Updated Estimates for Known Temple Events Within the Next 4 years

Hello again, everyone! As I promised to do so, I have looked over my estimates for known temple events and have made those changes which I have felt would be appropriate. So I wanted to post those right now. The more specific timing of any temple event is, of course, in the hands of the Lord and of those who are working on these projects. I will not be surprised in any way to find out that further adjustments are necessary in the future, nor will it surprise me if the actual time-frames are nowhere close to what I share here.

The updated estimates, along with any relevant notes, 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

First half of 2018:

April: Full-scale construction anticipated to begin for the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple

Note: A Church member in Winnipeg has confirmed that construction of this temple is anticipated to begin this month.

Sunday April 22: Houston Texas Temple Rededication (private; date has been confirmed; President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, will preside at this event)

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

Note: Since the rededication Jordan River Utah Temple is the first public temple event of President Nelson’s administration, it seems to be a given conclusion that he will preside at this event, if only the first one or two sessions. Since this temple is in the Salt Lake Valley, it seems entirely likely that several Church leaders will be in attendance at this event.

Second half of 2018:

July: Hamilton New Zealand Temple Renovation Closure (confirmed; official date confirmation pending)

Sunday October 28: Concepcion Chile Temple Dedication (160^th operating temple; confirmed)

Sunday December 9: Barranquilla Colombia Temple Dedication (161^st operating temple; date has been officially confirmed)

Final note on 2018: I have heard that 2018 could potentially be a big year for groundbreakings of temples currently announced. Since we have had information about the site location and artist’s rendering of the Bangkok Thailand Temple, I am watching for news of a groundbreaking there. Additionally, I have heard in passing that members in Harare Zimbabwe and Nairobi Kenya have been advised of the location of the sites for the temples announced in those cities. If the Church confirms those locations in the near future, both of those temples could potentially have a groundbreaking later this year as well. We also have seen site confirmations for the temples in Brasilia Brazil, Urdaneta Philippines and the second temple in Manila, with a likely location also identified for the Pocatello Idaho Temple. And with the fact that the contractor for the Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple said in March of last year that a year of pre-planning would be needed for that temple, it may not be long before we have official confirmation of the site for that temple. It will be interesting indeed to see how many of these temples actually have a groundbreaking later this year.

First half of 2019:

Mid-February: Frankfurt Germany Temple Rededication

Sunday March 10-Sunday March 17: Rome Italy Temple Dedication (162^nd operating temple; confirmed)

Mid-April: Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple Rededication

Mid-to-late April: Kinshasa DR Congo Temple Dedication (163^rd operating temple)

Early-to-mid May: Memphis Tennessee Temple Rededication

Mid-to-late May: Fortaleza Brazil Temple Dedication (164^th operating temple)

Early-to-mid June: Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple Dedication (165^th operating temple)

Second half of 2019:

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

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

Mid-September: Lisbon Portugal Temple Dedication (166^th operating temple)

Mid-to-late October: Asuncion Paraguay Temple Rededication

Mid-November: Durban South Africa Temple Dedication (167^th operating temple)

Mid-December: Oakland California Temple Rededication

Note: While this temple’s rededication is anticipated before the end of 2019, if its’ renovation process is delayed for any reason, then that would push its’ rededication into 2020.

Final note on 2019: As with 2018, I have heard that 2019 could potentially be another big year for temple groundbreakings. If that proves to be the case, there will be other temple-related events to add to this list for subsequent years.

                       

First half of 2020:

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

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

Mid-May: Winnipeg Manitoba Temple Dedication (170^th operating temple)

Early-to-mid June: .Tokyo Japan Temple Rededication

Mid-September: Mesa Arizona Temple Rededicatiom

Mid-December: Washington DC Temple Rededication

2021:

Mid-to-late April: Hamilton New Zealand Temple Rededication

Final note: If, as noted above, several temples have a groundbreaking during the next two years, that in turn would necessitate adding their completion estimates to the list above. I continue to monitor all temple-related developments and will pass news of them along as I receive word of them.

Lengths of Addresses Given By the Apostles During the April 2018 General Conference

Hello again, everyone! As long-time readers of this blog might recall, shortly after each General Conference of the Church, I take some time to look at the lengths of each talk given by the apostles of the Church (including those given by members of the First Presidency), and I then post the results of that research on this blog. Having looked at that information for this last General Conference, I am pleased to bring you the information below.

