Edmonton Alberta Temple

Edmonton Alberta Temple Wiki

Description

The Edmonton Alberta Temple is one of the small-scale temples, which were announced in the October 1997 general conference by President Gordon B. Hinckley, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1995 to 2008. In response to members’ needs for temples closer to their homes than many temples previously had been, President Hinckley declared that small-scale temples would be built in many communities, allowing more members than ever before to have access to temple blessings. President Hinckley elaborated on this temple project in the April 1998 general conference. In this conference, he said that the Church planned to have 100 temples in operation by 2000.

The Edmonton Alberta Temple serves members in congregations stretching from Red Deer to Grande Prairie to Edmonton.

History

The Church has a rich history in Edmonton. Although LDS university students and government leaders lived in Edmonton as early as 1920, the first recorded Church meeting was not held in this city until 1933, with only 15 members present. . Then in 1935, N. Eldon Tanner (later a counselor in the First Presidency) moved to northern Alberta, where he served during the next 16 years in Church leadership positions. In 1951 the first Church building in the city was dedicated on Whyte Avenue and the first stake was organized November 15, 1960.

Announcement

The construction arrangements for the Edmonton Alberta Temple were announced on August 11, 1998, as one of the small-scale temples.

When a temple was announced for Edmonton, Alberta, members living close by rejoiced. Upon the announcement, Blair S. Bennett, a Church leader supervising Edmonton, said, “To have a temple located here is going to bless lives in ways we really don’t even understand yet. … This has literally been a fulfillment of the hopes and dreams and aspirations of a generation that has lived and served in Edmonton.”[1]Sarah Jane Weaver, “Temple Dedicated in ‘Hub of the North,’” Church News, Dec. 18, 1999. The temple has changed many people’s lives and has united Church members.

Groundbreaking

Church leaders and members attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the Edmonton Alberta Temple on February 27, 1999. Yoshihiko Kikuchi, a member of the Church’s First Quorum of the Seventy from 1977 to 2011, led the groundbreaking ceremony. The Edmonton mayor and members of the Canadian parliament also attended the groundbreaking ceremony.

Open House

A Public open house was held for the Edmonton Alberta Temple from 3 December to 7 December of 1999. no tours were held on Sunday 5 December. During the four days of the open house an estimated 27,213 people toured the temple. 10,345 people toured the temple on Saturday 4 December alone.

Interest in the temple ran high prior to the open house. One customs agent asked a visitor coming from Salt Lake if they had seen the temple. There were many television and newspaper reports on the Open House.

An estimated 800 local residents toured the temple from the immediate area. 500 locals received invites, with more coming because of word of mouth, and some just seeing the tours in progress and stopping by.

Jennifer Williams of the Riverbend Ward, Edmonton Alberta Riverbend Stake, had many non-LDS friends who followed the construction of the temple. She let them know about the open house.

“As much as it was my temple it was there [during the open house] for my friends and my neighbors,” she said. “During those days, it was Edmonton’s temple.[2]Weaver, Sarah Jane, “Open house visitor: ‘What does this mean to me?‘” Church News, 20 December 1999.

During the open house, the various contractors who had worked on the temple got to tour their new creation and show their families the finished product. One contractor sat in the temple and stared at a door frame. When asked what he was looking at the visitor replied that he had cut around the door and couldn’t believe the quality of his own workmanship.

Dedication

President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the temple on 11-12 December 1999. It was a cold winter day, but vinyl tents and enclosed walkways protected all in attendance from the harsh weather. Even though it was cold, the temperature was warmer than a typical December Edmonton day, and members called the weather “temple weather.”[3]Sarah Jane Weaver, “Temple Dedicated in ‘Hub of the North,’” Church News, Dec. 18, 1999, http://www.ldschurchnewsarchive.com/articles/36933/Temple-dedicated-in-hub-of-the-north.html.

