BREAKING NEWS: Church to Create 6 New Missions (and Rename 1 Other) in 2023

Note: An original one-paragraph version of this post was published at around 11:30 AM, just after the announcement was made. Additional details and analysis in subsequent paragraphs were added during the 1:00 PM hour.

Hello again, everyone! The First Presidency has announced this morning that 6 new missions will be created next year: 5 in Africa and one in Europe. Of the 5 in Africa, 2 are in Nigeria. I will have further analysis on this here later this afternoon, and I'm sure the news will also be covered by the Church Growth Blog. For now, my thanks once again to you all, 

I am back, as promised, with the additional analysis I mentioned. While I will certainly defer to Matthew Martinich at the Church Growth Blog to provide important context on today's updates, I can provide some initial thoughts I have, for whatever they may be worth to you all here. So let's break down the details: 

The first mission, the Côte d'Ivoire Abidjan North Mission, will be created from a division of the Côte d'Ivoire Abidjan East Mission, and will also take in some areas currently pertaining to the Côte d'Ivoire Abidjan West Mission. Given the fact that 3 missions will now cover the capital city in Côte d'Ivoire, it did occur to me to wonder if this newest mission, with or without any additional missions being created, could eventually lead to a second temple in the capital city of Côte d'Ivoire. 

We now shift to Central Africa, where the Church will divide the current Democratic Republic of the Congo Mbuji-Mayi Mission to create the Democratic Republic of the Congo Kanaga Mission. Since the Church has announced plans for a temple in Kananga, the creation of this mission makes sense. That is because we have seen several recent examples of those involved in the construction of a temple for the Church being converted to the gospel in the course of being involved with such projects. So I wouldn't be shocked if the new temple there plays a vital role in expanding missionary efforts in that newest mission.

The next two missions will be based in Nigeria, with the Nigeria Aba Mission being created from a division of the Nigeria Owerri Mission. Additionally, parts of the current Nigeria Benin City and Nigeria Enugu Mission will be reassigned to the Nigeria Owerri Mission. I am a little surprised a mission was not created in Aba before now, since the temple there was dedicated 17 years ago. In addition to the Nigeria Aba Mission, the Church will also create the Nigeria Abuja Mission by dividing the current Nigeria Lagos Mission.

The announcement doesn't indicate that parts of any other Nigerian missions will be incorporated into the Nigeria Abuja Mission, but I see that as a potentially likely scenario. During a period of time when the Church has 3 temples in Nigeria in various planning stages, it's not surprising that 2 new missions will serve that nation. Additionally, I have mentioned in the recent past that, per feedback from Matthew Martinich on the Church Growth Blog, it appears likely that the Church will split Nigeria off into its' own area at some point. 

Based on these two new missions, and on the fact that the Church has called at least 1 new GA Seventy from Africa every April for the last several years, the Church could conceivably have 3 GA Seventies who are native Nigerians by either next year or the year after. Whether or not that happens, I wouldn't be shocked if the 2023 or 2024 area leadership assignments include the announcement of a new Nigeria area.

The final new mission in Africa will be the South Africa Pretoria Mission, which will be created through a division of the Botswana/Namibia and South Africa Johannesburg Missions, while also taking in parts of the South Africa Durban Mission. Since the April 2021 General Conference, when the Cape Town South Africa Temple was announced, I have felt and said that I think the next temple in South Africa will be in Pretoria, and the creation of the South Africa Pretoria Mission may certainly strengthen the case for a temple in that city.

The final mission will be located in Europe. The Hungary/Romania Mission will be renamed the Hungary Budapest Mission, and the Church will create the Romania Bucharest Mission, which may in due course lead to a new temple in Romania at some point in the near term. The one other thing I wanted to note is that all of these missions will be operative on July 1, and the announcement of new mission presidents for 2023 is anticipated in January or thereabouts. These additional missions will bring the worldwide total to 416 as of July 2023, which means that the worldwide total for the year-end 2022 is 410.

And the fact that 5 of the 6 new missions are in Africa, with 2 in Nigeria alone, indicates to me that the Church continues to expand well throughout Africa. As I've mentioned a few times in this post alone, it will be interesting to see how existing, planned, or yet-to-be-announced temples might impact missionary work going forward. Having noted all of this, I will be sure to post a note in the comments of this post when Matthew Martinich has provided his analysis, as he will have more contextual information.

I also continue to monitor all Church news updates and temple construction developments and will bring word of those to you all as I receive it. In the meantime, that does it for now. Thank you for the privilege of your time. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. 

