BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Groundbreaking Set for the Cleveland Ohio Temple; Opening Arrangements Set for the Mendoza Argentina and Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temples; Site Location Confirmed for the Kananga Democrtaic Republic of the Congo Temple

Note: This post was composed during the 5:00 PM hour due to my appointment with the eye doctor, but is timestamped during the 2:00 PM hour as it would have normally been. My thanks once again to you all.

Hello again, everyone! This afternoon, the First Presidency made the next significant temple construction announcement. We received word of the groundbreaking date for the Cleveland Ohio Temple, the opening arrangements for the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and Mendoza Argentina Temples, and the initial details for the Kananga Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple. There's a lot to get into, so let's dive in:

We start with the groundbreaking for the Cleveland Ohio Temple because it is taking place before either of the two temple dedications announced today. The groundbreaking is scheduled to take place on June 1, the same date as the previously announced groundbreaking for the Teton River Idaho Temple. Because Ohio is two hours ahead of Idaho, the Cleveland groundbreaking will likely occur first. Elder Vaiangina Sikahema, who serves as First Counselor in the North America Southeast Area of the Church, will preside at the groundbreaking for Ohio's newest temple.

We now move on to the two dedications announced today. Contrary to what I had supposed and predicted, both dedications will occur prior to the previously announced dedication of the Casper Wyoming Temple. For the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple, a media day will be held on Monday, August 12, with VIP tours following the next two days. The public open house will follow from Friday, August 16 through Saturday, August 31. The temple dedication, under the direction of Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, will take place in two sessions on Sunday, September 15, 2024, at 10:00 AM and 1:30 PM EDT (8:00 AM and 11:30 AM MDT)

For the Mendoza Argentina Temple, a media day will be held on Monday, August 19, with tours for invited guests for the next two days.  A public open house will occur from Thursday, August 22, through Saturday, September 7, except for the Sundays of August 24 and September 1. The temple dedication, under the direction of Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, will take place in two sessions on Sunday, September 22, 2024, at 10:00 AM and 1:30 PM UTC (which, unless I'm mistaken, is 3:00 AM and 6:30 AM MDT).

Finally, we turn to the information released about the Kananga Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple. The temple, which will be a single-story edifice of approximately 11,000 square feet, will rise on a 1.6-acre site at Avenue Ilunga and N1 in Kananga, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and will also include arrival facilities and patron housing. As a result of today's announcements, I have updated my documents showing apostolic temple dedications under President Nelson and the document showing the now 53 temples for which no official information has been announced.

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.

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, February 25, 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 lengths 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 (with the current First Presidency joining that list for the first time), 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), and an overview of 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 same data for the combined First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in addition to the average ages of each group and apostolic nonagenarians (with 3 of the current 15 apostles being on that list), and a final table showing the remaining time between today and when each of the other 12 apostles will become nonagenarians and join that list. With these updates coming every 7 weeks, the next update will be posted here on the morning of Sunday, April 14.

Hopefully, this post is 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 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 TEMPLE NEWS: President Nelson Announces 15 New Temples To Conclude the April 2024 General Conference

Hello again, everyone! During the final minutes of the April 2024 General Conference, President Nelson announced 15 new temples to be built in the following locations: Uturoa French Polynesia; Chihuahua, Mexico; Florianópolis Brazil; Rosario, Argentina; Edinburgh Scotland; Brisbane Australia South Area; Victoria British Columbia; Yuma Arizona;  Houston Texas South Area; Des Moines Iowa; Cincinnati Ohio; Honolulu Hawaii; West Jordan Utah; Lehi Utah; and Maracaibo Venezuela.

I had the following exact locations correct: Chihuahua Mexico; Florianopolis Brazil; Rosario Argentina; Edinburgh Scotland; Victoria British Columbia; Des Moines Iowa; Cincinattti Ohio; Honolulu Hawaii; West Jordan and Lehi Utah; and Maracaibo Venezuela. I had projected Bora Bora Tahiti, which is just an airplane ride away, so I'll count myself half-right on that. I was also half-right, as I was expecting an Arizona Temple, but not in Yuma. And I wasn't expecting a second Brisbane or Houston temple.

So 11 correct down to the exact location, 2 half-right, and 2 that I wasn't anticipating. I'm apparently getting better at my projected guesses. This brings the total number of temples to an even 350. I will have updated copies of my documents available in the comments section as I can get those updates made. 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.

UPDATED: April 2024 General Conference Predictions (Final Version)

Hello again, everyone! We are now just 36 hours away from the first session of the April 2024 General Conference, so I wanted to post the final version of my predictions for this weekend. First up is my projected speaker lineup. I have notes in the document, where applicable, that speak for themselves. Next up is my projections for changes in general Church leadership and the statistical report. 

