Spokane Washington Temple
The Spokane Washington Temple is the 59th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Missionary work in the Spokane area began in 1854 with four elders sharing the message of Church of Jesus Christ. Almost 100 years later membership was only 5,000 statewide. At that time members never imagined that one day the state wide membership would total more 212,000 and that the Spokane area would be home to a beautiful Latter-day Saint temple with gray granite walls, art glass windows, and a lone spire topped by a golden angel Moroni blowing his horn.
At the groundbreaking ceremony in October of 1998, Elder F. Melvin Hammond of the Seventy said, "Everyone in this city will be blessed by the establishment of this glorious edifice, member and nonmember alike." [1] During the open house of the Spokane Washington Temple 52,000 people toured the beautiful building. President Gordon B. Hinckley commented that as people toured, "They [were] most impressed with pictures of the Savior they see in these holy houses. They must know that the central figure in all of our worship is the Lord Jesus Christ. They will no longer regard us as a non-Christian people." [2] As they toured the temple people also learned about the reasons Mormons build temples.
On August 21, 1999, President Hinckley dedicated the Spokane Washington Temple with 16,000 members attending 11 dedicatory sessions. During the dedicatory prayer President Hinckley prayed, “Touch the hearts of the people in this temple district that the spirit of Elijah may rest upon them, that their hearts may turn to their fathers, and that they may be motivated to search out their forebears and do a great vicarious work on their behalf.” [3]
The temple is located in the Spokane suburb of Opportunity and serves about 32,000 members in eastern Washington, northern Idaho, and western Montana. The Spokane Washington Temple has a total of 10,700 square feet, two ordinance rooms, and two sealing rooms. There are two other temples in Washington, the Seattle Washington Temple (dedicated 1980) and the Columbia River Washington Temple (dedicated 2001).
Notes
- “News of the Church,” Ensign, Jan. 1999, 74
- Gordon B. Hinckley, “Welcome to Conference,” Ensign, Nov. 1999, 4
- “News of the Church,” Ensign, Nov. 1999, 109
