On this blog, I, James Stokes, share insights and analysis covering the latest news and developments reported about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My specific emphasis and focus is on the ministry of our current apostles, General Conference, and up-to-date temple information. This site is neither officially owned, operated, or endorsed by the Church, and I, as the autthor thereof, am solely responsible for this content.
Search This Blog
Leaderboard
Thursday, May 18, 2017
Church News Article about Elder Brian K. Taylor
Hello. Last post today. The Church News published today this article about new General Authority Seventy Elder Brian K. Taylor. Enjoy!
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Redone list of temple presidents called in 2017
Hello. The Church announced the call of another temple president (for the San Salvador El Salvador Temple). As I have considered the layout of my document tracking new temple presidents, I have felt to make some changes. Here are the results of my efforts. Let me know your thoughts.
New Temples whose presidents will begin serving later
this year:
1.
Paris France (President announced in 2016; will
begin formal service on May 21)
2.
Cedar City Utah (President announced in March; will begin service on
December 10)
3.
Tucson Arizona (President announced in March;
will begin formal service on August 13)
4.
Meridian Idaho (President announced in April;
will begin formal service in November 19)
Operating Temples whose president was changed earlier
this year:
1.
Calgary Alberta (president changed sometime
during March for an undisclosed reason, likely because the previous president
died or became incapacitated)
General Note #1: The president of the Tokyo Japan Temple
died during his active service in late April of this year. The Church has no
doubt called one of his counselors as the new president so that the work of the
temple can go on uninterrupted. Once I learn of that information, I will add
that temple to one of the lists above.
General Note #2: Other operating temples, as has already
been announced, will be getting a new president later this year as well, and if
those changes take place as they did during my six-year service in the Mount
Timpanogos Utah Temple, the new presidents will start their service on the
first Monday or Tuesday of November, which fall this year on the 6th
and 7th. Those temples that will have a new president this year
include the following:
1.
Apia Samoa
2.
Logan Utah
3.
Vernal Utah
4.
Toronto Ontario
5.
Snowflake Arizona
6.
Phoenix Arizona
7.
Salt Lake
8.
Bern Switzerland
9.
Quetzaltenango Guatemala
10. Louisville
Kentucky
11. San
Diego California
12. Mount
Timpanogos Utah
13. Madrid
Spain
14. Bogota
Colombia
15. Edmonton
Alberta
16. Newport
Beach California
17. Adelaide
Australia
18. Kona
Hawaii
19. Caracas
Venezuela
20. Bismarck
North Dakota
21. Mesa
Arizona
22. Columbia
South Carolina
23. Ogden
Utah
24. Lubbock
Texas
25. Guayaquil
Ecuador
26. Fort
Lauderdale Florida
27. Los
Angeles California
28. San
Salvador El Salvador
General Note #3: While not yet reported in the Church
News, a news release appearing on LDS.org dated May 11 announced the calling of
a new president for the following additional temples. When subsequently
confirmed by the Church News, they will move to the list above.
1.
Manila Philippines
2.
San Antonio Texas (The news release on LDS.org
states that a new president has not been called yet but will be later this
year.)
General Note #4: Temple presidents generally serve for
around three years. With that in mind, I feel confident in predicting that the
following temples may also have a new president announced:
1.
Baton Rouge Louisiana
2.
Buenos Aires Argentina
NOTE: The current president has
been serving since this temple’s rededication in 2012. As that is well beyond
the standard 3 years of service, it seems reasonable to assume that there will
be such a change this year.
General Note #5: The presidents of the following temples would
be marking their third year of service had they not closed previously for
renovations. A new president may or may not be called this year for those
temples.
1.
Freiberg Germany (Closed for renovation in 2014
and rededicated last year)
2.
Idaho Falls Idaho (Closed for renovation in 2015
and will be rededicated in less than a month)
General Note #6: The presidents of the following temples
would be marking three years of service later this year if those temples were
not closing for renovations within the next ten months. Therefore, there may or
may not be a change.
1.
Asuncion Paraguay
NOTE: The current president has
served since 2014, which means that this year would mark time for a charge. But
this temple will close for renovation in October, one month before usual
changes are made. As a subsequent rededication of this temple is anticipated
sometime in 2019, it is more than likely that the Church will hold off on naming
a new president until that time.
2.
Washington DC
NOTE: Though this temple
president will have marked three years of service later this year, the temple
will close for renovation next March. With that in mind, I could see the Church
calling a new president this year for a few months prior to that renovation, or
holding off on calling anyone until after the renovation is completed sometime
during 2020.
General Note #7: The following two temples closed for
renovations in the middle of their current president’s active service. Were it
not for that, we would likely be seeing changes there as well.
1.
Jordan River (president has served since 2014;
temple closed in 2015 and will be rededicated sometime next year, so a new
president may not be called until sometime during 2020)
2.
Frankfurt Germany (president has served since
2013; temple closed in 2015 and will be rededicated sometime next year, so the
president could be changed sometime within the next two years)
General Note #8: Temples that will most likely be
dedicated during the early or middle part of next year and might therefore have
their first presidents announced at some point during the fall of this year
(since the first president of the Paris France Temple had its’ first: president
called during the summer of 2016):
1.
