My Compiled List of Changes in Area Leadership Which Were Announced For 2019

Hello again, everyone! While I am still working on my analysis of the area leadership assignments which were announced yesterday by the First Presidency (which I hope to be able to publish here within the next two days or so), and while I am also hard at work on the apostoic statistical update which will be posted in two parts at soe point within the next 27 hours (but hopefully less than that if all goes well), for now, I wanted to post my compiled list of what has changed (which includes for the first time the names of those for whom there is not change in assignment this go-round).

Some of you may be wondering why I am posting the list now and am planning on posting my analysis of those changes later. I am doing so because I hope that will enable some thoughtful discussion here about those changes while I put togethe more thorough analysis of them. And I have also felt that the nature of some of these changes warranted some additional analysis due to their nature. When that analysis is posted, I hope it will be evident why I felt a need to do both separately.

In the meantime, the list of changes, which speaks for itself for now, follows below. In order to not disturb the flow thereof, I will end here and now as I always do: 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.

Changes in Area Leadership (effective August 1, 2019)

North American Areas merged: Idaho and North America Central (into the North America Central Area); North America Northwest and North America West (into the North America West Area); Utah North, Utah Salt Lake City, and Utah South (into the Utah Area)

Note: For the first time this go-round, a 3-man area presidency was called to have oversight of the Middle East/Africa North Area (where previously, there were just 2, a Senior and Junior Administrator).

Marcos A. Aidukaitis continues to serve as President of the Brazil Area.

Jose L. Alonso released as First Counselor and called as President of the Caribbean Area.

Jorge M. Alvarado called as Second Counselor in the Caribbean Area.

Wilford W. Andersen released as President of the Idaho/North America Central Area and as Junior Administrator of the Middle East/Africa North Area.

Ian S. Ardern released as First Counselor and called as President of the Pacific Area.

Steven R. Bangerter called as Second Counselor in the Philippines Area.

W. Mark Bassett released as First Counselor in the Brazil Area.

Randall K. Bennett continues to serve as President of the North America Northeast Area.

Hans T. Boom called as First Counselor in the Europe East Area Presidency.

Shayne M. Bowen released as First Counselor in the North America Southeast area.

Mark A. Bragg continues to serve as First Counselor in the South America South Area,

L. Todd Budge called as Second Counselor in the Asia North Area.

Matthew L. Carpenter called as Second Counselor in the North America Central Area.

Yoon Hwan Choi continues to serve as President of the Asia North Area.

Craig C. Christensen continues to serve as President of the Utah Area.

Valeri V. Cordon released as Second Counselor in the Central America Area.

Claudio R. M. Costa released as President of the North America Southeast Area.

Joaquin E. Costa called as Second Counselor in the Brazil Area.

LeGrand R. Curtis Jr. released as First Counselor in the Utah Area.

Massimo De Feo released as Second Counselor and called as First Counselor in the Europe Area.

Benjamin De Hoyos continues to serve as President of the South America South Area.

Edward Dube continues to serve as First Counselor in the Africa West Area (as announced in mid-October 2018).

David F. Evans continues to serve as President of the Asia Area.

Enrique R. Falabella continues to serve as President of the South America Northwest Area. Randy D. Funk released as Second Counselor and called as First Counselor in the Utah Area.

Eduardo Gavarret released as Second Counselor and called as First Counselor in the Caribbean Area.

Christoffel Golden Jr. released as First Counselor and called as President of the Europe East Area.

Walter F. Gonzalez released as President of the Caribbean Area and called as Second Counselor in the Utah Area.

O. Vincent Haleck released as President of the Pacific Area.

Kevin S. Hamilton released as First Counselor in the North America Northeast Area.

Allen D. Haynie released as Second Counselor and called as First Counselor in the North America Northeast Area.

Mathias Held continues to serve as Second Counselor in the South America Northwest Area.

David P. Homer continues to serve as Second Counselor in the Asia Area.

