News of the Church
“News of the Church,” Ensign, Jan 1982, 75–80
“A Shining Beacon on a Hill”: Jordan River Temple Is Dedicated
By JoAnn Jolley
Assistant Editor
JoAnn Jolley, “‘A Shining Beacon on a Hill’: Jordan River Temple Is Dedicated,” Ensign, Jan. 1982, 75–77
A chilly wind buffeted guests arriving for dedicatory services at the new Jordan River Temple on Monday morning, November 16. But the chill soon faded with the warmth of President Marion G. Romney’s greeting: “My dear brothers and sisters, we welcome you to the House of the Lord.” The welcome was extended to some 160,000 Saints seated in the temple and the Tabernacle during fifteen dedicatory sessions November 16–20.
It was the second time in less than ninety years that a temple had been erected in the Salt Lake Valley; the Salt Lake Temple, begun in 1853, was dedicated in April 1893. “Never did most of us dream of such a thing happening,” reflected Donovan H. Van Dam, president of the new Jordan River Temple, in remarks at the opening session. He noted that the Church has already built six temples in Utah, and another so close to Salt Lake’s historical temple was not seriously anticipated. However, he added, “The Lord had plans for further spiritual development nearby.” Construction of the new temple began in June of 1979.
Short hours before the initial service was to begin, news media announcers had predicted that President Spencer W. Kimball would likely remain confined to his room at the Hotel Utah, where he was convalescing following surgery and a lengthy hospitalization. So it was with tears and joy that dedication participants welcomed the president as he entered the Celestial Room just before the service commenced. Following the session he visited each of the temple’s ordinance rooms in a wheelchair, accompanied by President N. Eldon Tanner (also in a wheelchair), President Marion G. Romney, President Gordon B. Hinckley, and other Church and temple administrators.
President Romney, who conducted the session, made brief introductory remarks which reminded the congregation of the sacredness of this occasion. In holy temples, he said, “there have occurred some of the greatest spiritual manifestations recorded in ecclesiastical history. We hope and pray that all who participate in this meeting this day will be spiritually attuned so that you may receive the enlightenment and understanding that can come through the Spirit.”
President Tanner addressed the congregation, pointing out that “This temple has a little different history than others.” He noted that the land upon which the temple was built was given to the Church; also that the entire cost of construction (and maintenance for many years to come) had been donated by Saints in some 134 stakes of the temple district. “We asked the people if they would pay for this edifice—and they said yes.”
“How fortunate we are,” he continued, “as members of the Church, to have a temple in our midst, where we can see it every day.” President Tanner’s counsel to parents was to discuss the temple often with their children and to “teach them to walk uprightly before the Lord.”
Elder Mark E. Petersen called upon us as members of the Church to “dedicate ourselves, as well as this building, to the work of the Lord.” Speaking of our relationship to God, he emphasized that “It is a most natural thing for us to become like our Heavenly Father, because we are his children. We have a spark of divinity which allows us to become his heirs.” Obedience, he said, is the gateway to salvation. “Covenants remind us constantly that indeed we are the children of God. Dare we forget them or disregard them? God has introduced a great new dispensation in these latter days, and we are the custodians of that dispensation.”
The dedicatory prayer, prepared by President Spencer W. Kimball, was read at the first session by President Romney. The prayer was one of gratitude, thanksgiving, and allegiance to a loving Father in Heaven: “We are grateful for the knowledge thou hast given us that thou art our Father. Let us come before thee in sincerity of heart and purity of life. We thank thee for the infinite love manifested in the atoning sacrifice of thy Son.” Fervent pleas were made in behalf of Church leaders, missionaries, and members of the Church who will make the temple “ready to receive thy beloved Son at his second coming. We pray that thou wilt accept this holy edifice, that an atmosphere of holiness will prevail in this, thy house. May all that is done herein be done with an eye single to thy glory and to the building of thy kingdom here on earth.” The edifice, its fixtures, and its exterior surroundings were dedicated to the Lord and his work.
Then came a flurry of white handkerchiefs and the “Hosannah Shout.” The choir performed the “Hosannah Anthem,” and as the congregation stood to join them with “The Spirit of God Like A Fire is Burning,” the Spirit did indeed burn brightly in the hearts of those who had come to the House of the Lord.