I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Opening Arrangements Announced For Saratoga Springs Utah Temple

Note: The first paragraph of this post was published to this blog at 2:20 PM, with subsequent paragraphs added between 5:30-6:30 PM MST that same day.

Hello again, everyone! The Church has been announcing the newest major temple updates every Monday at around 2:00 PM. Today's announcement pertained to opening arrangements for the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple. I have some appointments to take care of but I will have further analysis later this evening as time and circumstances allow. For now, my thanks once again to you all.

Hello again, everyone! I am back with the additional analysis I promised this afternoon. The press is invited to tour the temple on Monday, April 10. VIP tours will follow from Tuesday, April 11-Friday, April 14. The public open house will follow between Saturday, April 15, and Saturday, July 8, with the exceptions of the Sundays of April 16, 23, and 30, May 7, 14, 21, and 28, and July 2.

President Henry B. Eyring, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, will preside over the 3 dedicatory sessions at 9:00 AM and 12:00 and 3:00 PM on Sunday, August 13, 2023. Since the scheduling of opening arrangements for larger temples like Richmond Virginia and Saratoga Springs Utah Temples are more spread out, I assume that will also likely be the case for the Bangkok Thailand Temple, which is also on the larger end of that spectrum. 

With that temple being the next to have a dedication announced, I'd anticipate it will be dedicated at some point in September, and that such an announcement is likely to occur in about two weeks since that temple has not yet been completed. And the Feather River California and Lima Peru Los Olivos Temples are also comparatively on the larger side, so the dedication of the former could be set for October and the latter for November. 

By contrast, the Bentonville Arkansas, Brasilia Brazil, Okinawa Japan, and Helena Montana Temples are on the smaller side, so as they are completed, their dedications could be set to occur between those of their larger counterparts. So it will be interesting to see how the Church balances all of that. In the meantime, I stated above that I believe that the dedication arrangements for the Bangkok Thailand Temple will be the next temple opening announced, but I think that announcement is two weeks out. 

It could also potentially be three weeks away. With that in mind, what could we expect in terms of temple announcements in late November and early December? I see a few possibilities. There are 17 temples with site locations confirmed (7 of which have had exterior renderings released), so any of those could have groundbreakings set. 

A site confirmation (whether or not the Church also releases exterior renderings and sets groundbreakings at the same time) could occur for any of the other 9 US temples announced in October of last year or in the two General Conferences of this year. And I am watching for news on 5 other temples outside the United States.

 It is also entirely possible that, for any of the other 37 announced temples, either individual or combined site confirmations, exterior renderings releases, and scheduled groundbreakings could be on the horizon in the near term as well. So I think we may have a lot to which we can look forward in the coming weeks, even if the next dedication announcement is three weeks out.

To the best of my ability, I will continue to cover all such developments, in addition to all temple construction updates and Church news reports, and to pass along word of those to you all as they cross my radar. In the meantime, that does it for now. Thank you for the privilege of your time. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines.

I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 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.

BREAKING NEWS: Latest Updates from the Presidency of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square

Hello again, everyone! I mentioned previously that, since opening arrangements were announced on Monday for the Richmond Virginia and Columbus Ohio Temples, the Church might subsequently make another announcement this week relating to opening arrangements for the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple. While we didn't get that announcement, the presidency of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square has redefined its' mission. Let's get right into the relevant details: 

In a recent meeting with Church President Russell M. Nelson, the prophet shared his vision for the Choir, as cited in the news release today: "The Church will continue to grow. It will fill the world. It will continue to bless more and more nations, tongues, and people. The Lord is hastening his work in the promised global gathering of Israel. You can be sure that the Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra, and Bells at Temple Square will be a pivotal part of that era.” 

With the goal to expand the reach of the Choir worldwide, the Choir presidency has revised the Choir's mission statement and outlined three new initiatives to extend the Choir's global reach: First, the Choir will create Spanish and Portuguese editions of the weekly "Music and the Spoken Word" broadcast, with customized visuals and graphics relating to the areas where the international broadcasts will be shown, and native speakers in both languages providing the weekly "Spoken Word" message. Editions in other languages will be created at a later date.

The Choir will utilize travel more frequently with shorter tours requiring less travel per trip, but will provide the opportunity to perform in more locations worldwide. The first of those "targeted tours" will occur between June 13 and 19 next year, where the Choir will do multiple performances in Mexico City Mexico. And thirdly, to represent more regions globally, qualified Church members in Latin America, West Africa, the Pacific, and the Philippines will have the opportunity to audition to sing with the Choir during the April 2023 General Conference.

