Billings Montana Temple
The Billings Montana Temple is the 66th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Before the Billings Montana Temple was built, members of the Church had to drive six to eight hours (depending on the weather) to go to the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple. When the Billings Montana Temple was announced, Latter-day Saints in the area rejoiced. About 4,800 people gathered during a spring snowstorm to witness the temple groundbreaking, during which a choir of 700 youth sang. Elder Hugh W. Pinnock of the Seventy presided and conducted the hourlong ceremony. President of the North America Central Area, he was joined by his counselors, Elders Kenneth Johnson and Lynn G. Robbins of the Seventy, in speaking at the service and breaking ground.
Before the temple was dedicated, it was open to the public and visitors were encouraged to walk through, enjoy the artwork and depictions of Christ, and learn about what takes place in a temple—to learn that Latter-day Saint temples are not secret, but sacred.
To accommodate all of the members of the area, eight dedicatory sessions were held on 20-21 of November 1999. President Gordon B. Hinckley said in his dedicatory prayer of the Billings Montana Temple,
- Bless those who have worked so long and diligently in the face of opposition to obtain the necessary permits and to erect this sacred temple. May a glad acceptance now prevail concerning it, even a sense of gratitude for its presence. We pray that this area, in fact this whole city, may feel the Spirit that emanates from this hallowed structure. [2]
Accompanying President Hinckley to Billings were his first counselor, President Thomas S. Monson, and his wife, Frances; Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Elisa; and Elder Yoshihiko Kikuchi of the Seventy and first counselor in the North America Central Area presidency and his wife, Toshiko.
- [At the time of the dedication], Emma Hawkins, who moved to Billings in the 1940s, said she used to wonder, "Why all the temples in Utah and the rest of us have to travel so far?" But that didn't stop her and her husband, Mort, from committing themselves to temple service. They rented a place in Idaho Falls where they could live and serve as ordinance workers. They occasionally traveled back to Billings for special family occasions but dedicated their lives, for the most part, to the temple for more than five years until Brother Hawkins died.
- Sister Hawkins said: "It was a wonderful opportunity to work in the Lord's house and enjoy the other people there. It was the highlight of our lives besides our family."
- Now Sister Hawkins, who was 88 years old [at the time of the dedication], is grateful "they're bringing the temples to us. It's going to be good for my family that lives in Billings."[1]
The Billings Montana Temple sits on the hillside in front of 300-foot high red Rimrock cliffs. The single spire rises from a tiered tower. Stained-glass windows dominate the west end. Inside, a clear skylight allows patrons to glimpse the angel Moroni atop the spire. The exterior features Wyoming white dolomite with tan sandstone finish. The temple will service the 51,000 members in Montana and more in northern Wyoming. The Billings Montana Temple has a total of 33,800 square feet, two ordinance rooms, and three sealing rooms.
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Notes
- Jeff Lindsay, Mormon Temples and Secrecy
- News of the Church,” Ensign, Feb. 2000, 74.
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