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Vancouver British Columbia Temple

The Vancouver British Columbia Temple is the 131st dedicated temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

On May 25, 2006, the First Presidency of the Church announced plans to build a new temple in Vancouver, Canada. The temple would be the seventh temple in Canada. The Vancouver Temple is the first temple in British Columbia. Members in this area previously traveled into the United States to attend the Seattle Washington Temple. Currently there are more than 31,000 members of the Church in British Columbia; 199,000 members in Canada.

The Vancouver British Columbia Temple is situated on 11.6 acres on a hill in the area of Langely. The Langley meetinghouse, which houses Distribution Services, and the temple president's residence, shares the site. The south end of the grounds feature a grassy and beautifully wooded area.

The McLeans, of the DeWinton Ward in the Calgary Alberta Foothills stake, heard about the announcement of the new temple, and realized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had bought their old property, a neighbor's and one other parcel for the temple grounds. Later, they found out the temple itself would sit on the spot where they had reared their children a decade and a half earlier. "What a wonderful thing to think that this magnificent building, one that symbolizes eternity and families, is now standing where our family once lived," Linda McLean said. "For us, it's very special."[1]

The family sent a letter to President Thomas S. Monson's office detailing their connection, and included some pictures. Linda McLean said, "We received a call from his office, and they invited us out to the dedication. The whole family made a 608-mile trip to attend.[2]

Groundbreaking and Open House

Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Presidency of the Seventy presided at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Vancouver British Columbia Temple on Saturday, August 4, 2007.

In December 2009, The First Presidency of the Church announced dates for a public open house prior to the dedication of the new Vancouver British Columbia Temple that would run from Friday, 9 April 2010, through Saturday, 24 April 2010 (except for Sundays).

Dedication of the Vancouver British Columbia Temple

The temple was dedicated by President Monson on Sunday, 2 May 2010 in three dedicatory sessions.

History of the Church in Vancouver

Vancouver Island was one of several locations considered for a western settlement site for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In a letter to Church members in 1845, Church President Brigham Young mentioned the island as "one of many good locations for settlement on the Pacific." The letter sparked a petition by Church members in England to Queen Victoria to support them in settling the island. However, the petition was ignored, and no Latter-day Saint immigrants settled on the island until 1875. That year, William Francis and Maria Judson Copley and their three children settled at Shawigan. The first Church convert on the island was Anthony Maitland Stenhouse, a member of the legislative assembly of British Columbia who chose to resign from the assembly and be baptized in 1887.[3]

Establishing the Church on the mainland began in 1904 when the president of the Northwest States Mission visited Vancouver City and located a Latter-day Saint family there. A meeting with 12 members in attendance was held in 1909 and a small congregation was organized in 1911. The congregation became ward (a larger congregation) in 1938 and was included in the Seattle Stake (similar to a diocese). By 1960, Latter-day Saint wards expanded to two in Vancouver, plus congregations in North Shore, New Westminister, Fleetwood, Richmond, White Rock, Langley, and Chilliwack.[4]

External Links

• Vancouver British Columbia Temple dedicatory prayer
• Official Vancouver British Columbia Temple page
• Vancouver British Columbia Temple page
• Church of Jesus Christ, "History of Temples"

Other Temples in Canada

• Calgary Alberta Temple
• Cardston Alberta Temple
• Edmonton Alberta Temple
• Halifax Nova Scotia Temple
• Lethbridge Alberta Temple
• Montreal Quebec Temple
• Regina Saskatchewan Temple
• Toronto Ontario Temple
• Vancouver British Columbia Temple
• Victoria British Columbia Temple
• Winnipeg Manitoba Temple

Videos about the Vancouver British Columbia Temple