The Choir will evaluate after that conference whether that should be a one-time thing, something done more frequently, or something that will be done in every General Conference going forward. The Choir presidency will continually seek the counsel of Church leaders and the inspiration of heaven to ascertain additional ways to expand the reach of the Choir going forward. And thus we see that the concept of a Choir presidency has been inspired by prophetic direction.

I was grateful to learn about this development and will be sure to pass along any others to you all as I become aware thereof, whether they are related to the Church in general or temples in particular.In the meantime, that does it for now. Thank you for the privilege of your time. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. 

I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Opening Dates Set For the Columbus Ohio and Richmond Virginia Temples

Hello again, everyone! Another Monday afternoon has rolled around, and the First Presidency has released another major temple construction announcement. Opening dates have been set for two temples in the United States: Columbus Ohio and Richmond Virginia. Let's break down the details: First up is information on the open house and rededication of the Columbus Ohio Temple. A media day will be held on Monday, April 24, 2023, followed by VIP tours from Tuesday-Friday April 25-28. 

The public open house will follow between Saturday, April 29, and Saturday, May 13 (excluding the Sundays of April 30 and May 7). The temple will be rededicated on Sunday, June 4 in three sessions at 9:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 3:00 PM EDT, under the direction of Acting President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

And for the Richmond Virginia Temple, the Church will hold a media day on Monday, March 20, with VIP tours between Tuesday, March 21-Friday, March 24. Public tours will be held from Saturday, March 25-Saturday, April 15, 2023, excluding the Sundays of March 26, April 9, and April 16, and General Conference weekend on Saturday and Sunday, April 1-2, 2023.

The dedication of that temple will follow on Sunday, May 7, 2023, under the direction of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, also of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in three sessions at 9:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 3:00 PM EDT. Interestingly, no youth devotionals were mentioned in today's announcement. And I also found it interesting that the announcement did not include opening arrangements for the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple. 

I was also somewhat baffled by the timing of the respective dedication and rededication of these two temples. Perhaps that indicates that all dedications will be more spread out than I have suggested. Hopefully next week, we get an announcement on the opening arrangements for the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple, whether or not that announcement is made in conjunction with any other temple updates.

I was grateful to have learned about this update and for being able to share this information with you now I am keeping my eyes open for any additional updates and will be sure to pass word of anything else along as I become aware of it. In the meantime, that does it for now. Thank you for the privilege of your time. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. 

I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 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.

Elder Dale G. Renlund Observes His 70th Birthday Today

Hello again, everyone! I am back with a post in tribute of Elder Dale G. Renlund, who, as noted, is marking his 70th birthday today. Let's get right into all of that. Elder Dale Gunnar Renlund was born to Mats Ake and Marianna Andersson, in Salt Lake City, Utah, on this day in 1952. His parents had emigrated from Finland (Mats) and Sweden (Marianna) respectively in order to be married in the temple. In view of that, Elder Renlund grew up primarily speaking Swedish. 

The fact that he did not speak English as a primary language gives him a certain degree of international appeal. In his teenage years, Elder Renlund lived with his family in Sweden while his father was a building missionary for the Church Several years later, Elder Renlud returned to Sweden, this time as a full-time missionary. Following his missionary service, Elder Renlund continued his scholastic endeavors at the University of Utah, where he earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry and his M.D.

Approximately 3 or 4 years after he concluded his missionary service, he met and married his eternal companion, Ruth Lybbert, who was the daughter of another General Authority Seventy, Merlin R. Lybbert. Elder Renlund went on to do a three-year cardiology residency and a three-year fellowship in cardiology, both at Johns Hopkins University, and served as a bishop while he did so.

During that very same period of time, his wife was earning her law degree, and Ruth also gave birth to their only child, a daughter, Ashley. At some point in 1986, Elder Renlund became a professor at the University of Utah. From 1991 to the time of his call as a General Authority Seventy in 2009, he served as the medical director of the Utah Transplantation Affiliated Hospitals Cardiac Transplant Program.

In 2000, he was also appointed the director of the Heart Failure Prevention and Treatment Program at Intermountain Health Center headquartered in Salt Lake, while his wife was working as a law partner in the firm of Dewsnup, King and Olsen. In the Church, in addition to serving as a bishop, Elder Renlund also served locally as ward Sunday School president, high councilman, and as a stake president. From 2000 to 2009, Elder Renlund served as an area seventy. 

