Stokes Sounds Off

Search This Blog

Friday, January 10, 2020

First Blog Post of 2020: Updated List of Temples Which May Be Renovated in the Near Future

Hello again, everyone! Much sooner than I had anticipated, I am pleased to bring you now my first blog post of this new year, 2020. Before I get to my main reason for posting now, I wanted to just offer a brief reminder: Although I cannot anticipate evyerthing thatt will wind up being covered on this blog during the course of this year, I do have a fair few known blog projects which I am planning on publishing here as scheduled on the dates indicated. Those posts will, of course, be in addition to covering all major (and especially breaking news) developments reported via the Church News, the Church Temples site and the official Church website (which includes those from the Newsroom thereof. Having shared that information, we now move on to the main reason for this post: I have completed my reanalysis of the temples which are most likely to be renovated in the near future. That list, as previously mentioned, has been further annotated and adjusted based on new information that included those temples which had closed for an extended period last year, and those that will do so at any point during this year.  The one thing I would add is that, as noted on the list itself, the timing of temple renovations is and ever will be in the hands of the Lord, as He conveys that direction to His prophet. I am also not entirely sure how (if at all) the closure of larger temples (those in Hong Kong China, St. George Utah, and now Salt Lake) or the planned closures (in the cases of the Logan Utah and Manti Utah Temples) might possibly impact the timing of any of the temples on the list I have put together.

That said, because it seems likely that around 19 temples could potentially have groundbreakings within the next 12-18 months (just from what we know so far), I am satisfied that, in considering the Church's 2020 budget, the Council on the Disposition of the Tithes set aside more than sufficent for all existing current and anticipated future projects. And if we see President Nelson continuing to announce temples every six months, and making announcements on other temples this year (which I have no doubt will be the case), we may be in for another windfall of temple announcements on a variety of fronts. For my part, I remain committed to continuing to bring you updates on every facet of the developments which have characterized the tone of this blog for the last 3-4 years. In the meantime, as I begin another year of covering such things, I'd be remiss if I failed to thank you all for your continued interest, for your onoging support, and for the privilege of your time. That does it for now. Any and alll comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. 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.

Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Final Temple Construction Progress Updates for 2019

Hello again, everyone! With the final hours of 2019 drawing to a close here in Utah, I'd be remiss indeeed if I did not take this opportunity to provide a look back at temple construction progress that has been made throughout 2019. And with my now being able to share specific links to particular reports, there is far less actual information for me to share in this post itself.  So, without further ado, I present the first report of 2019, the one from April 1, 2019, what that progress looked like half-way through 2019, how things looked as the fourth quarter began, and where that progress is now that 2019 is coming to a close. Based on all the progress that has been made this year alone (as evidenced by these reports), I have every reason to hope for similarly-outstanding progress, perhaps to another significantly-unprecedented degree, in 2020. I will continue to monitor all such developments as they occur and bring you word of those ASAP after I learn of them. That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.

List of Temples for Which a New President May Be Called in 2020

Hello again, everyone! Contrary to what i had supposed and originally planned, on this New Year's Eve 2019, I am pleased to bring you earlier than expected a copy of the list I have put together which shows temples for which a new president may be called in 2020. Given that the announcement of new missions which will begin operating in 2020 came in November, I have no doubts that the list of new mission presidents who will begin serving in 2020 will be released either by the end of this week or next week, with the announcements of new temple presidents for 2020 beginning to be made by either March or April at latest. In the meantime, as I mentioned, after New Year's, I anticipate that the announcements of temple events will start relatively early in 2020. If the information I have obtained is correct, then full-scale renovation will begin on the Salt Lake Temple on January 2, 2020, and the announcements coming down the pike in relatively short order could include (at minimum) the open house and dedication information for the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple, with groundbreakings being announced for the following temples: Auckland New Zealand, Richmond Virginia, Layton Utah, Tooele Valley Utah, and Orem Utah.

I also anticipate more official details coming down thcpike (including potential groundbreaking announcements) in relatively short order for the following additional teemples: Bengaluru India, Nairobi Kenya, Harare Zimbabwe, Brasilia Brazil, second Manila Philippines, Managua Nicaragua, San Pedro Sula Honduras, and Coban Guatemala Temples. Further, based on the reports I have received from various contacts or sources I have come across, it seems possible (if not almost entirely likely) that the Church could potentially break ground for as many temples in the first half of 2020 as was the case for 2019 in its' entirety (which would be 11 at minimum).

And as I have previously noted, depending on how much the Church can do to clear the queue of announced temples somewhat between January 1 and the weekend of the April 2020 General Conference (which is set to occur on April 4-5), the additional research I have done seems to point to the fact that, while a massive number of temple announcements is not likely to occur, I would not be shocked to see President Nelson provide initial details of his temple construction goals and plans, with anywhere between 1-3 dozen new temples announced over that weekend.

If any of these developments occur, there will be plenty to cover in 2020, but I anticipate that number of reported developments will continue to increase year-by-year going forward for however long President Nelson continues to live and serve as the Lord's prophet (which, if the great plethora and abundance of statements made by his wife and his apostolic colleagues are to be believed, is likely to be another 1-2 decades at minimum). For my part, I will do my level best to stay on top of all such developments and will endeavor to do whatever I can to bring word of those to you all as I become aware of them in the coming year.

That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.