I did want to note something interesting that struck me as General Conference concluded: Although President Nelson only gave addresses in 3 of the 5 sessions, the fact that he spoke twice during the Priesthood Session and Sunday Afternoon Session (once in each to introduce new policies and practices, and a main address at the end of each session) meant that his 5 total addresses matched the number of addresses typically given by a Church president in most General Conferences. So that was amazing.

The information I have assembled follows. So as not to disturb the flow of that information, I will conclude now as I always do. 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.

20:48—President Russell M. Nelson (SUM)

17:40—Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf (SUA)

17:35—President Dallin H. Oaks (SUM)

17:02—President Henry B. Eyring (SUM)

16:04—Elder Neil L. Andersen (SAM)

16:01—President Dallin H. Oaks (SPH)

16:01—Elder David A. Bednar (SAA)

15:53—President Henry B. Eyring (SPH)

15:29—Elder Jeffrey R. Holland (SUA)

15:04—Elder Quentin L. Cook (SUA)

15:07—Elder Gary E. Stevenson (SAM)

14:43—Elder Dale G. Renlund (SAA)

14:29—President M. Russell Ballard (SAM)

14:28—President Russell M. Nelson (SPH; main address)

13:35—Elder Ronald A. Rasband (SPH)

13:19—Elder D. Todd Christofferson (SPH)

12:10—President Dallin H. Oaks (SAA; Sustaining Other Church Officers)

11:03—President Henry B. Eyring (SAM; Solemn Assembly)

6:01—President Russell M. Nelson (SUA; concluding address)

5:24—Elder Ulisses Soares (SUA)

4:56—Elder Gerrit W. Gong (SUA)

3:39—President Russell M. Nelson (SPH; Priesthood Quorum Announcement)

2:15—President Russell M. Nelson (SUA; Ministering Announcement)

Church News Provides Summary of General Conference Talks

Hello again, everyone! While I was pleased to be able to report late last night that the transcripts of the talks given during General Conference are now available for us to study, as we have been invited by President Nelson to do, I recognize that there are many of my readers that, due to daily obligations, may not always have time to read a full address from General Conference.

For any of you who fit that description, I wanted to pass along this document, which provides summaries of each address given during General Conference. These summaries encapsulate the key elements of those addresses, and get right to the heart of what was said by every speaker. I am happy to recommend these summaries, along with the full transcripts, to which I posted a link last night.

In a world where so much is happening on a daily basis, it is wonderful indeed to consider how committed the Church News, and more particularly the Church itself, is to enable all of us to enjoy General Conference after it airs through a variety of methods.

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.

Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple Moves Ahead of the Memphis Tennessee Temple

Hello again, everyone! I became aware a short while ago of information that points to the idea that the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple renovation process has progressed sufficiently swiftly enough that it will be the second temple rededicated during 2019, taking the spot once held by the Memphis Tennessee Temple. This is an interesting development, to be sure, which I am doing my best to analyze in terms of how and if that will necessitate yet another change in the estimates I have provided, and will have the results of that analysis ASAP.

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.

General Conference Talks Transcripts Are Now Available

Hello again, everyone! I just learned that the transcripts of all General Conference talks are now available. Since we have been invited by President Nelson to study those frequently, I wanted to note that those talks ca be reviewed here. I hope that all of us will take advantage of the invitation from our prophet, especially since the conference we just enjoyed last weekend was so historic.

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.

The Current Number of General Authority Seventies

Hello again, everyone! In the comments made in response to my post highlighting the changes in general Church leadership that were announced by President Oaks at the beginning of the Saturday Afternoon Session, the observation was made that he may have been in error on the number of current General Authorities.

President Oaks had stated there were 116 currently serving General Authorities. What that means is that, in addition to those 25 men who serve in the First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Presidency of the Seventy, and Presiding Bishopric, there should be 91 General Authority Seventies. Some pointed out that the list they keep only has 90 men listed. In checking my own list, I discovered that there are indeed 91 men serving as General Authority Seventies, which means that President Oaks was correct in saying there are now 116 men serving as General Authorities.

In order to verify that number, and to comply with Blogger formats, the easiest way in which I could share my list is to copy and paste the latest version of my list. It is divided into 3 columns and 10 full rows, with the final man on an additional row.

Before setting the context for this list, I should mention a couple of things: The last Deseret News Church Almanac (the 2013 edition) listed the numbering of the men who served in the First and Second Quorums of the Seventy as two separate groups, and numbered each according to the date on which these men were called to the Seventy. Generally that involved an alphabetical list by those dates, but there have been a few exceptions.