He became a general authority seventy in April 2009, at the same conference in which Elder Neil L. Andersen was sustained as an apostle. The August after his call, Elder Renlund began serving in the Africa Southeast Area Presidency, which is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa. He concluded that service as the area president from 2011 to 2014. 

Just over a year after concluding that service (during which time he served in other general capacities at Church headquarters), he was the third man to be called to fill the three vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve in the wake of the passing of President Boyd K. Packer and Elders L. Tom Perry and Richard G. Scot (with his call occurring the same day as that of Elders Ronald A. Rasband and Gary E. Stevenson). 

Some have claimed (rightfully so, in my opinion) that since Elder Scott was the last of the three to pass away, Elder Renlund, as the last of the three new apostles called, was the one filling the apostolic vacancy occurring from the death of Elder Scott. Others may disagree on that, as is their right, but I think that is a fair statement.

Elder Renlund's apostolic call was significant for a few reasons. The calls of Elders Rasband, Stevenson, and Renlund made them the 98th, 99th, and 100th members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles called in this dispensation. There have been more men ordained as apostles, but only 102 of those men have officially served in the Quorum of the Twelve. There is another significant aspect of Elder Renlund's call.

As most of you are probably aware, at times in the past where 2 or more apostles have been called, tradition is that they will be called, sustained, and ordained according to their age, from oldest to youngest. That tradition, as has been the case a couple of times before, was slightly adjusted, as Elder Stevenson, almost three years younger than Elder Renlund, was called, sustained, and ordained as the senior apostle to Elder Renlund. That kind of thing is not in any way unprecedented, but it is a significant anomaly to note.

Given that all apostles from Elder David A. Bednar through Elder Renlund were born in the United States, some have taken issue with the Church for the perceived lack of diversity in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. But as was observed in this article, Elder Renlund's diverse background certainly qualifies him as having strong international ties and experiences. Elder Renlund has given a total of 19 addresses in General Conference, 2 of which were prior to his apostolic call (the second of which was given in the General Conference prior to the one in which he became an apostle).

Only 3 of the 15 current apostles are now under 70 years old (Stevenson, Gong, and Soares). I am grateful to have been able to offer this birthday tribute in his honor, and am also grateful for his service. I gladly sustain him and the other 14 apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators. I do continue to monitor any and all Church news and temple developments and will keep doing my level best to bring word of those to you all as I receive it.

I continue to monitor any and all Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples updates and will be sure to pass word of those along to you all as they cross my radar. In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines.

I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. Please subscribe if you liked what you read here and would like to be informed of newly added posts and comments. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

BREAKING NEWS: Church Announces Christmas Day 2022 and New Year 2023 Plans: Construction Concludes on Columbus Ohio Temple

Hello again, everyone! A few years ago, the last time Christmas Day fell on a Sunday, the First Presidency announced that only Sacrament Meeting would be held Churchwide on that day to emphasize and underscore the importance of family time. According to a First Presidency announcement made this afternoon that will be the case again this year. Based on local needs, stake and district presidents may consult with bishops and branch presidents to determine the best time to hold that service on Christmas Day. 

The announcement also notes that, since the following Sunday marks New Year's Day 2023, stake and district presidents may opt to hold Fast Sunday in January on a Sunday other than January 1. Today's announcement further indicated that any Church functions (dances or other social events) occurring on New Year's Eve should promptly end at midnight on Sunday, January 1, 2023, which is consistent with the Church's policies relating to the Sabbath Day observance.

I am grateful to have been able to find out about this announcement and to pass that along to you all here. I also continue to monitor all other Church news updates and temple developments and will be sure to pass those along to you all as I receive them. Regarding that statement, the Church Temples site noted today that the renovation of the Columbus Oho Temple has officially been completed. 

With that in mind, I think that Monday's temple announcement, whether or not anything else is announced with it, will be the reopening arrangements for that temple. If that happens, my research shows that the rededication may occur on either of the last two Sundays in March or the second Sunday of April, following General Conference weekend. Stay tuned for news on any other fronts.

