Tuesday, August 6, 2019
Tribute to Elder Gary E. Stevenson on His 64th Birthday
Hello again, everyone! As we are now just over an hour into August 6, I wanted to go ahead and post a tribute to Elder Gary E. Stevenson, who is marking his 64th birthday today. Let's dive right into that. Gary Evan Stevenson was born in Ogden, Utah in 1955 to Evan and Jean Stevenson. He grew up in the Cache Valley. He served full-time in the Japan Fukuoka Mission, after which he continued his secondary education at Utah State University's Jon M. Huntsman School of Business. During the course of his studies there, he met Lesa Jean Higley, whom he later married in the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple, and with whom he would raise four sons. He spent his professional career working as the COO of ICON Health & Fitness, and served on both the Marriott School of Management Advisory Council and also the USU Foundation Board.
In the Church, he has served as a bishop and a stake president's counselor. He went on to serve between 2004 and 2007 as the president of the Japan Nagoya Mission. Less than a year after his return, he was among the first general authority seventies called during President Thomas S. Monson's prophetic administration in April 2008. In August of that same year, he was called to serve as First Counselor in the Asia North Area Presidency. The following year, he became the president of that same area, and he served in that assignment until April 2012, at which point, he was released as a General Authority Seventy and sustained as the Church's 14th Presiding Bishop.
In October 2015, with three vacancies in the apostleship due to the deaths of President Boyd K. Packer and Elders L. Tom Perry and Richard G. Scott, Elder Stevenson was unexpectedly summoned to meet with the First Presidency. He related that he felt sure that he was being notified that one of his counselors (Bishops Gerald Causse or Dean M. Davies) were being called to the apostleship. He was stunned when the apostolic call was instead extended to him. He was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on October 3, 2015, and was ordained an apostle on October 8, then released as Presiding Bishop one day later. Elders Ronald A. Rasband and Dale G. Renlund, whom he sits between, were called to fill the other two apostolic vacancies, and shared the same sustaining and ordination dates. Although he was the youngest of the three at that time, in a somewhat unusual move, he was called, sustained, and ordained as the senior apostle to Elder Renlund, who is just shy of 3 years older than Elder Stevenson is. Typically, when more than one apostle is ordained at the same time, the oldest one is ordained first. But the last time 3 apostles were called simulatenously was in 1906, at which point, the order in which the 3 (George F. Richards, Orson F. Whitney, and David O. McKay) were called differed from their chronological age order (Orson F. Whitney, George F. Richards, and David O. McKay).
At the age of 60, Elder Stevenson was the youngest man called to the apostleship since Elder David A. Bednar (who was 52 at the time of his October 2004 apostolic call). He would retain his status as the youngest currently-serving apostle until the April 2018 call of Elder Ulisses Soares, who was 59 at the time of his call.
In October 2015, with three vacancies in the apostleship due to the deaths of President Boyd K. Packer and Elders L. Tom Perry and Richard G. Scott, Elder Stevenson was unexpectedly summoned to meet with the First Presidency. He related that he felt sure that he was being notified that one of his counselors (Bishops Gerald Causse or Dean M. Davies) were being called to the apostleship. He was stunned when the apostolic call was instead extended to him. He was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on October 3, 2015, and was ordained an apostle on October 8, then released as Presiding Bishop one day later. Elders Ronald A. Rasband and Dale G. Renlund, whom he sits between, were called to fill the other two apostolic vacancies, and shared the same sustaining and ordination dates. Although he was the youngest of the three at that time, in a somewhat unusual move, he was called, sustained, and ordained as the senior apostle to Elder Renlund, who is just shy of 3 years older than Elder Stevenson is. Typically, when more than one apostle is ordained at the same time, the oldest one is ordained first. But the last time 3 apostles were called simulatenously was in 1906, at which point, the order in which the 3 (George F. Richards, Orson F. Whitney, and David O. McKay) were called differed from their chronological age order (Orson F. Whitney, George F. Richards, and David O. McKay).
