St. George Temple Open House Will Provide Answers For The Curious

News spread like wildfire yesterday afternoon. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints officials announced the rededication and reopening date for the St. George Temple (Dec. 10).

The landmark and important centerpiece for the LDS Church in St. George has been undergoing renovations and updating (most notably earthquake safety improvements) for 3 1/2 years. It closed for the renovation project in November of 2019.

And while the closing of the temple for that amount of time has been significant for active members of the LDS Church, non-members and less active church-goers haven't been affected much.

Years ago, though, I had a friend who was not of the LDS Faith ask me why he couldn't go into the "big white church," as he called it.

So I would submit that as important as it is for active members to have their beloved temple back in working order and fulfilling the grand and great purpose it was built for, it may be nearly as important for the rest of the community to be able to go inside the temple and learn and see why LDS Church members find the temple holy and sacred.

The Church knows this too and is holding an open house for the public for a full eight weeks from Sept. 15 to Nov. 11 everyday except Sundays. The free open house event welcomes all visitors, members and non-members alike.

From the LDS Church's website:

During an open house, visitors learn more about the purpose of temples and why they are important to Latter-day Saints. The open house experience begins with a short introductory video, and then a volunteer tour guide takes visitors into the temple. Once inside, the guide explains the functions of the main rooms, which may include instruction, marriage, or baptism. The tour guide also gives a brief explanation of the Latter-day Saint belief behind these functions. At the end of the tour, visitors are led to a reception and refreshment area where volunteers are available to answer additional questions.

So, if you've ever wondered what goes on inside a temple or even what it looks like in there, there are eight weeks this fall that may help you get those questions answered.