I also fully recognize that more men than are listed here have served in the First and Seccond Quorums of the Seventy. The numbering here reflects the dates of call for all of those serving currently, and any numbers and names not appearing on this list are not included for the reasons outlined above.

Additionally, until 2016, when the Church stopped publicly announcing to which Quorums newly-called Brethren were assigned, since a Quorum affiliation and distinction had been announced for all other Brethren called between 1994 and 2015, those called to the First and Second Quorums during that time are not listed in full alphabetical order, but first by Quorum assignment, then in alphabetical order within those Quorums. It may not be a perfect system, but it has worked for me.

When updating that list following General Conference, I realized (primarily because my own laptop is unbootable at the moment and because I had to retrieve this information from an old copy, which I subsequently updated) had many men on there that are now either in the Presidency of the Seventy, have been granted emeritus status, have passed away, or, in one case (James J. Hamula), had been excommunicated. I checked and double-checked the list to ensure that it was accurate, and unless I happened to overlook one man that should have been removed, I am reasonably confident in its' accuracy. That list follows below.

So as not to disturb the flow of it, I will end now as I always do. 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.

General Authority Seventies

Please note that the following General Authority Seventies are in the Presidency of the Seventy: 7; 37; 42; 52; 59; 68; 77

1. Claudio Roberto Mendez Costa General Authority Seventy since April 1994; sustained to First Quorum in April 2001. Presidency of the Seventy August 2007-August 2011.	5. Richard John Maynes General Authority Seventy since April 1997; sustained to First Quorum in April 2001; Presidency of the Seventy January 2012-.August 2017.	4.  Lynn Grant Robbins General Authority Seventy since April 1997; sustained to First Quorum in April 2000; Presidency of the Seventy April 2014-August 2018.
6. Donald Larry Hallstrom General Authority Seventy since April 2000; Presidency of the Seventy April 2009-August 2017.	9. Christoffel Golden Jr. General Authority Seventy since April 2001.	10. Walter Fermín Gonzalez General Authority Seventy since April 2001. Presidency of Seventy October 2007-January 2013.
11. Steven Erastus Snow General Authority Seventy since April 2001. Presidency of the August 2007-January 2012.	12. Craig Cloward Christensen General Authority Seventy since October 2002; sustained to the First Quorum in April 2008; Presidency of the Seventy August 2012-August 2018.	13. Mervyn Bennion Arnold General Authority Seventy since April 2003.	14. Benjamin De Hoyos General Authority Seventy since April 2005.	15. David Frewin Evans General Authority Seventy since April 2005.
14. Benjamin De Hoyos General Authority Seventy since April 2005.	15. David Frewin Evans General Authority Seventy since April 2005.	16. Cecil Scott Grow General Authority Seventy since April 2005.
17. Paul Vere Johnson General Authority Seventy since April 2005.	18. Paul Bowen Pieper General Authority Seventy since April 2005.	19. David Steward Baxter General Authority Seventy since April 2006.
20. Shayne Martell Bowen General Authority Seventy since April 2006.	22. Marcus Bell Nash General Authority Seventy since April 2006.	23. Anthony Duane Perkins General Authority Seventy since April 2006.
24. Craig Allan Cardon General Authority Seventy since April 2006.	29. Enrique Rienzi Salvator Falabella General Authority Seventy since April 2007.	30. Erich Willi Horst Kopischke General Authority Seventy since April 2007.
31. Michael John Uy Teh General Authority Seventy since April 2007.	32. Claudio Daniel Zivic General Authority Seventy since April 2007.	33. Marcus Anthony Aidukaitis General Authority Seventy since April 2008
35. Lawrence Edward Corbridge General Authority Seventy since April 2008.	36. Eduardo Gavarret General Authority Seventy since April 2008.	39. Allan Forrest Packer General Authority Seventy since April 2008.
40. Kevin Wayne Pearson General Authority Seventy since April 2008.	41. Rafael Eduardo Pino General Authority Seventy since April 2008.	44. Jorge Hernando Zeballos General Authority Seventy since April 2008.
45. Yoon Hwan Choi General Authority Seventy since April 2009.	46. Brent Hatch Nielson General Authority Seventy since April 2009.	48. Michael Tally Ringwood General Authority Seventy since April 2009.
49. Joseph Wafula Sitati General Authority Seventy since April 2009.	45. Wilford Wayne Andersen General Authority Seventy since April 2009.	48. Bradley Duane Foster General Authority Seventy since April 2009.