At the age of 60, Elder Stevenson was the youngest man called to the apostleship since Elder David A. Bednar (who was 52 at the time of his October 2004 apostolic call). He would retain his status as the youngest currently-serving apostle until the April 2018 call of Elder Ulisses Soares, who was 59 at the time of his call.
With the apostolic calls of Elders Gerrit W. Gong and Ulisses Soares in April 2018, Elder Stevenson is now the 9th in seniority in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the 12th in seniority among all current apostles. In terms of his age, he is the second-youngest among both the Quorum of the Twelve and the apostles overall. In his 11 years of service as a general authority, he has given 11 addresses in General Conference (1 as a General Authority Seventy, 2 as Presiding Bishop, and 8 since his call to the apostleship). All of these addresses, covering a wide variety of topics, are well worthy of your time, attention and review.
I gratefully sustain Elder Stevenson as a prophet, seer, and revelator, and appreciate this opportunity to post this tribute to him for his birthday. I similarly greatly admire and sustain each and every one of the other apostles in their God-given roles and responsibilities, and I am grateful to them for giving their time and talents to build up the kingdom of God, and to go wherever they are sent, bearing witness of the Savior at all times and in all circumstances. I share my witness that these men are called of God, and that we will be blessed as we give heed to their words. That does it for now. 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 gratefully sustain Elder Stevenson as a prophet, seer, and revelator, and appreciate this opportunity to post this tribute to him for his birthday. I similarly greatly admire and sustain each and every one of the other apostles in their God-given roles and responsibilities, and I am grateful to them for giving their time and talents to build up the kingdom of God, and to go wherever they are sent, bearing witness of the Savior at all times and in all circumstances. I share my witness that these men are called of God, and that we will be blessed as we give heed to their words. That does it for now. 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.
Sunday, August 4, 2019
Current Apostolic Statistics: Part Two—Updated Ages, Averages & Apostolic Nonagenarians
Hello again, everyone! I am back again now with the second part of this apostolic statistical update, in which we will move on to talk specifics regarding the long-form and decimal ages of our current apostles, which will also include updated information on the average ages of the First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the 15 apostles as a group, and current and future nonagenarians. So let’s get right into all of that. Again, all data is current as of today (Sunday August 4). There have been no apostolic birthdays since my last update (which was published here on Sunday June 16).
And given the planned timing for my next update (which I will be publishing here on Sunday September 22), a total of five apostles will be observing their birthdays before that update is published. Elder Gary E. Stevenson will celebrate his 64th on Tuesday August 6, followed on Friday August 9 by Elder Neil L. Andersen’s 68th, and President Dallin H. Oaks will mark his 87th birthday on Monday August 12. The remaining two apostles will have back-to-back birthdays in September, with Elder Quentin L. Cook observing his 79th on Sunday September 8, and the 95th birthday of our beloved prophet, President Russell M. Nelson following on Monday September 9. During my planned September 22 update for this information, I will outline the details of the next 3 apostolic birthdays (which will be observed in October and November).
Having noted that, we now move on to some exact figures about the ages and average ages of the First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and all 15 apostles as a group. In the Church’s leading Quorum, President Nelson is, as noted towards the end of my previous post, 94 years, 10 months, and 26 days old, with a resulting decimal age of 94.90 years. First Counselor President Oaks (whose birthday will be observed 8 days from now) is 86 years, 11 months, and 23 days old, or 86.98 years. President Eyring, as the junior member of the First Presidency, is now 86 years, 2 months, and 4 days old, which is 86.18 in decimal years.
The First Presidency thus now has a combined 268.06 years of life experience, which results in an average age for each man of 89.35 years. President Nelson remains 5.55 years older than that average, with President Oaks closest to it (he is now 2.37 years younger than that average), which means that President Eyring, at 0.8 years younger than President Oaks, is now 3.17 years below it. Unless there is something of which we are not aware in relation to the health of any of these Brethren, they will continue to set new records for the oldest-serving First Presidency in Church history for the foreseeable future.
