Atlanta Georgia Temple
Encyclopedia
The Atlanta Georgia Temple (formerly the Atlanta Temple) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was the first temple
built by the church in the Southeastern United States
and the second temple east of the Mississippi River
since 1846. Members of the church (sometimes known as Mormons
) consider it a literal ‘house of God’ comparable to the ancient Israelite
temple
where, as recorded in Bible
, God
spoke with Samuel. Emphasizing this belief, the building’s façade bears the inscription “Holiness to the Lord The House of the Lord.”
The announcement that a temple would be built in Georgia
was made by the First Presidency
of the church in April 1980. A site for the temple was selected on a 13 acres (52,609.2 m²) lot in Fulton County
, in the then unincorporated city of Sandy Springs
, between Barfield Road on the east and Glenridge Drive on the west, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) north of Atlanta.
The First Presidency announced on April 4, 2009 that the Atlanta Temple would close on July 1, 2009, for 15 to 18 months of renovations. It was rededicated on May 1, 2011 and was preceded by an open house for the public from April 9 through April 23.
, then president of the church, presided at the ceremony. An estimated 10,000 spectators were in attendance.
Special guests at the ground breaking included Georgia Governor George Busbee
, Georgia Speaker of the House Tom Murphy, Joe Frank Harris
, United States Senators Jake Garn
and Paula Hawkins
, United States Congressman Elliott Levitas, State Senators Nathan Dean, Joe Thompson, Joe Burton, and Wayne Garner, State Representatives Bill Cummings and Doug Vandiford, and Fulton County Commissioner Michael Lomax
.
In his remarks at the groundbreaking, Busbee commented on the high emphasis Latter-day Saints place on education within the family and the positive impact the temple would have on the state;
The building contract was awarded to Cube Construction, Inc. and over the next two years the property was developed to include; the temple; an annex, including facilities for grounds keepers, and a clothing distribution center; and a small apartment building for missionaries and other out-of-state temple workers. In 1988 the property was further developed to include a church facing Glenridge Drive for regular Sunday worship
and other church activities.
The Atlanta Temple was the first of seven smaller temples built in the early 1980s. Its dimensions were smaller than previous temples and the original designs did not include a spire. However, at a regional meeting held in Tucker, Georgia
on January 10, 1982, church architect Emil B. Fetzer
announced the addition of a spire including a 10 in 6 in (3.2 m) statue of the Angel Moroni.
. It was the first of over 90 temples he has dedicated.
In the dedicatory prayer Hinckley reaffirmed the sacred nature of the temple in these words:
On November 14, 1997 Gordon B. Hinckley rededicated the Temple after significant renovations to the interior and the addition of an expanded baptistry.
was called by the First Presidency to be the first temple president
and his wife Susannah B. Winston, the temple matron. The Winstons served in this voluntary capacity, living in a home purchased by the church off Barfield Road, for a period of three years. Upon their release in 1986, native Atlantan David H. Yarn Jr. and his wife Marilyn Stevenson were called to serve in the same capacity.
The presidents and matrons of the Atlanta George Temple are as follows:
Prior to the construction Latter-day Saints in the South
traveled to either the Washington D.C. Temple
or to other temples throughout the United States to be married
, sealed to children or parents, receive blessings collectively known as the Endowment
, or perform ordinances on behalf of deceased ancestors.
The original area served by the temple included approximately 150,000 Latter-day Saints encompassing the states of Georgia, Florida
, Alabama
, Mississippi
, Tennessee
, South Carolina
, and portions of North Carolina
, Louisiana
, and Arkansas
.
Until the dedication of the Orlando Florida Temple
in October 1994 members of the church in the Caribbean
also came to the Atlanta Temple. During the first decade of the Atlanta Temple's operation it was not unusual for Latter-day Saints from Venezuela
and other South America
n countries to come to the Atlanta Temple (Flights to Atlanta were often cheaper than those to Mexico City
, Lima
Peru
, or Guatemala City
where the church dedicated temples in the early 1980s. Temples were dedicated in Bogotá
, Colombia
in April 1999 and Caracas
Venezuela in August 2000).
Between 1983 and 2000 bus loads of worshippers came to the Atlanta Temple from across the South every weekend, sometimes staying in the temple all day Friday and again on Saturday. It became the spiritual hub for Latter-day Saints in the region.
As a direct result of this announcement, between 1999 and 2000, temples were dedicated in every state in the original Atlanta Temple district, except Arkansas and Mississippi. This dramatically decreased the number of out of state visitors to the temple.
Temple (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...
built by the church in the Southeastern United States
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
and the second temple east of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
since 1846. Members of the church (sometimes known as Mormons
Mormons
The Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, a religion started by Joseph Smith during the American Second Great Awakening. A vast majority of Mormons are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while a minority are members of other independent churches....
) consider it a literal ‘house of God’ comparable to the ancient Israelite
Israelite
According to the Bible the Israelites were a Hebrew-speaking people of the Ancient Near East who inhabited the Land of Canaan during the monarchic period .The word "Israelite" derives from the Biblical Hebrew ישראל...
temple
Temple in Jerusalem
The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to one of a series of structures which were historically located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, the current site of the Dome of the Rock. Historically, these successive temples stood at this location and functioned as the centre of...
where, as recorded in Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
spoke with Samuel. Emphasizing this belief, the building’s façade bears the inscription “Holiness to the Lord The House of the Lord.”
