Monday, November 13, 2017
Correction: New Stakes in Sierra Leone
Hello, everyone! In a blog post done late last night, I stated that both of the Sierra Leonean districts that were upgraded to stakes yesterday were established less than a year ago. It turns out that this is the case for the Bo Sierra Leone North Stake, but the other, the Bo Sierra Leone West Stake, was established as a district in early November 1991, and not upgraded to a stake until yesterday. I apologize for the unintentional misinformation. In the coming days, analysis of these developments will be done on the LDS Church Growth Blog, among others. In the meantime, I did want to reiterate my firm belief that there is more reason now than ever before to believe that Freetown Sierra Leone will get a temple, and that this will happen sooner rather than later. That does it for this post. Any comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.
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.
Elder Dale G. Renlund celebrates his 65th birthday today
Hello again, everyone! Last week, I gave a summary on this blog regarding the remaining apostolic birthdays for this year. Among those I mentioned was President Uchtdorf, and I referenced that Elder Dale G. Renlund would celebrate his 65th birthday today. In that regard, the one apostolic birthday remaining this year is that of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, who will turn 77 on Sunday December 3. That said, let's talk about Elder Renlund in honor of his birthday today.
Elder Dale Gunnar Renlund was born in Salt Lake City, Utah to Mats Ake and Marianna Andersson, who had emigrated from Finland and Sweden respectively in order to be married in the temple. In view of that, Elder Renlund grew up primarily speaking Swedish (the fact that he did not speak English as a primary language gives him international appeal). In his teenage years, Elder Renlund lived with his family in Sweden while his father was a building missionary.
Several years later, Elder Renlund returned to Sweden, this time as a full-time missionary. Following his missionary service, Elder Renlund continued his scholastic endeavors at the University of Utah, where he earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry and his M. D. Approximately 3 or 4 years after he concluded his missionary service, he met and married his eternal companion, Ruth Lybbert, who was the daughter of another General Authority Seventy, Merlin R. Lybbert. Elder Renlund went on to do a three-year cardiology residency and a three-year fellowship in cardiology, both at Johns Hopkins University, and served as a bishop while he did so. Simultaneously, his wife was earning her law degree. During that same busy time period, they gave birth to their only child, a daughter, Ashley.
At some point in 1986, Elder Renlund became a professor at the University of Utah. From five years later to the time of his call as a General Authority Seventy in 2009, he served as the medical director of the Utah Transplantation Affiliated Hospitals Cardiac Transplant Program. In 2000, he was also appointed the director of the Heart Failure Prevention and Treatment Program at Intermountain Health Center headquartered in Salt Lake. At the same time, his wife served as a law partner in the firm of Dewsnup, King and Olsen.
In addition to his service as a bishop, Elder Renlund also served locally as ward Sunday School president, high councilman, and as a stake president. From 2000 to 2009, Elder Renlund served as an area seventy. He became a general authority in April 2009, at the same conference Elder Neil L. Andersen was sustained as an apostle.
The August after his call, Elder Renlund began serving in the Africa Southeast area presidency, headquartered in Johannesburg South Africa. He concluded that service by serving as the area president from 2011 to 2014. Just over a year after concluding that service (during which time he served in other general capacities at Church headquarters), he was the third man to be called to fill the three vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve in the wake of the passing of President Boyd K. Packer and Elders L. Tom Perry and Richard G. Scott. Some have claimed (rightfully so, in my opinion) that since Elder Scott was the last of the three to pass away, Elder Renlund, as the last of the three new apostles called, was the one filling the apostolic vacancy occurring from the death of Elder Scott. Others may disagree on that, as is their right, but I think it fair to say.
Elder Renlund's apostolic call was significant for a few reasons. His call (in conjunction with those of his senior seatmates Elders Ronald A. Rasband and Gary E. Stevenson), made them the 98th, 99th, and 100th members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles called in this dispensation. There have been more men ordained as apostles, but only 100 have served in the Quorum of the Twelve.
Additionally, and more significantly, Elder Renlund was the last apostle called prior to the announcement on May 23 of this year that President Monson would be stepping back from an active role in Church leadership. President Monson will need to approve the new apostle that will be called to fill the current vacancy (in view of the death of Elder Robert D. Hales), but, as with the times when Presidents Kimball and Benson were in their declining years, the calling, sustaining, and setting apart will be done by one of his counselors (likely President Eyring, though I imagine that President Uchtdorf will be present when all of that takes place).
