Meridian Idaho Temple
A new temple for Meridian, Idaho, was announced 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).
There are more than 410,000 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.
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.
