Dedication of the First Mormon Temple in Connecticut this November

The 155th Latter-day Saints Temple will open in Farmington, CT.

With over 150 temples all over the world and approximately 70 alone in the United States, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is a huge, sprawling organization with immense reach both in and out of the U.S. The church is about to get even bigger with the completion of construction of the first Mormon Temple in Farmington, Connecticut.

Dedication of the First Mormon Temple in Connecticut this November[/tweetthis]

To better acquaint the community and the population of Connecticut with Mormonism, the church has decided to have a three week public open house starting September 30. The Temple will be formally dedicated November 20 and thereafter will be available exclusively to members who have been granted access to the Temple.

The roughly 25,000 square foot building located at Farmington Avenue and Melrose Drive is expected to serve the close to 15,000 Mormons who live in Connecticut. The coordinator of the Open House and Dedication Committee, Kevin Starr, commented: “A temple is a building that is dedicated specifically to be the house of the Lord… a very special, spiritual place where His spirit resides.”

Temples belonging to the LDS are not that accessible, even to ordinary members of the church. The only time that the public can have access to the building at Farmington is during the Open House that will start at the end of September. While getting a ticket to attend the Open House is free, you will be required to make a reservation online so as to proceed.

Mormons who have been baptized will need to be interviewed by a Mormon Bishop who will evaluate among other things the member’s piety, devotion and dedication to the faith. It is only after the Bishop has deemed the church member worthy that they will be given a “temple recommend.” These passes are quite common among ordinary church members. However, the exacting process that precedes the issuance of such a pass and sends a big message to the rest of the world. It is evident that Mormons have a lot of reverence for their temples.

In Mormonism, temples are different from other places of worship in other religions. The temples are only used for important celebrations like marriage, with ordinary church activity being conducted in meetinghouses that serve as chapels for the followers of the faith.

While the LDS has been associated with a lot of Christian outreach to gain new converts, a lot of this work is not carried out in temples. This means that Farmington should not expect a massive influx of missionaries preaching the new truth to the rest of Connecticut.

I love to see the temple–Hartford,Connecticut!! #lds #temple #mormon https://t.co/kniE1AeQP3

— Allison Graves (@SkinergieDeals) May 28, 2015

Joseph Smith was the founder of Mormonism in the 1820s. After his death, the first members of the church followed the leadership and guidance of Brigham Young to settle in Utah. Ever since, Utah has been ground zero for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. As of 2015, Mormons in the United States number over 15 million.

Resources

• WNPR
• Hartford Courant

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