BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Locations Identified for Kumasi Ghana and Oslo Norway Temples; Rendering Released for Oslo; Renovations Coming to Toronto Ontario Temple

Hello again, everyone! The latest temple announcement has just been released. Locations have been confirmed for the Kumasi Ghana and Oslo Norway Temples. Additionally, a rendering has been released for the Oslo Norway Temple. And renovations are coming to the Toronto Ontario Temple. Let's get right into the details: The two-story 22,750 square-foot Kumasi Ghana Temple will be built at Y11 Suntreso Rd, Bantama, in Kumasi on a 2.08-acre site  

As some of you might recall, the African Newsroom shared a report on December 1, 2021, highlighting a visit from Elder Larry S. Kacher, then First Counselor in the Africa West Area presidency, to the king of the Ashante people of Kumasi. During that visit, a rendering, purportedly of the Kumasi Ghana Temple, was presented. If that rendering proves to be official, hopefully with the release of site information about the site announcement, the release of the exterior rendering could follow soon.

Moving on to Oslo Norway, not only do we have a site confirmation, but an exterior rendering as well. A single-story edifice of approximately 10,800 square feet will rise in Hvalstad, Norway, on an 8-acre site at the corner of Smedsvingen and Ravnsborgveien roads. Based on the exterior rendering, it seems likely that modular components could be used. Both the Oslo and Kumasi temples were announced in April 2021. 

In view of today's announcement, official information has been announced for all but 3 of the 20 temples originally announced during the April 2021 General Conference. And now, the number of announced temples that have not had any official information confirmed is down to 49. That brings us to the announced renovation of the Toronto Ontario Temple. 

The renovation closure will only last around 9 months and is set to begin in October 2023. So this may be a similar situation to the San Diego California Temple, where the work needed is sufficient enough to close the temple, but not sufficient enough to require a long-term closure. A nine-month closure beginning in October 2023 means that the Toronto Ontario Temple could be rededicated (whether publicly or privately, and whether in one or multiple sessions) in August or September 2024.

I am grateful to have learned of all of these updates and to be able to pass them along to you all here. I continue to monitor all such updates in addition to Church News and Newsroom updates and will bring word of those to you all here as they cross my radar. 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 TEMPLE NEWS: Exterior Rendering Released for Montpelier Idaho Temple

Hello again, everyone! On March 6, the Church announced a groundbreaking for the Montpelier Idaho Temple, but a rendering for it had not been released. Per a new update on the Church's home page for 2023 temple news, that news release has been updated to show an exterior rendering for the Montpelier Idaho Temple. 

So we now officially have a rendering for that temple. I am pleased we at least got this update. I continue to monitor all other temple construction, Church News, and Newsroom updates, and will be sure to pass those along to you all here as I become aware of 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 TEMPLE NEWS: Renovations Coming to the San Diego California Temple

 Hello again, everyone! As I mentioned at the tail end of my previous post, the Newsroom officially confirmed the dedication of the Okinawa Japan temple would occur, as specified in the Japanese Newsroom release. It also specified that  Elder Gary E. Stevenson will preside at that temple's dedication. That is fitting and proper since Elder Stevenson served his mission in Japan, later served as a mission president in that same nation, and came back again to Japan following his 2008 call as a General Authority Seventy when he served in the Asia North Area presidency and later as the president thereof.

But in addition to that, the Church's Newsroom release also indicated that renovations are coming to the San Diego California Temple, which will close in July 2023. That temple was originally dedicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley, then First Counselor in the First Presidency to President Ezra Taft Benson. The dedication occurred on April 25-30, 1992. 

Though no other details of this renovation are available, I wouldn't be surprised if electrical, mechanical, and ancillary systems are updated, and it's possible that some of the furnishings and fixtures will be replaced, that rooms could be reconfigured or that parts of the temple could be altered for greater efficiency and durability. An estimated completion and open house and rededication arrangements will be provided at a later time.