Next, let’s turn our attention to the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. President Ballard’s long-form age now sits at 90 years, 9 months, and 27 days, or 90.82 years. Elder Holland now has a long-form age of 78 years, 8 months, and 1 day, with a resulting 78.67 decimal years. Elder Uchtdorf (who is just 4 weeks older than his senior current apostolic seatmate) is now 78 years, 8 months, and 29 days old, which works out to 78.74 years. Elder Bednar has now reached the full age of 67 years, 1 months, and 20 days, which works out to 67.14 decimal years.
Leading off the second third of that Quorum is Elder Cook, who is also the oldest but least senior of the 3 apostles born in 1940. His long-form age is 78 years, 10 months, and 27 days old, with a resulting decimal age of 78.90 years. Elder Christofferson has now reached the age of 74 years, 6 months and 11 days, making his decimal age 74.53 years. Elder Andersen, whose birthday will be observed 5 days from now, is 67 years, 11 months, and 26 days old, and his decimal age is 67.99 years. And, as of today, Elder Rasband is 68 years, 5 months, and 29 days old, or 68.49 decimal years.
As for the final third of the Quorum, Elder Stevenson, who is 4.5 years to the day younger than Elder Rasband and has a birthday now just 2 days away, has a long-form age of 63 years, 11 months, and 29 days, with a decimal age of 63.99 years. Elder Renlund is now 66 years, 8 months, and 22 days old, with a resulting decimal age of 66.72 years. Elder Gong’s long-form age is 65 years, 7 moths, and 12 days old, which works out to 65.61 decimal years. As for Elder Soares, he is now 60 years, 10 months, and 2 days old, with a resulting decimal age of 60.84 years.
Based on those numbers, the current members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles now have a combined 862.44 years of life experience, which results in an average of 71.87 years per member. Elders Christofferson and Rasband remain respectively above and below that average. Elder Christofferson is now 2.66 years older, while Elder Rasband remains 3.38 years below it. With the information I presented earlier about the First Presidency, the 15 apostles as a group now have a combined 1,130.5 years of life experience, which is an average of 75.37 years. As noted previously, Elder Holland remains 3.3 years older than that average, while Elder Christofferson is 0.84 years younger than that average. Those averages remain the same, but I may have been off by 0.04 decimal points when I last spoke of Elder Christofferson being below that average, for which, if true, I sincerely apologize.
We now move on to the apostolic nonagenarians. As I mentioned in a previous post, President Nelson has moved up into the 6th spot on that list, passing Ezra Taft Benson in early July, and he will not move up thereon again until late August of next year. In the meantime, on the final day of July, President Ballard’s lifespan matched that of President Boyd K. Packer, making President Ballard the 14th oldest apostle in Church history. President Ballard will move up two more spots on that list before President Nelson moves up to his next spot. In the meantime, among the other apostles, President Oaks will join the nonagenarian list in 3 years and 8 days, while Elder Soares will do so in 29 years, 1 month, and 28 days, with the other apostles doing so at other various intervals, which will be detailed more fully as they approach.
I hope that many of you found this information to be interesting, informative, and accurate. That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such feedback is in compliance 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.
And given the planned timing for my next update (which I will be publishing here on Sunday September 22), a total of five apostles will be observing their birthdays before that update is published. Elder Gary E. Stevenson will celebrate his 64th on Tuesday August 6, followed on Friday August 9 by Elder Neil L. Andersen’s 68th, and President Dallin H. Oaks will mark his 87th birthday on Monday August 12. The remaining two apostles will have back-to-back birthdays in September, with Elder Quentin L. Cook observing his 79th on Sunday September 8, and the 95th birthday of our beloved prophet, President Russell M. Nelson following on Monday September 9. During my planned September 22 update for this information, I will outline the details of the next 3 apostolic birthdays (which will be observed in October and November).