All of that aside, there was a third aspect of significance in Elder Renlund's call. As most of you are probably aware, at times in the past where 2 or more apostles have been called, tradition is that they will be called, sustained, and ordained according to their age, from oldest to youngest. That tradition, as has been the case a couple of times before, was slightly adjusted, as Elder Stevenson, almost three years younger than Elder Renlund, was called, sustained, and ordained as the senior apostle to Elder Renlund. That kind of thing is not in any way unprecedented, but it is a significant anomaly to note.
That said, it is also significant to me to note that Elder Renlund has only been the junior apostle for two years, and another apostle has passed. This is not at all uncommon. Elder Cook had been the junior apostle for six months prior to the call of Elder Christofferson, and Elder Christofferson had in turn been the junior apostle for a year at the time Elder Andersen was called. I have previously observed the interesting fact that, by the time President Hinckley had served as long as President Monson has (9 years and 9 months or so), he (President Hinckley) had appointed four apostles, and whomever is appointed to succeed Elder Hales will be the sixth apostle appointed during President Monson's prophetic tenure.
I know that Elder Renlund may never read this personally, but for my part, I thank him for his service and wish him all the best on his 65th birthday. I additionally wanted to observe that, since Elder Renlund grew up speaking Swedish and has served as a missionary in Sweden and in an area presidency in Africa, he has had plenty of international experience. Some have observed, as is their privilege to do so, that the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles needs to be more diverse. But the fact is that, to a man, every currently serving apostle has had a wide-scoping amount of experience ministering throughout the world, and, as so many of them have observed, they are called to represent the will of the Lord to the people of the Church, and are called to be apostles to all the world, not just to represent those of different races or ethnic backgrounds.
So while I fully believe that the Quorum of the Twelve will see more apostles born outside the US in the years ahead, it does not in any way break my heart when the Lord feels a need to call someone seasoned through years of service in His Church, over and above filling whatever "status quo" many people feel the Church should be observing.
This has been a wide-ranging post, which has not necessarily stuck to the main objective of honoring Elder Renlund's birthday. Thanks for sticking through all the deviations from the original topic I set out to cover. That does it for this post. Any comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. I continue to keep my eye out for any updated Church and temple news and will pass those along as I am able to after I learn of them. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.
Elder Dale Gunnar Renlund was born in Salt Lake City, Utah to Mats Ake and Marianna Andersson, who had emigrated from Finland and Sweden respectively in order to be married in the temple. In view of that, Elder Renlund grew up primarily speaking Swedish (the fact that he did not speak English as a primary language gives him international appeal). In his teenage years, Elder Renlund lived with his family in Sweden while his father was a building missionary.
Several years later, Elder Renlund returned to Sweden, this time as a full-time missionary. Following his missionary service, Elder Renlund continued his scholastic endeavors at the University of Utah, where he earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry and his M. D. Approximately 3 or 4 years after he concluded his missionary service, he met and married his eternal companion, Ruth Lybbert, who was the daughter of another General Authority Seventy, Merlin R. Lybbert. Elder Renlund went on to do a three-year cardiology residency and a three-year fellowship in cardiology, both at Johns Hopkins University, and served as a bishop while he did so. Simultaneously, his wife was earning her law degree. During that same busy time period, they gave birth to their only child, a daughter, Ashley.
At some point in 1986, Elder Renlund became a professor at the University of Utah. From five years later to the time of his call as a General Authority Seventy in 2009, he served as the medical director of the Utah Transplantation Affiliated Hospitals Cardiac Transplant Program. In 2000, he was also appointed the director of the Heart Failure Prevention and Treatment Program at Intermountain Health Center headquartered in Salt Lake. At the same time, his wife served as a law partner in the firm of Dewsnup, King and Olsen.
In addition to his service as a bishop, Elder Renlund also served locally as ward Sunday School president, high councilman, and as a stake president. From 2000 to 2009, Elder Renlund served as an area seventy. He became a general authority in April 2009, at the same conference Elder Neil L. Andersen was sustained as an apostle.
The August after his call, Elder Renlund began serving in the Africa Southeast area presidency, headquartered in Johannesburg South Africa. He concluded that service by serving as the area president from 2011 to 2014. Just over a year after concluding that service (during which time he served in other general capacities at Church headquarters), he was the third man to be called to fill the three vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve in the wake of the passing of President Boyd K. Packer and Elders L. Tom Perry and Richard G. Scott. Some have claimed (rightfully so, in my opinion) that since Elder Scott was the last of the three to pass away, Elder Renlund, as the last of the three new apostles called, was the one filling the apostolic vacancy occurring from the death of Elder Scott. Others may disagree on that, as is their right, but I think it fair to say.