47. James Boyd Martino General Authority Seventy since April 2009.	49. Gregory Allan Schwitzer General Authority Seventy since April 2009.	50. Kevin Read Duncan General Authority Seventy since April 2010.
53. Juan Alberto Uceda General Authority Seventy since Apr 2010; Presidency of the Seventy August 2017-August 2018.	57. Jose Luis Alonso General Authority Seventy since April 2011.	58. Ian Sidney Ardern General Authority Seventy since April 2011.
60. LeGrand Raine Curtis Jr. General Authority Seventy since April 2011	62. Kazuhiko Yamashita General Authority Seventy since April 2011.	63. Randall Kay Bennett General Authority Seventy since April 2011.
64. John Devn Cornish General Authority Seventy since April 2011	65. Otto Vincent Haleck General Authority Seventy since April 2011.	66. Larry Young Wilson General Authority Seventy since April 2011.
67. Larry Echo Hawk General Authority Seventy since April 2012.	69. Scott Duane Whiting General Authority Seventy since April 2012.	70. Edward Dube General Authority Seventy since April 2013.
71. Stanley Gifford Nielsen General Authority Seventy since April 2013.	72. Arnulfo Valenzuela General Authority Seventy since April 2013.	73. Timothy John Dyches General Authority Seventy since April 2013.
74. Randy Dennis Funk General Authority Seventy since April 2013.	75. Kevin Scott Hamilton General Authority Seventy since April 2013.	76. Adrian Ochoa Quintana General Authority Seventy since April 2013.
78. Chi Hong (Sam) Wong General Authority Seventy since April 2014.	79. Jörg Klebingat General Authority Seventy since April 2014.	80. Larry S. Kacher General Authority Seventy since April 2014.
81. Hugo E. Martinez General Authority Seventy since April 2014.	82. Kim Bryce Clark General Authority Seventy since April 2015.	83. Allen Decker Haynie General Authority Seventy since April 2015.
85. Hugo Montoya General Authority Seventy since April 2015.	86. Vern Perry Stanfill General Authority Seventy since April 2015.	87. William Mark Bassett General Authority Seventy since April 2016
88. Mark Allyn Bragg General Authority Seventy since April 2016.	89. William Weatherford Touchstone Clayton General Authority Seventy since April 2016.	89. Valeri Vladimir Cordón Orellana General Authority Seventy since April 2016
90. Joaquin Esteban Costa General Authority Seventy since April 2016.	91. Massimo De Feo General Authority Seventy since April 2016.	92. Peter Fletcher Meurs General Authority Seventy since April 2016.
93. Kevin Brett Nattress General Authority Seventy since April 2016.	94. Stanley Mark Palmer General Authority Seventy since April 2016.	95. Gary Byron Sabin             General Authority Seventy since April 2016.
96. Evan Antoine Schmutz General Authority Seventy since April 2016.	97. Taylor Guillermo Godoy Atanacio General Authority Seventy since April 2017.	98. Joni Luiz Koch General Authority Seventy since April 2017.
99. Adilson de Paula Parrella General Authority Seventy since April 2017.	100. John Cannon Pingree Jr. General Authority Seventy since April 2017.	101. Brian King Taylor General Authority Seventy since April 2017.
102. Taniela Biu Wakolo General Authority Seventy since April 2017.	103. Steven R. Bangerter General Authority Seventy since April 2018.	104. Matthew L. Carpenter General Authority Seventy since April 2018.
105. Jack N. Gerard General Authority Seventy since April 2018.	106. Mathias Held General Authority Seventy since April 2018.	107. David P. Homer General Authority Seventy since April 2018.
108. Kyle S. McKay General Authority Seventy since April 2018.	109. Juan Pablo Villar General Authority Seventy since April 2018.	110. Takashi Wada General Authority Seventy since April 2018.

Apology for Not Posting Latest Apostolic Statistics

Hello again, everyone! As some of you might recall, I indicated prior to General Conference that I would be waiting until General Conference Sunday to post an update on the latest apostolic statistics so that I could take the information about new apostles into account when getting that update done.

As you also probably know, I did not wind up following through on that promise. Things have been a little crazy lately, and with all of the General Conference developments that needed to be more of a priority to report on this blog, that never wound up occurring. I will do my level best to get that report up on this blog next Sunday.

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.

Yet Another Theory About the Layout of the General Women's Session Next October

Hello again, everyone! As most of you might recall, I have offered a couple of different theories over the last little while regarding how the layout of the Women's Session might change based on the fact that that sessi on will now be held two hours following the Saturday Afternoon Session of General Conference every October.