Having noted that, we now move on to some exact figures about the ages and average ages of the First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and all 15 apostles as a group. In the Church’s leading Quorum, President Nelson is, as noted towards the end of my previous post, 94 years, 10 months, and 26 days old, with a resulting decimal age of 94.90 years. First Counselor President Oaks (whose birthday will be observed 8 days from now) is 86 years, 11 months, and 23 days old, or 86.98 years. President Eyring, as the junior member of the First Presidency, is now 86 years, 2 months, and 4 days old, which is 86.18 in decimal years.
The First Presidency thus now has a combined 268.06 years of life experience, which results in an average age for each man of 89.35 years. President Nelson remains 5.55 years older than that average, with President Oaks closest to it (he is now 2.37 years younger than that average), which means that President Eyring, at 0.8 years younger than President Oaks, is now 3.17 years below it. Unless there is something of which we are not aware in relation to the health of any of these Brethren, they will continue to set new records for the oldest-serving First Presidency in Church history for the foreseeable future.
Next, let’s turn our attention to the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. President Ballard’s long-form age now sits at 90 years, 9 months, and 27 days, or 90.82 years. Elder Holland now has a long-form age of 78 years, 8 months, and 1 day, with a resulting 78.67 decimal years. Elder Uchtdorf (who is just 4 weeks older than his senior current apostolic seatmate) is now 78 years, 8 months, and 29 days old, which works out to 78.74 years. Elder Bednar has now reached the full age of 67 years, 1 months, and 20 days, which works out to 67.14 decimal years.
Leading off the second third of that Quorum is Elder Cook, who is also the oldest but least senior of the 3 apostles born in 1940. His long-form age is 78 years, 10 months, and 27 days old, with a resulting decimal age of 78.90 years. Elder Christofferson has now reached the age of 74 years, 6 months and 11 days, making his decimal age 74.53 years. Elder Andersen, whose birthday will be observed 5 days from now, is 67 years, 11 months, and 26 days old, and his decimal age is 67.99 years. And, as of today, Elder Rasband is 68 years, 5 months, and 29 days old, or 68.49 decimal years.
As for the final third of the Quorum, Elder Stevenson, who is 4.5 years to the day younger than Elder Rasband and has a birthday now just 2 days away, has a long-form age of 63 years, 11 months, and 29 days, with a decimal age of 63.99 years. Elder Renlund is now 66 years, 8 months, and 22 days old, with a resulting decimal age of 66.72 years. Elder Gong’s long-form age is 65 years, 7 moths, and 12 days old, which works out to 65.61 decimal years. As for Elder Soares, he is now 60 years, 10 months, and 2 days old, with a resulting decimal age of 60.84 years.
Based on those numbers, the current members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles now have a combined 862.44 years of life experience, which results in an average of 71.87 years per member. Elders Christofferson and Rasband remain respectively above and below that average. Elder Christofferson is now 2.66 years older, while Elder Rasband remains 3.38 years below it. With the information I presented earlier about the First Presidency, the 15 apostles as a group now have a combined 1,130.5 years of life experience, which is an average of 75.37 years. As noted previously, Elder Holland remains 3.3 years older than that average, while Elder Christofferson is 0.84 years younger than that average. Those averages remain the same, but I may have been off by 0.04 decimal points when I last spoke of Elder Christofferson being below that average, for which, if true, I sincerely apologize.
We now move on to the apostolic nonagenarians. As I mentioned in a previous post, President Nelson has moved up into the 6th spot on that list, passing Ezra Taft Benson in early July, and he will not move up thereon again until late August of next year. In the meantime, on the final day of July, President Ballard’s lifespan matched that of President Boyd K. Packer, making President Ballard the 14th oldest apostle in Church history. President Ballard will move up two more spots on that list before President Nelson moves up to his next spot. In the meantime, among the other apostles, President Oaks will join the nonagenarian list in 3 years and 8 days, while Elder Soares will do so in 29 years, 1 month, and 28 days, with the other apostles doing so at other various intervals, which will be detailed more fully as they approach.