Some of those who came shared a unique fellowship. In attendance through the week were more than thirty elderly brethren and sisters who, as youngsters, had participated in the dedication of the Salt Lake Temple nearly nine decades earlier. Most prominent among them was Elder LeGrand Richards of the Quorum of the Twelve. Elder Richards, 96 next month (February), was seven years old when he attended the Salt Lake Temple dedication. “I remember the experience vividly,” he said. “My mother brought us children to the ceremony. I remember the Hosannah shout and President Woodruff offering the dedicatory prayer. Mother had told us so much about the dedication of the Kirtland Temple and the spiritual manifestations at that time, that I was looking for angels all the time. I didn’t see any.”
Albert (“Bert”) Crane was also seven years old in 1893. His family lived in Harriman, Utah—a four-hour buggy ride from Salt Lake City. Seated in the Celestial Room of the Jordan River Temple prior to the first dedicatory session, he recalled that the family arose “very, very early” to make the ride in a white-topped buggy that April morning so long ago. “I remember my mother kept a special crystal dish on her dresser; that was where we children dropped our nickels and dimes, our contributions to the temple. We also gave our Sunday eggs as temple contributions.”
Bert’s mother carried his younger sister Lily, then three months old, to the dedication. Little sister, now Lily Haycock, is in her late eighties. “I don’t remember very much about that dedication,” she chuckled.
Sister Ivy Blood Hill, 94, recalled that her mother shepherded twelve Primary children to the dedication services. “Afterwards, we went to visit Brigham Young’s grave.” Her most vivid memories centered around an incident prior to the temple’s completion. “My father held my hand, and we climbed the scaffolding around the temple towers. He held me up to put a dime into the ball where the Angel Moroni would stand.”
“I remember,” reflected Natalie Thomas Parsons, nearly 94, “how excited I was to sing with a group of Primary children for the dedication. We climbed a very long flight of stairs, way up to the top of the room; that’s where we sang.”
A cousin to President Kimball, Helen Kimball Orgill, 96, now lives in Huntington Beach, California, but traveled from her retirement home there to attend the Jordan River services. She remembered walking, hand-in-hand with members of her Sunday School class, five blocks to the Salt Lake Temple. “Where our seats had been reserved, off to one side, I could look across a very crowded room. I remember looking out over a sea of white handkerchiefs waving; it was quite exciting. But the greatest part was when President Woodruff gave the dedicatory prayer. It was so spiritual.”
Some of the elderly guests had attended the Jordan River open house and toured the temple; others saw it for the first time as they came to the dedication from various parts of the United States. Their collective reaction to this temple of a new generation? “It’s very beautiful.” “Of course,” whispered Sister Haycock with a contagious grin, “there will never be another Salt Lake Temple.”
The Jordan River Temple, despite its proximity to the famous and historical edifice in downtown Salt Lake City, is, said Elder A. Theodore Tuttle of the First Quorum of the Seventy, “destined to become the busiest temple in the Church.” Indeed, if pre-dedication activity is any indication, the Saints will make extensive use of the new temple. Well over half a million people toured the building during a public open house in October; an estimated 15,000 volunteers have participated in all phases of the temple’s preparation; and some 1,500 workers have been called and set apart to serve as the temple begins official operations on January 4.
Already, said President Van Dam, this temple has become “a shining beacon on a hill,” a “jewel in the night. It has become a warm, inviting, throbbing part of mortality—and of immortality. The Lord has caused blessings to flow in so many ways.”
Early in the week, Elder Thomas S. Monson of the Quorum of the Twelve suggested deep spiritual meaning in the physical presence of the temple. He recounted the late Elder Matthew Cowley’s story about a grandfather who took his small granddaughter on a birthday visit to the Salt Lake Temple grounds. With permission of the groundskeeper, they walled to the large doors of the temple. He suggested that she place her hand on the temple wall and then on the door, saying tenderly to her, “Remember that this day you touched the temple. One day you will enter this door.” His special gift to his granddaughter was an appreciation for the House of the Lord. Likewise, counseled Elder Monson, “As we touch the temple, the temple will touch us.”
[photo] Dedication crowds were large but orderly and reverent. President Spencer W. Kimball attended five of the fifteen sessions. (Photography by Tom Smart, Deseret News.)
