Ephraim Utah Temple
President Russell M. Nelson announced the construction of the Ephraim Utah Temple in a prerecorded message played at a press conference held inside the Manti Tabernacle on Saturday, 1 May 2021, in conjunction with an announcement that the murals in the Manti Utah Temple will be preserved as part of an upcoming renovation.
The Ephraim Utah Temple will be the twenty-seventh temple built in Utah and the second built in Sanpete County, following the Manti Utah Temple (1888). Both the Ephraim Utah Temple and the Manti Utah Temple will be located within the boundaries of Manti High School.
On 22 October 2021, the site for the Ephraim Utah Temple was announced as a 9.16-acre parcel located at the intersection of 200 North and 400 East in Ephraim. The location is directly northeast of Snow College, with the temple less than eight miles away from the Manti Utah Temple. Plans call for a two-story temple of approximately 39,000 square feet. The temple will have four 30-seat ordinance rooms, three sealing rooms, and one baptismal font.
The Ephraim Utah Temple will serve more than 31,000 Latter-day Saints in Sanpete, Carbon, and Emery counties. This includes Latter-day Saint students who attend nearby Snow College. An existing meetinghouse for young single adults will be adjacent to the temple.
President Russell M. Nelson said the new house of the Lord will be an important addition for the Church's growing membership in the area — including students at Snow College. He said, "We care about their well-being and their future." The current estimation is that the Ephraim Utah Temple will be the 226th temple in the Church.
In addition to Ephraim Utah Temple, the state of Utah has 17 temples in operation, eight under construction, and two under renovation.
Groundbreaking for the Ephraim Utah Temple
President Russell M. Nelson presided at the groundbreaking for the Ephraim Utah Temple, held on 27 August 2022. In his remarks to invited guests at the event, he noted, “The history of this area includes my own family. My dear mother was born in Ephraim, a short ways away from where we stand today. My father was born in Manti. Three of my four grandparents were born in Ephraim. All eight of my great-grandparents lived in Ephraim.”[1]
President Nelson was accompanied by his wife, Wendy, Elder Walter F. González, a General Authority Seventy, and Elder Kevin R. Duncan, executive director of the Church’s Temple Department, and their wives. Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox, a native of Fairview, Utah, located 20 miles north of Ephraim, and other government leaders also attended the temple groundbreaking.
External Links
- Official Ephraim Utah Temple page
- Ephraim Utah Temple page
- What is the Purpose of the Temple
- What Are Temples?
- Church News, “Inside Church Headquarters: The location, design and construction of Latter-day Saint temples
Temples in Utah
- Bountiful Utah Temple
- Brigham City Utah Temple
- Cedar City Utah Temple
- Deseret Peak Utah Temple
- Draper Utah Temple
- Ephraim Utah Temple
- Heber Valley Utah Temple
- Jordan River Utah Temple
- Layton Utah Temple
- Lehi Utah Temple
- Lindon Utah Temple
- Logan Utah Temple
- Manti Utah Temple
- Monticello Utah Temple
- Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple
- Ogden Utah Temple
- Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple
- Orem Utah Temple
- Payson Utah Temple
- Provo City Center Temple
- Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple
- Red Cliffs Utah Temple
- Salt Lake Temple
- Saratoga Springs Utah Temple
- Smithfield Utah Temple
- St. George Utah Temple
- Syracuse Utah Temple
- Taylorsville Utah Temple
- Vernal Utah Temple
- West Jordan Utah Temple
