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Nauvoo
Visitors Encouraged to Be Good Neighbors
Leaders of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are reminding all who
plan to attend the open house and dedication of the Nauvoo Illinois
Temple to be patient, courteous and respectful as they are welcomed
by the citizens of Nauvoo over the next two months.
“Many will
come,” acknowledged President Gordon B. Hinckley in a recent
interview. The world leader of the Church was quick to add, “We
hope that courtesy will prevail in everything that goes on, that
there will be respect and appreciation one for another, [and] patience.
All of these qualities will be required and we hope that they will
shine forth.”
More than 350,000
people will visit the newly reconstructed temple during the months
of May and June. Public tours are scheduled to begin Monday, 6 May,
and continue until Saturday, 22 June, excluding Sundays. With a
population of approximately 1,100, Nauvoo is poised for its largest
ever influx of visitors.
“Inevitably
when you bring that many people together, you have some inconvenience,”
President Hinckley said. “I hope that we all rise above it,
that we will be neighborly and good and treat one another with the
greatest deference as we gather together in this historic city on
the Mississippi River.”
At the October
1999 groundbreaking ceremony to initiate reconstruction of the temple,
President Hinckley assured Nauvoo Mayor Tom Wilson that the Church
and its members would cooperate with city officials and citizens
to resolve concerns.
Elder Donald
L. Staheli, president of the Church’s North America Central
Area, praised Mayor Wilson and Nauvoo city officials for their cooperation
and support during construction over the past two and a half years.
“They have
worked with us to successfully resolve issues as they arose. There
has been an excellent working relationship between the city and
the Church,” Elder Staheli noted.
Nauvoo city
councilman Jim Sheetz agrees. “I think with all the planning
and everything that we’ve done, and certainly what the Church
has done, that [the open house] will be successful,” he said.
For Latter-day
Saints whose pioneering forebears were driven by religious persecution
from Nauvoo in 1846, the rebuilt temple symbolizes a healing of
old wounds. President Hinckley has said the new building will stand
as a memorial to those who built the first such structure there.
“There is a great interest in Nauvoo,” President Hinckley
said. “There always has been; there always will be on the part
of our people. The thousands who lived in Nauvoo have become tens
of thousands in their descendants. They look back on their people
with affection and remembrance and with a great desire to honor
them and respect them.”
Elder Staheli
noted the positive experience of many Church members who volunteered
during the Salt Lake Olympic Winter Games as an example for how
visitors should conduct themselves during the open house.
“Our desire
is to have the citizens of Nauvoo feel as positive about us as their
guests as the world felt about the volunteers who served so well
as hosts for the Salt Lake Olympics,” he said. “During
the Nauvoo Temple open house there will be 8,000 to 10,000 visitors
daily. Courtesy on the highways and walkways and with the merchants
in the community will provide lasting impressions of us as a people.
The temple is a beautiful and impressive addition to the city of
Nauvoo. As Church members and visitors we can show our appreciation
to the good people of Nauvoo as we heed President Hinckley’s
call to be sensitive and respectful.”
Specifically,
Church officials are asking visitors to respect private property
and observe parking regulations throughout the town and its environs.
Open house visitors are reminded that free tickets must be obtained
in advance and will not be available at the temple. For information
on whether tickets are still available, please call 800-537-8097
or visit www.lds.org/nauvoo.
At the conclusion
of the seven-week public open house, the temple will be dedicated
in 13 dedicatory sessions over four days, beginning on 27 June.
Selected dedication sessions will be broadcast over the Church satellite
network.
Church leaders
are asking members who reside outside the Nauvoo temple district
not to travel to Nauvoo for the dedication services. Church members
in good standing over 8 years of age can obtain a dedication recommend
from their local bishop to attend one of the satellite broadcasts
at their local meetinghouse.
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© 2002Meridian
Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
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