Hello again, everyone! This post will serve 3 purposes: First, a personal update; second, a discussion of recently-reported Church news; and finally, to share a few temple updates which have crossed my radar. So let's get right into all of that. On the personal front, my procedure has been scheduled for 2:00 PM MDT, and I anticipate the whole process will take between 2-3 hours. I will then be released to start a 1-2 day at-home recuperation, and have been instructed to not do anything strenuous for 2 weeks or so after that. I look forward to getting that procedure taken care of.
With that said, in non-personal news, the Church News shared the following articles recently: two Latter-day Saint siblings are now rising opera stars, Elder Stevenson's address to graduates at the commcement for LDS Business College, Elder Holland's commencement address to the graduates from BYU-Idaho, a BYU professor's top ten finish in the recent Boston Marathon, and the reaction of Sister Sharon Eubank, director of LDS Charities and First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, to the Notre Dame Cathedral fire, which had personal impact on her.
Meanwhile, recent news reported on the Church's official website include: the First Presidency's official Easter message; the newest General Authority and General Officers chart, complete with the 119 General Authorities of the Church and all 15 general auxiliary presidency members, including the newly-sustained Sunday School General Presidency; a large print edition of the "Come Follow Me" manual; and an article about how differrent editions and printing schedules for "The Liahona" help to bless the worldwide Church.
And while I may or may not have reported many of the newest stories from the Church's official Newsroom, the one which I know I have not passed along is the latest edition of "Latter-day Saints Around the World". The latest edition features articles from Australia (from which there were 2), Jamaica, Guatemala, the Pacific, Canada, and India. It was good to read the summaries of all of these articles.
We now conclude with some temple updates. With the Fortaleza Brazil Temple open house now just 9 or 10 days away as of the publishing of this post, covered walkways and tents are being assembled for it. The open house will go from April 27-May 18. Meanwhile, there has been another outstanding update on the Durban South Africa Temple, where the tiling of floors and walls and the sanding and painting of walls is making progress, in addition to which doors and frames are being fitted, and progress has been made on the cladding of both the grand staircase and entrance retaining walls. Also workers are preparing to add pavement to the west side of that temple's parking lot.
On temples which have a groundbreaking scheduled, I have found information indicating that the demolition of the Yigo chapel is officially underway for the temple in Guam, and that heavy equipment is helping to clear the site for the Quito Ecuador Temple. And finally, in regards to temples undergoing renovation, the open house tours for the Memphis Tenessee Temple will end on the day after the scheduled annoucement detailing plans for the Salt Lake Temple renovation.
At the Washington DC Temple, while exterior wall grout and stained-glass window repair continues, work is underway inside on the elevators within the temple. And at the Mesa Arizona Temple, forms have been set for the north reflecting pool, while landscaping structures are being installed, and progress has been made in the planting of trees on the grounds of that temple. And as the Pacific Area prepares for visits from President and Sister Nelson and Elder and Sister Gong next month, the Hamilton New Zealand Temple has seen scaffolding erected in preparation for the refurbishment of the exterior.
I do continue to monitor all Church news and temple developments and am committed to bringing you word of such news here as I receive it. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyoed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.
Thursday, April 18, 2019
Personal Update/Additional Church News and Temple Developments Reported
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.
Sunday, April 14, 2019
Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple Dedicated as 163rd Operating Temple of the Church
Hello again, everyone! With the time now being almost 9:00 PM Sunday in Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo, all dedicatory sessions for that temple have concluded. So I wanted to provide a glimpse at coverage of the dedicatory events. Firstly, it is worth nothing that, in presiding over the dedicatory events this weekend, Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (for whom, as I explained in another post yesterday, this temple's dedication was personally significant) was accompanied by his wife, Ruth L. Renlund, and their only child, Ashley.
The Africa Southeast Area Presidency (Elders S. Mark Palmer, Joseph W. Sitati, and Joni L. Koch) were also in attendance, along with their wives. I had thought I remembered reading about the Temple Department Executive Director, Elder Larry Y. Wilson,. also being in attendance, along with Elder Kevin S. Hamilton of the Seventy, who was just released last year as president of the Africa Southeast Area, but I could not find that verified in any of the sources I found.
So for now, I wanted to pass along the news articles I was able to find on this weekend's events. This article provided an overview of the dedicatory weekend, including the note about Elder Renlund presiding thereat. Another article highlights the youth devotional that was held roughly 24 hours or so ago, while a third article highlights the temple's dedication. Elder Renlund is, as I previously mentioned, the new least-senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to ever preside over the dedication of a temple, and he received this assignment due to both his service on the Temple and Family History Executive Council and to his personal connection to that area.
