, and welfare and compassionate service."

Having compared the two, it appears that the prior version focused more on how the Lord was moving women worldwide to accomplish the purposes He has designed for them, while the updates made today are more geared towards how women will take more personal responsibility to ensure that they are exerting the effort needed to allow the Lord to change them, making it more active than passive. It is wonderful to see this amazing development.

Thaat is particularly true considering the fact that this may very well be one one of the very last developments coming from this Relief Society Presidency. I fully anticipate that our current one, sustained as it was in 2012, and with the standard 5-year service term that has been in place for general auxiliary presidencies as a general rule for the last several years. So it is more than likely that we will see a change in that presidency in just under a month's time. Perhaps the very last things that will be done by this presidency would be two general conference addresses, which, as I mentioned when posting my general conference predictions, should happen during the General Women's session (for second counselor Linda S. Reeves) and during either the Saturday Morning Session (when I predict we will hear the final address from General President Linda K. Burton) or Sunday Morning. (As it is a given that, if Sister Burton is released, she will speak during this conference. What is not so cut-and-dried is when exactly that will be. It has been the general rule at least for most of the last 10+ years that the auxiliary presidency members alternate between the two morning sessions. It has been known to happen during other sessions, but that, as I have indicated, is the exception.)

So that is my report on this change in wording for the Relief Society Purposes. Hope it has proven helpful to you. I appreciate your readership and support, and any comments you might want to share. Thanks so much for everything.

Temple Construction Progress Report Update: Giving my estimates for dates when future gjroundbreakings of announced temples will be held

Hello, all! While there has not been any significant and notable progress reported in the last little while in terms of construction of temples not yet dedicated, with continuously ongoing renovations of currently operating temples, or with any of the three that fall under the category of construction pending, I have taken the time to do further research on temples that are in the planning and approval phase. Based on what I have been able to ascertain following my efforts, I have taken the opportunity to add to this temple construction progress report update a possible window for the future groundbreakings for these temples. I am excited to share these updates wit you. Thanks for taking time to read about this, and, if you feel inclined to do so, to comment on my work. I appreciate very much the ongoing feedback on my work, whether that comes publicly or privately. If I have any degree of certainty regarding the new information I have added to this report, it is because of the feedback I have received and the research that I have subsequently done as a result of that. Please know that your comments always make my day.

I hope that in turn, even in the smallest way possible, the things about which I post are helpful, informative, and even inspirational. I love the fact that modern technology allows me to share my love of the topics I post about so easily and so quickly and on such a global scale. While I doubt I will ever be as successful or have as much of a following as those who operate the outlets that report Church growth developments, statistics, and all the different aspects related to the process of temple site selections and purchasing, groundbreakings, construction status updates, temple completions, and the continuing cycles relating thereunto, I am beyond grateful to have found out that my blog ranks as one of the top Google search results for the latest on current and future temple developments. When I started focusing this blog less on sharing things that were personally happening in our lives and more on sharing the latest Church news and developments, placing a special emphasis and focus on those specifically relating to temples, activity on my blog started spiking upward. And that is not so much because of anything I have said in such posts, but rather in large measure because of the excellent comments, ongoing discussions, and inspirational insights shared by those who are inclined to do so.

For that reason, I cannot claim the prestige of my blog because I am a prolific writer. It does help that I have strength in writing, though. Any success or milestones this blog has achieved and reached is directly correlated to you who are kind enough to share your thoughts on things I have felt impressed to "sound off" about. When I originally decided to change the focus of this blog, that was the turning point. The fact that what I share is interesting to anyone is much more than I could have ever imagined or hoped for. And I feel like I have been given this wonderful opportunity to not only share my faith and developments related to the furthering of the Lord's Church, but also an equal or far greater opportunity to expand my knowledge and insights about the topics I cover because of the wonderful comments that are regularly left for me. And for all of that, I am so much more than grateful. A mere "Thanks" to all of you seems not only very dry and most inadequate to summarize the impact in my life from participating in these wonderful opportunities to share insights and information back and forth. But in my opinion, there is no other word in the English language that could cover it better either. So I do thank you all, with all my heart.

That said, here is the report. I look forward to being able to address any issues that may be raised about why and how I felt able to make a determination and solid choice about this information. If any of you feel that I should perhaps look at adjusting anything, please let me know. I look forward to the discussion. Thanks again.

Temple Construction Progress Update (current as of 3/9/17)

Current Temple Status: 155 operating; 4 scheduled for dedication; 7 under construction; 3 more have construction pending, but all of them are anticipated to commence construction before summer this year; 1 scheduled for rededication; 2 undergoing renovation; 2 renovations scheduled; 8 announced. NOTE: With two groundbreakings having already taken place this year, the chances are very good that we will see several others also have a groundbreaking in 2017. In the list of those temples that appraor

Dedication scheduled:

156. Paris France Temple: Accepting reservations for public open house (that event is scheduled to take place from Saturday April 22-Saturday May 13 (excluding the Sundays of April 23 and 30 and May 7)); dedication scheduled for Sunday May 21, 2017.