In the meantime, that does it for now. Thank you for the privilege of your time. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Site Location and Preliminary Information Released for the Grand Rapids Michigan Temple

Hello again, everyone! As I've mentioned in the recent past, on Monday, between 1-3 PM here in Utah, the Church has been announcing major temple updates. Today is no exception, as the site location and preliminary information have been confirmed for the Grand Rapids Michigan Temple, yet another US temple announced last month by President Nelson. Let's break down the details:

The Grand Rapids Michigan Temple will be a single-story edifice of approximately 20,000 square feet that will be built at 2400 Forest Hill Avenue in Grand Rapids on a 10.5-acre site. Detailed plans are still being developed, and the rendering will be released and a groundbreaking scheduled (either separately or at the same time) at a later date.

Given the fact that the square footage of this temple is exactly twice the size of the modular temples in Helena Montana, Casper Wyoming, and Elko Nevada, it occurred to me to wonder if the Church might expand that modular design to this temple. If that turns out to be the plan, it will be interesting to see how the larger modular components might work. And in that case, that temple could be built in 2.75-3.25 years at the most.

It will be interesting to see what happens there. In the meantime, I have updated my document showing the status of announced temples which have not yet had any information officially confirmed. In summary of that document, of the 72 currently-announced temples, there are 50 remaining for which we do not have official information. If any of you have any questions about that document, feel free to ask them here.

While I was preparing this update, the Newsroom provided a new home page for the latest temple updates, so that will be an important resource for all of us going forward. I was grateful for this update, despite the fact that it only pertained to a single temple. I continue to monitor all other temple updates and Church news developments and will bring word of those to you all here as I receive it. In the meantime, that does it for now. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 

All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 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.

Tribute to Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf on His 82nd Birthday

Hello again, everyone! With today being November 6, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf is celebrating his 82nd birthday today. I am pleased to offer this post in tribute to him. Dieter Friedrich Uchtdorf was born to Karl Albert and Hildegard Else Opelt Uchtdorf on this day in 1940 in the city of Ostrava, which, at that time, was known as the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, but is now identified as the Czech Republic. With his family twice becoming refugees, he grew up in Germany, where his family joined the Church in 1947. 

Due to developing an early interest in airplane flying, he studied engineering, business administration, and international management, after which he joined the German Air Force in 1959, where he trained to be a fighter pilot. In 1965, he joined Lufthansa German Airlines as a pilot, working as an airline captain from 1970-1996. He held many responsible executive positions with German Airlines. He reported feeling discouraged about having to learn English, but has also described how he was able to do so.

He married Harriet Reich (whom he had met when the missionaries brought her and her family to Church while he was a young man) on December 14, 1962 ,and they both have different recollections of the details whereby they actually got together). They raised two children and now have several grandchildren, along with a few great-grandchildren. He served as a stake president before his call as a General Authority. During that time, he gave an instrumental interview to the press in which he tackled tough topics related to his faith as the Frankfurt Germany Temple prepared to open. 

He was subsequently sustained as a General Authority on April 2, 1994, and was initially assigned to the Second Quorum of the Seventy. Roughly two years later, on April 6, 1996, he was sustained to the First Quorum of the Seventy. He became a member of the Presidency of the Seventy on August 15, 2002 and was sustained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on October 2, 2004 and ordained an apostle on October 7, 2004 (becoming the eleventhth apostle born outside the United States).

On February 3, 2008, he was set apart as the Second Counselor in the First Presidency to President Thomas S. Monson. Although 12 men born outside the United States have served as apostles, he became only the sixth apostle born outside the United States to be called to serve in the First Presidency. At the time of his call to the First Presidency, he was the thirteenth in apostolic seniority. During the period of almost a decade in which he served alongside President Monson and First Counselor President Henry B. Eyring, the deaths of six apostles senior to him meant he had become the seventh in apostolic seniority. 

And with the death of President Monson occurring just three months after the death of Elder Robert D. Hales, the First Presidency was dissolved.The new Church President, Russell M. Nelson, chose as his counselors his seatmate Elder Dallin H. Oaks and President Eyring. As a result, Elder Uchtdorf returned to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. When he departed that Quorum to serve in the First Presidency, he had been the tenth most senior member of that Quorum, and he returned to it as the third in seniority, with only Acting President M. Russell Ballard and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland ahead of him. 

In recognition of his administrative capacities and capabilities, his assignments as a recently-reassigned Quorum member were those that had previously been held by the three who had been the most senior members of the Quorum prior to that time (Presidents Nelson, Oaks, and Ballard). Elder Uchtdorf has spoken frequently about ways in which Church members should consider themselves called to action. I enjoy hearing what he has to say in his General Conference addresses every six months.