Elder Renlund's apostolic call was significant for a few reasons. His call (in conjunction with those of his senior seatmates Elders Ronald A. Rasband and Gary E. Stevenson), made them the 98th, 99th, and 100th members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles called in this dispensation. There have been more men ordained as apostles, but only 100 have served in the Quorum of the Twelve.
Additionally, and more significantly, Elder Renlund was the last apostle called prior to the announcement on May 23 of this year that President Monson would be stepping back from an active role in Church leadership. President Monson will need to approve the new apostle that will be called to fill the current vacancy (in view of the death of Elder Robert D. Hales), but, as with the times when Presidents Kimball and Benson were in their declining years, the calling, sustaining, and setting apart will be done by one of his counselors (likely President Eyring, though I imagine that President Uchtdorf will be present when all of that takes place).
All of that aside, there was a third aspect of significance in Elder Renlund's call. As most of you are probably aware, at times in the past where 2 or more apostles have been called, tradition is that they will be called, sustained, and ordained according to their age, from oldest to youngest. That tradition, as has been the case a couple of times before, was slightly adjusted, as Elder Stevenson, almost three years younger than Elder Renlund, was called, sustained, and ordained as the senior apostle to Elder Renlund. That kind of thing is not in any way unprecedented, but it is a significant anomaly to note.
That said, it is also significant to me to note that Elder Renlund has only been the junior apostle for two years, and another apostle has passed. This is not at all uncommon. Elder Cook had been the junior apostle for six months prior to the call of Elder Christofferson, and Elder Christofferson had in turn been the junior apostle for a year at the time Elder Andersen was called. I have previously observed the interesting fact that, by the time President Hinckley had served as long as President Monson has (9 years and 9 months or so), he (President Hinckley) had appointed four apostles, and whomever is appointed to succeed Elder Hales will be the sixth apostle appointed during President Monson's prophetic tenure.
I know that Elder Renlund may never read this personally, but for my part, I thank him for his service and wish him all the best on his 65th birthday. I additionally wanted to observe that, since Elder Renlund grew up speaking Swedish and has served as a missionary in Sweden and in an area presidency in Africa, he has had plenty of international experience. Some have observed, as is their privilege to do so, that the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles needs to be more diverse. But the fact is that, to a man, every currently serving apostle has had a wide-scoping amount of experience ministering throughout the world, and, as so many of them have observed, they are called to represent the will of the Lord to the people of the Church, and are called to be apostles to all the world, not just to represent those of different races or ethnic backgrounds.
So while I fully believe that the Quorum of the Twelve will see more apostles born outside the US in the years ahead, it does not in any way break my heart when the Lord feels a need to call someone seasoned through years of service in His Church, over and above filling whatever "status quo" many people feel the Church should be observing.
This has been a wide-ranging post, which has not necessarily stuck to the main objective of honoring Elder Renlund's birthday. Thanks for sticking through all the deviations from the original topic I set out to cover. That does it for this post. Any comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. I continue to keep my eye out for any updated Church and temple news and will pass those along as I am able to after I learn of them. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.
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.
Small But Significant Progress Reported on Temples Worldwide
Hello again, everyone! With the progress that has been made on temples around the world (which has been seen in small but very significant developments in various locations), I felt a need to devote a blog post to reporting on the latest news in that regard. Let's dive right in to what has changed since I last did a post on such progress (a couple of days ago).
First, I wanted to note that the Church now has 12.39 years within which to get 18 more temples announced, along with the 25 others currently in various stages, if, as I suspect will be the case, the Church has 200 temples by or before the 200th anniversary of its reestablishment. That bumps the average number of temples that would need to be dedicated per year to around 3.5. It should be easy to get that done. After all, as I have said, the Church will add two others within the next 27 days.
And in that regard, I wanted to again reiterate that the Meridian Idaho Temple has now completed its open house process. The cultural celebration will be held this Saturday, with President Uchtdorf presiding at that and at the dedicatory services the next day.
In the meantime, the Church is entering the final week of the Cedar City Utah Temple's open house. Following the conclusion of that (this Saturday), there will be a 3-week period of preparation (which will coincide with the Thanksgiving holiday and within which the First Presidency will hold their annual Christmas devotional), and the cultural celebration will be held on December 9, with the dedication occurring the next day. With that dedication being held for a temple in Utah, I am anticipating it will be widely-attended by Church leadership.