[photo] More than 160,000 Latter-day Saints attended dedicatory services November 16–20 at the new Jordan River Temple and the Tabernacle. (Photography by Frank C. Davis, Church News.)
[photo] All members of the First Presidency attended first dedicatory service. From left: President N. Eldon Tanner, First Counselor; President Spencer W. Kimball; President Marion G. Romney, Second Counselor; President Gordon B. Hinckley, Counselor.
Church Introduces Simplified Tithing, Donations Recording System
“Church Introduces Simplified Tithing, Donations Recording System,” Ensign, Jan. 1982, 78
Beginning this month, a simplified tithing and donations recording system will be introduced to wards and branches of the Church using the automated financial recording system (primarily, those in the United States and Canada). The new procedure will help members keep accurate records of their contributions and will enable clerks to perform their duties more efficiently.
A two-part Tithing and Donations slip will replace the current donation slip. The member will fill out the slip, place the white original in the envelope with the donation, then give the envelope to the bishop or branch president, or to one of his counselors. The member will keep the yellow copy of the slip to verify that his donation was recorded properly.
Each donor will receive an itemized, computer-prepared Year-to-date Tithing and Donations Record in July and November. In addition, an annual Tithing and Donations Statement for each donor will be sent in January; this summary will show donations made during the last period of the year and total amounts contributed for the entire year.
In place of handling individual receipts, clerks will now be able to list up to twelve donations on a new Weekly Tithing and Donations form. The form will be sent to Church headquarters, where it will be read by computer; a copy of the form will remain in ward or branch files.
It is anticipated that the new recording system will reduce processing costs, simplify the work of recording contributions, and improve record-keeping accuracy. As wards and branches order receipts during the early part of 1982 (using the old receipt order form), they will be sent the new forms that will enable them to use these simplified procedures.
Church Welcomes Thai Royalty
“Church Welcomes Thai Royalty,” Ensign, Jan. 1982, 78–79
On the first leg of their three-week tour of the United States, the Queen of Thailand and her daughter were guests of the Church during their October 25–28 visit to Salt Lake City.
Her Majesty Queen Sirikit and Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn were warmly welcomed to Salt Lake City by President Gordon B. Hinckley of the First Presidency and David M. Kennedy, special representative of the First Presidency. Graciously receiving the floral bouquet presented to her, the queen in turn sent flowers to President Spencer W. Kimball, who was still recovering from surgery.
A highlight of the queen’s visit was her attendance at a command performance by the Tabernacle Choir. Although the choir has often performed for Presidents of the United States and other dignitaries, this occasion was believed to be its first royal command performance and the first such performance in Utah. One of the evening’s featured numbers was “The King’s Anthem,” a song composed by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the husband of Queen Sirikit.
Other events during the queen’s four-day visit included a luncheon hosted by women leaders of the Church; a reception where the queen and princess were greeted by nearly 300 members of Salt Lake’s Thai community; a tour of BYU which featured a performance by the Lamanite Generation and a presentation by the Ezra Taft Benson Institute on its agricultural program; a visit to the Osmond Studios in Orem, complete with a performance by the Osmonds, who, according to the princess, are very popular in Thailand; and an evening banquet attended by some 250 Church and civic leaders.
Both Queen Sirikit and Princess Chulabhorn are involved in the economic and humanitarian interests of their country. The queen, educated in Bangkok, France (where she met her husband, then a student in Switzerland), Denmark, and England, has served for many years as president of the Thai Red Cross Society and honorary president of the Council of Social Welfare of Thailand, an organization of 150 private and public social welfare units throughout the nation. In 1979 she was awarded the Ceres Medal by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, which acknowledged her “far-sighted efforts to advance the status of women,” enabling “women to improve their economic and social heritage.” Tufts University in 1980 awarded her an honorary doctoral degree in Humane Letters in recognition of her work for the rural poor of Thailand. One of the purposes of the queen’s visit to the United States was to promote the sale of Thai handicrafts to relieve poverty and improve health in her country.
Princess Chulabhorn, youngest of the royal couple’s four children, was graduated with first-class honors from Kasetsart University with a bachelor of science degree in organic chemistry; she then obtained her doctorate at the graduate school of Mahidol University, where she is now a research chemist. She has also been a lecturer in chemistry at Kasetsart University and the Royal Thai Air Force Academy.
