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News Release

Temple Update: Prophet Presides at Groundbreaking for New Temple in Utah

House of the Lord in Hawaii to be closed for renovations

President Nelson Presides at Ephraim Utah Temple Groundbreaking 

The prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints presided at the groundbreaking of the Ephraim Utah Temple on Saturday, August 27, 2022. 

“The history of this area includes my own family,” said President Russell M. Nelson at the event, which was attended by invited guests. “My dear mother was born in Ephraim, not far from this very temple site. My father was born in Manti. Three of my four grandparents were born here in Ephraim. All eight of my great-grandparents lived in Ephraim.” This temple, first announced by President Nelson in May 2021, will join 27 other temples in Utah currently in operation, under construction, or under renovation. The Ephraim Utah Temple will serve more than 31,000 Latter-day Saints in this temple district.  

Renovations are Coming to the Kona Hawaii Temple 

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced that the Kona Hawaii Temple will close in October 2023 for extensive renovations. The Kona temple was dedicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley in January 2000. The temple stands 180 miles southeast of Laie, Hawaii, where The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicated its first temple outside the United States in 1919.  

Historic Salt Lake Temple Renovations Continue

How do you suspend a 187-million-pound iconic temple while excavating 20 feet below its nearly 170-year-old foundation? With reinforced steel tubes in a process called “jack and bore.” This process is a key component in the seismic upgrade of the Salt Lake Temple, now in its third year of renovation. Watch this video showing why jack and bore crews spend eight-plus hours a day in steel tubes, hand digging under the tonnage of the temple, and why they must be laser-focused with their approach. The entire temple rests on the result of their gritty but intricate work. 

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