Rome Italy
2.
Kinshasa DR Congo
3.
Barranquilla Colombia
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Blog Problems Reported and Resolved
Hello, all! I have heard from many of you that were not able to comment on my blog posts during the time I used Disqus to deal with a troll's thoughtless and offensive comments. I wanted to officially report that Disqus outlived its usefulness for me, and since it prevented comments from being posted for the last two months or so, unless people were registered with Disqus, and since the troll is no longer an issue, comments are once again able to be made by anyone with a Google account. Sorry about the trouble. I hope comments will begin in earnest again. I have missed the feedback on my work. More posts coming in the next few days as time and circumstances allow. Thanks for your interest and support, and sorry for the inconvenience. Let the comments resume!
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Minor Temple Construction Update
Hello. Here, as promised, is a minor update on temple construction. It appears that construction of the Tucson Arizona Temple is almost, if not entirely, completed. Reservations are now being accepted for that open house, which will run during the weeks between the Saturdays of June 3 and 24, excluding, of course, the relevant Sundays. That temple, as we know, will be dedicated in August, following the annual July recess of the General Authorities.
In the meantime, interior finish work is underway for the Meridian Idaho Temple, and the testing of exterior lighting has begun on the grounds of the Cedar City Utah Temple. Public tours of the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple will continue until this Saturday, and the dedication of that temple will follow two weeks from this upcoming Sunday. I have also adjusted my estimates for the time-frame of temple-related events for this year and next year, and will be posting those details later this week, if and when I can. An official closure date has been identified for the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple (October 14), and it could be that the Tokyo Japan Temple will close before then. More to come on that when more is known.
I have also been reminded that, while as many as four temple groundbreakings might be possible for announced temples during this year, nothing is definite until an official announcement comes down from Church leadership. I hope I have made that clear enough in my previous updates. I am free to offer my own thoughts and hopes for such time-frames, but I need to be absolutely clear that such dates are my own thoughts and feelings, nothing more. More to come on that when more is known.
This is just a very general temple construction update. I am trying to do more research on these developments and will post more just as soon as I know more. In the meantime, thanks for your interest and support.
In the meantime, interior finish work is underway for the Meridian Idaho Temple, and the testing of exterior lighting has begun on the grounds of the Cedar City Utah Temple. Public tours of the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple will continue until this Saturday, and the dedication of that temple will follow two weeks from this upcoming Sunday. I have also adjusted my estimates for the time-frame of temple-related events for this year and next year, and will be posting those details later this week, if and when I can. An official closure date has been identified for the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple (October 14), and it could be that the Tokyo Japan Temple will close before then. More to come on that when more is known.
I have also been reminded that, while as many as four temple groundbreakings might be possible for announced temples during this year, nothing is definite until an official announcement comes down from Church leadership. I hope I have made that clear enough in my previous updates. I am free to offer my own thoughts and hopes for such time-frames, but I need to be absolutely clear that such dates are my own thoughts and feelings, nothing more. More to come on that when more is known.
This is just a very general temple construction update. I am trying to do more research on these developments and will post more just as soon as I know more. In the meantime, thanks for your interest and support.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Paris France Temple News
Hello, all! As most of you are aware, the Paris France Temple will be dedicated this Sunday. The Church reported that 47,561 people attended the open house of the Paris France Temple. I wish I could have been among that number. My lifelong love of France and the French language aided me during my missionary service as I was able to frequently assist French-speaking temple patrons. And I have hoped and prayed for a French temple for years, never believing it would be possible in my lifetime. I rejoiced in each report of developments on the announcement and construction of that temple. And I was gratified to hear of the involvement Elder Andersen and Bishop Causse had in every development of this temple. They also played important roles in leading initial tours of the temple during its open house. I was also intrigued to hear of how French politicians asked whether or not Mitt Romney, who ran for the US Presidency in 2012, and who was also well respected as another former French missionary, would attend the open house. The Church sent Brother and Sister Romney in response to that inquiry, cementing the relationship between our two great nations. Now that French temple will be dedicated this Sunday. What a wonderful day it will be for the Saints in France!
In recent days, more has been reported on the French temple. While the Church put out information earlier this year that a groundbreaking had been held, it wasn't a formal or widely-observed development. The machinery broke ground for that temple, and the work continued unhindered. On Saturday, the cultural celebration will be held, and that will be followed by dedication services on Sunday. While it is not impossible to believe that Elder Andersen, Bishop Causse and Brother Romney will be in attendance, I don't know if the Church would ask Elder Andersen, who is still in the junior 5th of the apostleship, to officiate. It would not be out of the question. But my feeling is that President Uchtdorf, our European apostle, who so capably serves as Second Counselor to President Monson, and who, just recently, returned from a tour of European nations that included visits to operating and under construction temples, will be the one to preside there, unless one of the six senior apostles is asked to do so instead. I will post more on that when more is known.
In the meantime, I wanted to share an article that the Church News recently featured on how a bishop, a mayor and a CFO were involved in the process of bringing this temple into fruition. Click here to read that article. In the meantime, I will be posting again in a minute with an update on other temple progress. Thanks for your readership.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)