The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced the groundbreaking dates for the Elko Nevada Temple and the Grand Junction Colorado Temple, both announced by President Russell M. Nelson in April 2021.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Elko Nevada Temple will be held on Saturday, May 7. Elder Paul B. Pieper of the Quorum of the Seventy will preside at the event.
The Elko Nevada Temple will be built on a 5.2-acre site adjacent to the southeast corner of Ruby View Golf Course. Plans call for a single-story structure of about 10,000 square feet. This will be Nevada’s third temple, following the Las Vegas and Reno Temples. Nevada is home to approximately 185,000 Latter-day Saints and 350 congregations.
Leaders will break ground for the Grand Junction Colorado Temple on Saturday, April 16. Elder Chi Hong (Sam) Wong of the Quorum of the Seventy will preside at the event.
The temple in Colorado’s Western Slope region will be located on a 6.94-acre site at the intersection of Horizon Drive and North 12th Street. The single-story structure will be about 29,000 square feet. The Grand Junction Colorado Temple will be the third temple in the state, following the Denver and Fort Collins Temples. Colorado is home to over 150,000 Latter-day Saints in more than 300 congregations.
Attendance at both groundbreaking ceremonies will be by invitation only. Additional details will be provided.
Latter-day Saints consider temples to be the “house of the Lord” and the most sacred places of worship on earth. Temples differ from the Church’s meetinghouses (chapels). All are welcome to attend Sunday worship services and other weekday activities at local meetinghouses. The primary purpose of temples is for faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ to participate in sacred ceremonies, such as marriages, which unite families forever, and proxy baptisms on behalf of deceased ancestors who did not have the opportunity to be baptized while living.