SALT LAKE CITY — The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced that a new temple will be built in Rexburg, Idaho.
Members of the Church in Rexburg were told of the decision to build a temple when they met for regular worship services yesterday in congregations throughout the region.
A precise location and a construction start date for the Rexburg temple have not yet been announced. Typically, temples take at least a year to build. Before dedication, the public will be able to tour the facility. Following the open house, the temple will be formally dedicated.
The fast-growing faith already has two temples in Idaho — the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple, dedicated in 1945, and the Boise Idaho Temple, dedicated in 1984. Currently, there are over 360,000 members of the Church in Idaho.
Latter-day Saint temples differ from the hundreds of meetinghouses or churches where members typically meet for Sunday worship services and midweek social activities. Temples are considered “houses of the Lord” where Christ’s teachings are reaffirmed through marriage, baptism and other sacred ordinances that unite families for eternity.
The Church currently operates 116 temples worldwide with another 13 announced or under construction. Almost 12 million people belong to the worldwide Church in most countries in the world.
The Church was first established in Idaho in 1860 when a party of colonizers arrived at what is now Franklin in northern Cache Valley in southeastern Idaho. Franklin is both Idaho’s oldest and the Church’s oldest permanent settlement in the state.
EXTRA
To access these extra items, go to www.newsroom.lds.org, click on News Releases and then “New Temple Announced in Rexburg, Idaho.”
• The Church in Idaho
• Official Temple List
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Families Can Be Forever
• The Family: A Proclamation to the World