The announcement that a temple would be built in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
was made by the First Presidency
First Presidency (LDS Church)
The First Presidency is the presiding or governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It is composed of the President of the Church and his counselors. The First Presidency currently consists of President Thomas S. Monson and his two counselors, Henry B...
of the church in April 1980. A site for the temple was selected on a 13 acres (52,609.2 m²) lot in Fulton County
Fulton County, Georgia
Fulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its county seat is Atlanta, the state capital since 1868 and the principal county of the Atlanta metropolitan area...
, in the then unincorporated city of Sandy Springs
Sandy Springs, Georgia
Sandy Springs is a city in north Georgia, United States. It is a northern suburb of Atlanta. With a 2010 population of 93,853, Sandy Springs is the sixth-largest city in the state and the second-largest city in Metro Atlanta. Sandy Springs is located in north Fulton County, Georgia, just south of...
, between Barfield Road on the east and Glenridge Drive on the west, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) north of Atlanta.
The First Presidency announced on April 4, 2009 that the Atlanta Temple would close on July 1, 2009, for 15 to 18 months of renovations. It was rededicated on May 1, 2011 and was preceded by an open house for the public from April 9 through April 23.
Ground breaking and construction
Ground breaking ceremonies were held on March 7, 1981. Spencer W. KimballSpencer W. Kimball
Spencer Woolley Kimball was the twelfth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1973 until his death in 1985.-Ancestry:...
, then president of the church, presided at the ceremony. An estimated 10,000 spectators were in attendance.
Special guests at the ground breaking included Georgia Governor George Busbee
George Busbee
George Dekle Busbee was an American politician who served as the 77th Governor of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1975 to 1983....
, Georgia Speaker of the House Tom Murphy, Joe Frank Harris
Joe Frank Harris
Joe Frank Harris is an American conservative Democratic politician who served as the 78th Governor of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1983 to 1991....
, United States Senators Jake Garn
Jake Garn
Edwin Jacob "Jake" Garn is an American politician, a member of the Republican Party, and served as a U.S. Senator representing Utah from 1974 to 1993...
and Paula Hawkins
Paula Hawkins
Paula Hawkins was an U.S. politician from Florida. She is to date the only woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Florida. She was the first woman ever elected to a full term in the Senate without a family connection....
, United States Congressman Elliott Levitas, State Senators Nathan Dean, Joe Thompson, Joe Burton, and Wayne Garner, State Representatives Bill Cummings and Doug Vandiford, and Fulton County Commissioner Michael Lomax
Michael Lomax
Dr. Michael Lucius Lomax is, since 2004, the president and chief executive officer of the United Negro College Fund of the United States. Lomax is the son of Lucius W. Lomax, Jr...
.
In his remarks at the groundbreaking, Busbee commented on the high emphasis Latter-day Saints place on education within the family and the positive impact the temple would have on the state;
I wish more Georgians placed such importance in the moral aspects of this life, for only through a common responsibility for our neighbor’s well-being can we insure that our state will be a better place for our children to live.
And we are all taking a big step toward that goal on this beautiful hillside today as we break ground on what will soon be the first Mormon Temple in the entire Southern United States.
The building contract was awarded to Cube Construction, Inc. and over the next two years the property was developed to include; the temple; an annex, including facilities for grounds keepers, and a clothing distribution center; and a small apartment building for missionaries and other out-of-state temple workers. In 1988 the property was further developed to include a church facing Glenridge Drive for regular Sunday worship
Worship services of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
In Mormonism, worship services include weekly services, held on Sundays , in neighborhood based religious units...
and other church activities.
The Atlanta Temple was the first of seven smaller temples built in the early 1980s. Its dimensions were smaller than previous temples and the original designs did not include a spire. However, at a regional meeting held in Tucker, Georgia
Tucker, Georgia
Tucker is a census-designated place in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 27,581 at the 2010 Census. Although central Tucker, also known as "Main Street Tucker", is laid out as a planned "railroad town," it has never been formally incorporated. Municipal services such as...
on January 10, 1982, church architect Emil B. Fetzer
Emil B. Fetzer
Emil B. Fetzer was the head architect The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1965 to his retirement in 1986....
announced the addition of a spire including a 10 in 6 in (3.2 m) statue of the Angel Moroni.
Dedication
The Atlanta Temple was dedicated in services held on June 1–4, 1983, by Gordon B. HinckleyGordon B. Hinckley
Gordon Bitner Hinckley was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from March 12, 1995 until his death...
. It was the first of over 90 temples he has dedicated.
In the dedicatory prayer Hinckley reaffirmed the sacred nature of the temple in these words:
May all who enter its portals realize that they are entering Thy house as Thy guest, and conduct themselves always with reverence and respect and love for Thee.