Get Well—and Do It Now!
“Get Well—and Do It Now!,” Ensign, Jan. 1982, 79
“Dear President Kimball, I always watch conference on TV. This time I missed you very much that I almost cried. Love, Shannon Glenn, 5th Grade.”
“Dear Profet, I love you very much. You are a good man. Will you call me when you get well. From Emily.”
“Can a little child like me …
Thank the Prophet, fittingly
Ask a blessing reverently
From a heart of purity.
Get Well Soon!
Orem 93rd Ward Primary.”
It was a spontaneous outpouring of love from the world over—nearly six thousand heartfelt expressions of sympathy, concern, and encouragement for a stricken President of the Church. The messages came on tiny, handcrafted papers with crayon borders; on elaborate posters bearing dozens of signatures; on lovingly selected “cheer-up” cards. Without exception, the message was love.
“To The Best Pres. of The Church Ever.”
“Get well soon. I like to listen to you talk. Love, Kim.”
The get-well wishes were collected in an attractive display in the lobby of the Church Office Building in Salt Lake City, where visitors spent long minutes gazing at them—not the sort of thing you did with dry eyes. Most of the messages were from Primary children and their teachers.
Among the messages received, one stands out as representative. It reflects the faith and innocent wisdom of a Primary child in Seattle, Washington.
“Dear President Kimball, I’ve heard what happened to you. I hope you get better. I have been paying my tithing and trying to be good.
“I don’t have a lot of time so I will finish. I’ll pray for you every night, so you can get better. Try to remember to pray, and Heavenly Father will help you, I’m sure.”
[photo] Some 6,000 get-well messages for President Kimball were displayed in the Church Office Building. (Photography by Eldon K. Linschoten.)
LDS Scene
“LDS Scene,” Ensign, Jan. 1982, 80
President Spencer W. Kimball, anxious to get back to work after surgery September 5 and a long series of complications, was able to meet with the General Authorities in their regular monthly meeting in the Salt Lake Temple on November 5. He spoke briefly and thanked the Brethren for their work and support during his illness.
The President continues his gradual recovery at the Hotel Utah, where his personal secretary, D. Arthur Haycock, regularly takes work to him. President Kimball also meets with his counselors three times a week at the hotel.
E. Gordon Gee, 37, has been named president of West Virginia University. He is a graduate of the University of Utah, is a former associate dean of BYU’s J. Reuben Clark Law School, and has served for the past two years as dean of West Virginia University’s law school.
Brother Gee, a native of Vernal, Utah, and currently high priests group leader in the Morgantown Ward, Fairmont West Virginia Stake, received bachelor’s degrees from the University of Utah in history and English. He obtained his law degree and educational doctorate in a joint degree program at Columbia University. He is married to the former Elizabeth Dutson; they have a five-year-old daughter, Rebekah.
Undergraduate tuition at Brigham Young University will be increased from $440 to $610 per semester beginning in the fall of 1982 according to an announcement by President Jeffrey R. Holland.
Other increases announced for the 1982–83 school year are: Graduate and advanced-standing students from $610 to $685 per semester; Law School students from $1,000 to $1,110; and Graduate School of Management students from $840 to $1,000.
Holland noted that the larger increase for the Graduate School of Management is part of a multi-phased program to equalize tuition for the professional schools at BYU.
In keeping with BYU’s policy, students who are not members of the Church are required to pay one and a half times the announced tuition rates.
Policies and Announcements
“Policies and Announcements,” Ensign, Jan. 1982, 80
The following item appeared in the November 1981 Bulletin:
Using Talent and Interest Surveys. Ward activities committees are responsible to survey the talents and interests of ward members, using the Talent Survey (PFAC0069), and to update the survey regularly. The chairman may recommend to the bishopric that a task committee be formed to take the survey and keep it current.
Activities committees use the survey to assist priesthood and auxiliary leaders by identifying members who can participate in dramatic productions, cultural presentations, sports events, service projects, and other activities.
In addition, home teachers, priesthood and auxiliary advisers, and other leaders may use the survey as a resource in reactivating members.
For further information, see Activities Committee Handbook (PBAC0012).
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