I hope that many of you found this information to be interesting, informative, and accurate. That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such feedback is in compliance 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.
Current Apostolic Statistics: Part One—Updated Data for President Oaks, President Nelson, and Longest-Serving Apostolic Groups
Hello again, everyone! While I continue to welcome comments on any previous posts (particularly any feedback you have on the revised list of locations in which I have felt a temple could be announced), it is time once again to bring you all updated information on the latest apostolic statistics. This data will again be published in two posts. Again, all data is current as of today (Sunday August 4, 2019). As always, it is my sincere hope that most of you will find this information interesting and enlightening. With that said, I am fully aware that some of you may not be interested in this update. Consequently, I will not in any way be offended or bothered if any of you skip over this post and the next one.
This first post, as has been the case for previous updates, will address President Dallin H. Oaks’ tenure as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, then shift to explore where Church President Russell M. Nelson currently stands in terms of his age and tenure length among his prophetic predecessors. That will be followed by some observations about the tenure lengths of our current First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and all currently-living ordained apostles as a group. The more specific data about upcoming apostolic birthdays, the long-form and decimal ages of our 15 current apostles, and details about current and future apostolic nonagenarians will then follow in a second post, which will be published a few minutes after this one is.
My last such update was posted on Sunday June 16, and my next update will be coming on Sunday September 22. There is a lot to get to, so let’s jump right in. President Oaks has now served as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for a period of 1 year, 6 months, and 21 days. As I previously mentioned. President Oaks has moved up two spots on the list of the longest-serving Quorum Presidents, where he is now the 22nd longest-serving Quorum President. His next three milestones as such, as I mentioned in my last such update, will be observed consecutively, with one each in November and December 2019, and one more in January 2020. So it won’t be until my planned November 10 update that I will detail more particulars regarding those milestones.
Turning now to President Nelson, who was ordained and set apart as Church President on the same day he set apart President Oaks as President of the Quorum of the Twelve, his prophetic tenure has spanned 1 year, 6 months, and 21 days as well. He is also now 94 years, 10 months, and 26 days old. In my aforementioned post covering July apostolic milestones, I mentioned that President Nelson was set to observe his only prophetic age and tenure milestones two days apart. President Nelson is thus now the 15th longest-serving Church President, and also the 4th oldest-living Church President. He will not be moving up on either list until next summer.
In the meantime, as also noted previously, I have been keeping lists of the longest-continuously serving First Presidencies, Quorums of the Twelve Apostles, and apostolic groups as a whole. Those lists include 13 of each of those groups that have served together for the longest continuous periods of time. The current First Presidency will only be joining the list of other First Presidencies on Saturday April 20, 2024, so I will be outlining their future milestones on that list closer to the time. As for the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the current members will mark 3 years together on March 31, 2021, at which point they will join the list of the longest-serving Quorums of the Twelve Apostles in Church history. I will likewise be providing updates on those future milestones closer to that time.
Interestingly enough, less than two months prior to that, the 15 apostles will make the list of the longest-serving such group (the exact date is February 8, 2021). With that said, I want to conclude this portion of the update. That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such feedback is in compliance 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.
This first post, as has been the case for previous updates, will address President Dallin H. Oaks’ tenure as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, then shift to explore where Church President Russell M. Nelson currently stands in terms of his age and tenure length among his prophetic predecessors. That will be followed by some observations about the tenure lengths of our current First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and all currently-living ordained apostles as a group. The more specific data about upcoming apostolic birthdays, the long-form and decimal ages of our 15 current apostles, and details about current and future apostolic nonagenarians will then follow in a second post, which will be published a few minutes after this one is.