That said, the one notable update on temples currently under construction is that, at the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple site, rebar is being set for the upper center facade wall. And in terms of temples that are being renovated, the temple in Memphis has seen a completion of the removal of its exterior stone. In Oklahoma City, the process of dismantling the temple continues. I have not heard whether any progress has been made with the Asuncion Paraguay Temple since its closure over two weeks ago, nor have I heard whether or not its design will be similar in concept to what is being done with the other two temples. As soon as I have word on that, I will pass it along.
All of that aside, and while noting that there has not yet been any reported progress on the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple, and that, depending on what is determined later this month, we may know more about the exact site that will be used by the Church for the Pocatello Idaho Temple. there has been no other progress reported at this time. I will continue to keep an eye on such things and pass updates along as I make them.
That does it for this post. Any comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.
First, I wanted to note that the Church now has 12.39 years within which to get 18 more temples announced, along with the 25 others currently in various stages, if, as I suspect will be the case, the Church has 200 temples by or before the 200th anniversary of its reestablishment. That bumps the average number of temples that would need to be dedicated per year to around 3.5. It should be easy to get that done. After all, as I have said, the Church will add two others within the next 27 days.
And in that regard, I wanted to again reiterate that the Meridian Idaho Temple has now completed its open house process. The cultural celebration will be held this Saturday, with President Uchtdorf presiding at that and at the dedicatory services the next day.
In the meantime, the Church is entering the final week of the Cedar City Utah Temple's open house. Following the conclusion of that (this Saturday), there will be a 3-week period of preparation (which will coincide with the Thanksgiving holiday and within which the First Presidency will hold their annual Christmas devotional), and the cultural celebration will be held on December 9, with the dedication occurring the next day. With that dedication being held for a temple in Utah, I am anticipating it will be widely-attended by Church leadership.
That said, the one notable update on temples currently under construction is that, at the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple site, rebar is being set for the upper center facade wall. And in terms of temples that are being renovated, the temple in Memphis has seen a completion of the removal of its exterior stone. In Oklahoma City, the process of dismantling the temple continues. I have not heard whether any progress has been made with the Asuncion Paraguay Temple since its closure over two weeks ago, nor have I heard whether or not its design will be similar in concept to what is being done with the other two temples. As soon as I have word on that, I will pass it along.
All of that aside, and while noting that there has not yet been any reported progress on the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple, and that, depending on what is determined later this month, we may know more about the exact site that will be used by the Church for the Pocatello Idaho Temple. there has been no other progress reported at this time. I will continue to keep an eye on such things and pass updates along as I make them.
That does it for this post. Any comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.
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.
Two Districts Headquartered in Bo Sierra Leone Upgraded to Stakes; Likelihood Increases for a temple in Sierra Leone
Hello again, everyone! I am posting in the early hours of November 13 (on the same day Elder Renlund is celebrating his 65th birthday; stay tuned later today for a post on that subject) to report that two districts headquartered in the city of Bo in the African nation of Sierra Leone (both of which would have otherwise marked the 1st anniversary of their being established on the 27th of this month) were reportedly upgraded to stakes. Now, before any of you ask, I will not be providing information about the units involved. That is the specialty and privilege of others (such as Matthew Martinich on his excellent Church Growth Blog; I am sure he will be posting a thorough analysis of this later this week, if he has not already done so). What I did want to mention is that this significant development for the nation of Sierra Leone solidifies my opinion that we could see a temple announced there sooner rather than later; with this development alone, a temple in that nation makes sense. I have not forgotten my promise to continue my post series on this blog about the potential temple sites in the other geographical areas of the Church which I have not covered, and hopefully I will be able to get back to doing that later this week.
That does it for this post, Any comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.
That does it for this post, Any comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.
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.
Saturday, November 11, 2017
Open House for the Meridian Idaho Temple Concludes Today/Other Notable Developments
Hello again, everyone! In dealing with my personal crises (as I mentioned in my last post), it slipped my mind that today was the last day for the Meridian Idaho Temple Open House. After tours conclude tonight, the temple will undergo an additional week of preparation prior to the cultural celebration one week from today, and the dedication the day after that. As previously mentioned, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf will be the one presiding at next week's events, and I imagine that Elder David A. Bednar, who is the apostle junior to President Uchtdorf and who, because of his ties to Idaho, presided at the groundbreaking, will be accompanying him. And I imagine that, at very least, Elder Ulisses Soares will be in attendance as well, as he presides over the business of the Church in the Idaho area, and that at least one representative from the Church's Temple Department will also be in attendance, along with perhaps a member of the Presiding Bishopric, as the Temple Department and the Presiding Bishopric both have different roles working with temples undergoing the construction process.
