Temple Updates (Including Altered Completion Estimate for Fortaleza Brazil Temple_)

Hello again, everyone! In addition to the information the Church released earlier today about new missions and those that will be consolidated, some very significant updates (including an altered completion estimate for the Fortaleza Brazil Temple) have been provided. There is a lot to talk about in that regard, so let's get right to it.

First, the Concepcion Chile Temple has made progress yet again. It has now been reported that while perimeter gardens continue to be planted, and while interior work continues to progress, more exterior lighting tests are being conducted.

Next, we turn out attention to the Fortaleza Brazil Temple. As I have previously noted, that temple had a groundbreaking in 2011, but full-scale efforts did not begin on that temple until 2016. And in the 1.5-2 years or so since that time, it has made significant progress. Even so, it has also seen many shifts in its completion estimate.

Today another shift for that estimate was identified. While as recently as yesterday, this temple was anticipated to be completed in mid-to-late 2019, sufficient progress has been noted to such a degree that that general completion estimate has been revised to early-to-mid 2019. And that move puts its' completion estimate after that of the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple, meaning the Fortaleza Temple is now anticipated to be the 165th operating one dedicated in this dispensation.

Because this development was not expected, I am still analyzing how this might change the sequence of temple-related events during 2019, and I will post the revision I will make ASAP. Just wanted to note that is in progress.

Additionally, the  status of that temple has been updated to note that the exterior is being cladded, that scaffolding has gone up around the tower of the temple, and that trees have been planted around the parking area of the temple.

I also wanted to note that the change in Fortaleza's completion estimate is not anticipated to have much (if any) impact on the completion estimates for either the Lisbon Portugal or Durban South Africa Temples, which are still anticipated to have their dedications during mid-2019.

For the Durban South Africa Temple, its' status has been updated with the note that window openings have been boarded, that insulation snd drywall is going in, and that the roof decking is being waterproofed. Even with those updates, the dedication of the Durban temple is only anticipated after that of the temple in Lisbon.

That brings us to the Arequipa Peru Temple, where structural framing is being installed for the temple tower. Since this temple has progressed so consistently, I am still convinced that its' dedication will be held in late 2019, rather than being pushed back to early 2020.

I continue to keep an eye out for all such developments, and I will be posting further updates as I become aware of them. That does it for this post. Any and all 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.

Some Observations About the New & Consolidated Missions and Their Presidents

Hello again, everyone! Since it is heading towards the evening here in Utah, many of you may have already seen or heard about the news of Church mission changes. The Church is establishing 5 new missions (Brazil Rio de Janeiro South, Cote D'Ivoire Yamousoukro, Nigeria Ibadan, Philippines Cabanatuan, and Zimbabwe Bulawayo). Along with that, the number of missions will be going down from 421 to 407 as the following 19 missions have their boundaries realigned (which will result in a merge with adjoining missions):

Australia Sydney North, Bulgaria Sofia, California Modesto, California San Fernando, England London South, Greece Athens, Illinois Chicago West, México Ciudad Obregón, México Reynosa, Mississippi Jackson, New York New York South, Ohio Cleveland, Portugal Porto, România/Moldova, Russia Samara, Spain Málaga, Ukraine L’viv, Utah Logan, and Washington Federal Way.

First, I wanted to note that you can be sure Matthew Martinich, a Church growth expert who always provides such great analysis of such developments, will (if he has not done so already) be putting these changes into context, which you can look for here.

In the meantime, as I have done for the last couple of years, I wanted to post my reaction to some of the things I found interesting about the newly announced mission presidents. First of all, the Church has confirmed today that Matthew S. Holland, the son of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and the current president of UVU, is being assigned to preside over the North Carolina mission based in Raleigh.

Above and beyond that, the Church has continued the recent tradition of assigning a current General Authority Seventy to serve as a mission president. Elder Taylor G. Godoy, called in General Conference last April, will preside over the Nevada Reno Mission.

Additionally, many of those called as mission presidents are current or former area seventies. Last year, the Church began a somewhat unusual tradition of allowing area seventies called as mission presidents to continue serving as area seventies while assuming their new responsibilities. 

Based on that occurring, I present the following observations I have put together regarding a few of those current area seventies that may continue to serve as such while taking on the added role of mission president:

Tasara Makasi’s assignment (to preside over the Zimbabwe Harare mission) will likely allow him to continue his as an Area Seventy in the Africa Southeast Area.

