The Church released information regarding the square footage and the renderings of several temples, including the Taylorsville Utah Temple and the Red Cliffs Utah Temple (formerly Washington County, Utah Temple), and the Neiafu Tonga Temple and the Pago Pago American Samoa Temple. The two new Pacific temples will each be approximately 17,000 square feet, whereas the Taylorsville Utah Temple will be 70,000 square feet and the Red Cliffs Utah Temple will be 90,000 square feet.
Tonga is a pretty amazing place for our church. Love to see a second temple there. The Polynesians in general are so faithful. Great to see Guam and Okinawa, too.
ReplyDeleteHey, Matt! Thanks for this update. If it matters, you have the information about the Taylorsville and Red Cliffs Utah Temples twice, and did not include the correct link for the two newest Pacfic Area temple renderings. I believe you'll find that the accurat web address for the renderings of the two Pacific Area temples is as follows:
ReplyDeletehttps://news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/renderings-released-for-new-pacific-temples
Thanks for the great work. Please keep it up.
Exciting news! I think it might be a busy end of the year in terms of Temple groundbreakings.
ReplyDeleteChurch magazines are being revamped after fifty years of the Ensign, New Era, Friend and what has most recently been the Liahona:
ReplyDeletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/church-magazines-2021
It very well could be, Eric, but the prophet is also laying the groundwork to keep a similar or accelerate pace for temple groundbreakings next year and in coming years. I anticipate that the backlog of announced temples may be reduced to lessm than 30 by the end of the year. It is also possible, however remotely, that the Church could not only meet but exceed the gaol of 18 temples having a groundbreaking before the end of the year, in a similar manner to what occurred when President Hinckley's gaol to have 100 operating temples by the end of the year 2000 was exceed by 2 temples prior to the end of this year.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, it appears that the Church has recently had a request granted by the city of Grantsville to annex Church-owned land in that city into Erda city aroun d the area where the Church is planning the temple and residential development in the Tooele Valley. Details on my blog at the address below.
More than that,those who read this blog will no doubt be interested to learn that the Church will be globally streamlining its' magazines starting next year, resulting in the retirement of the Ensign, with the Liahona now being the standard adult magazine in the Church. The New Era will be renamed "For the Strength of Youth", and the Friend will remain unchanged. More details here:
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/church-magazines-2021
For my analysis on all of the latest developments, please see the coverage on my blog:
https://stokessoundsoff.blogspot.com
When President Nelson noted that things would be moving ahead at an accelerated pace, he clearly wasn't kidding. My thanks once again to you all, and especially to you, Matt, for your ongoing updates on all matters pertaining to Church growth.
Two observations...no Moroni's on the new temples, even in Utah, so I think it is a new trend in Nelsonian temples.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised to see the entrance text to the temple in English on the Pago Pago Temple. I was expecting Samoan and English or only Samoan. Just an interesting observation, not a criticism. I was interested to see the architectural elements from the Tongan and Samoan cultures.
@phxmars
DeleteI think it's due to American Samoa being a US territory and English being the official language of the US. The Church seems to lean towards using the official language of whatever country, though it would have been nice to see the placards in both English and Samoan. Does anyone know, are US territories allowed to have secondary official languages?
Just checking Wikipedia, and it looks like Samoan is one of the official languages:
Deletehttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Samoa
Then I am just as perplexed as you are, @phxmars! But it's still probably because English is the main US language.
There is no official language in the United States
DeleteAs Michael said the US has no official language. I also would hesitate to read too much into a rendering.
DeleteWhen I was born there was no building saying "holiness to the Lord, the House of the Lord" in Spanish. The Swiss Temple might have it is French.
Has President Belson announced more temples than existed when he was called as an apostle?
It's in German, just over the doors, on the Bern Switzerland Temple.
DeleteJust shows that this COVID pandemic may have slowed some aspects of church growth but has not deterred other aspects of growth. In fact I think it may have eccelerated growth.
ReplyDeleteThe backlog will be, give or take due to recent circumstances with scheduling down to 34 by Octobe conference, then down several more by the end of the year, so I anticipate more announcements, the customary eight, this confeence.
ReplyDeleteWe come up with several things and enough that we always get most. So I think the pattern has shaken out to this:
1 or 2 Utah, most of the time just one.
1 or 2 other US.
1 or 2 Latin/South America
1 or more other world
And at least one that was considered 'out there' that no one was anticipating ever being announced anytime soon.
My thinking is in Utah, an eventual arranging of temples will be to have them about five miles apart with some variance up or down, Provo and Provo City Center to Orem seems to be the closest at three miles.
Most of our other US picks have happened, but I think Charlotte may eventually get one.
Not sure on Latin or South America, Other world locations mean Mongolia is a real possibility.
Unexpected locations, the two biggest seem to be the ones from this last conference.
I posted longer lists elsewhere. I think Bolivia is the top candidate anywhere for a temple, either Santa Cruz or La Paz if not both. Nigeria could use another in Abuja. Still Aba needs another temple closer than Benin City.
DeleteI would love it if it were built in Aboh Mbaise, Brother Obinna's village, or in the spot in Akwa Ibom State where the photo of 100 people lined up to be baptized by Elder Ted Cannon while two brethren baptized only a week before are standing alongside the line as witnesses was taken. The village that photo was taken in now is the headquarters of a stake.
@John Pack Lambert
DeleteHow many stakes would either a Santa Cruz or a La Paz, Bolívia Temple take in? How far are those cities from the Cochabamba Temple and other nearby temples? What other criteria are you using to pick Bolivia as your top spot?
(I ask out of curiosity for my own predictions list, and because you seem to have done some research about that area.)
Santa Cruz (to the east) and La Paz (to the west) are a good 11 and 7 hour bus ride respectively through not-so-great, sometimes treacherous, mountain highways in each direction from Cochabamba. LaPaz has 4-5 stakes with 3-4 in neighboring El Alto. Santa Cruz has 7 stakes. Santa Cruz is also 1300 feet, Cochabamba is 8000 feet and La Paz is 11,942 feet with it's large suburb, El Alto, at 13,000 feet. The altitude difference between Cochabamba and Santa Cruz is very difficult to overcome for many people.
ReplyDelete@phxmars
DeleteThanks.:)
That is excellent and useful info about the potential Bolivian Temples.
JPL:
ReplyDeleteMy answer to your question is that it depends on whether we count the temples that were announced and under construction, or just the dedicated ones.
When Russell M. Nelson was called as an apostle in April 1984, there were 26 operating temples, and 13 were under construction. There had only been 3 temples announced, but right before the conference began 5 more were announced, for a total of 8 announced and 47 temples in some stage. See President Hinckley's remarks at the end of the sustaining in that conference:
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1984/04/the-sustaining-of-church-officers?lang=eng
My records show 43 temples that Pres. Nelson has announced since he became the prophet in 2018. So if we decide to count the full number, he will probably surpass that at the next conference.