157. Tucson Arizona Temple: Entrance doors and Holiness to the Lord plaque installed; accepting reservations for public open house beginning Monday May 15, 2017; (that event is scheduled to take place from Saturday June 3-Saturday June 24 (excluding the Sundays of June 4, 11, and 18)); dedication scheduled for Sunday August 13, 2017.

158. Meridian Idaho Temple: Interior painting and millwork underway; dedication scheduled for Sunday November 19, 2017.

159. Cedar City Utah Temple: Installing glass; hanging drywall on interior; dedication scheduled for Sunday December 10, 2017.

Under Construction:

160. Rome Italy Temple: Interior work progressing; completion anticipated sometime between early-and-mid 2018.

161. Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple: Making concrete pours for window openings and to seal tops of concrete block walls; completion anticipated sometime between early-and-mid 2018.

NOTE: For the two temples above, they seem to be interchangeable in terms of which one might potentially be completed and dedicated first. I am trying to keep an eye on any and all developments and will adjust their listings as necessary once more is known.

162.  Barranquilla Colombia Temple: Attaching waterproofing membrane to exterior walls; scaffolding removed from steeple walls; completion anticipated sometime during mid-2018.

163. Concepcion Chile Temple: Exterior cladding going up on north wall; framing the interior walls; completion anticipated sometime between mid-and-late 2018.

164. Durban South Africa Temple: Preparing for temple floor slab; backfilling missionary housing facility foundation; aloe plants added at entrance; completion anticipated sometime between mid-and-late 2018.

NOTE: For the two temples above NOTE: For the two temples above, they seem to be interchangeable in terms of which one might potentially be completed and dedicated first. I am trying to keep an eye on any and all developments and will adjust their listings as necessary once more is known.

165. Fortaleza Brazil Temple: Parapet poured; some scaffolding coming down; preparing to pour tower base; completion anticipated sometime during early 2019.

166.  Lisbon Portugal Temple: Excavation completed for temple foundation; structural framing going up for meetinghouse; completion anticipated sometime during early 2019.

NOTE: For the two temples above, they seem to be interchangeable in terms of which one might potentially be completed and dedicated first. I am trying to keep an eye on any and all developments and will adjust their listings as necessary once more is known.

Construction pending:

167. Winnipeg Manitoba Temple: Groundbreaking held Saturday December 3, 2016; awaiting commencement of full-scale operations; construction might commence in April or May; if so, completion anticipated sometime between early-and-mid 2019.

NOTE: Once construction commences, it is anticipated to last around 20 months (approximately 1.67 years.) It is a smaller edifice that is being built to at the moment serve just the one stake in Manitoba. So it might be completed sooner than that. It all depends on how soon construction will porgeesprogress.

168. Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple: Groundbreaking held Saturday March 4, 2017; awaiting commencement of full-scale operations (initially expected sometime this week, now is just anticipated ASAP); completion anticipated sometime between early-and-mid 2019.

NOTE: Once construction commences, it is anticipated to last around 24 months (2 years) in view of it being the one and only building on the project.

ADDITONAL NOTE: For the two temples above, they seem to be interchangeable in terms of which one might potentially be completed and dedicated first. I am trying to keep an eye on any and all developments and will adjust their listings as necessary once more is known.

169. Arequipa Peru Temple: Groundbreaking held Saturday March 4, 2017 awaiting commencement of full-scale operations (initially expected sometime this week, now is just anticipated ASAP); completion anticipated sometime between late 2019 and early 2020.

NOTE: Once construction commences, it is anticipated to take roughly 28 months (2.25 years) to complete. This is because there are neighboring construction projects involved that will all be worked on simultaneously.

Rededication Scheduled:

8. Idaho Falls Idaho Temple: Closed for renovation; accepting reservations for public open house beginning Monday April 3, 2017; rededication scheduled for Sunday June 4, 2017.

Undergoing Renovation:

20. Jordan River Utah Temple: Closed for renovation; rededication anticipated sometime between early-and-mid 2018.

41. Frankfurt Germany Temple: Closed for renovation; some exterior stone removed; foundation exposed; old meetinghouse razed; rededication anticipated sometime between early-and mid-2018.

Renovation Scheduled:

13. Oakland California Temple: Scheduled to close for renovation in February 2018; rededication anticipated sometime between mid-and-late 2019.

