Elder & Sister Renlund Speak to CES Instructors; Temple Updates Provided

Hello again, everyone! This post will cover two subjects, namely: the devotional for CES Instructors and some temple updates. First, as some of you may be aware, the Church holds an annual broadcast for those who teach seminary and institute and their spouses.

The speakers this year included Elder Dale G. Renlund and his wife, Ruth, Elder Kim B. Clark, General Authority Seventy and Commissioner of Church Education, and Chad Webb, director of Seminaries and Institutes.

As some of you may also be aware, one of Elder Renlund's many apostolic assignments is to serve on the Church Board of Education. It was therefore fitting that he and his wife participated in this broadcast. The Church News provided this summary of that devotional.

We now conclude with the temple updates I referenced. I have previously shared on numerous occasions my feeling that the Church could (and likely will) have at least 200 temples in operation by or before the day on which the Church marks its' bicentennial anniversary (which will occur on Saturday April 6, 2030). And I have also shared that this could happen whether or not an official goal is set to do so.

As of today, there are 11.81 years left until that day, which means that the Church would need to dedicate roughly 3.47 temples per year. As I also noted previously, there will only be 2 temples dedicated this year, which is below that average. But with 6 temples anticipated to be dedicated in 2019, and at least 3 that we know of (so far) that may be dedicated in 2020, by the time those are dedicated, the average number of temples that would need to be completed per year will likely go down quite a bit.

That said, let's talk about two temples which have had progress reported. We start with the Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple. Recent information of which I have become aware notes that the exterior of that temple is nearing completion, and that a coat of white paint has been added to the temple's entry way.

I cannot say for certain that this will be the case, but I would imagine that the Church could potentially announce a dedication for that temple within the next four months or so, and I have offered my opinion recently that that could occur in mid-April 2019. It will be interesting to see what happens in that regard.

I also became aware of an update on the Arequipa Peru Temple. Recently obtained information shows that work on the temple's exterior is making steady progress. That temple is anticipated to be dedicated in early 2020. The interesting thing about this temple, the Rio de Janeiro Brazil & Winnipeg Manitoba Temple is that they all have a general completion estimate of early 2020. In some ways, the order in which they could be completed may be somewhat interchangeable.

To the best of my ability, I continue to monitor all Church news and temple developments and will pass those along to you all as I receive them. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

1300th Blog Post: Church News Updates

Hello again, everyone! After giving myself around a week to deal with some ongoing health issues, I am back again today to share some interesting Church News stories that have crossed my radar within this last week. This will be focused mainly on apostolic ministry updates, with a few other subjects mentioned in passing. There is a lot to talk about, so let's get right into all of that.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland was recently on assignment in the South America South Area. While there, he spoke to Jewish leaders about how history, powerful doctrines, and ancient beliefs connect the history of Latter-day Saints with that of those of the Jewish faith. He also was able to share the Family Proclamation with those who serve in Argentina's congress.

As many of you may be aware, Elder Holland has a connection with the South America South Area, since he spent a two-year period (from 2002-2004) on assignment as president of the Church's now-defunct Chile Area, so he knows this area well, and it was great to hear about his chance to return to it.

President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, recently spoke at a program honoring the Archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, since he has devoted his life to Deity and to defending religious freedom. What he said on that occasion can be found here.

Elder Ulisses Soares, who, as some of you may recall, served as president of the Church's Africa Southeast Area prior to his call to the Presidency of the Seventy in 2013, which in turn preceded his call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, recently returned to the African continent with Elder Neil L. Andersen. The two apostles visited the Africa West Area. The Church News shares this report of their ministry efforts during that trip.

The Church News also interviewed Elder Soares about his personal experiences relating to how the priesthood revelation affected both his homeland of Brazil, and his ability to teach more people the gospel during his mission in that same nation.

The Church News additionally reported this information about the time Elder David A. Bednar and his wife recently spent in the Church's Asia Area, which included a first for the couple: visiting Cambodia, India, and Mongolia.

Elder Quentin L. Cook was the featured speaker at a BYU-Idaho Devotional earlier today. He shared some exciting insights into how recent developments and publications, particularly the Joseph Smith Papers project and the new edition of the Doctrine and Covenants has helped increase many misunderstandings both within the Church and outside of it about certain aspects of the Church's history. The snippets of his address that are quoted in that article are well worthy of your attention.