Fred A. Parker, currently serving as an Area Seventy in the Sixth Quorum (within the North America Southeast Area) will, if he continues his service as an Area Seventy, be reassigned to the Fourth Quorum (serving in the Caribbean) while he presides over the Jamaica Kingston Mission.

Miguel A. Reyes, currently serving in the Mexico Area, will likely continue his service as an Area Sveventy in that same area while he presides over the Mexico Guadalajara Mission.

Just wanted to note all of this, which I hope will be of interest to some of you. That does it for this post. Any and all 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.

Closure of 2 Church Visitor's Centers and Changes in the Operation of 1 Other Announced

Hello again, everyone! A spokesman for the First Presidency has been interviewed in response to the announcement from the First Presidency that 2 temple visitor's centers would close, and that 1 other would see some operational changes. So what are the details there? Let's talk about that.

With the previously-announced closure of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple, the visitor's center will be closing simultaneously, also for extensive renovation. And the Church is closing the Park City Family Tree Center here in Utah, which was originally opened to accommodate the crowds that came to Utah in 2002 for the Salt Lake Olympics. No renovation is involved for that center; it is just closing, since other centers have since been established in the Church's Utah Salt Lake City area since that time to serve the Saints and friends of other faiths curious about their family history.

As for the changes in operation for the one other visitor's center, effective December 31 of last year, the London England Visitor's Center is not functioning as a typical Visitor's Center, but instead operates as a waiting area for guests who are not patrons of the London England Temple. The Church's Hyde Park Chapel Visitor's Centre (note the British spelling there) serves those in that area wanting to learn more about the Church and about what is done in temples and in the Church's family history efforts.

This article, which features quoted statements from that Church spokesman, Daniel Woodruff, more or less lays out the details I have shared here. It is awesome to have heard of this news, and I was grateful to have been able to pass it along to you all.

That does it for this post. Any and all 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.

April 2018 General Conference Predictions Alterations: Part Seven--Exploring What the Statistical Report of the Church Might Potentially Look Like

Hello again, everyone! I am back with the seventh part of my series of posts exploring how the statistical report of the Church that will likely be presented during its' traditional spot in the Saturday Afternoon Session of General Conference might look. Hope you enjoy seeing what I have put together. Those figures follow below.

That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. I intend to cap off this series in a day or two by publishing the updated version of my list of temple site possibilities. Until my next post (whenever that might be), I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

2017 Statistical Report (some figures projected)

Stakes	3,341
Missions	421
Districts	540
Wards and Branches	30,510
Total Church Membership	16,149,214
Increase in Children of Record	107,166
Converts Baptized	225,859
Full-Time Missionaries	56,745
Church Service Missionaries	35,974
Temples Dedicated during 2017 (Paris France, Tucson Arizona, Meridian Idaho, Cedar City Utah)	4
Temples Rededicated during 2017 (Idaho Falls Idaho)	1
Temples in Operation by the end of 2016	159

April 2018 General Conference Predictions Alterations: Part Six--Changes in General Church Leadership

Hello again, everyone! Based on the deaths of Elder Hales and President Monson since last October, and because the reorganization of the First Presidency, there are wide possibilities that there will be a number of changes in Church leadership, all of which, as noted, are likely to be announced during the Solemn Assembly, which is most likely to occur at the beginning of the Saturday Morning Session and likely will be done by President Dallin H. Oaks

In addition to the changes in the First Presidency and subsequent changes to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, whomever is called to fill the two vacancies in that Quorum will likewise leave other vacancies that may need to be filled. And unless all of those changes lead President Nelson to wait to do so until the following April, the Young Women General Presidency (Sisters Bonnie L. Oscarson, Carol F. McConkie, and Neill F. Marriott) will in April mark their standard five years of service by April and will likely therefore be released.

With all of that in mind, I wanted to present the following revised list of changes that are likely to occur in Church leadership during the upcoming General Conference. They follow below. That does it for this post. Any and all 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.

Predictions for Changes in Church Leadership (will be a Solemn Assembly)

First Presidency: President Russell Marion Nelson sustained as new Church president and prophet, along with his counselors, Presidents Dallin Harris Oaks & Henry Bennion Eyring. Note on this change: Previous Church President Thomas S. Monson passed away on January 2, 2018, dissolving the First Presidency and necessitating its reorganization. President Nelson was ordained and set apart on Sunday January 14, 2018, and he selected Presidents Oaks and Eyring as his counselors. Result: The above Brethren were sustained during the solemn assembly.