During the dedicatory prayer, President Hinckley prayed for the nation of Canada saying, “Let Thy providence be felt in this great nation of Canada, that it shall continue to be a land where Thy sons and daughters enjoy the precious boon of freedom of assembly and worship… Bless those who govern that they shall look with favor upon Thy people, and may Thy work grow in numbers, in majesty, and in strength in this good land.” [4]“News of the Church,” Ensign, Mar. 2000, 74

“We have become something we never thought we would become—a temple city,” said first temple President Donald D. Salmon at the temple dedication. And as such, Edmonton became a place where couples who traditionally would retire to southern Alberta now stay. Like many others, President Salmon and his wife, Joyce, had after retirement planned to leave the harsh Edmonton winters and move to southern Alberta, nearer the Cardston Alberta Temple. Then came the August 11, 1998 announcement of the Edmonton temple that changed their lives. “We are staying and many others are staying, too,” he said. Some are even returning. After the temple announcement, Calvin G. and Verona Harker Merkley sold their home in Lethbridge, Alberta, where they had planned to spend their retirement years closer to a temple, and returned to their home ward in Edmonton. “We are coming home to family and the temple; we can’t beat that,” said Sister Merkley.

LeRoy Rollins, called as president of that stake, could not be happier to see the dreams of Edmonton’s pioneer generation fulfilled with the dedication of the temple. “I imagined it. I worked toward it. I knew we would have a temple in Edmonton, it had to be,” said Brother Rollins. “It marks a status we have not had before. It will cause even greater growth in this city.” President Salmon, who moved to Edmonton in 1951, also expects the temple to escalate Church growth in Edmonton. It will unite the current Church members in northern Alberta, as well, he said. “Over the years we have seen the Church grow and divide [as new wards and stakes are created]. This is a time for coming back together. The temple will eliminate phrases such as ‘I live in this stake or that stake.’ We will be in the temple with people from all stakes” where Latter-day Saints are now reaching across branch, ward and stake boundaries as part of a larger temple district. “The temple gives us the association with all members,” explained President Salmon. “We are coming together to work and serve.” (18 December 1999, Church News).

Previous to the building of the Edmonton temple many LDS couples would move to Cardston after retirement to be near a temple.

President LeRoy Rollins who said about the new temple, “I imagined it. I worked toward it. I knew we would have a temple in Edmonton, it had to be. It marks a status we have not had before. It will cause even greater growth in this city.” [5]18 December 1999, Church News.

Dedication Order

The Edmonton Alberta Temple is the 67th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The temple was the second to be built in Alberta; the first was built in Cardston in 1923.

The Edmonton Alberta Temple was the fifth temple built in Canada and the second built in Alberta, following the Cardston Alberta Temple (1923).

Presidents

Temple PresidentYears Served
David J. Henderson2017–2017
Darrell B. Harker2014–2017
Bryce D. Card2010–2014
Jack M. Holt2007–2010
Robert S. Patterson2004–2007
Donald D. Salmon1999–2004

Details

Location

Rising amid the trees and natural foliage, the Edmonton Alberta Temple can be seen by motorists traveling along the Whitemud Freeway, which runs through Alberta’s capital city.

The one-acre grounds around the temple are landscaped with trees, shrubbery and flowers. Community members of all religions and ages are welcome to enjoy the peaceful grounds, and attendants are available on the grounds to answer visitors’ questions.

Exterior

The Edmonton Alberta Temple’s contemporary style was envisioned by Church designers and Robert Bennett, an architect of Bennett Architect, Inc. Bennet incorporated engravings the regional wild roses and and wheat shafts, two common crops farmed in Edmonton, engraved into the stone landscaping features in front of the temple.

The stone exterior of the temple is a light gray granite exterior quarried in Quebec.

Spire

The temple features a single spire in line with the front doors of the temple. The spire is 80-foot tall including the gilded statue of angel Moroni at the top

In Edmonton, snow falls from late September to early May, and snowfall averages approach 50 inches annually. The gold-leafed angel Moroni statue, a prophet from the Book of Mormon, glistens against the winter snow. He blows a trumpet and faces east, signifying the gospel message being spread to all.

Interior

The temple has 10,700 square feet and holds two instruction rooms, a celestial room and two sealing rooms.


References

References
↑1 Sarah Jane Weaver, “Temple Dedicated in ‘Hub of the North,’” Church News, Dec. 18, 1999.
↑2 Weaver, Sarah Jane, “Open house visitor: ‘What does this mean to me?‘” Church News, 20 December 1999.
↑3 Sarah Jane Weaver, “Temple Dedicated in ‘Hub of the North,’” Church News, Dec. 18, 1999, http://www.ldschurchnewsarchive.com/articles/36933/Temple-dedicated-in-hub-of-the-north.html.
↑4 “News of the Church,” Ensign, Mar. 2000, 74
↑5 18 December 1999, Church News.