Report on Cultural Event and Building Dedication in New Zealand

President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and Bishop Dean M. Davies, First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, joined the members of the Pacific Area Presidency (Elders O. Vincent Haleck, S. Gifford Nielsen, and Craig A. Cardon) and area seventies Paul R. Coward and David J. Thomson for the Cultural Celebration (yesterday) and the dedication (today) of the David O. McKay Stake and Cultural Events Center and other buildings, some of which had been renovated, and some of which were brand new. It sounds like this was a wonderful event. Click here for the Church's New Zealand Newsroom's report on that. Enjoy!

Church officials debunk rumor: No renovation closure is being planned for the St. George Temple

As my father grew up in St. George, and as one of his own father's young home teaching companions was young Jeff Holland, who has long been one of my favorite apostles, I have felt a strong connection to the St. George area.

Though I had not been aware of this until today, there has apparently been quite a bit of speculation that with the upcoming dedication of the Cedar City Utah Temple, the St. George Utah Temple would be closing for extensive renovation. Church officials and those who have a role in working on Church-related projects in St. George took steps earlier today to debunk that rumor.

As reported by both spokesmen for the Church in the Utah South Area and by the current president of the St. George Utah Temple, there are currently no plans whatsoever for such a renovation, and nothing is even being considered at all in that regard.

If you would like to read more about that rumor and its debunking, along with a description of Church projects that are actually underway and in the works in St. George, click here. As always, I am doing my level best to keep an eye out for any actual temple developments, and I will make every effort within my ability to pass along any updates as I learn of them.

If any of you have any comments on this, I would appreciate hearing from you. If, for whatever reason, you are unable to comment, I would appreciate knowing that as well. Thank you for the privilege of your time.

Updated List of Most Likely Future Temple Sites

In thinking about new temple possibilities, I have revised my list of those possibilities. I wanted to share those with you all right now. If you can, let me know what you think. If not, I can be reached via my blogger profile, and I would appreciate knowing whether or not I fixed the problems people reported relating to their ability to comment. I look forward to the feedback.

Temple Predictions:

3+ temples announced in any of the following locations:

NOTE: Since it is difficult at best to know where the Lord feels a need for a temple and temple locations are not as cut-and-dried as I have originally believed them to be, I am doing a preliminary list, which I will refine as the time for General Conference draws closer. I will look forward to seeing what happens with those possibilities, if any are announced at all. So far between 2015 and this year, the 12 newest temples were announced during the April General Conference. If any temples are announced, there will only be a few.

ADDITIONAL NOTE: After thinking further about those temples I feel are most likely in the near future, I have felt to narrow my choices down considerably. I am now listing them by nation and then by likelihood within that nation.

Africa: Lagos Nigeria; Kumasi Ghana; Freetown Sierra Leone

!Central & South America (including Brazil and Mexico): Managua Nicaragua; Puebla Mexico;  Valparaiso Chile; Belo Horizonte/Salvador Brazil; Neuquen Argentina

Pacific: Auckland New Zealand; Port Moresby Papua New Guinea

United States: Bentonville Arkansas Missoula Montana; Layton Utah; Tooele Utah

Notes about potential temple sites:

1.      Africa has seen one temple announced per year for the last three years, and the Church is growing rapidly wherever it is established. While those I listed above seem most likely, I am not ruling out other possibilities from happening first. These three just seem most likely based on the information I now have available.

2.      Within the wide region of Central & South America (including Brazil and Mexico), unprecedented growth continues. Those possibilities mentioned above seem most likely for that region. Managua has had a temple proposed and a site awaiting for quite a while now. While growth may not be happening as swiftly in Mexico, Puebla has long been considered as the city that will be home to Mexico’s next temple. And while the next temples for Chile, Brazil, and Argentina may not be announced for a while, the sites noted above do seem to be most likely.

3.      While European temples are always possible, and while I have heard that Hungary and Austria might be the next European nations to get a temple, and while those cities make sense in terms of President Monson’s expressed desire to ensure that every member is within 200 miles of a temple, the Church may be waiting to see how the dedication of the Paris France (last May) and Rome Italy temples (set to open sometime during 2018) and the rededication of the Frankfurt Germany Temple (which may take place around that same time) might affect the European saints prior to any new announcements. If these temples are kept busy enough, then the Church might announce other temples there. Until more is known, that seems to be a fair assessment.

4.      In the Pacific area of the Church, I have heard that sites have been purchased in both Auckland New Zealand and Port Moresby Papua New Guinea and have been held in reserve until they are needed. Of the two, Auckland seems to be the most likely possibility.

5.      In previous versions of this list, I had also had several more possibilities listed for potential temples within the United States, but since growth has been stagnating of late, I don’t think it likely that we will see all that many new temples announced announced unless and until regular growth resumes on a larger scale. That said, I have received reports of sites having been procured for both Arkansas’s first temple and for Montana’s second in the cities listed above, and that those temples will be announced whenever unit growth and attendance at other temples within those areas warrant that happening.

6.      Within Utah, temple attendance has always been high. Layton and Tooele are two cities I have heard mentioned extensively as potential sites for Utah’s 19^th temple I also know that President Hinckley indicated in 2005 that a temple site had been procured in the southwestern part of the Salt Lake Valley, and that a subsequent announcement would follow once membership and Church growth in the valley required it. Some have tried to assert that this temple has already been announced, but every source I have found indicates that that notion is incorrect. Until that site announcement is made, Layton and Tooele appear to be the best candidates for Utah’s next temples.

Final note: As with everything else I put together, these are no more than my own thoughts, feelings, and observations based on the research I have done and the reports I have received. I hope that is absolutely understood and accepted. No one can know the mind of the Lord relating to His Church except those authorized to receive revelation regarding their own spheres of responsibility. While I am always gratified when my predictions turn out to be correct, I am even more appreciative of the many times developments do not take place as I project they will. At the end of the day, the Lord is the only one who can determine best how to further His work, and He manifests His will to those authorized to lead the Church and make decisions. Just wanted to end on that note.