Moses Lake Washington Temple

On 7 April 2019, at the 189th Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Russell M. Nelson announced Washington's fourth temple will be constructed in the scenic community of Moses Lake. Washington is home to 289,479 Latter-day Saints in 61 stakes and 521 congregations.

Members in the region currently attend temple services at the Columbia River Washington Temple, located in the rapidly growing Tri-Cities area.

The Moses Lake Washington Temple is a single-story building of approximately 20,000 square feet with a central spire. A meetinghouse of approximately 17,000 square feet has been constructed next to the temple.

Following the announcement, Mitchell J. Heaps, first counselor in the Moses Lake Washington Stake presidency, told the Church News that the rural farming community has hoped for the temple for a long time. He said, "We have a legacy of Saints in the area. They came in the 1950s to settle the area with the Grand Coulee Dam nearby. . . . (The temple announcement) shows that our Father in Heaven trusts us to carry the work forward here in Eastern Washington."

On 29 October 2019, the location for the Moses Lake Washington Temple was officially announced. The temple will be built on a 17-acre site located on Yonezawa Blvd. between Division Street and Rd K NE across from Yonezawa Park and near Moses Lake High School. The deed that transferred ownership of the two contiguous lots, dated 19 June 2019, noted that the land was being sold for a future church. The location, just a mile and a half west of the junction of I-90 and Highway 17 will provide convenient access to patrons traveling from the surrounding region. Standing on the north side of I-90, south of Yonezawa Boulevard, the temple will be a beautiful landmark to travelers along these major routes.

On 7 April 2020, an official exterior rendering of the Moses Lake Washington Temple was released. Additional exterior and interior renderings will be made public later.

The Moses Lake Washington Temple is the fourth temple built in Washington, following the Seattle Washington Temple (1980), the Spokane Washington Temple (1999), and the Columbia River Washington Temple (2001). A temple in Tacoma will also be constructed.

Groundbreaking Ceremony Held for the Moses Lake Washington Temple

A small group of Latter-day Saint leaders gathered to break ground for the Moses Lake Washington Temple on Saturday afternoon, 10 October 2020.

Elder David L. Stapleton, an Area Seventy, presided over the ceremony and offered the dedicatory prayer. During the prayer, he invoked, "Please help us as we not only dedicate this ground but also rededicate our lives to Thee and Thy purposes when this new temple will be completed in all its beauty." He also invoked "a blessing upon the families of this temple district, that they will raise their children in righteousness and truth, coming frequently to this holy House for divine power and revelation."

Because of the local government’s social distancing guidelines, attendance at the groundbreaking ceremony was limited.

Elder Stapleton was joined by his wife, Barbara, along with groundbreaking coordinators Steve and Barbara Jorgensen. The Jorgensen's gave remarks at the ceremony.

During his remarks, Steve Jorgensen said, "We were quite astonished and humbled by the announcement of a temple to be built here in Moses Lake. What a wonderful blessing." Barbara Jorgensen said, "Our Savior Jesus Christ did rise and His life lights the world. His New Testament Church restored to the earth gives us the direction, the peace and the hope for eternal life with Him."

Moses Lake Washington Temple Open House

The public open house for this house of the Lord began Friday, August 4, and ran every day until Saturday, August 19, except for Sundays. A media day for journalists and other guests was held on July 31, 2023. The event was presided over by Elder Gary B. Sabin, General Authority Seventy and member of the North America West Area Presidency.

Speakers included Elder Shayne M. Bowen, the assistant executive director of the Temple Department, Monsignor Robert Siler from the Diocese of Yakima, a good friend of the Church and partner in many humanitarian efforts, and Judy Miller, whose family is descended from long-time members of the Church in the Moses Lake area.

Moses Lake was named in honor of Quetalican, or Chief Moses, a peace-loving man who led the Native American Sinkiuse-Columbia people in the early 19th century. The first Latter-day Saints in the Moses Lake area moved there in the early 1900s to buy land. Word spread to other Latter-day Saints about the rich farmland, which could now be irrigated due to the completion of the Grand Coulee Dam, and soon many others moved to the area. After meeting in a local Presbyterian church and then a local air base for many years, Church members were able to complete their own meetinghouse in 1951.

The interior design of the temple draws on regional crops, such as potato and alfalfa blossoms. The art glass in both the interior and exterior uses an apple blossom motif. The border pattern is a prairie-style design that reflects the Native Americans who inhabited the Moses Lake area long before the first farm was settled.

In demonstrating gratitude and reverence to God, only the finest materials are used to construct a house of the Lord. The exterior façade is made of granite quarried in Portugal. The flooring throughout the temple is marble, carpet, and porcelain tile. Doors are stained in a cherry finish and painted maple. The bride’s room light fixtures were manufactured with blown glass from Italy.

Landscaping is designed to provide shade, lushness and beauty throughout the year. Berms on the outer edges of the property were planted with materials indicative of mountain environments common to western Washington.[1]

Dedication of the Moses Lake Washington Temple

The dedication of the Moses Lake Washington Temple on Sunday, September 17, by Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, was the third temple dedication of the day. The dedication came two hours after a similar ceremony for the Bentonville Arkansas Temple, by Elder David A. Bednar of the Twelve. About two hours prior to that, Elder Neil L. Andersen, also of the Twelve, dedicated the Brasília Brazil Temple. Having triple dedications in a single day is a first for the Church.

While previously a General Authority Seventy, Elder Cook served as president of the Church’s North America Northwest Area, which included Washington state. In addition to visiting many stakes in that area, he also participated with then-President Gordon B. Hinckley at the dedication of the Columbia River Washington Temple, in Richland, on November 18, 2001, and also during the open house prior to the dedication.[2]

Elder Cook was joined by his wife, Mary Cook; Elder Mark A. Bragg, a General Authority Seventy and president of the Church’s North America West Area, and his wife, Sister Yvonne Bragg; Elder Shayne M. Bowen, a General Authority Seventy and assistant executive director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Sister Lynette Bowen.

Picture Gallery of Moses Lake Washington Temple

Moses Lake Washington Temple
Exterior of Moses Lake Washington Temple
Spire of Moses Lake Washington Temple
Stained glass window of Moses Lake Washington Temple
Entrance desk of Moses Lake Washington Temple
Baptistry of Moses Lake Washington Temple
Baptistry rests on backs of twelve oxen that represent the twelve tribes of Israel
Instruction room in Moses Lake Washington Temple
The celestial room inside the Moses Lake Washington Temple
A sealing room inside the Moses Lake Washington Temple
Blossom details on the altar in a sealing room inside the Moses Lake Washington Temple
Celestial room chandelier inside the Moses Lake Washington Temple
The bride room inside the Moses Lake Washington Temple
Stained glass windows depicting blossoms in the Moses Lake Washington Temple
Flowers on the grounds of the Moses Lake Washington Temple
Moses Lake Washington Temple
Moses Lake Washington Temple