Groundbreaking Held for Moses Lake Washington Temple

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

Elder David L. Stapleton, an Area Seventy, presided over the ceremony and offered the dedicatory prayer. “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 said. 

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

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

The event marked the beginning of the construction of a single-story building, approximately 20,000 square feet with a center spire. A 17,000-square-foot meetinghouse will be built alongside the temple.

The Moses Lake Washington Temple will sit on a 17-acre site located on Yonezawa Boulevard, between Division Street and Road K NE.

During the dedicatory prayer, Elder Stapleton 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.”

President Russell M. Nelson announced the Moses Lake Temple during the April 2019 general conference. 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."

He spoke of the sacrifice of multi-generations settling the dry region in central Washington including the consecration given by the area Latter-day Saints. "We are recipients of this blessing [the temple] because of the pioneer heritage of those who came. Many of us today are children or grandchildren of the early pioneers."

Barbara Jorgensen shared that her family gathered on the future temple site last week and took a family portrait at sunrise. She 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."

The temple will be the fourth in Washington State, following Richland, Seattle and Spokane temples. There are nearly 300,000 Latter-day Saints in Washington.

Details for the open house and temple dedication, upon its completion, will be announced at a future date.

Latter-day Saints consider temples to be the “house of the Lord.” Temples differ from the Church’s meetinghouses. Unlike meetinghouses, where Sabbath worship and weekly activities take place, temples are open throughout the week and are closed on Sundays.

The primary purpose of temples is for faithful Latter-day Saints 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.

A video of the groundbreaking ceremony will be available on Newsroom in the coming days.