Danish chapel will become new temple
LDS Church News 29May99 C3
Danish chapel will become new temple

A fulfillment of a dedicatory prayer given by Elder John A. Widtsoe of the Quorum of the Tweleve Apostles on June l4, l93l, was realized when the Priorvej Chapel in downtown Copenhagen was announced to be the site of new Copenhagen Denmark Temple. In the original dedicatory prayer, Elder Widtsoe said the new chapel was "to be a place where Thy truth, the eternal gospel of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, shall be taught, both by precept and example, and where the introductory ordinances, which belong to this Church, can be performed."

The April 24, dedicatory services were conducted by Elder Spencer J. Condie of the Seventy and President of the Europe North Area. President Leif Mattson of the Gothenburg Sweden Stake offered the invocation. He prayed, "We are grateful for the blessing this building has been in our lives as apostles and prophets have borne their special witness of Thee in these sacred precincts. And now, our Holy Father, as we are gathered in the name of Thy Son, our hearts unite in gratitude that this building will now be extensively renovated for even more sacred purposes, to become a holy temple, a House of the Lord in which sacred eternal ordinances will be performed, including the sealing of families together forever and forever. ...As we redidicate this building site, may we also rededicate our live to Thee."

The new Denmark Temple will involve extensive renovation of the current existing building much like the Vernal Utah Temple that was dedicated in l997. President Johan S. Koch of the Copenhagen Denmark Stake observed in his remarks, "This building, with its front porch with four large coumns, is very reminiscent of Solomon's Temple." Reviewing the dimensions of Solomon's temple he then compared them to the size of the current meetinghouse and now future temple.

President Erik Ryytersgaard of the Aarhus Denmark Stake, expressed joy on behalf of the Church members who now have the prospect of a new temple in their midst. A choir of Danish members were joined by the congregation to sing the final hymn, "Now Let Us Rejoice." The benediction was offered by President Urban Girhammar of the Malmoe Sweden Stake.