Throughout his 26 years as a general authority, and his now-16 years as a special witness of the Savior, (including almost a decade of service in the First Presidency), he has now given 72 addresses in General Conference. Of those, 2 were given prior to his apostolic call, though the Church's list for some reason omits the first address he gave as a new General Authority Seventy.  He also gave 7 addresses between the time of his call to the apostleship and his subsequent call to the First Preidency. He then gave 57 more addresses in General Conference during the near-decade in the First Presidency, and has given 6 more addresses since resuming his position in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Elder Uchtdorf is a man of great personal warmth and charm, and we are blessed indeed to have him among the Special Witnesses of Christ at this time. He has always struck a very warm and welcoming tone in his public discourses, and his current assignments are a clear testament to the great faith the Brethren have in him. In addition to being the third-most-senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, he is also the third-oldest, behind only President Ballard and Elder Quentin L. Cook. He is also the seventh-most-senior apostle overall, and the sixth-oldest of the 15 apostles overall. I am grateful for the life and ministry of this charismatic servant of the Lord, and appreciate the opportunity I had to offer this post in tribute to his 80th birthday today.

I continue to monitor any and all Church news and temple developments and will be sure to pass word of those along to you all as I receive 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 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 all that you do.

Due to developing an early interest in airplane flying, he studied engineering, business administration, and international management, after which he joined the German Air Force in 1959, where he trained to be a fighter pilot. In 1965, he joined Lufthansa German Airlines as a pilot, working as an airline captain from 1970-1996. He held many responsible executive positions with German Airlines. He reported feeling discouraged about having to learn English, but has also described how he was able to do so.

He married Harriet Reich (whom he had met when the missionaries brought her and her family to Church while he was a young man) on December 14, 1962 ,and they both have different recollections of the details whereby they actually got together). They raised two children and now have several grandchildren, along with a few great-grandchildren.He served as a stake president before his call as a General Authority. During that time, he gave an instrumental interview to the press in which he tackled tough topics related to his faith as the Frankfurt Germany Temple prepared to open. 

He was subsequently sustained as a General Authority on April 2, 1994, and was initially assigned to the Second Quorum of the Seventy. Roughly two years later, on April 6, 1996, he was sustained to the First Quorum of the Seventy. He became a member of the Presidency of the Seventy on August 15, 2002 and was sustained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on October 2, 2004 and ordained an apostle on October 7, 2004 (becoming the eleventhth apostle born outside the United States).

On February 3, 2008, he was set apart as the Second Counselor in the First Presidency to President Thomas S. Monson. Although 12 men born outside the United States have served as apostles, he became only the sixth apostle born outside the United States to be called to serve in the First Presidency. At the time of his call to the First Presidency, he was the thirteenth in apostolic seniority. During the period of almost a decade in which he served alongside President Monson and First Counselor President Henry B. Eyring, the deaths of six apostles senior to him meant he had become the seventh in apostolic seniority. 

And with the death of President Monson occurring just three months after the death of Elder Robert D. Hales, the First Presidency was dissolved.The new Church President, Russell M. Nelson, chose as his counselors his seatmate Elder Dallin H. Oaks and President Eyring. As a result, Elder Uchtdorf returned to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. When he departed that Quorum to serve in the First Presidency, he had been the tenth most senior member of that Quorum, and he returned to it as the third in seniority, with only Acting President M. Russell Ballard and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland ahead of him. 

In recognition of his administrative capacities and capabilities, his assignments as a recently-reassigned Quorum member were those that had previously been held by the three who had been the most senior members of the Quorum prior to that time (Presidents Nelson, Oaks, and Ballard). After chairing the Missionary Executive Council and supervising the Europe and Europe East Areas for the first 3 years following his return to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, he has since been given a change in assignment to now chair the Priesthood and Family Executive Council, and he appears to now have apostolic oversight for the Church's two Asia Areas. Elder Uchtdorf has spoken frequently about ways in which Church members should consider themselves called to action. I enjoy hearing what he has to say in his General Conference addresses every six months.

Throughout his 28 years as a general authority, and his now-17 years as a special witness of the Savior, (including almost a decade of service in the First Presidency), he has now given 77 addresses in General Conference. Of those, 2 were given prior to his apostolic call. He also gave 7 addresses between the time of his call to the apostleship and his subsequent call to the First Preidency. He then gave 57 more addresses in General Conference during the near-decade in the First Presidency, and has given 10 more addresses since resuming his position in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Elder Uchtdorf is a man of great personal warmth and charm, and we are blessed indeed to have him among the special witnesses of Christ at this time. He has always struck a very warm and welcoming tone in his public discourses, and his current assignments are a clear testament to the great faith the Brethren have in him. In addition to being the third-most-senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, he is also the third-oldest, behind only President Ballard and Elder Quentin L. Cook. He is also the seventh-most-senior apostle overall, and the sixth-oldest of the 15 apostles overall. I am grateful for the life and ministry of this charismatic servant of the Lord, and appreciate the opportunity I had to offer this post in tribute to his 81st birthday today.