With this temple dedication having been held, the next major temple events will be the Fortaleza Brazil Temple open house, which will begin in less than two weeks, the groundbreakings on May 4 of this year for the Yigo Guam, Praia Cabo Verde, and San Juan Puerto Rico Temples, the private rededication of the Memphis Tennesee Temple on May 5 by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, the groundbreaking for the Quito Ecuador Temple the following Saturday, the private rededication of the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple on May 19 by President Henry B. Eyring, the dedication of the Fortaleza Brazil Temple on June 2, the groundbreaking for the Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple the following Saturday, and the rededication of the Oakland California Temple 8 days after that/
Time will tell, but if what I am hearing on my end is any indication, the second half of 2019 will be just as busy (if not more so) in terms of scheduled temple events. We already know about the scheduled dedications for the Port-au-Prince Haiti and Lisbon Portugal Temples on September 1 and 15 respectively, and that the rededication of the Frankfurt Germany Temple is scheduled for October 20. I woud anticipate that, following the scheduled announcement this Friday about the renovation plans. details, and involved timing for the Salt Lake Temple, there will be at least a few other temple events announced at some point over the next couple of moths and beyond.
It will be a busy season for the Church in terms of such developments, and for my part, I will be doing my level best to bring you all word of those as they occur, in addition to continuing to share any other major Church news which crosses my radar. At this point, I am not sure what to expect in terms of how soon the area leadership assignments for this year may be announced. That could happen prior to or just after Friday's announcement, or it could be delayed another week or two. But whenever any such announcements are made, I will be sure to bring word of those here as I learn about them.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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 Africa Southeast Area Presidency (Elders S. Mark Palmer, Joseph W. Sitati, and Joni L. Koch) were also in attendance, along with their wives. I had thought I remembered reading about the Temple Department Executive Director, Elder Larry Y. Wilson,. also being in attendance, along with Elder Kevin S. Hamilton of the Seventy, who was just released last year as president of the Africa Southeast Area, but I could not find that verified in any of the sources I found.
So for now, I wanted to pass along the news articles I was able to find on this weekend's events. This article provided an overview of the dedicatory weekend, including the note about Elder Renlund presiding thereat. Another article highlights the youth devotional that was held roughly 24 hours or so ago, while a third article highlights the temple's dedication. Elder Renlund is, as I previously mentioned, the new least-senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to ever preside over the dedication of a temple, and he received this assignment due to both his service on the Temple and Family History Executive Council and to his personal connection to that area.
With this temple dedication having been held, the next major temple events will be the Fortaleza Brazil Temple open house, which will begin in less than two weeks, the groundbreakings on May 4 of this year for the Yigo Guam, Praia Cabo Verde, and San Juan Puerto Rico Temples, the private rededication of the Memphis Tennesee Temple on May 5 by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, the groundbreaking for the Quito Ecuador Temple the following Saturday, the private rededication of the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple on May 19 by President Henry B. Eyring, the dedication of the Fortaleza Brazil Temple on June 2, the groundbreaking for the Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple the following Saturday, and the rededication of the Oakland California Temple 8 days after that/
Time will tell, but if what I am hearing on my end is any indication, the second half of 2019 will be just as busy (if not more so) in terms of scheduled temple events. We already know about the scheduled dedications for the Port-au-Prince Haiti and Lisbon Portugal Temples on September 1 and 15 respectively, and that the rededication of the Frankfurt Germany Temple is scheduled for October 20. I woud anticipate that, following the scheduled announcement this Friday about the renovation plans. details, and involved timing for the Salt Lake Temple, there will be at least a few other temple events announced at some point over the next couple of moths and beyond.
It will be a busy season for the Church in terms of such developments, and for my part, I will be doing my level best to bring you all word of those as they occur, in addition to continuing to share any other major Church news which crosses my radar. At this point, I am not sure what to expect in terms of how soon the area leadership assignments for this year may be announced. That could happen prior to or just after Friday's announcement, or it could be delayed another week or two. But whenever any such announcements are made, I will be sure to bring word of those here as I learn about them.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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, April 13, 2019
BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Elder Dale G. Renlund Will Preside At Dedication of Kinshasa DR Congo Temple
Hello again, everyone! In a development I did not see coming but one that certainly makes sense, it has been reported that Elder Dale G. Renlund is in Kinshasa this weekend to preside over the dedicatory events for the Kinshasa DR Congo Temple. As I mentioned previously, as of 2016, Elder David A. Bednar had been the most junior apostle to ever preside over a dedication without a more senior leader present. That occurred when he was asked to oversee the dedication of the Star Valley Wyoming Temple.
