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SALT LAKE CITY — Several recent media reports focus on various temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which are under construction.
Fort Lauderdale Florida
WPLG in Miami this week reported on the Fort Lauderdale Temple, which is taking shape in the town of Davie.
It said, "Mormonism is one of the fastest growing faiths in the southern Florida area. Within the past year, a south Florida congregation has doubled in size."
It called the temple, being built near I-75, "a place of holiness and peace, set apart from the distractions of the world." WPLG quoted a local church member, Jim Robinson, who said, "We consider temples in our faith to be the most sacred places on earth."
"We put the best materials, we put the finest workmanship we can find into these temples because they're going to be here for a very long time and we want them to be a permanent monument to our faith," Robinson continued.
This will be the church's second temple in Florida; the other is in Orlando.
"We, at great sacrifice and personal expense, sometimes have to go very far (to attend a temple), but it's that important to us," Robinson said.
He hopes all the construction will spark interest in Mormonism. "We have a lot of members of the faith, and we're always looking for more," he said.
The temple is expected to be completed in 2014.
Gilbert Arizona
The Arizona Republic published an update on construction of the Gilbert Arizona Temple this week.
It describes the beautiful temple grounds and the detailed construction process, as well as pointing out the difference between a Mormon temple and a meetinghouse. A Mormon meetinghouse is the "venue for Sunday worship and weekday activities," the Republic said. Temples are closed Sundays and are places where the most sacred rites of the faith take place.
Cordoba Argentina
A website called Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (not an official church site) said the construction on the Cordoba Argentina Temple hit an important milestone recently.
The website features a photo of the framework for the steeple of the temple, which it says went up this month.
Provo City Center
People who pass the Provo City Center Temple at this stage of construction may think it's been raised up on stilts. But it's actually right where it was previously.
The Daily Herald reports the former Provo Tabernacle is being held in place while crews dig out underground floors that will be added. Crews are trying to preserve the walls of the building while constructing the new temple all around them.