In continuing her articles that take a retroactive look at her storied career reporting Church news, from former Church News editor Gerry Avant, we have this article which recounts how President Monson revisited a sacred site in Germany.

Turning our attention now to Mormon Newsroom, two recent articles were published highlighting President Nelson's recent ministry efforts. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his pioneering work as a heart surgeon. He and his wife also joined Elder and Sister Ronald A. Rasband in ministering to Church members in Canada.

A few other articles may be of interest to some of you: As you may be aware, in light of the Church replacing home and visiting teaching with the ministering program, the Church News noted that monthly ministering principles will be published in the Ensign from now on. I am grateful that the Church has taken the steps to replace home and visiting teaching. The ministering approach will allow Church members to minister to our brothers and sisters more through the promptings sent by the Spirit, which will put the responsibility of how best to implement such principles squarely on our shoulders.

The First Counselors in the Sunday School and Young Men General Presidencies (Douglas D. Holmes and Devin G. Durrant) recently visited South Africa to share some insight into the changes that will be coming to the curriculum and youth programs. Apparently, starting next year, the curriculum for Sunday School that will focus more on individual preparation by class members for the Sunday School hour of Church. More details can be found in this article.

And we conclude with this inspiring article from the Church News, which describes how a senior sister missionary completed her missionary service following her husband's unexpected and sudden passing.

I can recommend all of these articles to you without reservation. That does it for this post. Anyh and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

Updated Estimates for Known Temple Events

Hello again, everyone! I wanted to post right now and share my updated thoughts about the time-frames within which future temple events may take place. There has been a lot to consider in terms of the changes I recently made, such as the progress (or the lack thereof) on new temples under construction or those currently undergoing renovation, whether or not that progress is sufficient to warrant a change, and any unknown factors that may delay any of these events.

The revised estimates below represent my best efforts to determine when such events might occur. I look forward to hearing from any of you regarding any feedback describing anything I have missed, overlooked, or failed to consider. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

Future estimates for known temple events

2018:

Anytime in the near future: Full-scale renovation anticipated to begin for the Asuncion Paraguay Temple

Note: This temple closed for renovation on October 29, 2017. Within the six months that have followed, the process was delayed while building permits were being acquired. In mid-to-late April 2018, many sources which I consult for temple information removed any completion estimate. While I hope that the Church’s announced intention to rededicate this temple next year will be able to occur, only time will tell if that will be possible.

Monday July 23: Hamilton New Zealand Temple Renovation Closure (confirmed)

Sunday October 28: Concepcion Chile Temple Dedication (160^th operating temple; confirmed)

Note: Since this will be the first new temple dedicated during President Nelson’s administration, he could opt to preside at this event himself, or he could delegate that responsibility to either of his counselors, or to one of the senior members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. It occurred to me that, since Elder Holland spent two years (from 2002-2004) as president of the Chile Area of the Church, he might either be asked (as a senior member of the Twelve) to preside at this dedication, or to accompany the more senior leader who does so.

November: Groundbreaking for the Bangkok Thailand Temple

Note: The Church officially confirmed the site for this temple and also released an artist’s rendering of it on March 19, 2018. It has typically been customary for the Church to schedule a groundbreaking ceremony for a temple not long after the site is identified and a rendering is released. Bearing in mind that the site in question needs to be cleared for this temple, and that Thailand was officially dedicated for the preaching of the gospel by then-Elder Gordon B. Hinckley on November 2, 1966, November seems like a good month for this temple’s groundbreaking. Time will tell how accurate this assumption might turn out to be.

Sunday December 9: Barranquilla Colombia Temple Dedication (161^st operating temple; confirmed)

Note: The note above regarding who might preside at this temple event also applies to this temple, as it is possible that President Nelson, one of his counselors, or a senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve could preside at this event. I looked for, but was unable to find, any information regarding whether any of the apostles had ties to Colombia, but if there are any that do, they would likely have a role in the dedication as well.

