Miscellaneous Church News Articles

Hello again, everyone! There has been a lot of Church news stories in the last week or so which, because I was covering other subjects here, I was not able to pass along. It is time to remedy that right now. There's a lot to discuss, so let's dive right in.

First of all, the Church has continued its' cooperative efforts with friends of other faiths. This article describes how, in Central America, members of the Church joined with Muslim representatives in a gathering to discuss the importance of religious freedom. It was neat to read about that.

Next, descendants of Mormon pioneers that participated in the 1846 Exodus of the Church from Nauvoo Illinois (which, as we know, culminated in the Saints entering the Salt Lake Valley here in Utah on July 24, 1847), put on a program commemorating the sacrifice made by those early Saints in order to escape persecution. You can read more about that here.

The Church News also reported a couple of devotional addresses at Church-owned institutions, including this one given on the campus of BYU-Provo regarding the subject of sexual assault, this one highlighting the importance of lifelong learning (which was given on the BYU-Hawaii campus), and this one from the campus of the LDS Business College, which focused on how we can become people of substance and worth.

The Church News also shared an article about new features in the Friend magazine during 2018, which can be found here. It has been interesting and gratifying to see how Church magazines have changed over the years to more effectively meet the needs of a growing and more diverse Church.

Another article noted the 60+ years in which the Church has had a presence in Taiwan, including highlights of important Church milestones that occurred in that nation, and a look at what the Taiwanese members of the Church hope for in the future.

Then, just within the last few days, the Church News published this article by Sister Neill F. Marriott, Second Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency, who highlighted the importance of adult leaders engaging their youth groups in meaningful discussions on lesson topics.

As I may have previously noted, I was blessed in my years of being in various Aaronic Priesthood quorums to have adult leaders that were already very much following most (if not all) of the suggestions that are now being given more focus in these Church news articles by the General Presidencies of the Young Men and Young Women, and it is wonderful to hear the confirmation from these brothers and sisters of the high importance of such principles.

As the "Meet the Mormons" Church campaign is preparing to mark its' fourth year running, the Church News ran this article to pass along the news that this campaign will culminate in one last video later this year, and those vignettes will continue to run in Visitor's Centers around the world following the end of the campaign.

Continuing the series of articles about the new Church leadership, the Church News shared this article that reintroduced President Eyring to the Church membership. As some of you may know, he is the only man to have served in the Presiding Bishopric, as a General Authority Seventy, as an apostle and member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and in the First Presidency. So it was really neat to read that article and to be reminded of how well President Eyring has been prepared for the callings that have come to him throughout his life.

And the final article I wanted to focus on for this post covered the funeral services for Elder Von G. Keetch. As some of you may know, President Nelson's first wife passed away in 2005, and he remarried around a year later. From what I read in this article, it appears that when funeral arrangements were being planned and when the Keetch family expressed their desire to have the Church leadership represented at this funeral, President Nelson, as one who lost a spouse himself, elected to represent the leading Brethren in presiding at and speaking during this service.

Also in attendance were Elders Bednar, Cook, Christofferson, and Andersen, all members of the Presidency of the Seventy and the Presiding Bishopric, other currently-serving and emeritus Church leaders, and several auxiliary presidency members. And Elder L. Whitney Clayton, as the Senior President of the Seventy, was asked to conduct the service. In addition to President Nelson and the children of Elder Keetch, Elder Lance B. Wickman, who serves as the Church's general counsel as an emeritus General Authority, and who knew Elder Keetch well, spoke during the service.

It was awesome to read about all of this wonderful Church news, and I am pleased to have been able to bring a report of it to you today. 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.

Updated Estimates For Known Temple-related Events During the Next 3-4 Years

Hello again, everyone! As I promised to do, I did some additional research into factors that may affect the timing of temple-related events, and I updated my estimates for those events based on my findings. This process involved considering what was known about the status of the temples involved, the best information I could find on climate and weather issues that may affect the timing of these events, and anything else I was able to ascertain regarding how feasible such estimates might be.