My last such update was posted on Sunday June 16, and my next update will be coming on Sunday September 22. There is a lot to get to, so let’s jump right in. President Oaks has now served as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for a period of 1 year, 6 months, and 21 days. As I previously mentioned. President Oaks has moved up two spots on the list of the longest-serving Quorum Presidents, where he is now the 22nd longest-serving Quorum President. His next three milestones as such, as I mentioned in my last such update, will be observed consecutively, with one each in November and December 2019, and one more in January 2020. So it won’t be until my planned November 10 update that I will detail more particulars regarding those milestones.
Turning now to President Nelson, who was ordained and set apart as Church President on the same day he set apart President Oaks as President of the Quorum of the Twelve, his prophetic tenure has spanned 1 year, 6 months, and 21 days as well. He is also now 94 years, 10 months, and 26 days old. In my aforementioned post covering July apostolic milestones, I mentioned that President Nelson was set to observe his only prophetic age and tenure milestones two days apart. President Nelson is thus now the 15th longest-serving Church President, and also the 4th oldest-living Church President. He will not be moving up on either list until next summer.
In the meantime, as also noted previously, I have been keeping lists of the longest-continuously serving First Presidencies, Quorums of the Twelve Apostles, and apostolic groups as a whole. Those lists include 13 of each of those groups that have served together for the longest continuous periods of time. The current First Presidency will only be joining the list of other First Presidencies on Saturday April 20, 2024, so I will be outlining their future milestones on that list closer to the time. As for the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the current members will mark 3 years together on March 31, 2021, at which point they will join the list of the longest-serving Quorums of the Twelve Apostles in Church history. I will likewise be providing updates on those future milestones closer to that time.
Interestingly enough, less than two months prior to that, the 15 apostles will make the list of the longest-serving such group (the exact date is February 8, 2021). With that said, I want to conclude this portion of the update. That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such feedback is in compliance 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.
Friday, August 2, 2019
BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Groundbreaking Ceremony Confirmed for the Belem Brazil Temple; Artist's Rendering Released
Hello again, everyone! With the planned groundbreaking for the Belem Brazil Temple set for Saturday August 17 (15 days from now), I have been anxiously awaiting confirmation on the arrangements and the release of the artist's rendering. The wait is finally over. The First Presidency has today confirmed those arrangements, and released the rendering for that temple. From that released information, I cannot tell exactly how big the temple might be, but I imagine on the day of the groundbreaking, if not before, those specifics will be provided.
And barring anything unexpected, I would anticipate that construction of the temple will take between 2-3 years to complete. So I'd like to offer late 2021-early 2022 as a preliminary general estimate for that temple's completion. Based on what all we learn about the temple between now and that groundbreaking, or on the day of the groundbreaking itself, there may be a need to adjust that estimate. If that was the only temple news I had to share today, I'd be content enough therewith.
But there are a few other updates on additional temples which I wanted to share as well, so let's get right into those. At the Pocatello Idaho Temple, while the work of pouring the temple's foundation and footings continues, decorative concrete blocks have arrived on-site for the retaining walls around the temple. If the work on the Pocatello Idaho Temple continues at the same pace it has lately progressed, then I think it very likely that the temple's general completion estimate might be pushed up from late 2021-early 2022 to mid-to-late 2021. But time will tell.
In addition to these developments, early this morning, I was also advised that the Church had purchased land in Moses Lake Washington that may be used for the temple announced in that city by President Nelson last April. Of course, nothing is official in that respect until an announcement from the First Presidency confirms it, but it is an interesting tidbit. And given that a new stake center has been built to house the Okinawa Japan Stake, some speculation points to the idea that the land on which the former stake center sat could potentially be used for the temple in that city. But I have nothing more than speculation on that at this time,which is something someone else suggested, not my own idea.