Final note on 2018: 2018, by all reports, was going to be a big year for temple groundbreakings. However, we are nearing the point of being halfway through the year, and nothing has officially been announced yet. I am hoping that, as noted above, we at least see ground broken for the Bangkok Thailand Temple, even if that occurs at a time other than what I have suggested above. I would also hope that more will be known about the following temples by or before the end of this year: Saratoga Springs Utah, Lima Peru Los Olivos, Urdaneta Philippines, Pocatello Idaho, Harare Zimbabwe, and Nairobi Kenya. While I hope we will see more than one groundbreaking by the end of this year, time will tell.

2019:

Mid-February: Frankfurt Germany Temple Rededication

Note: While this has yet-to-be confirmed, it would make sense if this temple was rededicated at this time. And, since the Church has periodically assigned senior members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to preside at such events, the First Presidency may opt to ask Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, a native German who has presided at previous dedications and rededications as a member of the First Presidency from 2008-2018, to preside at this event in his homeland.     

Sunday March 10-Sunday March 17: Rome Italy Temple Dedication (162^nd operating temple; confirmed)

Note: While the Church officially announced that this temple’s dedication will be held over an 8-day period (one of the longest, if not the very longest, in recent years), the exact number of dedicatory sessions that will be held has not yet been made public. I am assuming that the Church could potentially have 3-4 per day, with one every 2-3 hours, but time will tell. Since the dedicatory sessions will be held for longer than a week, it would make sense if the Church rotates attendance among several different Church leaders, which will likely include all members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve.

Mid-April: Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple Dedication (163^th operating temple)

Note: In view of my need to change other estimates, and in recognition of the fact that we have seen two updates recently on the status of this temple, I have changed my thinking and now concur that this temple will be the next new one dedicated in 2019 following the Rome Italy temple dedication.

Mid-to-late May: Fortaleza Brazil Temple Dedication (164^th operating temple)

Note: Although I had previously shared my thoughts that this temple would likely be dedicated before the temple in Kinshasa, in the last couple of weeks, two significant updates on that temple now lead me to concur with most sources available that the Fortaleza temple will not be dedicated until after a dedication is held for Kinshasa. With that in mind, it seemed reasonable to move the estimate for this temple’s completion to around this time. If the need arises, further alterations can be made in the future.

Early-to-mid June: Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple Dedication (165^th operating temple)

Note: Since construction of this temple (which began within a couple of weeks following its’ October 28, 2017 groundbreaking) is anticipated to take 15-18 months, and since the estimates for temples undergoing renovation were recently pushed back, it has seemed wise to move the estimate for this temple’s completion up. If I see another reason to adjust this further, I will do so.

Early-to-mid August: Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple Rededication

Note: With a desire to be more conservative in the estimates I offer, and in recognition of the fact that temple renovations often take longer than originally anticipated, it has felt wise to shift this temple’s completion estimate. Depending on what happens within the next 6-10 months in relation to this temple’s progress, any additional adjustments will be made as they are needed.

Mid-to-late August: Lisbon Portugal Temple Dedication (166^th operating temple)

Note: This temple, which has progressed fairly well, may be dedicated at around this time, if it continues to make steady progress. If I see any reason to adjust this estimate in the near future, I will be sure to do so.

Mid-September: Memphis Tennessee Temple Rededication

Note: The relative progress of other temples compared to the lack thereof on several others leads me to believe that pushing back my estimate for this temple’s rededication would be appropriate. If I see anything that changes my mind in this regard, I have no problem with the idea of adjusting this estimate again.

Mid-October: Raleigh North Carolina Temple Rededication

Note: On May 3, 2018, this temple’s general completion estimate was pushed back in many sources from which I obtain such information. With that in mind, this adjustment has felt necessary. If this temple makes sufficient progress in the near future, I could see the merits of moving this estimate up. Until that time, this alteration feels reasonable.

Mid-November: Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple Rededication

Note: This temple’s general completion estimate was altered on May 3, 2018 as well. With that in mind, although I hope for the best for this temple, it has felt wiser to be more conservative in this estimate. If I see a need to move this estimate up, I will be happy to do so.

Mid-December Durban South Africa Temple Dedication (167^th operating temple)

Note: This temple has alternated having some occasions when lots of progress has been noted, and having other times when long periods have gone by with no word on any developments. For that reason, it has seemed more reasonable to be conservative in this estimate. I hope to be able to move this estimate up, if all goes well.