I continue to monitor any and all Church news and temple developments and will be sure to pass word of those along to you all as I receive it. In the meantime, that does it for now. Thank you for the privilege of your time. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Locations Confirmed for 6 Temples in North and South America; Exterior Rendering Released for Fort Worth Texas Temple

Note: A brief version of this post, covering the announcement, was published at 1:55 PM, with additional analysis and details added between 6:00-10:00 PM (with the delay in providing these updates due to Halloween night.).

Hello again, everyone! On this Monday, major temple news has been announced by the Church. Site locations and preliminary information were released for the Mexico City Benemerito and San Luis Potosi Mexico Temples, the Sao Paulo East Brazil Temple, and the Fort WorthTexas, Knoxville Tennessee, and Tampa Florida Temples. Additionally, the exterior rendering was also released for the Fort Worth Texas Temple. A more detailed analysis of this announcement will follow later this afternoon as time and circumstances allow. For now, my thanks once again to you all.

After a busy day in which I had other priorities to handle, I am finally returning this Halloween evening here in Utah to provide the updated analysis I promised. So let's get right into it: We start in Mexico, with the Mexico City Benemerito Mexico and San Luis Potosi Mexico Temple, which were both announced in April of this year. 

The Mexico City Benemerito Mexico Temple will be built near the existing MTC in Mexico City. The address of the site in question is Tenayuca-Chalmita 828, Col. Zona Escolar, Gustavo A. Madero, Ciudad de México, CP 07230, Mexico. The acreage of the site in question was not provided, but the site will hold a two-story temple of approximately 29,000 square feet. It's also worth noting that this is the first "second temple" in a major capital city for which the official name and region were already specified as part of the announcement.

As for the San Luis Potosi Mexico Temple, the single-story 9,300 square foot edifice will be built at Arboleda 100, Fraccionamiento del Parque, San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, CP 78260, Mexico, on a 3.87 acre site. Given the size specified, I think we might see a similar design for that temple that has been used for the Yigo Guam, Praia Cape Verde, and San Juan Puerto Rico Temples, particularly with the two ordinance rooms that can alternately be used for endowment sessions or sealing appointments as the schedule requires.

That brings us to the Sao Paulo East Brazil Temple. A comment left on this post by longtime contributor Kenny correctly noted we did not get an official name fandor this temple with today's announcement. But we got a site announcement and released rendering for the second temple in Guatemala City Guatemala first, with the confirmation of the official name coming later, and the groundbreaking scheduled after that. So I think similar situation could apply to the Sao Paulo East Brazil Temmple. It's also a fair observation that the official name for the second Sao Paulo Brazil Temple could be posted to the Church's official list of announced temples at some point before the official confirmation from the Church, which also happened with the second Guatemala City temple. Stay tuned for more on that.

In the meantime, as for the details about the temple, it was announced in October of 2020. The approximatelyy 46,050 square foot two-story temple will rise on a 10.7 acre site at the location of Av. Guilherme Giorgi, 1091, Vila Carrão São Paulo - SP, Brazil. Based on the location, I could see the Church giving it the official name of Vila Carrão São Paulo Brazil, ila Carrão Brazil, or the name of any of the stakes or landmarks in that region, with or without the city designation. The Church may also use any Spanish or Portuguese word, as they did with the Miraflores name for the second Guatemala City Temple.

In any case, given the fact that we have a Brazilian native in Elder Soares as an apostle, I assume that the First Presidency and Temple and Family History Executive Council asked for his opinion on the location, and may give him the prerogative of suggesting the official name, as they did with Elder Holland and the second temple in St. George. The second temple in that city was one of only two left in the queue that was originally announced in October 2020.

That brings us to the 3 temples in the United States. As mentioned in my initial version of this post, the exterior rendering for the Fort Worth Texas Temple was released with the site information, pushing that temple higher on the list of those likely to see groundbreakings soon than its' two US counterparts which also had locations and initial details confirmed today, and also ahead of the Modesto California and Singapore Temples, which had sites confirmed without a release of exterior renderings three weeks ago today. 