Either way, if nothing else, I anticipate that at least 2 other temples might possibly also have a groundbreaking between now and the weekend of the October General Conference, but I have nothing more than my own theories in that respect at this time, and nothing more definitive for the moment. Rest assured, however, that I will continue to monitor all Church news and temple developments, and will do my best to pass word of those along to you all as I become aware of it.
That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such feedback is in compliance 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.
And barring anything unexpected, I would anticipate that construction of the temple will take between 2-3 years to complete. So I'd like to offer late 2021-early 2022 as a preliminary general estimate for that temple's completion. Based on what all we learn about the temple between now and that groundbreaking, or on the day of the groundbreaking itself, there may be a need to adjust that estimate. If that was the only temple news I had to share today, I'd be content enough therewith.
But there are a few other updates on additional temples which I wanted to share as well, so let's get right into those. At the Pocatello Idaho Temple, while the work of pouring the temple's foundation and footings continues, decorative concrete blocks have arrived on-site for the retaining walls around the temple. If the work on the Pocatello Idaho Temple continues at the same pace it has lately progressed, then I think it very likely that the temple's general completion estimate might be pushed up from late 2021-early 2022 to mid-to-late 2021. But time will tell.
In addition to these developments, early this morning, I was also advised that the Church had purchased land in Moses Lake Washington that may be used for the temple announced in that city by President Nelson last April. Of course, nothing is official in that respect until an announcement from the First Presidency confirms it, but it is an interesting tidbit. And given that a new stake center has been built to house the Okinawa Japan Stake, some speculation points to the idea that the land on which the former stake center sat could potentially be used for the temple in that city. But I have nothing more than speculation on that at this time,which is something someone else suggested, not my own idea.
Either way, if nothing else, I anticipate that at least 2 other temples might possibly also have a groundbreaking between now and the weekend of the October General Conference, but I have nothing more than my own theories in that respect at this time, and nothing more definitive for the moment. Rest assured, however, that I will continue to monitor all Church news and temple developments, and will do my best to pass word of those along to you all as I become aware of it.
That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such feedback is in compliance 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, July 31, 2019
Latest Apostolic Milestone Observed; Upcoming Developments Which Will Be Reported on This Blog
Hello again, everyone! On this last day of July, I would be remiss indeed if I did not focus a new post on upcoming developments which will be a focus of future coverage on this blog. So let's go over those. The highlights will include 3 apostolic birthdays, the beginning of one temple open house, the end of that open house coinciding with the day of the next temple groundbreaking ceremony and the beginning of another open house, and the end of that same open house.
Before we talk specifics about that information, I would also be remiss if I did not note that today, the next apostolic milestone is being marked. As of today, the lifespan of President M. Russell Ballard matches that of President Boyd K. Packer. Barring anything unexpected, President Ballard will still be very much alive tomorrow, so I have moved him ahead of President Packer on the list of apostolic nonagenarians. President Ballard now thus ranks as the 14th oldest apostle overall. His next milestones on that list will be observed roughly three weeks apart in late March and mid-April of next year.
With that sidenote out of the way, let's talk specifics about what will be upcoming. First, I wanted to note that some of these developments will be the focus of new posts on this blog, while others will be merely mentioned in the comments on existing blog posts. I can say that I am planning new posts for the latest apostolic milestone update (a two-part series on that subject will be published on this blog this upcoming Sunday, August 4).
Next, I also intend to provide posts in tribute to the 3 apostles who will have birthdays in August. Two days after my aforementioned apostolic update (on Tuesday August 6), Elder Gary E. Stevenson will be observing his 64th birthday. Just three days later (on Friday August 9), Elder Neil L. Andersen is set to mark his 68th birthday. And three days after that (on Monday August 12), the final August apostolic birthday will be observed: President Dallin H. Oaks' 87th.
In addition to these developments, several temple milestones will be observed as well. On Thursday August 8, the open house for the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple will begin. The conclusion of that open house on Saturday August 17 will coincide with two other temple events: the beginning of the open house for the Lisbon Portugal Temple (which will end two weeks later on Saturday August 31) and the groundbreaking for the Belem Brazil Temple.