In Elder Renlund's case, not only is he a member of the Temple and Family History Executive Council, but because he, as a General Authority Seventy, had served in the Africa Southeast Area Presidency for a period of at least a few years prior to his call to the apostleship, the dedication of this particular temple would be significant for him on a personal level as well.
Just one or two other thoughts on this, if I may offer them. In a discussion late last year or in the early part of this year on the Church growth blog, the anticipated increase in temple events, primarily relating to the dedication of new temples, was mentioned. The question was asked whether General Authority Seventies could at some point be called upon to preside over temple dedications. While there may come a day when 3 temples are dedicated on average roughly every two weeks, the Church may not get to that point in the immediate or near future.
That said, while it is true that the seventy are the ones whom the Lord directed the apostles should call upon for assistance in the work of His Church, the keys to bind and seal on earth and in heaven, particularly in relation to the dedication of temples, are inherent in the apostleship, and apostles can only exercise those keys with the authorization of the Church President. Therefore, it would take a major change in the prescribed delegation of those keys for any General Authority Seventy to represent the apostles, and, by extension, the President of the Church in such cases.
Of course, with Elder Renlund being the 10th in seniority among the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and thus being the 13th most senior apostle overall, it is plain to see that opportunities are being given to the more junior apostles to preside over dedications personally without a more senior apostle being in attendance. And that may be the start of a new precedent.
But unless the Lord prompts a change in the keys specifically given to General Authority Seventies, or expands the ways in which the Seventy have authority to assist the Quorum of the Twelve, for the moment, based on my understanding of Church doctrine and policy, I would say that I don't see any General Authority Seventies being asked to preside over the dedication of any temples, at least for the immediate and near future.
I am grateful to have been able to learn of this development and to pass it along to you all here. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.
In Elder Renlund's case, not only is he a member of the Temple and Family History Executive Council, but because he, as a General Authority Seventy, had served in the Africa Southeast Area Presidency for a period of at least a few years prior to his call to the apostleship, the dedication of this particular temple would be significant for him on a personal level as well.
Just one or two other thoughts on this, if I may offer them. In a discussion late last year or in the early part of this year on the Church growth blog, the anticipated increase in temple events, primarily relating to the dedication of new temples, was mentioned. The question was asked whether General Authority Seventies could at some point be called upon to preside over temple dedications. While there may come a day when 3 temples are dedicated on average roughly every two weeks, the Church may not get to that point in the immediate or near future.
That said, while it is true that the seventy are the ones whom the Lord directed the apostles should call upon for assistance in the work of His Church, the keys to bind and seal on earth and in heaven, particularly in relation to the dedication of temples, are inherent in the apostleship, and apostles can only exercise those keys with the authorization of the Church President. Therefore, it would take a major change in the prescribed delegation of those keys for any General Authority Seventy to represent the apostles, and, by extension, the President of the Church in such cases.
Of course, with Elder Renlund being the 10th in seniority among the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and thus being the 13th most senior apostle overall, it is plain to see that opportunities are being given to the more junior apostles to preside over dedications personally without a more senior apostle being in attendance. And that may be the start of a new precedent.
But unless the Lord prompts a change in the keys specifically given to General Authority Seventies, or expands the ways in which the Seventy have authority to assist the Quorum of the Twelve, for the moment, based on my understanding of Church doctrine and policy, I would say that I don't see any General Authority Seventies being asked to preside over the dedication of any temples, at least for the immediate and near future.
I am grateful to have been able to learn of this development and to pass it along to you all here. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
BREAKING NEWS: First Presidency Announces New Church Historian and Recorder and Commissioner of Church Education
Hello again, everyone! The First Presidency has announced a new Church Historian and Recorder, along with a new Commissioner of Church Education. The Brethren serving currently in those assignments, Elders Steven E. Snow and Kim B. Clark respectively, will be released as General Authorities and granted emeritus status this October.
The new Church Historian and Recorder will be Elder LeGrand R. Curtis, who currently serves as First Counselor in the Utah Area Presidency and as Assistant Executive Director of the Church History Department. The new Commissioner of Church Education will be Elder Paul V. Johnson, who had been serving in that capacity when Elder Clark was called to replace him following Elder Johnson's call to serve outside the United States in the Europe Area Presidency.
Elder Johnson becomes the second general authority to serve two separate terms as Commissioner of Church Education. The other was Henry B. Eyring, who served in that capacity from 1980-1986 and again from 1992-2004. I had a feeling those changes were coming down the pike at some point, and I am grateful to have learned about and been able to report these changes. I do continue to monitor all Church news and temple developments and will do my level best to bring word of those to you all here as I receive it.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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 new Church Historian and Recorder will be Elder LeGrand R. Curtis, who currently serves as First Counselor in the Utah Area Presidency and as Assistant Executive Director of the Church History Department. The new Commissioner of Church Education will be Elder Paul V. Johnson, who had been serving in that capacity when Elder Clark was called to replace him following Elder Johnson's call to serve outside the United States in the Europe Area Presidency.