The former speaks for itself. On the latter, I used known data where available and a complex algorithm where data was not available to determine the relevant figures. The final element of these projections is my list of locations in which a temple could be announced. The list speaks for itself, but I also have a more specific list of what I feel are the most likely specific locations that will have a temple announced. (Note that my April 2024 picks are at the bottom of that second document).

I am looking forward to this General Conference weekend. You can count on me covering the latest news and updates as they are reported this weekend. 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.

UPDATE: First Quarter 2024 Review of Temple Construction Progress

Hello again, everyone! With the final day of March coming to its' official conclusion, and as we head into April, I am pleased to provide a look back at temple construction progress through the first quarter of 2024. For this review, I have a link to what my temple construction progress report looked like on the first day of this year and a look at where things stand as the first quarter of 2024 ends. 

We are still getting regular temple construction updates every Monday, so I will be back to cover whatever that announcement is tomorrow. 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 CHURCH AND TEMPLE NEWS: Kirtland Ohio Temple (& Other Church Properties) Open for Tours; Site Location and Preliminary Details Announced for the Tacloban City Philippines Temple

Hello again, everyone! This afternoon, the First Presidency reported that the Kirtland Ohio Temple and other Church-owned properties in Ohio and Illinois are now open for public tours. Additionally, through October 26, 2024, artifacts and documents transferred from the Community of Christ to the Church are now on display at the Church History Museum. The rest of that report speaks for itself. The First Presidency has also announced official information for the Tacloban City Philippines Temple. Let's break down those details:

The Tacloban City Philippines Temple was originally announced in October 2021 and is one of the temples outside the US for which I felt official information was coming in the near term. A 6.99-acre site located at Tacloban Bypass Road Brgy. Utap-Caibaan, Tacloban City, Leyte, Philippines, will serve as the home of what is anticipated to be a two-story temple of approximately 21,407 square feet. As a result of today's announcement, of the 94 currently announced temples, 39 have not had any official information confirmed.

And there are still two Mondays remaining before General Conference weekend on which that 39 could taper down further. As I've mentioned previously, given the delays that have ensued between the groundbreakings for the Heber Valley Utah and Knoxville Tennessee Temples and now, when full-scale construction is still pending for both temples, I believe the Church is taking more time and care to secure approvals for other announced temples to be sure that process goes more smoothly. 

If that is the reason for the lack of groundbreaking announcements for the time being, in my opinion, it is well worth it. I was slightly surprised that we only got word on the Kirtland Ohio and Tacloban City Philippines Temples, but the Church could be working on getting the approvals process done right for any other temples, so the fact that these two announcements are all we got this week doesn't concern me greatly either. 

I am grateful to have heard of these updates and that I had the opportunity to share that news with you all here. 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: First Presidency Confirms Area Changes Affecting South America and the Caribbean

Hello again, everyone! This afternoon, the First Presidency confirmed area changes affecting South America and the Caribbean. The South America Northwest Area nation of Venezuela will be part of the Caribbean Area of the Church effective August 1 of this year. This adjustment is intended to bless and strengthen the Church in the Caribbean. 

The number of stakes in the Caribbean will double, and the number of missions and temples in the Caribbean Area will increase. This will leave the South America Northwest and South America South Areas with four nations apiece. I am grateful to have read about this announcement and for the opportunity to share that with you all here. 

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 TEMPLE NEWS: Groundbreaking for the San Luis Potosi Mexico Temple Confirmed; Site Location and Preliminary Information Released for the Savai'i Samoa Temple

Hello again, everyone! Today, the Newsroom confirmed that the San Luis Potosi Mexico Temple's groundbreaking took place on Saturday as scheduled and released the site location and preliminary information for the Savai'i Samoa Temple. Since the information about the groundbreaking is self-explanatory, let's get to the details that have been revealed about the Savai'i Samoa Temple:

A single-story temple of approximately 29,630 square feet will rise on a 5.5-acre site at Lot 1098 to Lot 1105 in Fataloa, a subarea of Salelologa village. The temple was another of those originally announced in October of last year. As a result of today's announcement, 5 of the 20 temples announced during the last General Conference have had initial details confirmed.

And in view of the groundbreaking of the San Luis Potosi Mexico Temple, of the now-94 announced temples, only 40 lack official information. That number will likely go down further by General Conference weekend. That being said, I was somewhat surprised that we haven't gotten any other site announcements or exterior renderings today. I am not at all surprised that no other groundbreakings have been announced.

I say that because I see the Church wanting to avoid the kind of holdups that have delayed the beginning of construction for the Heber Valley Utah and Cody Wyoming Temples. So taking it slowly and getting the approvals right will likely allow a larger number of temples to have groundbreakings and begin construction swiftly thereafter later this year.

