Difference between revisions of "Yigo Guam Temple"

Revision as of 12:37, 2 February 2019

Rendering of the Yigo Guam Temple. ©2018 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Yigo Guam Temple was announced during the October 2018 Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 7 October 2018, by President Russell M. Nelson.

The Yigo Guam Temple will be the first temple in Guam, an unincorporated and organized territory of the United States in Micronesia in the western Pacific Ocean. The temple will be located at the corner of Marine Corp Drive and Melalak Drive in the village of Yigo on the north end of Guam. Construction on the temple with an adjacent meetinghouse is expected to begin in 2019 and is anticipated to take about two years to complete.

History of the Church in Guam

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been in Guam since the 1940s. The first Church members on Guam probably came as members of the armed forces during World War II. Guam branches of from 50 to 300 servicemen began functioning in 1944, acting under the Far East Mission. In 1945, four groups were organized on the island. On one occasion, they dedicated the graves of fallen Church servicemen.

In 1951, fund-raising events by the members raised enough money to purchase land and two Quonset huts, which they used for a chapel and classrooms. The facilities were dedicated in 1953 and Guam became a dependent branch of the Oahu Hawaii Stake.

The first missionaries arrived in August 1957. As members increased, land for another meetinghouse was purchased. A new meetinghouse in Barrigada was dedicated 10 March 1970, and the Guam Branch became a ward Open houses were frequently held, but few joined the Church. In May 1976, the Guam Ward was divided. The first Chamorro couple to join, Don Calvo and his wife, Maria, were baptized in May 1977. The Agat Branch was created in 1978. And in 1979, Herbert J. Leddy, the first missionary of Chamorro lineage, was called to the Tennessee Nashville Mission.

The Micronesia Guam Mission was created on 1 April 1980. In June, the Guam District was created with four branches.

In 1989, selections of the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ were translated into Chamorro, and in the same year, Herbert J. Leddy became the first Chamorro member to be called as district president. Membership in 1995 was 1,400. Today there are 2,516 members, 4 wards, 1 mission, 1 stake, and 1 family history center in Guam.

Groundbreaking Date Announced for Yigo Guam Temple

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced that the groundbreaking date for the Yigo Guam Temple is 4 May 2019. Elder Yoon Hwan Choi, president of the Asia North Area for the Church, will preside at the event. Attendance at the site will be by invitation only. It is anticipated that the groundbreaking services will be transmitted via the internet to local chapels within the proposed temple district. Additional details will be forthcoming.