The Fort Worth Texas Temple will be built in nearby Burleson Texas, on a 9.37-acre site located North of SW Hulen Street and Greenridge Drive in that city and will be a single-story temple of 30,000 square feet. Hopefully, the release of a rendering with the site location means we could see a groundbreaking follow in the early months of next year, if not sooner. 

The Fort Worth Texas Temple is the second of the four US Temples announced in October 2021. The other two US temples were both announced in April of this year. Interestingly, the site locations for the Knoxville Tennessee and Tampa Florida Temples were revealed in the opposite order in which they were announced. So wnoe start with Tennessee's third temple, which will rise on a 4.99-acre site at 13001 Kington Pike, Farragut, Tennessee, where the Church will build a single-story temple of 30,000 square feet. 

And the newest temple for Florida will be the same size as Knoxville and will be built adjacent to an existing meetinghouse on a 16.2-acre site at 4806 Bell Shoals Road, in Valrico, Florida. Given the fact that the three US temples are the same size, I wouldn't be shocked if both the Knoxville and Tampa temples have similar or identical designs as the Fort Worth Texas Temple. 

It's also worth noting that none of the three US temples are actually going to physically be located in the cities for which they are named, which is kind of unique. I have some additional thoughts to share about today's announcements. For the first time in over a year, I have updated the document showing updated sections of my temple construction progress report. 

The sections in question show the 4 temples with groundbreakings scheduled, the now-16 temples for which I think groundbreakings could all occur at some point next year, the 6 temples for awhich official details might soon be confirmed, and the now-9 temples in the United States announced in October of last year and the two General Conferences this year which might have details confirmed sooner than their remaining 37 counterparts outside the United States.

Additionally, I have updated the list of announced temples for which no official information has been confirmed yet. That list now reflects the 2 temples originally announced in April 2018, one apiece from the next 2 General Conferences, 3 from April 2020, 1 from October of that same year, 5 and 9 respectively from April and October of last year, and 11 and 18 from the 35 announced in April and October of this year, respectively. 

And as a result of today's announcement, with 72 temples announced, the total number of temples that have not had any information announced comes to 51. I fully believe that there will be other announcements relating to some of those 51 in the coming weeks. Before I conclude this post, I wanted to also address some comments that have been left here recently which have expressed hope that the Church might soon announce the open houses and rededication for the Columbus Ohio Temple and the dedications of other temples nearing completion.

Based on some research on my end, it seems most likely that the reopening arrangements for Columbus will be coming next, and when that is set, it could happen on the last Sunday in February or the first two Sundays in March. The dedications of the temples in Saratoga Springs Utah (to which I will be assigned once it is dedicated), Richmond Virginia, and Bangkok Thailand would then follow later in March or April. And the dedications of other temples would be after that. 

My revised estimates come as a result of receiving word of supply chain delays that will delay the finishing touches on these temples, and the revised estimates are made with that in mind. That being said, at some point, if the supply shortages are addressed and sufficiently resolved, that could accelerate the timeline for temple open houses and their associated dedications or rededications. For now, it seems more prudent to be more conservative in those estimates.

I continue to monitor all temple construction updates, in addition to all Church News, Newsroom, and other reports and will do my best to continue to bring you word of those developments as they cross my radar. In the meantime, that does it for now. Thank you for the privilege of your time. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. 

I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 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: Current Apostolic Data

Hello again, everyone! It has been a tradition on this blog for me to provide updates on apostolic data every 7 weeks. Having last done so on Sunday, September 4, it is time to publish the newest such data. As with every two-part update, the first part contains updated data about the age and tenure length records for all 17 Church Presidents, in addition to updated information on the tenure length records for each of the 28 Presidents of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

The first document likewise notes information on the tenure length rankings for three sets of apostolic groups: the longest-serving First Presidencies (which will not be updated with the current First Presidency until 2024), in addition to the longest-serving groups of members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and groups of all ordained apostles (the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles), in addition to when each of those current groups will move up on the list.

Meanwhile, the second part of today's update shows the long-form and decimal ages for the members of the current First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the apostolic groups overall, in addition to the average ages of each group and apostolic nonagenarians (with 3 of the current 15 apostles being on that list, and th>

Hopefully, this shared data will be of interest to you all. Again, I offer an open invitation to ask anyone who has any questions about those documents to ask them here. I will, of course, continue to monitor all Church news updates and temple developments, and I will do my level best to bring word of those to you all as I become aware of all such reports. 

In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below. 

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.