Ground has been broken in Cleveland, Ohio, and in Rexburg, Idaho, for two new temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Church President Russell M. Nelson announced the Cleveland Ohio Temple in April 2022 and the Teton River Idaho Temple in October 2021.
Cleveland Ohio Temple
Elder Vaiangina Sikahema, First Counselor in the North America Northeast Area Presidency, presided at the event on June 1, 2024.
“So many of you are pioneers in this area and have made this day possible, and we thank you,” Elder Sikahema said to gathered community leaders and Church members.
“So many of you are pioneers in this area and have made this day possible, and we thank you,” Elder Sikahema said to gathered community leaders and Church members.
During the dedicatory prayer, Elder Sikahema expressed gratitude for the early Latter-day Saints who gathered in Kirtland, Ohio, when the Church of Jesus Christ was “in its fledgling infancy” and “not yet a year old.”
“Holy Father, we stand here now nearly two centuries from those difficult days, blessed because Thy people followed the Prophet Joseph to this great land of Ohio.”
Early Latter-day Saints gathered in Ohio and built the Kirtland Temple, which is now a State Historical Site that is open for public tours. …
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Teton River Idaho Temple
Elder Ricardo P. Giménez, Second Counselor in the North America Central Area Presidency, presided at the event on Saturday, June 1, 2024.
During the dedicatory prayer, Elder Giménez expressed gratitude for Jesus Christ. “Our hearts are filled with joy and reverence as we gather to commemorate the monumental occasion of a second temple being erected in the special land of Rexburg, Idaho,” he said. “Help us remember what we felt on this day and strive to become lifelong disciples of Thy Son, our Savior and Redeemer, even Jesus Christ.”
Elder Giménez recalled a recent reminder by President Nelson, that “whenever any kind of upheaval occurs in our life, the safest place to be spiritually is living inside our temple covenants!” May we “be able to stand strong and secure because our spiritual foundation is solid and immovable,” Elder Giménez added.
Trixie Smith, a youth speaker from the Terreton Idaho Stake, shared her insight about worship in the temple and the effect it has had on her life. “The temple lies at the center of strengthening our faith and spiritual fortitude because the Savior and His doctrine are the heart of the temple,” she said.
You can read more about each of these groundbreaking ceremonies on Church Newsroom.
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