Groundbreaking Scheduled for Draper Utah Temple

SALT LAKE CITY — The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced that the groundbreaking ceremony for the Draper Utah Temple will be held on Saturday, 5 August 2006, at 10 a.m. 

The temple site is located in a small neighborhood, so attendance at the site will be limited to invited guests only. 

However, because interest in the ceremony is high among Latter-day Saints in the Salt Lake Valley, proceedings of the groundbreaking will be broadcast over the Church satellite system to nearby stake centers to accommodate those in the proposed temple district who wish to attend. 

The 12th temple for the Church in Utah and the third in the Salt Lake Valley, the Draper Utah Temple was first announced by President Gordon B. Hinckley at the October 2004 general conference of the Church.  

The temple will share parking with a stake center already built on the site. Once dedicated and operating, the new temple will relieve overcrowding at the Jordan River Utah Temple. 

Prior to dedication, the public will be invited to tour the new temple during an open house period expected to last several weeks.

To members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, temples are the “house of the Lord,” the most sacred place on earth. Unlike meetinghouses where Sabbath worship and weekly activities take place, temples are open throughout the week and closed on Sundays.

Temple services bind families together forever, teach the purpose of life and explain God’s plan of salvation. Temple attendance strengthens Latter-day Saints’ commitment to living Christian principles, emphasizes personal spiritual growth and increases devotion to family.