Johannesburg South Africa Temple
The Johannesburg South Africa Temple is the 36th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The building of a temple in Johannesburg, South Africa was announced on 1 April 1981 during the opening session of the 151st Annual General Conference of The Church. The announcement of the Johannesburg South Africa Temple came less than three years after the June 1978 revelation, announced by President Spencer W. Kimball, extending the priesthood and temple blessings to all worthy male members of the Church regardless of race or color. The Johannesburg South Africa Temple is the first temple built in Africa (and in South Africa).
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History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in South Africa
On the twenty-third day of May in 1853, Jesse Haven stood on the slopes of Lion's Head overlooking southern Africa's Cape Town, already an historic city, and there prophesied that many of the honest in heart of that land would come to rejoice in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesse Haven, William H. Walker, and Leonard I. Smith were there to organize The Church of Jesus Christ and to dedicate the land for missionary work. The first convert in South Africa, Henry Stringer, was baptized on 15 June 1853. Exodus of the Saints to Utah, wars, and government-imposed restrictions on the number of missionaries who could serve in South Africa, resulted in slow progress in those early days. In 1865, the missionaries were pulled out of South Africa and were not sent back in until 38 years later in 1903. During that time, Church members found ways to support each other in the faith. Years later, in 1940, missionaries were again taken out because of outbreak of World War II. When the war was over, the missionaries were allowed to return. Missionary work was hindered greatly until the 1980's.
From that time forward, the membership of The Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints in South Africa began to grow rapidly; so much so, that the Church leaders announced the building of a Temple in Parktown, Johannesburg, South Africa. Today nearly 60,000 people in South Africa are members of the Church.
Site Dedication, Groundbreaking, Open House, and Temple Dedication
On 27 November 1982, the temple site was dedicated by Elder Marvin J. Ashton of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and a groundbreaking ceremony was held.
Once construction of the temple was complete, a public open house was held from 30 July to 10 August 1985. More than 19,000 visitors attended the open house, including civic and business leaders, as well as government officials. During the open house, the public was invited to come and learn about the purposes of Mormon temples and to tour the temple interior.
Gordon B. Hinckley, then President of the Church, dedicated the Johannesburg South Africa Temple on 24 August 1985. Nearly 3,500 of the 12,000 members of the extensive temple district attended the dedicatory services of the Johannesburg South Africa Temple.
President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the Johannesburg Temple on August 24, 1985. Church members come from Congo, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, and Madagascar to attend the temple and partake in the blessings that only the temple can offer.
There was an enormous effort put forth in preserving the area's historical value. Once the site of estates built by nineteenth-century mining magnates and financiers, the area around the temple now features hospitals, office buildings and schools, many of which are housed in mansions from the Victorian Era. [1]
The Temple is visible from many parts of the city with its six spires reaching into the sky. The edges of the building are finished with tiered layers of face brick, immaculately fitted together, giving it an elegance and distinctiveness.3 That with the gray slate roof and the indigenous quartzite for the temple's perimeter walls and entrance archways, it fits in suitably with the historic buildings nearby. [1] The Johannesburg South Africa Temple has a total floor area of 19,184 square feet, four ordinance rooms, and three sealing rooms.
Notes
- "The First 100 Temples", by Chad Hawkins, 2001, p 100