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: President Dallin Harris Oaks sustained as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; since he is in the First Presidency, President Melvin Russell Ballard Jr. sustained as Acting President of that Quorum; two new apostles sustained in view of the October 1, 2017 death of Elder Robert D. Hales, the January 2, 2018 death of President Thomas S. Monson, and the reorganization of the First Presidency on January 14, 2018. Note: There was a vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve already, since Elder Hales passed away between the Sunday sessions of the October General Conference. The subsequent death of President Monson 2 days into the new year resulted in a reorganization of the First Presidency, which left 2 vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve. The new apostles could be any current general authority, including members of the Presidency of the Seventy, General Authority Seventies, Presiding Bishopric, Area Seventies, any members the Young Men or Sunday School General Presidencies, or the Church at large. Result: President Oaks was sustained as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, President Ballard was sustained as Acting President, and Elders and were sustained to fill the apostolic vacancies.

Presidency of the Seventy: If one or both of the new apostles come from this group, they will be released from both the Presidency and as General Authority Seventies, and a new member or two will be sustained. Note: Of the 13 current apostles, 6 of them were serving in the Presidency of the Seventy at the time of their apostolic calls. So it seems reasonable that at least one of the new apostles could be a member of this Presidency, which would necessitate changes. Result:

General Authority Seventies: If one or both of the new apostles come from among these men, he will be released. As is typical for the April General Conference, new General Authorities will be sustained from the Area Seventies or the Church at large (including any current mission or temple president). Note: Of the 13 current apostles, 3 of them (Holland, Eyring, and Renlund) were serving as General Authority Seventies at the time of their call, and two more (Elders Rasband and Stevenson) had been general authority seventies prior to their respective calls to the Presidency of the Seventy and the Presiding Bishopric. So there is a real possibility that one or both of the new apostles could be called from among the current 84 General Authority Seventies who are not in the Presidency of the Seventy. It has also been customary in recent years for any new General Authority Seventies to be sustained in April, so that is likely to occur again. Result:

Presiding Bishopric: If one or both of the new apostles are called from the Presiding Bishopric, that will, in turn, necessitate changes. Note: Of the current apostles, we had two that served in the Presiding Bishopric at one point or another (President Eyring prior to his call as a general authority seventy, which in turn preceded his call to the apostleship, and Elder Stevenson, who was serving as Presiding Bishop of the Church at the time of his call). So one or both apostles could come from this body, which, if that occurs, will necessitate changes. Result:

Area Seventies: Releases and sustainings, especially if the new apostle comes from among these men. Note: With Elder Bednar being the only apostle sustained as such while serving as an area seventy, there is a possibility that President Nelson could look among those serving currently or who have previously served as such to fill one or both vacancies. It should be noted, however, that no apostle has been called from this group since October 2004, so it is possible but seems unlikely. Result:

Young Women General Presidency: In view of their having reached their 5 years serving together (which has been the customary time by which most auxiliary presidencies change), Sisters Bonnie L. Oscarson, Carol F. McConkie and Neill F. Marriott will likely be released and a new presidency sustained. Note: In recent years when the time has come to sustain a new auxiliary presidency, the new president has either been one of the counselors to the outgoing president or one of the current members of the board. There have also been times when a counselor in one auxiliary has been sustained as the new president of a different auxiliary. So the Church has options regarding who could be called. It would also be understandable if a change in this presidency was deferred for six months to a year in view of the reorganization of the First Presidency, the calling of new apostles, and the other changes in Church leadership. That said, even at times when a new Church President has been sustained, the standard tenure of 5 years has been kept. So it seems more likely than not that the Young Women General Presidency will change during this conference. Result:

Sunday School General Presidency: Possible changes made, if one or both of the new apostles are members of this presidency. Note: President Russell M. Nelson had served as Sunday School General President from 1971-1979, and his tenure as such ended roughly 5 years prior to his being called to the apostleship. Elder Neil L. Andersen, meanwhile, served in the Sunday School General Presidency while serving as a General Authority Seventy. But aside from these two current apostles, the only other apostles serving in this presidency filled a dual role in doing so (as it was a common practice in the early days of the Sunday School for apostles and/or Church presidents to do so). While that makes it unlikely that one or both of the new apostles could come from this presidency, anything is possible. Result:

Young Men General Presidency: Possible changes made, if any of these men are called to fill one or both of the current apostolic vacancies. Note: Aside from Elder Holland, who was released from that assignment roughly 4 years prior to his call to the apostleship, and in the early days of the Church when apostles (and Church presidents) served in this capacity, no other apostles have come from among the members of this presidency. While it is therefore unlikely that one or both of the apostles could be a current or former member of this presidency, it is a possibility. Result: