UPDATES: First Presidency Announces 17 Additional Temples Which Will Open Under Phase 1; Reemphasizes Guidelines for Art in Meetinghouse Entryways

Hello again, eveeryone! 4 days ago, the First Presidency first annnounced the strategy the Church will take towards reopening temples., which included 17 temples that would reopen under phase 1 today (enabling previously-endowed  couples to have their marriages solemnized in the temple). After further evaluating world conditions and governmental restrictions, the First Presidency today announced 17 more teeples which will open under phase 1 one week from today (Monday May 18). The neewest 17 include templess scattered through the United States in the following 9 states:Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and Wyoming. Also included on the latest list are temples in Denmark, Korea, and Taiwan. It is wonderful to see Church leaders moving forward in faith and expanding the phased reopening of temples. If that was the only development I had to  report today, it would be reason enough to rejoice. But above and beyond that development, the First Presidency is also looking ahead to the time when regular worship will resume in meetinghouses worldwide.  As assessments are underway on that front, the First Presidency has provided a directive pertaining to art in meetinghouse foyers. Acknwledging the efforts of Church members everywhere to use the correct name of the Church, leaders have felt to reemphasize the centrality of the Savior in Sunday worship services in chapels around the world by directive that artwork featuring the Savior, either on his own, or ministering to others, should be prominently displayed in the entryways of each chapel. Local physical facilities directors are being instructed to prayerfully work with congregational leaders both at the stake/disstrict and ward/branch level to ensure that the artwork that is selected for each such meetinghouse meets the desired parameters as spelled out in today's news release. A First Presidency letter provides more specific recommendations on that.I  am grateful to have learned of these developments and to have been able to pass them along to you all here. I will continue to do so with all future developments, whether in new posts or on comments for existing posts.

Just by way of reminder, I do have my next apstolic statistical update set to be published here on Sunday May 24. I will also carry coverage of the upcoming temple groundbreakings for the Layton Utah, Alabang Philippines, and Auckland New Zealand Temples as that is made available. And of course, I also have plans to bring you apostolic birthday tribute posts for President Henry B. Eyring (on May 31) and Elder David A. Bednar (on June 15). So stay tuned for those reports, among others. 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Groundbreaking for Alabang Philippines Temple Postponed

Hello again, everyone! As many of you might be aware, I have been looking for (and having difficulty finding) confirmation that the Alabang Philippines Temple groundbreaking occurred today as scheduled. In my latest perusal of the available information, I happened to look on the Church Temples site. On the page for the Alabang Philippines Temple, an update at the top of that parge drew my attention. The status was as follows: "Preparing for groundbreaking ceremony; site cleared; groundbreaking scheduled for 6 June 2020." Although that update has not officially been confirmed through the Philippines Newsroom or the main Newsroom, the Church temples site has been known to have official information that has been or will soon be verified through the proper official channels. Therefore, I am pleased to pass along to you all the news that the groundbreaking for that temple will take place one week after that of the Layton Utah temple, and one week before the previously-scheduled groundbreaking for the Auckland New Zealand Temple. That update supercedes any previous information I have provided on this matter here.

Insofar as I am aware, the last time there were 3 consecutive temple groundbreakings on 3 consecutive weekends was during the Hinckley-era buiilding boom of the late 1990s-early 2000s. So it looks as though the end of May through the beginning of June will be chock-full of temple events to cover on this blog. I continue to monitor all such updates and will be sure to pass word of those along to you all as I become aware of such things.

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.

BREAKING NEWS: Open House and Dedication Dates Annnounced for Winnipeg Manitoba Temple/Other Major Developments Reported in Response to COVID-19

Hello again, everyone! Much to my surprise, one of two big announcements from the Church today was regarding the opening dates for the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple. The Open house will be held from Thursday October 22-Saturday October 31, with the exception of Sundayh October 25. Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will preside over the 3 dedicatory sessions,on on Sunday November 8, which will be held at 9:00 AM, noon, and 3:00 PM Winnipeg time, which is equivalent to 8:00 Am, 11:00 AM, and 2:00 PM here in Utah. A youth devotional for those in Aaronic Priesthood Quorums and Young Women classes, along with their leaders and parents, will be held the night before. This announcement suggests to me that the Church anticipates tthat COVID-19 conditions will have cleared sufficiently to allow the open house and dedication of this temple as scheduled. That in turn means that perhaps the Church will not have to change the planned arrangements for the open house and rededication of the Washington D.C. Temple. But one thing this announcement does not change is that the revised open house and dedication dates for the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple are still pending. Hopefully the Church can soon announce those revisions, but for now, the arrangements for that temple are yet-to-be-determined. The other major announcement from the Church today was that the First Presidency has determined to cancel all treks and pageants that would have otherwise been held this year. That is a result of the Brethren's ongoing concern about COVID-19. But the Church has also donated cash and commodities  and Church spokesman Daniel Woodruff has provided a statement on how the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are handling missionary reassignments in the wake of COVID-19.General details on some of these developments can also be found for missionary work, Church pageants, and youth camps, conferences, and treks. And late yesterday, the Newsroom shared an article about how Latter-day Saints in Wales are partnering with local organizations to provide relief due to COVID-19 conditions in that nation.

It is plain to see that, even in the midst of COVID-19 conditions, the work continues to make outstanding progress on a wide variety of fronts. I continue to monitor all such developments and will pass word o all Church news updates and temple construction milestones and will be sure to pass word of htose along to you all 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.