Elder Johnson becomes the second general authority to serve two separate terms as Commissioner of Church Education. The other was Henry B. Eyring, who served in that capacity from 1980-1986 and again from 1992-2004. I had a feeling those changes were coming down the pike at some point, and I am grateful to have learned about and been able to report these changes. I do continue to monitor all Church news and temple developments and will do my level best to bring word of those to you all here as I receive it.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.
BREAKING NEWS: President Nelson's Next Global Ministry Tour Announced
Hello again, everyone! Earlier today, the Church's official Newsroom shared a release announcing the next leg of President Russell M. Nelson's ongoing global ministry tour. The latest leg of that tour will take place in mid-to-late May throughout the Pacific Area of the Church, and President Nelson and his wife, Wendy, will be accompanied by Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Susan.
The tour will kick off on Thursday May 16 and end on Saturday May 25. After departing from Salt Lake on that Thursday, the tour will begin in Kona Hawaii. On Saturday the 18th, the group of leaders will be in Apia Samoa, and will travel over to Sydney Australia the following day. On Monday, a two-day stop in Auckland New Zealand will be observed. Wednesday, the group will arrive in Suva Fiji, followed by a stop in Nuku'alofa Tonga the following day. Once their time in Tonga is completed, they will cross the international date line into Papeete Tahiti, which will mark the last stop on the tour.
As many of you may have noticed by now, quite a few of the stops are in nations where temples have been announced, and perhaps part of the time during that tour may involve looking at prospective temple locations. This tour will allow the leaders to meet with members and missionaries in all of these cities. And again, we see President Nelson planning a trip at somewhat of a breakneck speed. This may be the first of two or perhaps even three legs of his Global Ministry Tour this year.
The Newsroom release to which I shared a link above notes more specific details, which are well worthy of your time. The Newsroom will be carrying full reports on this tour as the stops are observed, and I will be carrying that coverage here on this blog as well. We are blessed to have a prophet who is healthy enough to travel extensively, and we continue to see him stopping at home between trips just long enough to recover, retrieve another apostolic companion, and head out again. And the fact that he is continuing to do so as his 95th birthday draws ever closer is amazing and outstanding.
I guess I should also mention that just because the next official leg of that ongoing Global Ministry Tour will take place in May, that doesn't mean he won't be making other stops elsewhere as time and circumstances allow in the interim. There is still no word as to who might be presiding over the dedication of the Kinshasa DR Congo Temple this weekend, so he could oversee that personally, or delegate that assignment to either of his counselors or one of the senior members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
For my part, I will continue to monitor all Church news and temple developments and will bring you all word of such news as I receive it. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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 tour will kick off on Thursday May 16 and end on Saturday May 25. After departing from Salt Lake on that Thursday, the tour will begin in Kona Hawaii. On Saturday the 18th, the group of leaders will be in Apia Samoa, and will travel over to Sydney Australia the following day. On Monday, a two-day stop in Auckland New Zealand will be observed. Wednesday, the group will arrive in Suva Fiji, followed by a stop in Nuku'alofa Tonga the following day. Once their time in Tonga is completed, they will cross the international date line into Papeete Tahiti, which will mark the last stop on the tour.
As many of you may have noticed by now, quite a few of the stops are in nations where temples have been announced, and perhaps part of the time during that tour may involve looking at prospective temple locations. This tour will allow the leaders to meet with members and missionaries in all of these cities. And again, we see President Nelson planning a trip at somewhat of a breakneck speed. This may be the first of two or perhaps even three legs of his Global Ministry Tour this year.
The Newsroom release to which I shared a link above notes more specific details, which are well worthy of your time. The Newsroom will be carrying full reports on this tour as the stops are observed, and I will be carrying that coverage here on this blog as well. We are blessed to have a prophet who is healthy enough to travel extensively, and we continue to see him stopping at home between trips just long enough to recover, retrieve another apostolic companion, and head out again. And the fact that he is continuing to do so as his 95th birthday draws ever closer is amazing and outstanding.
I guess I should also mention that just because the next official leg of that ongoing Global Ministry Tour will take place in May, that doesn't mean he won't be making other stops elsewhere as time and circumstances allow in the interim. There is still no word as to who might be presiding over the dedication of the Kinshasa DR Congo Temple this weekend, so he could oversee that personally, or delegate that assignment to either of his counselors or one of the senior members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
For my part, I will continue to monitor all Church news and temple developments and will bring you all word of such news as I receive it. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. 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.
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