Paul V. Johnson released as President of the Europe Area.

Larry S. Kacher called as First Counselor in the Middle East/Africa North Area.

Jörg Klebingat continues to serve as Second Counselor in the North America West Area (formerly the North America Northwest/West Area).

Joni L. Koch continues to serve as Second Counselor in the Africa Southeast Area.

Erich W. Kopischke called as Second Counselor in the Europe Area.

Hugo E. Martinez continues to serve as Second Counselor in the Africa West Area (as announced in mid-October 2018).

James B. Martino released as President of the Europe East Area and called as President of the North America Southeast Area.

Kyle S. McKay called as Second Counselor in the North America Southwest Area.

Peter F. Meurs continues to serve as First Counselor in the Asia Area.

Hugo Montoya released as First Counselor in the South America Northwest Area and called as Second Counselor in the North America Southeast Area.

Marcus B. Nash continues to serve as President of the Africa West Area.

K. Brett Nattress released as Second Counselor and called as First Counselor in the Pacific Area.

S. Gifford Nielsen released as the First Counselor in the Idaho/North America Central Area and called as President of the North America Central Area.

Adrian Ochoa released as Second Counselor and called as First Counselor in the North America Southwest Area.

S. Mark Palmer continues to serve as President of the Africa Southeast Area.

Adilson de Paula Parrella released as Second Counselor and called as First Counselor in the Brazil Area.

Kevin W. Pearson continues to serve as President of the North America West Area (formerly the North America Northwest/West Area).

Anthony D. Perkins released as Senior Administrator and called as President of the Middle East/Africa North Area.

Paul B. Pieper released as First Counselor and called as President of the North America Southwest Area.

John C. Pingree Jr. continues to serve as Second Counselor in the Mexico Area.

Rafael E. Pino continues to serve as First Counselor in the Mexico Area.

Lynn G. Robbins released as President of the North America Southwest Area.

Evan A. Schmutz continues to serve as President of the Philippines Area.

Gary B. Sabin released as First Counselor and called as President of the Europe Area.

Joseph W. Sitati continues to serve as First Counselor in the Africa Southeast Area.

Vern P. Stanfill released as Second Counselor and called as First Counselor in the North America Southeast Area.

Brian K. Taylor released as Second Counselor in the Idaho/North America Central Area and called as First Counselor in the Central America Area.

Michael John U. Teh released as First Counselor in the Philippines Area.

Juan A. Uceda continues to serve as President of the Central America Area.

Arnulfo Valenzuela continues to serve as President of the Mexico Area.

Juan Pablo Villar continues to serve as Second Counselor in the South America South Area.

Takashi Wada released as Second Counselor and called as First Counselor in the Asia North Area.

Taniela B. Wakolo released as Second Counselor and called as First Counselor in the Philippines Area.

Alan R. Walker called as Second Counselor in the Central America Area.

Scott D Whiting continues to serve as First Counselor in the North America West Area (formerly the North America Northwest/West Area).

Chi Hong (Sam) Wong called as First Counselor in the North America Central Area.

Kazuhiko Yamashita released as First Counselor in the Asia North Area and called as Second Counselor in the Pacific Area.

Jorge F. Zeballos released as First Counselor in the Central America Area and called as First Counselor in the South America Northwest Area.

Note: Two area seventies will serve in area presidencies. Alexey V. Samaykin continues to serve as Second Counselor in the Europe East Area, and Jeffrey H. Singer will serve as Second Counselor in the Middle East/Africa North Area

BREAKING NEWS: First Presidency Announces 2019 Area Leadership Assignments; Consolidation of North American Areas

Hello again, everyone! The Church News just reported that the First Presidency has announced  area leadership assignments for 2019, which will be effective August 1 of this year. The major changes this year are that the Idaho and North America Central Area will be merged to become a single North America Central Area, that the North America Northwest and North America West Areas will be merged to become the North America West Area, and the Utah North, Utah Salt Lake City, and Utah South Areas areas will become a singular Utah Area.

