News for Temple Groundbreakings in the Philippines and England

Ground has been broken for the Tacloban City Philippines Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The First Presidency also announced the groundbreaking ceremony for the Birmingham England Temple and released the site of the Huntsville Alabama Temple.

Tacloban City Philippines Temple

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Tacloban City Philippines Temple was held on Saturday, January 18, 2025. Elder Michael B. Strong, Second Counselor in the Philippines Area Presidency, presided at the event.

In the dedicatory prayer, Elder Strong asked that blessings be poured out among all of God’s children in the Philippines and for all in the temple district to have greater capacity “to act with charity, compassion, patience and kindness towards our neighbors and to go about doing good.”

Elder Strong remarked prior to the dedicatory prayer on the early days of the Church in Tacloban, recalling the first missionaries who arrived in 1968. Their efforts led to the baptism of George Pamin — the first member of the Church in Tacloban — exactly 56 years ago.

"From this first baptism until now, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has continued to grow and become a vital part of the community of Tacloban and the surrounding region," Elder Strong said.

This house of the Lord will be built on a 6.99-acre site located at Tacloban Bypass Road Brgy. Utap-Caibaan, Tacloban City, Leyte, Philippines. Plans call for a two-story temple of approximately 21,407 square feet.

Church President Russell M. Nelson announced this temple during the October 2021 general conference.

“The temple lies at the center of strengthening our faith and spiritual fortitude because the Savior and His doctrine are the very heart of the temple. Everything taught in the temple, through instruction and through the Spirit, increases our understanding of Jesus Christ,” he said during the conference.

There are nearly 870,000 Latter-day Saints in almost 1,300 congregations in the Philippines. Since the country officially opened for missionary work in 1961, its Church growth rate has been among the fastest in the world.

The other 12 temples that are announced, under construction or in operation in the country include those in Alabang, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu City, Davao, Iloilo, Laoag, Manila, Naga, Santiago, Tuguegarao City and Urdaneta.

Birmingham England Temple

The groundbreaking services for the Birmingham England Temple will be held on Saturday, March 22, 2025. Elder Scott D. Whiting, Europe North Area President, will preside.

The Birmingham England Temple will be built on a 2.7-acre site located at 185–187 Penns Lane, Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, England. Plans call for a one-story temple of approximately 10,800 square feet, with patron housing and arrival facilities.

President Nelson announced this house of the Lord during the April 2022 general conference.

“Positive spiritual momentum increases as we worship in the temple and grow in our understanding of the magnificent breadth and depth of the blessings we receive there,” he said then.

The Birmingham England Temple will be the third in the United Kingdom. Other temples in the country include the historic London England Temple, dedicated in 1958, and the Preston England Temple, dedicated in 1998.

Between 1837 and the turn of the century, as many as 100,000 converts emigrated from the United Kingdom to join the main body of the Church in the United States. By 1870, nearly half of Utah’s population were British immigrants.

Today, the United Kingdom is home to nearly 190,000 Latter-day Saints in more than 300 congregations.

Huntsville Alabama Temple

The Huntsville Alabama Temple will be built on a site of approximately 21 acres located at the southeast corner of Gillespie and Browns Ferry Road, Madison, Madison County, Alabama. Plans call for a single-story temple of approximately 30,000 square feet.

Download Photo

This temple was one of 17 announced by President Nelson during the October 2024 general conference.

The Huntsville Alabama Temple will be the second in the state, joining the Birmingham Alabama Temple, which was dedicated in 2000 by former Church President Gordon B. Hinckley. Alabama, situated in the southeastern United States, is home to more than 40,000 Latter-day Saints in about 75 congregations.

The ceremonies conducted inside each temple teach about the purpose of life and unite families, both past and present. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints promise to keep God’s commandments, support His work, live the higher law that Christ taught while on earth, remain chaste and dedicate their lives to building the Church of Christ.