May all who enter these holy precincts feel of Thy spirit and be bathed in its marvelous, sanctifying influence... May they come with clean hands and pure hearts and in a spirit of love and dedication. May their minds be lifted above the mundane affairs of the world to a higher and more heavenly plane. May any spirit of selfishness or unkindness or evil whose influence may affect them in the world, leave them when they enter the doors of this sacred and holy sanctuary…
May the very presence of this temple in the midst of Thy people become a reminder of sacred and eternal covenants made with Thee. May they strive more diligently to banish from their lives those elements which are inconsistent with the covenants they have made with Thee. Wilt Thou bless them, dear Father, with peace in their hearts and peace in their homes.”
On November 14, 1997 Gordon B. Hinckley rededicated the Temple after significant renovations to the interior and the addition of an expanded baptistry.
Leadership
Robert M. Winston of Fort Lauderdale, FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
was called by the First Presidency to be the first temple president
Temple President
Temple president is a priesthood leadership position in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A temple president's primary responsibility is to supervise the affairs of an LDS temple in both an administrative and spiritual capacity....
and his wife Susannah B. Winston, the temple matron. The Winstons served in this voluntary capacity, living in a home purchased by the church off Barfield Road, for a period of three years. Upon their release in 1986, native Atlantan David H. Yarn Jr. and his wife Marilyn Stevenson were called to serve in the same capacity.
The presidents and matrons of the Atlanta George Temple are as follows:
- Robert M. Winston and Susannah B. Winston (1983–1986)
- David H. Yarn, Jr. and Marilyn Stevenson Yarn (1986–1989)
- A. Harold Goodman and Naomi Foster Goodman (1989–1992)
- Gerald L. Scott and Betty Endres Scott (1992–1995)
- James E. Hill, Sr. and Betty Valentine Turner (1995–1998)
- Heber S. Branham and Glenda L. Player Branham (1998–2001)
- C. Eugene Carroll McMichael and Sandra Jean McMichael Carroll (2001–2004)
- J. David Echard and K. Caroline Smith Echard (2004–2007)
- K. Dean Black and Beth Ann Grimstad Black (2007–present)
Service
Latter-day Saints considered it a sacred privilege to serve in the temple. With the exception of a small staff of grounds keepers, maintenance engineers, office workers, and security, all other temple workers, including sealers, serve in a voluntary capacity.Prior to the construction Latter-day Saints in the South
Southeastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
traveled to either the Washington D.C. Temple
Washington D.C. Temple
The Washington D.C. Temple is the 18th constructed and 16th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is located in Kensington, Maryland, USA, near the Capital Beltway just north of Washington, D.C...
or to other temples throughout the United States to be married
Celestial marriage
Celestial marriage is a doctrine of Mormonism, particularly The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and branches of Mormon fundamentalism.Within Mormonism, celestial marriage is an ordinance associated with a covenant that always...
, sealed to children or parents, receive blessings collectively known as the Endowment
Endowment (Latter Day Saints)
In the theology of the Latter Day Saint movement, an endowment refers to a gift of "power from on high", typically associated with Latter Day Saint temples. The purpose and meaning of the endowment varied during the life of movement founder Joseph Smith, Jr...
, or perform ordinances on behalf of deceased ancestors.
The original area served by the temple included approximately 150,000 Latter-day Saints encompassing the states of Georgia, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, and portions of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, and Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
.
Until the dedication of the Orlando Florida Temple
Orlando Florida Temple
The Orlando Florida Temple is the 48th constructed and 46th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located near Windermere, it was built with a modern single-spire design. It is the second largest LDS temple in the Eastern United States, after the Washington D.C...
in October 1994 members of the church in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
also came to the Atlanta Temple. During the first decade of the Atlanta Temple's operation it was not unusual for Latter-day Saints from Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
and other South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n countries to come to the Atlanta Temple (Flights to Atlanta were often cheaper than those to Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, or Guatemala City
Guatemala City
Guatemala City , is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala and Central America...
where the church dedicated temples in the early 1980s. Temples were dedicated in Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
in April 1999 and Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
Venezuela in August 2000).
Between 1983 and 2000 bus loads of worshippers came to the Atlanta Temple from across the South every weekend, sometimes staying in the temple all day Friday and again on Saturday. It became the spiritual hub for Latter-day Saints in the region.
Additional temples in the South
On October 4, 1997, Gordon B. Hinckley announced that due to increasing church membership in the United States and around the world, the need to build smaller temples closer to the people had reached a critical mass. The leadership of the church wanted to make “every ordinance performed in the house of the Lord” available to those who sought them, without the previous restraints of distance and the expense of travel.As a direct result of this announcement, between 1999 and 2000, temples were dedicated in every state in the original Atlanta Temple district, except Arkansas and Mississippi. This dramatically decreased the number of out of state visitors to the temple.
Current temple district
The current temple district area serves 124 congregations in Georgia, 11 in Tennessee, and 9 in Alabama. For those Latter-day Saints in Atlanta, the temple remains, by far, the most significant house of worship in the state.See also
- Temple (Latter Day Saints)
- List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by geographic region
- Comparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsComparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsBelow is a chronological list of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with sortable columns. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and considered by church members to be the most sacred structures on earth...
- Temple architecture (Latter-day Saints)
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Georgia