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Summarized by Kent Larsen
New Temple Marks Origin of Mormons
Buffalo NY News pg B1 27Mar00 N1
By Dave Condren
PALMYRA, NEW YORK -- The LDS Church' new Palmyra Temple is unique for
many reasons. The Buffalo News says that the building's location
means that it is attracting attention that other Temples don't get.
The Temple is located across the road from the log house where Joseph
Smith lived, overlooks the sacred grove where Smith was visited by
Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and less than a mile from the Hill
Cumorah, where Smith was given the plates from which the Book of
Mormon was translated.
"It all started here. Our roots are in a grove of trees just west of
here where (church founder) Joseph Smith had his 'first vision,' "
says Elder Jay E. Jensen, president of the church's North America
Northeast Area, during a media tour. "A temple is the ultimate
expression of our theology, and our theology began here." Temple
President Dale S. Dallon adds, "This is not just a matter of
convenience, but a matter of spiritual uplift for Latter-day Saints."
Because of the unique location of the Palmyra Temple, the dedication
will be broadcast by encrypted satellite to LDS stake centers and
meeting houses across North America so that many of the LDS Church's
5 million members on the continent can participate. The dedication is
scheduled for April 6th and will include a public cornerstone
ceremony at 9 a.m. that day. The building is one of the new smaller
Temples, just 10,700 square feet and cost about $5 million.
The News article also talks about the purpose and uses of Temples and
mentions some of the features of the Palmyra Temple. The building
will serve a district stretching from Buffalo to Syracuse, New York,
including about 17,700 Church members. Previously, those members
traveled to either Toronto, Canada or to Washington, D.C. to get to
the Temple.
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