Temples

The following is excerpted from the Church News. To read the full report, CLICK HERE.

Apostle welcomes participants to opening events for what will be the Church’s 185th dedicated house of the Lord

With an Apostle providing a welcoming message and leading tours of media representatives, the Bangkok Thailand Temple has become the latest house of the Lord of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to open its doors to the public.

Joined by other Church leaders and past and current Bangkok civic leaders, Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles greeted attendees at the temple’s Monday, Aug. 28, media day events, which began with a news conference and was followed by a tour of the temple and media interviews.

“It’s a beautiful building in a remarkably beautiful city, but it’s much more than just a building,” said Elder Gong, who first visited the southeast Asia nation in 1980 with his wife, Sister Susan Gong. “We offer the best we can to the Lord, and He offers the best He can for us. This is the place where heaven and earth connect. It allows us to tie to our ancestors, our families, to make forever families.”

Monday’s media day kicks off a series of special-guest tours that will continue daily until the temple’s public open-house tours begin Friday, Sept. 1, and continue through Saturday, Sept. 17, excluding Sundays.

As is the pattern with media days, the Church released interior and exterior photos of the Bangkok Thailand Temple and a video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

When dedicated this fall, the Bangkok Thailand Temple will be the Church’s 185th operating house of the Lord around the globe.

Core beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ

In welcoming the media and guests before tours inside the temple, Elder Gong explained that Latter-day Saints believe in God, seek to create strong families and be good citizens.

“As good neighbors and good friends, we seek to be compassionate, kind and generous,” he said. “We help the poor and needy. For instance, we respond quickly when floods, natural disasters, or other community needs arise.

The Apostle singled out the Church’s many years of work with the Royal Patronage Foundation of Thailand and cited some examples of humanitarian efforts.

The courtyard with a reflecting pond and Christus statue at the Bangkok Thailand Temple in Bangkok, Thailand, in the summer of 2023.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“Our humanitarian service, training and assistance provide wheelchairs for the mobility impaired; neonatal training to help health care professionals save infants at risk; and needed water and wells in rural areas,” Elder Gong said. “Of course, no one group can do everything needed, but we can each do our small part.”

Others speaking Monday included Elder Suchat Chaichana, Area Seventy from Bangkok; Bhichit Rattakul, former governor of Bangkok and graduate of Brigham Young University; and Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt, the governor of Bangkok.

The celestial room of the Bangkok Thailand Temple.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Also attending the news conference and available for media interviews after the tour were four General Authority Seventies: Elder Kevin R. Duncan, executive director of the Church’s Temple Department; Elder James R. Rasband, on assignment for the Temple Department; Elder Benjamin M.Z. Tai, Asia Area president; and Elder Kelly R. Johnson, a counselor in the Asia Area presidency.

Bangkok Thailand Temple background

The late President Thomas S. Monson announced a temple for Bangkok, Thailand, during April 2015 general conference.

The front entrance to the Bangkok Thailand Temple, with “Holiness to the Lord. House of the Lord” inscribed in Thai above the door. Photo taken summer 2023.

Construction began promptly following a Jan. 26, 2019, groundbreaking ceremony, with Elder Robert C. Gay of the Presidency of the Seventy presiding and offering a dedicatory prayer on the site and the construction process.

Church President Russell M. Nelson and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles visited Bangkok, including the future temple site, in April 2018 as part of President Nelson’s inaugural global ministry.

An instruction room inside the Bangkok Thailand Temple.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

President Nelson said the Latter-day Saints of Thailand will not be passive.

To read the full report, CLICK HERE.