The public is invited to tour the newly completed Newport Beach California Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The First Presidency of the Church has announced that an open house will begin on Saturday, 23 July 2005, and continue through Saturday, 20 August 2005, excluding Sundays. Tours are available on Monday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., and Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m.
The temple is located at 2300 Bonita Canyon Dr., Newport Beach, California.
Tickets for the open house are free and are available online at www.lds.org/reservations or by phone at 1-800-537-6214 (toll free).
Parking for the open house will be located offsite. On weekdays, go to Mariners Church, 5001 Newport Coast Dr., Irvine (corner of Newport Coast Dr. and Bonita Canyon Dr.). On Saturdays, go to Newport Center Medical Plaza (Fashion Island), 1441 Avocado Ave., Newport Beach. (A map and directions are provided on the tickets Web site.)
Free bus transportation to and from the temple will be provided. Children are welcome; however, strollers, backpacks, cameras and recording equipment are not allowed in the temple.
Following the public open house, the temple will be formally dedicated on Sunday, 28 August 2005. Four separate dedicatory sessions will be held to accommodate Latter-day Saints in the area who will be served by the new temple.
Latter-day Saint temples differ from the meetinghouses or chapels where members meet for Sunday worship services. Temples are considered "houses of the Lord" where Christ's teachings are reaffirmed through marriage, baptism and other ordinances that unite families for eternity.
Inside, members learn more about the purpose of life and make covenants to serve Jesus Christ and their fellow man.
The Newport Beach California Temple is the sixth operating temple of the Church in California, and the 122nd temple worldwide. The new temple will serve nearly 50,000 Latter-day Saints living in Orange County.
Presently more than 760,000
Latter-day Saints reside in California. For additional information
about the Newport Beach California Temple and for photos of the
temple interior and exterior, visit www.newsroom.lds.org.