LDS Church Unveils New Temple in Sudden Announcement

The primary new temple introduced throughout Dallin Oaks’ presidency comes exterior of Basic Convention — and never personally from him.

Maybe the most important shock for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints watching the religion’s October Basic Convention was that their new chief, Dallin H. Oaks, didn’t announce any new temples.

It was a giant change from the 93-year-old Oaks’ fast predecessor, Russell M. Nelson, who made it an indicator of his presidency to disclose the place within the international church these new sacred constructions could be constructed, typically to cheers and squeals of pleasure from the trustworthy.

“He liked to announce new temples on the conclusion of every Basic Convention,” Oaks mentioned in his tackle on the fall gathering, “and all of us rejoiced with him.”

Nonetheless, as a result of “giant variety of temples now within the very earliest phases of planning and development,” mentioned Oaks, who was named religion’s 18th prophet-president on Oct. 14, “it’s acceptable that we decelerate the announcement of recent temples.”

He additionally famous that church leaders will transfer ahead with “when and the place to announce the development of recent temples.”

On Sunday, that “when and the place” was realized for one temple.

At an space Christmas devotional in Portland, Maine, common authority Seventy Allen D. Haynie, the church’s Northeast Space president, introduced the primary new temple of the Oaks presidency, could be constructed there.

It will likely be Maine’s first temple.

“The particular location and timing of the development can be introduced later,” in line with a letter from the governing First Presidency that Haynie learn. “It is a motive for all of us to rejoice and thank God for such a big blessing — one that may permit extra frequent entry to the ordinances, covenants, and energy that may solely be discovered within the Home of the Lord.”

Haynie defined that “in a current assembly of the First Presidency, a choice was made that… the announcement of the development of a brand new temple needs to be made on location” by an apostle or a member of an space presidency.”

He added that, “such an announcement by a member of an space presidency has by no means occurred earlier than. Tonight, would be the first.”

It additionally marks the primary temple to be introduced exterior of Basic Convention since central Utah’s Ephraim Temple was named in a particular broadcast from Manti.

Throughout Nelson’s almost eight-year tenure, the 101-year-old chief (who died Sept. 27) introduced the development of 200 temples (greater than half of the religion’s 383 current or deliberate temples).

With the deliberate Maine temple, six U.S. states (Delaware, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and West Virginia) now lack both an current Latter-day Saint temple or an introduced one.

And for Oaks to equal Nelson’s report run of recent temple bulletins, it’s one down, 199 to go.