BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Open House and Dedication Set for Orem Utah Temple; Closure Date Announced for Provo Utah Temple; Location and Preliminary Details Released for the Wichita Kansas Temple

 Hello again, everyone! At this 2:00 PM hour on this Tuesday, the Church has shared the next major temple construction announcement has been made, which means that Tuesday may be the new standard date for temple news going forward. What we have today is opening arrangements for the Orem Utah Temple; an official closure date for the Provo Utah Temple; and the site location and initial information for the Wichita Kansas Temple. There's a lot to break down, so let's get right into it.

We begin with the Orem Utah Temple. Following a media day on Monday, October 23, and VIP tours from Tuesday, October 24-Thursday October 26, the public open house will be held between Friday, October 27-Saturday, December 16, 2023, except for the Sundays of October 29, November 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30, and December 3 and 10. 

The dedication of that temple will follow in two sessions at 12:30 and 3:30 PM on Sunday, January 21, 2024. I was intrigued by the later times for these sessions. That may indicate that another temple dedication is anticipated to be held on that day.  No word on who will preside at that dedication, but the fact that this is the first temple dedication for 2024 is significant. 

I wouldn't be shocked if a member of the First Presidency, perhaps even President Nelson himself, presides at this dedication, but either of his counselors or any members of the Twelve with ties to that part of Utah County could be chosen for the task. At a glance, that may include President Dallin H. Oaks, or Elders D. Todd Christofferson or Ronald A. Rasband.

I also don't know what this might indicate about the timing of the dedications for the Lima Peru Los Olivos and Red Cliffs Utah Temples, but if I had to guess, one of the two might be dedicated by the end of the year, and the other might be delayed until next year. It's also possible that both will be dedicated next year on either January 14, 21, or 28. Stay tuned for further updates on this as I receive word thereof.

We now shift to the Provo Utah Temple, which, as we know, was announced to be reconstructed once the Orem Utah Temple was dedicated. Since that dedication has now been set, the Church has also announced the closure date for the Provo Utah Temple. That temple will be open through Saturday, February 24, and will close at the end of that day. I have ventured a completion estimate of late 2026 or sometime in 2027, but it could be completed sooner if construction goes smoothly and without interruption.

That brings us to the information released today about the Wichita Kansas Temple site. The temple will rise at at Lot 1 Block 1 of The Moorings Plaza Fourth Addition, Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas. Plans call for a single-story temple of approximately 9,950 square feet on the 6.42 acre site, and the temple may or may not use the modular design. I

t was my original understanding that the Church intended the Helena Montana, Casper Wyoming, and Elko Nevada Temples to all use the modular design, but the modular method was apparently only used on the first of those 3. The Okinawa Japan Temple was the right size for the modular design, but as far as I'm aware, that was built with normal methods. And the Casper and Elko temples were apparently built normally as well.

It's possible also that the Port Moresby Papua Nee Guinea, Port Vila Vanuatu, Tarawa Kiribati, and Torreon Mexico Temples all use the modular design as well, as could any temple with a floor plan close to 10,00 square feet. But I'm less sure on that than I once was. The Wichita Kansas Temple was one of the last two US temples announced in April 2022 that did not have any information officially confirmed. The last one is Missoula Montana. And today's announcement on the Wichita Kansas Temple means that 47 of the 79 announced temples have not had official information confirmed yet.

As I noted at the beginning of this post, with the Orem Utah Temple dedication set to occur next year, it remains to e seen how soon the Lima Peru Los Olivos and Red Cliffs Utah Temples could have official opening arrangements announced. But I'm glad we have additional information about these three temples today. Since it appears that Tuesday is the new standard day of the week for major temple updates, I will be sure to keep an eye out for those and will pass them along ASAP as time and circumstances allow.

I likewise monitor all updates from the Church News and the Newsroom, and any other temple construction developments and will pass those along to you all as I receive word thereof. In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. 

I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

Elder David A. Bednar Observes His 71st Birthday Today

Hello again, everyone! Given that today is June 15, I wanted to take an opportunity to pay tribute to Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who is marking his 71st birthday today. Let's get into some details about Elder Bednar's life thus far. David Allan Bednar was born in Oakland California on this day in 1952 to Anthony George and Lavina Whitney Bednar. His mother came from a long line of Latter-day Saint ancestors, but his father was not a member of the Church. Despite not having a formal Church membership, Anthony Bednar fully supported the rest of his family in their Church membership, and he would often step in and participate in meetings and Church activities, including various service projects, whereby he was in essence functioning in the same supportive way as other Church members did, but as one who was not a Church member. Young David would often ask Anthony when he would be baptized, to which his father replied that he would do so when he felt it was right.

Elder Bednar served a mission in southern Germany, during which time, then-Elder Boyd K. Packer visited his mission, and was advised that to get through the necessary border security, he would need money. The future President Packer would later recount in General Conference that a young missionary provided him with the money he needed, and later revealed that Elder Bednar had been that missionary. Elder Bednar attended BYU-Provo, where he earned a bachelor's degree in communication and a master's in organizational communication. He went on to earn a doctoral degree in organizational behavior from the prestigious Purdue University.

