Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have broken ground for the Fort Lauderdale Temple, the second such structure in Florida.
Elder Walter F. Gonzalez of the Church’s Presidency of the Seventy presided over the Saturday, 18 June, groundbreaking. He was joined by Elder William R. Walker, executive director of the Church’s Temple Department, in addition to several local Church leaders.
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
“It is so gratifying to see south Florida get a temple, a result of many efforts by those serving in our area,” said local Church leader Elder M. Anthony Burns. “Having a temple will not only bring blessings to our members but peace and comfort as well.”
Plans to construct the Fort Lauderdale Temple were first announced by Church President Thomas S. Monson in October 2009. The temple will serve approximately 25,000 Church members from congregations in and around the Florida Keys and the Bahamas. The Orlando temple, dedicated in 1994, was the first Latter-day Saint temple in the "sunshine state."
For more than 14 million Latter-day Saints throughout the world, the Fort Lauderdale Florida Temple will be a sacred “house of the Lord” where families can be united for eternity.
Once construction is complete, a public open house will be scheduled and announced. Following the public open house, the temple will be formally dedicated and thereafter used by faithful members of the Church for marriages, baptisms and other sacred ordinances intended to provide eternal family relationships.
There are currently 134 operating temples worldwide and 26 announced or under construction.