The updated estimates follow below. Since so much has changed in this regard just within the last 24 hours or less, I have no doubt that there will be plenty of other changes as this month progresses. The only constant in such estimates is that they continuously change. Those updates 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.

Future estimates for known temple-related events

2018:

Monday February 19: Oakland California temple Renovation Closure (date has been confirmed)

Sunday March 4: Washington DC Temple Renovation Closure (date has been confirmed)

Sunday April 15 or 22: Houston Texas Temple Rededication (private)

April or May: Full-scale construction anticipated to begin on the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple

Sunday May 20: Jordan River Utah Temple Rededication/Mesa Arizona Temple Renovation Closure (both have been confirmed)

July: Hamilton New Zealand Temple Renovation Closure (confirmation of official closure date is pending)

Sunday August 12 or 19: Concepcion Chile Temple Dedication (160^th operating temple)

Sunday October 14 or 21: Barranquilla Colombia Temple Dedication (161^st operating temple)

Sunday December 9 or 16: Rome Italy Temple Dedication (162^nd operating temple)

2019:

Mid-January: Kinshasa DR Congo Temple Dedication (163^rd operating temple)

Mid-February: Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple Dedication (164^th operating temple)

Mid-March: Memphis Tennessee Temple Rededication

Mid-to-late April: Fortaleza Brazil Temple Dedication (165^th operating temple)

Early-to-mid May: Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple Rededication

Mid-to-late May: Lisbon Portugal Temple Dedication (166^th operating temple)

Early-to-mid June: Raleigh North Carolina Temple Rededication

Early-to-mid August: Durban South Africa Temple Dedication (167^th operating temple)

Mid-to-late August: Asuncion Paraguay Temple Rededication

Mid-to-late October: Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple Rededication

Mid-November: Arequipa Peru Temple Dedication (168^th operating temple)

Mid-December: Oakland California Temple Rededication

NOTE: While the Church has indicated that this temple’s rededication is anticipated during 2019, it is one of the older ones, and, as such, if the renovation process is delayed for any reason whatsoever, its rededication could be pushed back into 2020.

                       

2020:

Mid-February: Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple Dedication (169^th operating temple)

Mid-to-late April: Tokyo Japan Temple Rededication

Early-to-mid June: Winnipeg Manitoba Temple Dedication (170^th operating temple)

Early-to-mid September: Mesa Arizona Temple Rededication         

Mid-November: Washington DC Temple Rededication

2021:

Mid-May: Hamilton New Zealand Temple Rededication

NOTE: I heard that 2018 and 2019 could be big years for temple groundbreakings. If that proves correct, then many other temples could also be dedicated during 2020 and 2021. It also seems safe to assume that other temple renovations will be announced, which will in turn necessitate subsequent rededications. As the next two years unfold, I will have a better idea of when such events may occur, and they can then be added to the other estimates above.

Completion estimate changed for Frankfurt Germany Temple Rededication

Hello again, everyone! I didn't realize this until now,  but I just internalized that the estimate for the rededication of the Frankfurt Germany Temple has been pushed back into early 2019. So that will be something else for me to take into account as I make alterations to my previously altered estimate. Hopefully I can post those updates within the next little while. 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.

Further Temple Updates Provided

Hello again, everyone! I wanted to post with some additional updates provided on the construction status of several other temples. Let's dive right in to those. An update has finally been provided on the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple. While the last update I noted indicated that the site was being graded and the foundation excavation was underway, it has now been noted that the main floor concrete slab is being poured.

And the Fortaleza Brazil Temple has had another update to its' status as well. While exterior cladding continues, the interior is being painted, and ceilings and millwork are being installed. It was great to have these additional updates.

That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. I am continuing to work on the estimate updates I promised in my last post, and will be back with those as soon as I can make it happen. 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.

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.