I am grateful for today's updates. 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 TEMPLE AND CHURCH NEWS: Church Purchases Historic Kirtland Ohio Temple; Other Buildings and Artifacts from the Community of Christ

 Hello again, everyone! Huge news from the Church just now has just been shared by the Newsroom and the Church News: a multi-year cooperative effort between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Community of Christ has led to the transfer of ownership for the Kirtland Ohio Temple and other historic sites in Ohio and Nauvoo from the Community of Christ to our Church. 

Among the acquisitions is the original Kirtland Ohio Temple, which will remain as a tourist and historic site. Other papers and sites are included in the deal. I will have a more in-depth analysis on this development later today, as I have other obligations to take care of first. For now, I will let the announcements speak for themselves and extend my thanks once again to you all.

(Added at around 3:00 PM) Hello again, everyone! Here's the additional analysis I promised about today's announcement. The Church and the Community of Christ leaders published an official statement and answers to Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQs).  The FAQ section shares the transfer of the following items from the Community of Christ to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

"The most significant properties are the Kirtland Temple, the Smith Family Homestead, the Mansion House, the Nauvoo House, and the Red Brick Store. Significant documents and artifacts include manuscripts and the Bible used in the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, seven letters from Joseph Smith to his wife Emma, John Whitmer’s history of the Church, original portraits of Joseph and Emma Smith, the cornerstone of the Nauvoo House, the original door of Liberty Jail, and a document with the title of “Caractors,” which may contain a sample of inscriptions from the gold plates. (See the appendix for a more detailed list of items transferred.) (bold and italitc emphasis is mine).

I would just add a point of clarification here: In my report on the "Aging Church Leadership", I mentioned that the appointment of the first female prophet-president of the Community of Christ would not occur until next year, leaving that faith without a top leader in the interim. It appears that, at least at the time these items were transferred, current prophet-president Steven M. Veasey is still actively serving in that capacity as his health permits. So my point about the Community of Christ not having a top leader until next year was incorrect, and that part of my analysis was in error. I apologize for that oversight.

It is also worth noting that the Community of Christ will continue to coordinate with the Church for access to the temple and historic sites that were transferred to the Church today. The appendix to the FAQ shows a complete list of items purchased by the Church from the Community of Christ. This was a massive undertaking. The Community of Christ expressed gratitude to the Church, as this will free up many resources for the Community of Christ. And it appears that the sheer volume of what was transferred was the only reason it has taken so long.

I never thought I'd see this day come. But now that it has, I foresee a time when some portions of a future General Conference of the Church could originate from the Kirtland Temple or other historic sites in that area. The Church did hold portions of the April 1980 General Conference in the Palmyra New York area for the Church's sesquicentennial, which is why I say that. But that is no more and no less than my own theory, so unless and until the Church confirms that will happen at any point in the future, take it with the proverbial grain of salt.

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 TEMPLE NEWS: Site Locations Confirmed for Jakarta Indonesia and Osaka Japan Temples; Exterior Rendering Released for Budapest Hungary Temple

Hello again, everyone! This afternoon, the First Presidency confirmed the site locations and preliminary details for the temples in Jakarta Indonesia and Osaka Japan, in addition to releasing an official exterior rendering for the Budapest Hungary Temple. Let's break down the relevant details: 

The Jakarta Indonesia Temple was announced by President Nelson in April 2023. A 1.33-acre site at Synthesis Square, Jalan Gatot, Subroto No. 177a, Tebet District, City of South Jakarta, Special Capital Region of Jakarta will be the spot where a four-story temple of approximately 40,350 square feet will rise. The fact that it is going to be built up rather than out is not surprising.

Meanwhile, the Osaka Japan Temple was just announced in October 2023. 3-50-1 Sugi, Hirakata City, Osaka, 573-0117 Japan has a 16.74-acre site on which the Church will build a single-story temple of approximately 29,630 square feet.

That brings us to the Budapest Hungary Temple rendering. With the temple announced in April 2019, the temple site was announced on October 9, 2023. With that temple set to be 18,000 square feet, the exterior rendering appears to be a nod to the modular-style temple without actually using the modular components. 

To my knowledge, this is not a modular temple, it just reminds me of the modular style. I will allow others with better insight into temple architecture and exterior renderings to share their insights about this exterior rendering. In the interim, on my end, I wanted to note that, with the site locations confirmed today, of the 95 currently announced temples, only 41 lack official information.

I was somewhat surprised that there were no temple groundbreakings announced today, but, as I said, if the Church is making sure to get the approvals process right and is being more careful about the integrity of the temples they're building, then if that means a slower pace of groundbreaking, I am not overly concerned we haven't seen groundbreakings announced today. 

I'm still holding out hope for at least one or two groundbreakings to be announced before the April 2024 General Conference. I am grateful for these updates and my chance to analyze them here. 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.