Jordan River Utah Temple
Encyclopedia
The Jordan River Utah Temple (formerly the Jordan River Temple) is the 20th operating temple
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in South Jordan
, Utah
, it was built with a modern single-spire design.
A site dedication and groundbreaking ceremony were held on June 9, 1979. The ceremony and dedication were presided over by Church President Spencer W. Kimball
. Instead of the usual small ceremonial shovel-full of dirt at the groundbreaking, President Kimball used a large power scoop shovel to begin the building process. The Jordan River Utah Temple was open to the public for tours September 29 through October 31, 1981. Over half a million people toured the temple during its open house.
, a member of the Church's First Presidency
, dedicated the Jordan River Utah Temple in fifteen sessions held during November 16–20, 1981. More than 160,000 members attended the dedicatory services. Thirty of those in attendance at the dedication were elderly men and women who had been at the historic dedication of the first temple in the Salt Lake Valley, the Salt Lake Temple
. Most had been very young at the time but still remembered the event. The Jordan River Utah Temple serves Latter-day Saints in Southern Salt Lake County, Utah. Geographically, it is the smallest Mormon temple district in the world, but the temple is one of the church's busiest.
funds, the Jordan River Utah Temple site was given to the Church and all of its construction was paid for by members in the 134 stakes within the temple district. At the time, the payment of buildings by local building funds was the established practice in the church but this was later abandoned in order to respond to the churches need for temples and church buildings in poorer areas of the world.
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...
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in South Jordan
South Jordan, Utah
South Jordan is a city in the U.S. state of Utah. The city lies in the Salt Lake Valley between the peaks of the Oquirrh Mountains and the peaks of the Wasatch Mountains and is part of the Salt Lake City metropolitan area...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, it was built with a modern single-spire design.
A site dedication and groundbreaking ceremony were held on June 9, 1979. The ceremony and dedication were presided over by Church President Spencer W. Kimball
Spencer 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:...
. Instead of the usual small ceremonial shovel-full of dirt at the groundbreaking, President Kimball used a large power scoop shovel to begin the building process. The Jordan River Utah Temple was open to the public for tours September 29 through October 31, 1981. Over half a million people toured the temple during its open house.
Dedication
Marion G. RomneyMarion G. Romney
Marion George Romney was an apostle and a member of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .-Early life:...
, a member of the Church's First Presidency
First Presidency
In the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency was the highest governing body in the Latter Day Saint church established by Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1832, and is the highest governing body of several modern Latter Day Saint denominations...
, dedicated the Jordan River Utah Temple in fifteen sessions held during November 16–20, 1981. More than 160,000 members attended the dedicatory services. Thirty of those in attendance at the dedication were elderly men and women who had been at the historic dedication of the first temple in the Salt Lake Valley, the Salt Lake Temple
Salt Lake Temple
The Salt Lake Temple is the largest and best-known of more than 130 temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the sixth temple built by the church, requiring 40 years to complete, and the fourth operating temple built since the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo,...
. Most had been very young at the time but still remembered the event. The Jordan River Utah Temple serves Latter-day Saints in Southern Salt Lake County, Utah. Geographically, it is the smallest Mormon temple district in the world, but the temple is one of the church's busiest.
Features
The Jordan River Utah Temple is the fourth largest LDS temple and has a total of 148236 square feet (13,771.6 m²), six ordinance rooms, and seventeen sealing rooms. The temple also has the largest capacity, with each ordinance room able to accommodate 125 people. The temple site is 15 acres (60,702.9 m²). The exterior of the temple is finished with cast stone with white marble chips. Unlike many of the temples, which are built mostly with tithingTithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
funds, the Jordan River Utah Temple site was given to the Church and all of its construction was paid for by members in the 134 stakes within the temple district. At the time, the payment of buildings by local building funds was the established practice in the church but this was later abandoned in order to respond to the churches need for temples and church buildings in poorer areas of the world.
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 UtahThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in UtahAs of year-end 2007, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reported 1,823,613 members in 523 stakes, 1 district, 4,666 Congregations , and 5 missions...