16. Washington D. C. Temple: Scheduled to close for renovation in March 2018; rededication anticipated sometime between early-and-mid 2020.

NOTE: In view of the fact that we have already had two temple groundbreaking events so far this year, it is more than likely that we could see several others announced during the remaining nine months or so until the end of the year. For the very first time as part of this construction progress update, I am featuring a potential groundbreaking time frame for the temples listed below. Enjoy!

Announced:

170. Harare Zimbabwe Temple: Approval and construction preparation phase; site announcement and groundbreaking anticipated sometime later this year (I am guessing that the actual event might be held sometime between the dedication of the Paris France Temple on May 21 and the rededication of the Idaho Falls Idaho temple on June 4. Time will tell how accurate that might be. I feel confident enough to venture a predicted groundbreaking date of May 27.

171. Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple: Planning and design phase; awaiting official site announcement. NOTE: According to member reports, a potential site has been identified but has yet to be confirmed. Also, until a site plan is announced, we may not hear of a groundbreaking being scheduled there. That said, it would make the most sense to me if such a groundbreaking happens sometime between mid-and-late 2017.

172. Bangkok Thailand Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement. NOTE: Some reports have indicated that a Church office building may be reconstructed as a multi-purpose building that will not only continue to house Church offices but also function simultaneously as both a meetinghouse and a temple as well, in the mold of existing edifices like the Hong Kong China and Manhattan New York temples. It could be that we will see a groundbreaking for the first Thai temple sometime between mid-and-late 2017 as well.

173. Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement. NOTE: Even though this was the last of the four temples that was announced most recently, and in spite of the fact that an official site has not yet been announced, the announced name for this second temple in Lima is indicative that it will be constructed somewhere in the Los Olivos District. For that reason, it seems appropriate to put this temple ahead of the rest of the others, and to say that a groundbreaking could take place there as soon as early 2018

174. Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement.

NOTE: The first of the three announced almost two years ago, the Ivory Coast Temple is one that has long been awaited by Latter-day Saints. If the significant growth in Cote D’Ivoire continues, the likelihood increases that additional temples may soon be announced there as well. I have heard rumors to the effect that there are at least two such sites under current consideration, but I have found nothing to substantiate this. Given where other temples are in their paths toward a groundbreaking, I feel it is not out of line to anticipate that we could see a groundbreaking for this temple taking place around the same time as the previous one, in early 2018.

175. Quito Ecuador Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement.

NOTE: Ecuador’s second temple, which will be based in that nation’s capital city, was announced less than a year ago. As one of three new temples for South America, a region in which the Church always has seen massive and extensive growth, this new Ecuadoran temple was announced around 33 years after the first Ecuadoran temple in Guayaquil. As a side note, the time intervening between the announcement of that first temple in that nation and its groundbreaking around 14 years after the fact ranks as the longest such time period in the history of the Church. I have every reason to believe that there will not be too much of a delay, and certainly nothing like the one for the first temple, in terms of the time between the site announcement for Quito and its groundbreaking, which I believe will happen somewhere around mid-2018.

176. Belem Brazil Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement.

NOTE: Brazil remains without a doubt one of the very fastest growing nations in terms of the Church’s presence there. Slated to be the ninth temple for Brazil, the one announced for Belem inches Brazil closer to reaching the number of operating temples in Utah, which, with the dedication slated in December for the Cedar City Utah Temple, will reach 17. Right now, Brazil is just over halfway there, with the Belem temple bringing that total to 9. If there is any merit at all into what I have heard about possible future temple sites for Brazil, that number could increase by at least five that I have heard some rumor about thus far, bringing the grand total of Brazilian temples in that case to 14. Getting back to speaking of this temple, if the Church is able to get started on it by having the groundbreaking happen in mid-2018, then we will once again see three temples simultaneously under construction in Brazil for the first time since 2000, and those three will continue to coincide in terms of simultaneous construction at least for the next nine months or so (0.75 years at minimum), which will mark the next temple dedication in Brazil.

177. Urdaneta Philippines Temple: Stalled in planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

NOTE: This temple is technically ahead of those listed above in terms of its status as being in the planning and approval phase, because it is unclear (and perhaps unknown to all but a few) why progress has been stalled or how long those delays might last. For that reason, it is possible that we could see any or all of the temples above have their constructions commence before anything gets resolved with this one, and perhaps even have some others announced in the interim that will also have construction commence before anything is resolved here. There is more than a slight chance that this temple will become the one with the lengthiest period of time between its announcement and groundbreaking. The current record for that is 14 years, 4 months, and 11 days from the announcement date. The Urdaneta announcement date was October 2, 2010. In adding the time span to that date, we discover that this temple will have that distinction as of Thursday February 13, 2025, unless the delays are cleared up sometime before then. I for one am hoping with all the energy of my soul that we will never again have a temple that is delayed for that long, but time will tell.