With that noted, I wanted to note that, since the area seventies serving in Idaho have belonged to the Fifth Quorum of the Seventy, while those serving in the North America Central Area have been assigned to the Sixth Quorum of the Seventy. Since those areas will be merged, I am not sure how the composition of those two  Area Seventies Quorums may have changed based on these adjustments. At the moment, the area seventies page on the Church's official website only lists the areas which comprised the membership of each Quorum as of earlier this year. 

For some reason, the list of the members of each Qoorum has been removed. I am asssuming that is just temporary while the list is updated following the changes which were announced earlier this month in General Conference. Having noted that, I wanted to also mention that I am in the process of analyzing the newly-announced assignments and will have that posted later today. 

That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time. 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.

Dates and Days of the Week on Which the Church Has Announced Area Leadership Assignments Within the Last Decade

Hello again, everyone! While I cannot speak for anyone else here, I know I personally look forward every year to the day on which the Church announces the changes in area leadership which will be effective in August. As I have mentioned on this blog in the recent past, the timing of the announcement each year has varied and is not consistent at all in terms of on which day of the week and date they are released each year.

The release of those assignments last year the Thursday after General Conference (which coincided with the date on which Elders Gerrit W. Gong and Ulisses Soares were ordained apostles and set apart as members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles) marked the earliest that had ever happened within the last decade. With that in mind, I did some digging on the days of the week and dates on which those assignments were announced between 2009 and last year.

While some years were unpredictably early or else unpredictably late, excluding the unanticipated early release of that information last year, in 8 of the 9 remaining instances, those assignments were announced between April 29 and May 8. With that in mind, I'd anticipate that this year's assignments will be announced within the next week or two, and hopefully sooner rather than later.

Having noted that, I wanted to share the specific results of the research which led me to that conclusion. Here is that information:

Dates and Days of the Week on Which the Church Has Announced Area Leadership Assignments Within the Last Decade

Thursday April 5, 2018

Thursday May 4, 2017

Friday April 29, 2016

Friday May 8, 2015

Tuesday April 29, 2014

Wednesday May 29, 2013

Saturday May 5, 2012

Wednesday May 4, 2011

Wednesday May 5, 2010

Saturday May 2, 2009

Based on what I have heard from one or two of the sources I have available, it surely won't be long now until this year's area leadership assignments, including at least 3 area consolidations but also perhaps several additional changes, are announced. And I will carry extensive analysis on that subject ASAP after it is released by the First Presidency.

I also continue to keep my eyes open for any other major Church or temple news and will pass those updates along to you all as I learn of them. As I have also mentioned, I will be publishing my next full and complete apostolic statistical update this Sunday. And I will also be passing along my analysis of the results of my General Conference predictions and the availability and layout of the May 2019 Ensign within the next 7-10 days or so, but certainly sooner if all goes well.

In the meantime, 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.

Updated Temple Construction Progress Report: Part Four—Announced Temples

Hello again, everyone! I am back once again with the fourth and final post in which I have been sharing updated sections of my temple construction progress report. The only section left is the one for announced temples, which I share below. In order to not disturb the flow of that information, I will end here and now as I always do:

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 nelwy-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.

Announced Temples (for which more information is needed before I provide a groundbreaking estimate):

185. Nairobi Kenya Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site confirmation.

Note: The Church of Jesus Christ Temples site noted in mid-February 2019 that a site had been procured for this temple. But during President Nelson’s visit to Nairobi in April 2018, a public affairs representative had noted that this temple would be smaller, and that a dedication for it was anticipated to occur sometime in 2021. So it seems reasonable to assume that a groundbreaking could occur within the next 12 months, but hopefully sooner, if all goes well.