Additionally, I also wanted to note that the Cedar City Utah Temple is entering its final week of tours, which will end on the same day that the cultural celebration takes place in Meridian. A few weeks of preparation will follow, culminating in the cultural celebration (to be held on Saturday December 9) and the dedication the day after that. Utah temple dedications are always widely attended by Church leaders, and I anticipate that this dedication will be no different.
Next, I wanted to report that, if, as I suspect will be the case, the Church will have a minimum of 200 temples in operation by or before the 200th anniversary of the Church's reestablishment, 43 temples will additionally need to be dedicated within the next 12.40 years between today and Saturday April 6, 2030 (which would include 18 new temples that would need to be announced, in addition to being completed during that same amount of time). That works out to just under 3.5 temples per year between now and then.
So, how might that happen? As I have mentioned elsewhere, if the Church stays on track between now and then, there will be, of course, the 2 dedicated during the remainder of this year, 3 or 4 the next year, and 6 or 7 the year after that, And if, as I suspect, several other temples have a groundbreaking within the next two years, then the odds are very good that the Church will continue to complete an average of 3 or 4 temples per year.
Additionally, as I have also mentioned, Elder Larry Y. Wilson stated in late April of this year that the Church was actively considering the feasibility of 80 locations for a future announcement within the 15 years after that. If we assume that no other temples are announced before next General Conference, then the Church would only have 14 years to announce those 80, assuming Elder Wilson is taken at his word, and also understanding that while many (or even most) of these locations may indeed go on to an announcement, some will be replaced with more feasible locations (either one or many, as has been the case previously) and new locations will be added as well, some of which may go on to an announcement and be built while others are stalled in various stages.
So what does all of this mean? The Church will end this year having 159 temples in operation. By the end of 2018, that number will increase to either 162 (most likely) or possibly 163. In 2019, all going well, that number will jump to 169 by the of the year. By the time the Church marks its 190th birthday, there could be a minimum of 170 temples, leaving the Church to complete the remaining 30 in the next 10 years that follow, or just about 3 a year.
It will be interesting to see what happens in terms of that progress. And whatever might occur, you can depend on hearing the latest from me as soon as I can make that happen. That does it for this post. Any comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in all that you do.
Additionally, I also wanted to note that the Cedar City Utah Temple is entering its final week of tours, which will end on the same day that the cultural celebration takes place in Meridian. A few weeks of preparation will follow, culminating in the cultural celebration (to be held on Saturday December 9) and the dedication the day after that. Utah temple dedications are always widely attended by Church leaders, and I anticipate that this dedication will be no different.
Next, I wanted to report that, if, as I suspect will be the case, the Church will have a minimum of 200 temples in operation by or before the 200th anniversary of the Church's reestablishment, 43 temples will additionally need to be dedicated within the next 12.40 years between today and Saturday April 6, 2030 (which would include 18 new temples that would need to be announced, in addition to being completed during that same amount of time). That works out to just under 3.5 temples per year between now and then.
So, how might that happen? As I have mentioned elsewhere, if the Church stays on track between now and then, there will be, of course, the 2 dedicated during the remainder of this year, 3 or 4 the next year, and 6 or 7 the year after that, And if, as I suspect, several other temples have a groundbreaking within the next two years, then the odds are very good that the Church will continue to complete an average of 3 or 4 temples per year.
Additionally, as I have also mentioned, Elder Larry Y. Wilson stated in late April of this year that the Church was actively considering the feasibility of 80 locations for a future announcement within the 15 years after that. If we assume that no other temples are announced before next General Conference, then the Church would only have 14 years to announce those 80, assuming Elder Wilson is taken at his word, and also understanding that while many (or even most) of these locations may indeed go on to an announcement, some will be replaced with more feasible locations (either one or many, as has been the case previously) and new locations will be added as well, some of which may go on to an announcement and be built while others are stalled in various stages.
So what does all of this mean? The Church will end this year having 159 temples in operation. By the end of 2018, that number will increase to either 162 (most likely) or possibly 163. In 2019, all going well, that number will jump to 169 by the of the year. By the time the Church marks its 190th birthday, there could be a minimum of 170 temples, leaving the Church to complete the remaining 30 in the next 10 years that follow, or just about 3 a year.
It will be interesting to see what happens in terms of that progress. And whatever might occur, you can depend on hearing the latest from me as soon as I can make that happen. That does it for this post. Any comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in all that you do.
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.
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