I am grateful for this unexpected announcement. I continue to monitor all Church News, Newsroom, and temple construction updates and will pass those along 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Opening Arrangements Set for the Okinawa Japan Temple

Hello again, everyone! The next major temple announcement has been made from an unexpected source. Though the main Newsroom does not show this update, the Japanese version of the Newsroom has announced opening arrangements for the Okinawa Japan Temple. According to the release, open house tours will be conducted from Saturday, September 23-Saturday, October 7, 2023 (except for the Sundays of September 24 and October 1).

Though this is not specified in the release, I'm assuming media tours will be conducted on Monday or Tuesday, September 18 or 19, with VIP tours following for a few days prior to the public open house. The temple will be dedicated in two sessions on Sunday, November 12. Though the session times are not specified, every other two-session dedications have been held at 10:00 AM and 1:30 PM. 

The release also fails to specify who will preside at the dedicatory services. I am somewhat surprised by the timing of this dedication, but I'm glad the Church has set those arrangements. In any case, the timing on this dedication means that we might not see dedications for the Lima Peru Los Olivos and McAllen Texas Temples until November. 

The Red Cliffs Utah Temple dedication could either be held in November or December, with at least the Urdaneta Philippines and Puebla Mexico Temples dedicated before the end of 2023. That would then put the rededications of the St. George Utah Temple and the dedications of the Urdaneta Philippines, Layton Utah, Orem Utah, and Taylorsville Utah Temples in January or February. 

So beginning in 2024, I believe we will see a double-digit number of temples dedicated per year going forward. Once the main Newsroom page and the Church News cover this update, I will be sure to update this post with those links. In the meantime, I continue to monitor all Church News, Newsroom, and other temple construction updates and will bring those to you as they cross my radar.

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.

Added t 4:09 PM: The Newsroom published an update on the Okinawa Japan Temple, which indicated that Elder Gary E. Stevenson will preside over the two dedicatory sessions for that dedication. The Newsroom release also included new information about  a temple in California. I will discuss that in a new post here in the next few minutes. For now, my thanks once again to you all.

Initial Predictions for the October 2023 General Conference

Hello again, everyone! In the absence of any major announcements by the Church this week, I have been able to put together the initial draft of my predictions for the October 2023 General Conference. First up, as always, we have my predictions for the potential speaker lineup. A few notes on that: Last conference marked only the third time that President Nelson didn't deliver any remarks to open the General Conference. 

I don't know if that means he won't be speaking in any of the opening sessions for however many General Conferences he continues to serve as prophet, so I wanted to at least allow for the possibility. Secondly, as acknowledged in the one footnote to these predictions, last conference, President Oaks not only presented new GA Seventies, he also noted the upcoming August 1 release of 3 GA Seventies and led the group sustaining of the changes in area seventies and the advanced sustaining of the incoming Young Women General Presidency.

Since all of the changes effective on or before August 1 were already presented last time, the sustaining in October is likely to only include the First Presidency, the President and Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve, the members of that Quorum, and a motion to sustain all other GA Seventies, area seventies, and general officers as presently constituted. Since that process may only take a couple of minutes, it is possible that more general Church leaders could speak in the Saturday Afternoon Session than I have predicted here.

With the major changes already noted, these predictions mark the first time that they do not include a document showing the likely changes in Church leadership. It's also worth noting that, of course, I am assuming that all apostles will be able to speak in October and that the Saturday Evening Session will again be open to all members and friends of the Church. 

So the only other element remaining are my predictions for the most likely locations in which new temples could be announced. Regarding the likely new temples, if the information I have is correct, President Nelson may announce a minimum of 35 temples per year. If that remains the case for this year, then with 15 new temples announced earlier this month, the Church may look to having a minimum of 20 others announced in October. 

I see no reason to not believe that will be the minimum possible number of temples. With those introductory notes shared, the rest of the predictions largely speak for themselves. I am pleased, therefore, to declare the commenting period for these initial predictions officially opened. That commenting period will remain active until Thursday, October 2, at 10:00 PM, which will then give me 36 hours to finalize these predictions.

Unless the Church continues to take a temporary hiatus on temple construction announcements, I assume the next major announcement will be shared on Monday. In the interim, I continue to monitor all major Church News and Newsroom updates and any other temple construction updates and will be sure to pass those along to you all as they cross my radar. 

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.