Initial Predictions for the October 2020 General Conference

Hello again, everyone! I finally have the first draft of my predictions for next October's General Conference put together. An oope commenting period is now in effect until either I need to update them and post the revisions later on, or until the week before the October 2020 General Conference (with the deadline for the latter being 10:00 PM MDT on Thursday October 1, which will give me 36 hours to finalize those before General Conference formally begins). I look forward to your feedback. 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.

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.