Meridian Idaho Temple
A new temple for Meridian, Idaho, was announced on 2 April 2011, during the Saturday morning session of the 181st Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by President Thomas S. Monson on 2 April 2011. It will be the fifth temple to be built in the state of Idaho. The other four temples are the Boise Idaho Temple (1984), Idaho Falls Idaho Temple (1945), Twin Falls Idaho Temple (2008), and Rexburg Idaho Temple (2008). A sixth temple, in Pocatello, has also been announced.
There are approximately 426,000 Latter-day Saints in Idaho. Meridian, the third largest and fastest-growing city in the state, is located about eleven miles west of Boise. From 2000 to 2010, the city experienced 115 percent increase in population. During this time of rapid expansion, three additional stakes were organized in Meridian and four more in the surrounding communities of Nampa (the second largest city in the state), Kuna, and Middleton. The Meridian Idaho Temple will reduce demands on the nearby Boise Idaho Temple, where endowment rooms often fill near capacity during busy operating hours.
The Meridian Idaho Temple will stand on the Boise River at 7345 North Linder Road in Meridian, approximately a 12-mile (or 20-minute) drive from the Boise Idaho Temple, a few blocks north of the intersection of North Linder Road and Chinden Boulevard. The two temples will serve together to meet the needs of the Saints of the Treasure Valley and its surrounding region.
The 67,331-square-foot temple is made of structural steel and a precast white exterior and is topped with an Angel Moroni statue that stands 13 feet tall. Tom Lindhardt, the project manager of the temple, said, "It's on a bluff that overlooks the Boise River. It's just a beautiful setting. As you look to the views of the north and the east, you start to see the foothills of the Sawtooth Mountains."
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History of the Church in Idaho
The Church was first established in Idaho in 1855 after Brigham Young asked 26 Latter-day Saints to settle along the Salmon River. They remained there for about three years. More members of the Church arrived in 1860 and helped the Native Americans in the area learn about agriculture and the gospel of Jesus Christ. By 1890, when Idaho became a state, about one-fifth of the population was made up of Latter-day Saints.
Groundbreaking Ceremony
On Saturday, 23 August 2014, officials from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints joined with community leaders in Meridian, Idaho to break ground for the new temple that will be constructed there.
Elder David A. Bednar of The Quorum of the Twelve presided at the ceremony. He was joined by Elder Kent F. Richards, executive director of the Temple Department. Also present at the ceremony were some community and civic leaders including Meridian Mayor Tammy DeWeerd, Eagle Mayor James Reynolds, and Ada County Commissioner Dave Case. They all joined Elder Bednar to turn the first shovels of dirt on the project.
During his remarks, Elder Bednar said, "What I pray you will remember is to have gratitude not just today as we assemble here, but gratitude when the way is easy. When attending the temple becomes easy, when it no longer requires much travel to get to a temple, the natural man and the natural woman in each of us often forgets to be grateful."
Public Open House Announced
The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced that the free public open house for the Meridian Idaho Temple will begin on Saturday, 21 October 2017, and continue through 11 November 2017, except for the Sundays of 22 and 29 October and 5 November 2017. Free reservations for the open house can be made through tickets.lds.org in the weeks preceding the open house. Ticketed tours will be available beginning Sept. 25.
Tom Lindhart commented, "It’s an opportunity to feel the beautiful peace of this temple, the spirit of the temple. People of all faiths will enjoy their visit to the open house."
Cultural Celebration and Temple Dedication
A cultural celebration honoring Idaho and Church history, featuring 6,000 local youth performing music and dance will be held Saturday, 18 November 2017. The celebration will be held at the Taco Bell Arena on the Boise State University campus in Boise.
The temple will be dedicated the following day on Sunday, 19 November 2017, in three sessions at 9:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. The dedication will be broadcast to members of the Church in Idaho and the temple district. The three-hour block of meetings will be canceled for that Sunday for those congregations to enable members of the Church to participate and focus on this sacred event.
The Meridian Idaho Temple will be the Church's 158th operating temple around the world and will serve more than 60,000 Latter-day Saints in 16 stakes in the greater Boise area, including a few stakes in eastern Oregon.