He met Susan Kae Robinson at an activity for young adults. He recounts that they were playing flag football and that he threw a pass, which she caught. Susan would later note that, incidentally, that was the only time she could remember catching a pass. That experience left a positive impression on both of them, and the two started dating not long afterward. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple on March 20, 1975, and would go on to raise 3 sons together. One major highlight of Elder Bednar's life came long after his marriage. Anthony called his son one day and asked, "Would you be free on (and he named a near-future date)? I would like you to come and baptize me." He was able to baptize and confirm his father, and also ordained him to the priesthood.

He spent his vocational career as an educator at several secondary schools. For four years (1980-1984), he was an assistant professor of management at what was then the College of Business Administration at the University of Arkansas. He spent the next two years as an assistant professor at Texas Tech University, after which he returned to Arkansas, where he served first as the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, then as the Director of the Management Decision-Making Lab. During this time, he was recognized as being an outstanding educator through the receipt of many prestigious awards and honors.

He also had a few ecclesiastical responsibilities within the Church at around the same time. He spent several months as a bishop, then went on to serve first as the president of what was then the Fort Smith Arkansas Stake, then as the first president of the newly-established Rogers Arkansas Stake. During the final months of his service as a stake president, he was called to serve as a regional representative. In 1997, he was among the first men called to serve in the new position of area seventy. That same year, he was also called by the Church Board of Education to serve as president of Ricks College. His tenure there spanned from 1997-2004, during which time he led the transition of that college to BYU-Idaho. In October 2004, as a result of the apostolic vacancies due to the July deaths of Elders Neal A. Maxwell and David B. Haight (which occurred 10 days apart), Church President Gordon B. Hinckley announced that the vacancies would be filled by Elders Dieter F. Uchtdorf and David A. Bednar.

At the time of his call to the apostleship, Elder Bednar, who was 52 at that time, was the youngest apostle to have been called since then-Elder Dallin H. Oaks (who had been called to the apostleship in 1984 at the age of 51). Although he immediately commenced his service in the apostleship, he also continued to serve as president of BYU-Idaho for several weeks before the appointment of an interim president. Elder Bednar's tenure as an educator has molded how he speaks and ministers as an apostle. One of his common traditions, as he speaks at General Conference, is to invite the Holy Ghost to bless him and the rest of us as we listen to his remarks.

Since his October 2004 call to the apostleship, he has given 38 General Conference addresses, which are always well crafted and insightful, and are well worthy of review by all of us. He is currently the fourth-most senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (which, including the current members of the First Presidency, makes him the seventh in apostolic seniority), and is still among the younger apostles, being the fifth-youngest both among the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and all 15 ordained apostles as well. While I have never had the honor of personally meeting him, from the moment his apostolic call was first announced and onward since then, I have had a testimony that his apostolic call has been inspired and directed by the Lord, which I reiterate to you all today.

Given his relatively younger age in comparison to both the six apostles senior to him, and four of the eight apostles who are junior to him, I fully believe that Elder Bednar may serve as Church President or at least in the First Presidency at some point. That, of course, will be up to the Lord’s will and the health and longevity of Presidents Nelson, Oaks, Eyring, and Ballard, and that of Elders Holland and Uchtdorf. And I want to make it very clear that such a prospect is merely my personal opinion and not anything I can attribute to anyone else. That being said, some of you will no doubt notice that one of the labels attached to this post is "Temple Construction Update". That may warrant additional context from me.

Generally, when a new president of the Church is ordained, he has the prophetic prerogative to make assignment changes for his fellow apostles. Before the passing of President Thomas S. Monson, Elder Quentin L. Cook was serving as the Chairman of the Temple and Family History Executive Council. Within a couple of months after President Nelson's ordination and setting apart as Church President, Elder Cook was reassigned as the Chairman of the Priesthood and Family Executive Council, with Elder Bednar succeeding his immediate apostolic junior and seatmate as the Chairman of the Church's Temple and Family History Executive Council. While Elder Bednar has served in that capacity, President Nelson has announced an unprecedented 133 new temples, so there has been a lot for that council to consider throughout the last several years, which will likely continue to be true for the foreseeable future.

I am grateful to have been able to provide this tribute to Elder Bednar as he marks his 69th birthday today. I continue to monitor all Church news updates and temple developments and will be sure to bring you word of those reports as I receive them. In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

BREAKING NEWS: Elder Holland Resumes Full-Time Ministry; Update on Current Apostolic Milestones

Hello again, everyone! In view of President Eyring's 90th birthday yesterday, the Church now has 4 nonagenarian apostles serving for the first time in Church history. In a surprising update, an essay written by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland highlights the blessing of having older, more mature leaders in the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. 

Elder Holland's article referenced a small gathering for President Eyring's birthday, which means the article served as confirmation that Elder Holland has officially resumed his full-time apostolic ministry following his recent medical leave. Aside from that good news update, the Church News also reports that, as of today, the current group of 15 apostles in the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is officially the sixth-longest tenured group in Church history. 

That update does not match the data I shared in my last apostolic milestone update, which indicated that the current group of 15 apostles actually moved up to the sixth spot on that list on April 27 of this year. I think that can be explained by using a different criteria for calculating that than I used, but I'm not sure on that. It is true they remain in the sixth spot now, and they will move up to the fifth spot on that list of apostolic groups in August. I am grateful to have learned of these key updates and to pass them along to you all here.

I continue to monitor all Church News, Newsroom, and temple construction updates and will bring word of those to you all here as I become aware thereof. In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. 

I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly-added posts and comments. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.