186. Salta Argentina Temple: Planning and approval phase; site location confirmed.

187. Mendoza Argentina Temple: Planning and approval phase; site has been confirmed.

188. Managua Nicaragua Temple: Planning and approval phase; potential site acquired; awaiting official confirmation.

189. Auckland New Zealand Temple: Planning and approval phase; potential site acquired; awaiting official confirmation.

190. Puebla Mexico Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

Note: A Church member living in Mexico reports that the area presidency is scouting that city for temple locations, and that construction could begin in the early months of 2020.

191. Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple: Planning and approval phase; potential site acquired; awaiting official confirmation.

192. Yuba City, California Temple: Planning and approval phase; potential site identified; awaiting official confirmation.

Note: A potential site has been identified (though not yet confirmed) for this temple.

193. Layton Utah Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; some prospective site locations identified.

Note: A potential site has been identified (though not yet confirmed) for this temple.

195. Bengaluru India Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

Note: President Nelson toured potential locations for the temple on April 19, 2018.

194. Belem Brazil Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

196. Washington County Utah Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official city (and site) announcement.

197. Salvador Brazil Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

198. Lagos Nigeria Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

199. Cagayan de Oro Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

200. Davao Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

201. Pago Pago American Samoa Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

202. Okinawa City Okinawa (Japan) Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

203. Neiafu Tonga Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

204. Tooele Valley Utah Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement

205. Moses Lake Washington Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

206. San Pedro Sula Honduras Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

207. Antofagasta Chile Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

208. Budapest Hungary Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

209. Russia Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official city (and site) announcement.

Updated Temple Construction Progress Report: Part Three—Temples Undergoing or Scheduled to Undergo Renovation

Hello again, everyone! I am back with the third part of my temple construction progress update. This part will include those temples which are currently undergoing renovation or are scheduled to be renovated. The information speaks for itself and follows below. In order to not disturb its' flow, I will end here and now as I always do: 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.

Preparing for private rededication:

80. Memphis Tennessee Temple: Preparing for private rededication, which is scheduled to occur on Sunday May 5, 2019.

Open house tours underway:

95. Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple: Open house tours underway (through Wednesday May 1); private rededication scheduled to occur on Sunday May 19, 2019.

Undergoing Renovation (rededication scheduled):

13. Oakland California Temple: Open house reservations available through Saturday June 1, 2019; rededication scheduled to occur on Sunday June 16, 2019.

41. Frankfurt Germany Temple: Trees and shrubs being planted; lamp-posts being installed; new staircase being cured; rededication scheduled to occur on Sunday October 20, 2019.

Undergoing Renovation (rededication anticipated within the next several years):

68. Raleigh North Carolina Temple: Installing hard landscaping elements including planter boxes and walkways; planting trees; completion estimated sometime during mid-to-late 2019.

94. Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple: Cladding of exterior walls completed; stained glass window installation underway; rededication estimated sometime during mid-to-late 2019.

112. Asuncion Paraguay Temple: Interior and exterior work underway; rededication estimated sometime during late 2019-early 2020.

18. Tokyo Japan Temple: Angel Moroni statue installed atop spire on April 17, 2019; rededication estimated sometime during early-to-mid 2020.

16. Washington D. C. Temple: Exterior wall grout and stained-glass window repair continues; working on elevators; rededication may take place sometime during mid-to-late 2020.

8. Mesa Arizona Temple: Forms set for north reflecting pool; landscaping structures being installed; tree planting progressing; rededication may take place sometime during mid-to-late 2020.

11. Hamilton New Zealand Temple: Scaffolding erected for exterior refurbishment; rededication may take place sometime during early-to-mid 2021.

Renovation scheduled:

48. Hong Kong China Temple: Scheduled to close for renovation on Monday July 8, 2019; rededication estimated in mid-to-late 2022.

1. St. George Utah Temple: Scheduled to close for renovation on Monday November 4, 2019; completion estimated in mid-to-late 2022.

4. Salt Lake Temple: Renovation plans announced on April 19, 2019; scheduled to close for renovation on Sunday December 29, 2019; rededication estimated in early-to-mid 2024.