Final note on 2019: As with 2018, I have heard that 2019 could potentially be another big year for temple groundbreakings. If that proves to be the case, there will be other temple-related events to add to this list for subsequent years. A lot could change within the next year that will also change the likely prospects for temple groundbreakings in 2019. Closer to the time, I may venture some thoughts for temples likely to have a groundbreaking during 2019. Additionally, although both the Oakland California and Asuncion Paraguay Temples were originally anticipated to be rededicated in 2019, the former is an older temple, which means delays are possible, and the latter is currently stalled in the process of getting its’ renovation started. For that reason, I am pushing back my estimates for the rededications of both to 2020. But I hope that I will be able to move both back into 2019 if all goes well.

2020:

Mid-January: Oakland California Temple Rededication

Note: This temple closed for its’ renovation in February 2018, and was anticipated to be rededicated during 2019. But in view of the progress (and the lack thereof) made on several new temples and others undergoing renovation, it has seemed reasonable to alter this estimate to around this time.

Mid-March: Arequipa Peru Temple Dedication (168^th operating temple)

Note: This temple had originally been estimated to have its’ dedication occur in 2019, but new information indicates that it will likely happen in 2020, and that it may be the first new temple dedicated during that year. If anything happens to change that, its’ future dedication might either be delayed or pushed up.

Mid-to-late April: Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple Dedication (169^th operating temple)

Note: The main reason this temple’s completion estimate was pushed back to early 2020 is because many sources available to me noted that it is going to be bigger than originally believed. With that in mind, it is not hard to believe that a dedication could (and likely will) occur for this temple at around this time, before winter season hits the southern hemisphere.

Mid-to-late May: Winnipeg Manitoba Temple Dedication (170^th operating temple)

Note: With full-scale construction on this temple having finally begun in early June 2018, if the 20-month estimate for this temple’s construction process proves to be correct, then construction could be finished in either the last few months of 2019 or the first few months of this year, which would enable an open house and dedication to occur at around this time.

Early-to-mid August: Tokyo Japan Temple Rededication

Note: Although full-scale efforts have begun on this temple’s renovation since the last time I posted these estimates, it has seemed wiser to be more conservative in this estimate. If I see any reason in the near future to move this estimate back up, I will do so.

Mid-to-late September: Mesa Arizona Temple Rededication

Note: This temple is older, but has been renovated previously, so the renovation process will likely be completed at around this time. If anything happens to delay that process, this estimate would need to be subsequently adjusted as a result.

Mid-to-late October: Asuncion Paraguay Temple Rededication

Note: This temple closed for its’ renovation process in late October 2017. But as of May 3, 2018, it has not had the full-scale process begin. And although the Church originally said that the rededication for this temple would occur in 2019, unless those full-scale efforts begin before winter 2018 begins in the southern hemisphere, that might in turn delay its’ rededication to around this time. That said, if full-scale efforts are able to begin sooner rather than later, I could see the need to move up this more specific estimate.

Mid-December: Washington DC Temple Rededication

Note: This temple has, as of today (April 27, 2018), been closed for almost two months, but has not had any progress reported on that process as of yet. When we add to that the fact that this is an older temple having its’ first renovation, mid-December is a very conservative estimate. If anything delays that process, I would not be surprised to see this temple’s completion pushed back into 2021.

2021:

Mid-to-late April: Hamilton New Zealand Temple Rededication

Note: This temple’s July 2018 renovation closure was the first temple announcement of President Nelson’s prophetic administration. If, as is widely believed, that process involves an expansion of any kind for this temple, depending on how quickly or slowly progress is made, this estimate may need to be adjusted.

2022:

Mid-to-late April: Bangkok Thailand Temple Dedication (171^st operating temple)

Note: When the artist’s rendering for this temple was released, it showed a six-story temple with an adjacent building that will hold Church offices and 1 or 2 meetinghouses as well. So the completion of this temple will depend on a few things: First, how long we will have to wait before a groundbreaking takes place; second, how long the construction process takes; third, whether there are any delays in that process; and finally, what might occur between now and then. It is also worth noting that several other temples may have a groundbreaking, and might be constructed and completed before this one is dedicated. If that happens, there will obviously need to be an adjustment on this temple’s potential number.

                  

Final Note: As noted above, if several temples have a groundbreaking in 2018 and the years that follow, their completion estimates will need to be added to the list above. I continue to monitor all temple-related developments and will pass news of them along as I become aware of them.