Regarding the Belem Brazil Temple, with that groundbreaking being 2.5 weeks away, I am more than slightly surprised that we have not yet seen an official acknowledgement of any kind from the Church about this event, nor a release of its' artist's rendering or any indication of how long construction is anticipated to last. It could be that the last two elements may be detailed more fully by Elder Aidukaitis as part of the groundbreaking ceremony itself.
While I may only give a passing mention of the open house developments for the Haiti and Portugal Temple open houses, as coverage is made available, I will be sharing analysis of the Belem Brazil Temple groundbreaking. So just with these developments alone, I will be busy providing content for this blog. But I also intend to cover all Church news and other temple developments, either through new posts or through comments on existing posts.
I wanted to note in relation to that temple that new information indicates that the site is being cleared, and that surveyors are staking the site in preparation for that event. Based on the photographs of the process of the site staking, it appears that the Belem Brazil Temple might be slightly larger than I originally thought, which may impact how long the construction process for that temple might take. It was also recently noted that a choir is conducting practice sessions in preparation for their involvement in the groundbreaking ceremony for this temple.
That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such feedback is in compliance 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.
Before we talk specifics about that information, I would also be remiss if I did not note that today, the next apostolic milestone is being marked. As of today, the lifespan of President M. Russell Ballard matches that of President Boyd K. Packer. Barring anything unexpected, President Ballard will still be very much alive tomorrow, so I have moved him ahead of President Packer on the list of apostolic nonagenarians. President Ballard now thus ranks as the 14th oldest apostle overall. His next milestones on that list will be observed roughly three weeks apart in late March and mid-April of next year.
With that sidenote out of the way, let's talk specifics about what will be upcoming. First, I wanted to note that some of these developments will be the focus of new posts on this blog, while others will be merely mentioned in the comments on existing blog posts. I can say that I am planning new posts for the latest apostolic milestone update (a two-part series on that subject will be published on this blog this upcoming Sunday, August 4).
Next, I also intend to provide posts in tribute to the 3 apostles who will have birthdays in August. Two days after my aforementioned apostolic update (on Tuesday August 6), Elder Gary E. Stevenson will be observing his 64th birthday. Just three days later (on Friday August 9), Elder Neil L. Andersen is set to mark his 68th birthday. And three days after that (on Monday August 12), the final August apostolic birthday will be observed: President Dallin H. Oaks' 87th.
In addition to these developments, several temple milestones will be observed as well. On Thursday August 8, the open house for the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple will begin. The conclusion of that open house on Saturday August 17 will coincide with two other temple events: the beginning of the open house for the Lisbon Portugal Temple (which will end two weeks later on Saturday August 31) and the groundbreaking for the Belem Brazil Temple.
Regarding the Belem Brazil Temple, with that groundbreaking being 2.5 weeks away, I am more than slightly surprised that we have not yet seen an official acknowledgement of any kind from the Church about this event, nor a release of its' artist's rendering or any indication of how long construction is anticipated to last. It could be that the last two elements may be detailed more fully by Elder Aidukaitis as part of the groundbreaking ceremony itself.
While I may only give a passing mention of the open house developments for the Haiti and Portugal Temple open houses, as coverage is made available, I will be sharing analysis of the Belem Brazil Temple groundbreaking. So just with these developments alone, I will be busy providing content for this blog. But I also intend to cover all Church news and other temple developments, either through new posts or through comments on existing posts.
I wanted to note in relation to that temple that new information indicates that the site is being cleared, and that surveyors are staking the site in preparation for that event. Based on the photographs of the process of the site staking, it appears that the Belem Brazil Temple might be slightly larger than I originally thought, which may impact how long the construction process for that temple might take. It was also recently noted that a choir is conducting practice sessions in preparation for their involvement in the groundbreaking ceremony for this temple.
That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such feedback is in compliance 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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)