SERVING MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS IN ARIZONA
OCTOBER 1, 2017 • VOL 43 • NO 5 • EST 1975
Photo courtesy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Media Room
The Mesa Arizona Temple, which was first dedicated in 1927, and was rededicated after extensive remodeling in 1975, is scheduled for another closure for renovation beginning in May 2018.
A PLACE PREPARED Mesa Arizona Temple To Close For Two-year Renovation By Cecily Markland Condie The Arizona Beehive
J
ust six weeks before Arizona’s sixth temple was dedicated and opened for patrons in Tucson this August, the First Presidency of the Church announced that the Mesa Temple—the state’s oldest—would be closed for extensive renovations. The 90-year-old Mesa Arizona Temple will close in May 2018 and reopen in 2020. While there is much speculation about what changes will be made, an official statement from the Church simply states that the temple will undergo “needed repairs and upgrades” Kenneth McKay Smith, of the Grandview 1st Ward, Mesa Arizona Central Stake, called as president of the Mesa Arizona Temple earlier this year, along with his wife, Jody, as temple matron, will succeed President J Brent Hatch and Sister Renae G. Hatch, and will begin their service
November 1. The Smiths, with Kent Layton as first counselor and wife Dottie Layton as assistant to the matron, and Mike Vance as second counselor with his wife, Debbie, as assistant to the matron, will serve until the temple is closed. At that time, the counselors and assistants to the matron, as well as all ordinance workers, will be released. However, said President Smith, “We will remain as president and matron through the closure.” He and Sister Smith don’t know many details about what they will be doing while the temple is closed. “I’m not very good with a hammer,” he joked. He quickly added that, until the closure, he hopes to be busy with the work he does know and love. He says his love for temple began when he was a young man and went Continued on pg. 3
Photo by John Power
The Mesa Arizona Temple Gardens Christmas Lights event, which was started as a gift to the community, welcomes thousands to grounds of the temple each year to celebrate the birth of the Savior.