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TAYLORSVILLE — Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake County gathered Sunday to witness Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicate the church's new Taylorsville Utah Temple.
Elder Gong invited church members to "come to the Lord in the house of the Lord."
The Taylorsville Utah Temple is the church's 192nd temple to be dedicated. The three-story temple is on a 7.5-acre site at 2603 W. 4700 South. It is one of what will be 30 temples in Utah.
At the dedication, Elder Gong encouraged members to attend the temple regularly. He spoke of an "interesting paradox" that when members live far away from a temple, they tend to set aside time and carefully plan and prepare to go to the temple. On the contrary, when a temple is close by, it's often easy to think, "I can go next week, I'll go next month, and end up going less frequently even though the temple is now closer and more convenient to attend," he said.
Since recent changes in the past few years within the youth programs and age progression of the church, youth can receive a temple recommend in January of the year they turn 12. Elder Gong invited all who are worthy and able to attend the temple, especially the youth, so they can have "the opportunity to grow up with the house of the Lord."
He also spoke of the deep roots his family has, along with others, to the church's presence in Taylorsville. Elder Gong first visited Taylorsville 45 years ago to meet his fiance's family, his now wife Susan's parents, the late Elder Richard P. Lindsay and Sister Marian Bangerter Lindsay, who were one of many multi-generational families who lived in the area.
"The Taylorsville Utah Temple has special meaning for our Lindsay family," Elder Gong said. "When he was a young bishop, our father together with the members of the Taylorsville 2nd Ward, built the chapel on the same site which became the stake center and is today the site for the Taylorsville Utah Temple."
"This place is home, a place of roots and wings, for many faithful and wonderful families and individuals," Elder Gong concluded.
The temple was dedicated in two sessions on Sunday and was broadcast through the 38-stake temple district in the central Salt Lake Valley. The temple district comprises 257 wards and branches, more than 100,000 church members, nearly 7,300 youth, more than 39,200 adults who are single and more than 56,000 families, according to Church News.
More than 265,000 people visited the temple during its seven-week open house, with about 11,000 volunteers assisting them.
Elder Gong was accompanied at the dedication Sunday by his wife, Susan. Other general authorities were also in attendance, including Elder Hugo E. Martinez, a general authority seventy and first counselor in the Utah Area Presidency, his wife, Nuria, Elder Erich W. Kopischke, a general authority seventy and assistant executive director of the Temple Department and his wife, Christiane.
The Layton Utah Temple will be the next temple to be dedicated in Utah on June 16.
