LATTER-DAY SAINTS

LDS Church announces new Temple in Meridian

MERIDIAN – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced a new Idaho temple Saturday morning as part of its 181st Annual General Conference. Church President Thomas S. Monson announced three temples, including one in Meridian. That would bring the total number of Idaho temples to five.

After the announcement, a spokesperson with the Meridian Mayor’s office said that Mayor Tammy de Weerd met with representatives from the church on Friday. There aren’t a lot of details on what transpired in that meeting other than the representatives notified the mayor of the decision.

The spokesperson said that the temple will be a welcome addition to the area that has a strong and caring community of people from several faiths.

At this point the location of the new Temple has not been announced. Also not released is the date for the groundbreaking

According to the church’s website there are over 410,000 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Idaho.

The other temple locations announced are Fort Collins, Colorado and Winnipeg, Monitoba, Canada.

According to the Church’s website there are 13 temples currently in operation with 26 more either announced or under construction.

More about Temples from the LDS Church’s website

To members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temples are the “house of the Lord,” the most sacred places on earth. Unlike meetinghouses here Sabbath worship and weekly activities take place, temples are open throughout the week and closed on Sundays.

Temple services bind families together forever, teach the purpose of life and explain God’s plan of salvation. Temple attendance emphasizes personal spiritual growth and strengthens Latter-day Saints’ commitment to following the example of Jesus Christ.

There are currently 134 operating temples worldwide and, with today’s announcement, 26 temples announced or under construction.



100,000 expected to attend 2011 LDS General Conference; activity packet

Saturday and Sunday, April 2-3, 2011 the Latter Day Saints (LDS) general conference takes place in Salt Lake City, Utah and approximately 100,000 people are expected to attend the conference, while millions of people in more than 80 nations around the world are expected to listen to the conference.  The LDS General Conference is held by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Over 40 speakers are expected during the Saturday and Sunday sessions.  Saturday general sessions will be at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and Sunday general sessions will be at 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. The general priesthood meeting will be Saturday at 6 p.m.

Tickets are required and the Conference Center doors are scheduled to open 90 minutes before the session start time.  The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) is offering expanded TRAX service this weekend.

In Salt Lake City, all four general sessions will be broadcasted live on KSL – Channel 5 and on BYU-TV.   

The following radio stations will broadcast all sessions live:

KSL Radio (AM-1160/FM-102.7) and KBYU (FM-89.1/89.5), KVNU (AM-610), Logan; KSUB/KSSD (AM-590), Cedar City; KMTI/KMGR (AM-630/FM-93.7), Manti; KSVC (AM-980), Richfield; KDXU (AM-890), St. George; KSRR/KQMB (AM-1400/FM-96.7), Orem; KSVN (Spanish, AM-730), Salt Lake; KBJA (AM-1640), South Jordan; and KVEL (AM-920), Vernal.



California LDS teen wins Holocaust poetry contest

Natalie Larson, a 13-year-old member of the LDS Church from Orange County, Calif., recently won a national middle school poetry-writing content. The 12th annual Holocaust Art and Writing contest was sponsored by Chapman University and the 1939 Club, an organization of Holocaust survivors and descendants. For her efforts, Larson received a $500 prize and an upcoming summer trip to Washington, D.C.

Larson wrote a poem about Zelda Gordon, a Holocaust survivor born in Poland who now resides in Southern California. Gordon survived six death and concentration camps. Larson's poem describes Gordon’s courage in sneaking out after curfew to find bread for her friends in the ghetto, at considerable risk to herself.

The award was announced on March 4 during a ceremony at Chapman University in Orange, Calif. Following the ceremony, Larson had the opportunity to meet Zelda Gordon.

“It was amazing to meet a Holocaust survivor,” Larson said. “She is someone I can look up to because of what she went through.”

The Holocaust Art and Writing contest gives prizes in three categories — poetry, prose and art — to both middle school and high school students. Students from 68 middle schools and 43 high schools, primarily in California, entered the contest. They based their writing or art on the video testimonies of Holocaust survivors. The contest was judged by a panel of educators, philanthropists and artists. About 50 Holocaust survivors attended the awards ceremony.

Natalie Larson attends the eighth grade at Tuffree Middle School in Placentia, Calif. She is the daughter of Blake and Melissa Larson and is an active member of the Placentia Second Ward, Placentia California Stake.

Barbara Openshaw is on the Placentia California Stake Public Affairs Committee.


TRAX, FrontRunner to operate special service schedule for LDS conferencegoers

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Transit Authority will be operating on a special service schedule for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' conference weekend. Group rates for round-trip fares as well as increased frequency to help moderate traffic congestion downtown will be offered.

City-bound trains will leave the Sandy Civic Center every 10 minutes today, from 7:58 a.m. to 9:18 a.m., 12:18 p.m. to 12:58 p.m., and from 4:18 p.m. to 4:58 p.m. Saturday, FrontRunner service runs every 60 minutes, departing Ogden at 16 minutes after the hour.

TRAX trains depart Salt Lake Central Station for Temple Square every 10 minutes. Northbound FrontRunner trains depart from the Salt Lake Central Station at 57 minutes after the hour.

On Sunday, trains will leave the Sandy Civic Center for downtown Salt Lake City, every 20 minutes, beginning at 7:58 a.m. Trains will depart Fashion Place West for downtown every 10 minutes between 7:58 a.m. and 9:08 a.m. There will also be trains running every 10 minutes from Sandy Civic Center to downtown, between 12:18 p.m. and 12:58 p.m.

Early service will be provided on the University line, with two additional trips departing Medical Center to City Center at 7:58 a.m. and 8:18 a.m. Regular service from Medical Center will begin at 9:22 a.m.

There is no FrontRunner service on Sundays.

There will be two extra TRAX trains departing from downtown to Sandy Civic Center following each session on both days of the LDS Church's general conference. All Sandy line trains will have extra cars to accommodate the crowds.

UTA suggests that riders purchase a round-trip fare to reduce wait time at the ticket machines on the return trip. Riders traveling together may purchase a UTA group pass, which allows four people to ride round-trip for $13.50 during regular service hours. The pass is good on TRAX, bus and FrontRunner trips.