NOTE: Given how much progress we have seen with temples recently, it is not hard to believe that we will see many more temples announced in the near future. There have been reports of several cities that have already had a site purchased already. These four have been identified by name: Managua Nicaragua, Port Moresby Papua New Guinea, Bentonville Arkansas, and Missoula Montana. If other potential temples have had a site purchased, they have yet to be identified as such. As the apostles travel, they sometimes have felt impressed to publicly propose a temple for the areas they visit. Such temples have been proposed in New Delhi India (in June 1992 by Elder Neal A. Maxwell); Vilnius Lithuania (in May 1993 by Elder M. Russell Ballard); Nairobi Kenya (in February 1998 by President Gordon B. Hinckley); Maracaibo Venezuela (in August 1999 by President Hinckley); Singapore (in January 2000 by President Hinckley); for the Southwest Salt Lake Valley (in October 2005 by President Hinckley; NOTE: While some contend that this temple announcement has already happened, verifiable sources widely available prove otherwise); Managua Nicaragua (in January 2012 by then-Elder Russell M. Nelson; the fact that it has not only been publicly proposed but has had a site purchased for it makes it very likely); Missoula Montana (sometime in 2014 by Elder David A. Bednar; while the report of this proposal has yet to be verified, the fact that there has been a purchase of a temple site seems to indicate that it is a most imminent possibility); and for the Kasai Region in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (in February 2016 by Elder Neil L. Andersen). I have heard many reports of several more temple sites being procured, but the nature of those reports are such that they have yet to be verified.

Key:

Bolded numbers and text denote temples whose numbers already exists (for renovations), or is certain due to a scheduled dedication, as well as information that is certain, such as dedication or groundbreaking dates.

Italicized numbers and text denote temples whose numbers may change based on the order in which future dedications and groundbreakings are scheduled.

Underlined numbers and text denote temples whose numbers may change based on progress towards planning, approval, and groundbreaking.

Red text denotes changes from the last posted temple progress report.

Most Imminent Future Temple Locations Revised: Now Listed by Church's Geographical Areas; then grouped by likelihood

In consideration of some most excellent feedback, correction, and suggestion given in response to my last posted list of future temple sites, I have revisited this list. Now temples are grouped first by the geographical area of the Church under which these possibilities fall, then in order of likelihood. Please feel free to send any and all ongoing feedback, corrections; and suggestions to me however it best suits you. I appreciate hearing your thoughts on my work, which inevitably help me to get better and better in reporting on Church news, events, developments, and updates of every kind as I hear of them. That said, I look forward to hearing what you think. Thanks again. Here's the list, such as it is:

Most Imminent Future Temple Announcements:

Africa Southeast: Nairobi Kenya

Africa West: Freetown Sierra Leone; Lagos Nigeria; Kumasi Ghana

Central America: Managua Nicaragua

Pacific: Port Moresby Papua New Guinea

Europe: Budapest Hungary; Vienna Austria

Idaho: Pocatello Idaho

Mexico: Puebla Mexico

North America Central: Missoula Montana; Rapid City South Dakota; Des Moines Iowa; Madison Wisconsin

North America Northeast: Richmond Viriginia; Augusta Maine

North America Northwest: Salem Oregon

North America Southeast: Bentonville Arkansas; Jackson Mississippi

North America Southwest: Fort Worth Texas

South America Northwest: Santa Cruz Bolivia

South America South: Neuquen Argentina; Valparaiso Chile

Utah North: Layton Utah

Utah South: Lehi Utah

NOTE: Temples in Brazil are usually a great possibility, given the ongoing, extensive rate of growth there. However, with one currently under construction (Fortaleza); one with construction pending (Rio de Janeiro); and one announced (Belem Brazil), a new Brazilian temple doesn’t seem likely for at least a couple of years. I won’t rule it out, but it seems others might take precedence. When new Brazilian temples are next announced, the most likely order for the next four or five temples are: Brasilia, Belo Horizonte, Salvador; Valparaiso, and/or a second for Sao Paulo, which is the fastest growing Brazilian city with the strongest Church presence.  Additionally, a temple in Kampala Uganda seems warranted at some point in the near future, but the temple in Nairobi Kenya would serve the Saints in both countries for at least a few years. I wouldn’t rule out a Ugandan temple by 2030 if not before, and I will keep an eye out on things and make a determination on that later. I anticipate at least one temple announcement in the United States, because we have one under renovation in Utah, and two more US temples scheduled for renovation, but the dedications that will happen later this year mean that we will have none in any stage after the Cedar City Utah temple is dedicated in December.