Medford Oregon Temple Wiki

Description

History

Announced

The Medford Oregon Temple was announced on March 27, 1999.^[1]”Six more temples announced; total now 108“, Deseret News, 27 March 1999. Retrieved on 28 March 2020.

Groundbreaking

“This new temple is now another ensign to the restoration of the gospel,” said Elder D. Lee Tobler of the Seventy during the groundbreaking ceremony. “It is an ensign not only for you, but it is an ensign for your neighbors. It is an ensign for all.” Elder Tobler said that the temple will not be built for just the members of today but also for the those of tomorrow and the families of yesteryears.^[2]Church News, 29 May 1999.

Open House

During the open house nearly 46,000 people toured the Medford Oregon Temple. Many non-members felt the reverent spirit of the building commenting that they felt a “a sweet feeling inside the temple,” and a “sense that [the temple] was a very spiritual place.” Many entered the temple casually but came out “with a spirit of reverence about them.” ^[3]“News of the Church,” Ensign, July 2000, 74

Dedication

President James E. Faust, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, dedicated the Medford Oregon Temple on 16 April 2000. During the dedicatory prayer President Faust prayed, “Wilt Thou touch the hearts of Thy people in this temple district that they may ever regard it with gratitude and appreciation, that they may qualify themselves to come here as Thy servants and carry forward the great work for which it is designed…. May they come to this Thy house to solemnize the most sacred event of their lives, their marriage to partners of equal worthiness, and may the covenants which they will make in this house be kept inviolate throughout their lives.”^[4]”Medford dedicatory prayer: ‘Carry forward the great work,'” Church News 22 Apr. 2000, 25 Jun. 2005

The Medford Oregon Temple is the 79th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Medford Oregon Temple was the second temple built in Oregon, following the Portland Oregon Temple (1989).

On October 18, 2021, the gold-leafed fiberglass statue of the angel Moroni was replaced atop the spire of the Medford Oregon Temple during a minor renovation project that began on July 11, 2021.

Detail

Location

The Medford Oregon Temple is located midway between the Oakland California and Portland Oregon temples, giving the 28,600 Latter-day Saints in the area a closer temple.

Exterior

Interior

The Medford Oregon Temple has a total floor area of 10,700 square feet, two ordinance rooms, two sealing rooms, and one baptistry.