To recap those theories, I first offered my opinion that we might hear from a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during that session in addition to whichever member of the First Presidency was assigned to speak that night.

Then, I later offered my new theory that the Church president and one of his counselors (which would rotate) will be speaking during that session along with the auxiliary presidency members. That theory was based on another theory that the length of the Women's Session would be extended to 1 hour and 45 minutes, to match the length of the Priesthood Session. But we subsequently learned that the Priesthood Session was only scheduled to be 90 minutes in length, which, by extension, would be the length of the Women's Session as well.

But during this weekend's Priesthood Session, it wound up lasting around 2 hours, and if the same thing occurs in October, the Women's Session will wind up being half an hour longer than anticipated.

This brings me to the newest theory I have. Whether or not a member of the Quorum of the Twelve is asked to speak during that session (the jury is still out on that), I now believe that the Women's Session will involve addresses from all members of the First Presidency, which would match what has traditionally occurred for the Priesthood Session.

And that, in turn, would eliminate the need to find another time in one of the other sessions during which any members of the First Presidency that do not speak during the Women's Session could give an additional address (as the counselors in the First Presidency usually speak at least twice, while one of them also leads the Sustaining of Church leaders).

It will be interesting to see what happens in that regard. And whatever does occur, you can count on my reporting it here. 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.

Progress Reported on the Renovation Process for the Raleigh North Carolina Temple

Hello again, everyone! Either just prior to or during the General Conference weekend, I became aware of an update that has been provided on the renovation process for the Raleigh North Carolina Temple. The newest information I have found indicates that plywood panels are being attached to the temple's exterior.

While there have not been any other temple updates to report at this time. it is worth noting that, although it has not been confirmed, there is reason to believe that the exterior looks of both the Baton Rouge Louisiana and Asuncion Paraguay Temples will be the same as that for the Memphis Tennessee, Oklahoma City Oklahoma, and Raleigh North Carolina Temples.

As I have previously noted, it appears that all temples originally dedicated in the late 1990s-early 2000s have been and will be given the same overhaul in their exterior appearances. That said, if local styles dictate otherwise, that will be a factor into such changes in the future.

Whatever might occur in terms of ongoing temple developments, rest assured that I am keeping my eyes open for all such updates, and I will be sure to pass those along as I am able to going forward. 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.

Sharing a Theory Based on Reports from Church Members in Kenya and Zimbabwe

Hello again, everyone! I am posting again on this Easter Sunday to pass along a theory which I have heard offered in a couple of places based on reports by members in Kenya and Zimbabwe. The report suggests that, while it has not been confirmed, local members in those nations have been made aware of the site locations that are earmarked for the announced temples in Nairobi and Harare. And the theory I have heard about this is that, depending on what occurs before President Nelson and Elder Holland head out on their tour of Africa, Asia, and Europe, groundbreakings could be conducted by President Nelson for both temples, in addition to the theory I have previously mentioned that he could also potentially break ground for the Bangkok Thailand Temple while he is in that city.

So, depending on what happens within the next week or so before the Nelsons and Hollands depart, if this theory proves to be correct, ground will be broken in Nairobi on April 16, Harare the following day, and Bangkok on Friday April 20. It will be interesting to see whether or not that will happen. With about 1.5 weeks remaining until their departure, and with his visits to these areas set to occur in around 2 weeks, that is not a lot of time to announce an intention to break ground for those temples so it could be done while these Brethren are there.

It is also worth noting that it may not be a stretch to assume that part of the time President Nelson spends in Bengaluru on April 19 might be devoted to finding a suitable site for the temple announced for that city earlier today.

Nor would it be unheard of, in my opinion, to assume that President Nelson may pay a courtesy visit to the Chinese governmental leaders during his time in Hong Kong, with the purpose of seeing if his status as an "old friend of China" and his new calling as Church president might be enough to convince the Chinese government to officially recognize the Church and to allow full-time missionaries to proselyte in that country.

I may be wrong on this, but perhaps the Lord was waiting on having His prophet announce the temples that were announced today and to enable the Church to obtain approval to proselyte in China until this time, when President Nelson was Church president, since he is very much motivated to both bring the temples to the people and for him, as "an old friend of China", to be able to convince the Chinese government to approve whatever is needed to enable missionary work to begin in full there.

Whatever might occur regarding this theory, you can be sure I will post anything about it as I learn of it. 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.