Ogden Temple.

I wrote this article for Indie Ogden.

Religion is in my blood.  Years ago, my great-grandfather ran away from his home in Japan to come to America to be a pastor.  He settled in Ogden long before the original Ogden Temple was built.  My great-grandfather was the Pastor for the Ogden Japanese Christian Church for years.   His son (My grandfather) later joined the LDS church, and my family has been members of the LDS church ever since.  

I can’t even fathom what my ancestors would think, if they could see Ogden now.  No longer the fields of farmers, it is now one of the main hubs of Utah. Ogden has become host to huge, crowd-drawing events year-round. Not only did we just have an epic weekend by Pepsi, Ogden is also hosting the Tour of Utah and the USA Cycling masters Road National Championships, in the near future.  The Ogden Temple open house is expected to be another huge event. According to Fox 13 News, “More than 500,000 people have RSVP’d for the open house.”   That’s an average of 13,500 people PER DAY, for the next 37 days!    So. Many. People.

(Photo from Wikipedia)

On February 17, 2010 the LDS Church announced that the Ogden Temple would “undergo major exterior and interior renovations.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogden_Utah_Temple)  .  The Ogden Temple was originally dedicated in 1972 and was the 14^th temple.   Now, there are 142 temples worldwide, with 13 of them in Utah.

With the renovation, the square footage of the temple dropped from 131,000 sf to 115,000 sf.   The original entrance was changed from the west side to the east side, facing Washington Boulevard.  The exterior, which was designed in the 1970s, has been completely redone in stone and beautiful stained glass windows.  No small detail has been overlooked.  As the temple is a very sacred place for the LDS church, only the best of the best materials have been used.  (To view a gallery of the Ogden Temple before renovation please click here.  To view a gallery during construction click here. )  

Ogden Utah Temple.© 2014 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

Before a temple is dedicated, the LDS Church holds a public Open House for the Temple.  Our own Ogden Temple Open House will be held August 1 to September 6.  The tour includes a guided tour of the temple and the tabernacle building next door, along with a short 10 minute movie.   Visitors can ask questions and walk the grounds of the temple.  (To reserve tickets click here.) 

 

There will also be a Cultural Celebration on September 20, 2014 at the Weber State University Dee Events Center.  Youth from the LDS church, aged from 12-18 will be participating.  Dance and music practices are already being held for the event.  Elder Craig Fisher was quoted from standard.net saying, “We have original music written by people in the temple district. It focuses on our pioneer heritage, Ogden history, the Golden Spike, the Hispanic community, the Indian people and other prominent people from the area. It will be wonderful.”

Although, I am very excited for the open house, I am also just glad to have the temple finished.  For me, the temple is a place of peace and comfort.  It is a place that I can get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life there.   Hopefully, as you tour the grounds, you’ll be able to feel that same peace too.  It’s great to have our Ogden Temple complete once again.  

To read more about why the LDS Church builds Temples click here.

Public Open House Information (from LDSChurchtemples.com)

 The general public, including children of all ages, is invited to attend an open house of the Ogden Utah Temple. Admission is free, but reservations are requested.

Reservations:  Open house tickets are available at templeopenhouse.lds.org/tickets.
Open House Dates:  Friday, August 1, through Saturday, September 6, 2014, except for Sundays (August 3, August 10, August 17, August 24, and August 31, 2014)

Hours:

Sunday:  Closed Monday:  8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday–Saturday:  8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Location:  350 22nd Street, Ogden, Utah – View Map 

Dress:  Modest dress is requested. 

Parking:  Parking attendants will guide you to an available parking space. Plan to arrive early to allow time for traffic and parking.
Tours:  Open house tours will generally last about an hour. Tours will begin in the tabernacle on the north side of the temple where a ten-minute video will be presented. Following the video, there will be a tour of the temple. Guests are invited to visit the reception area after the tour to enjoy various displays about the temple and ask questions.

For more tour information and tickets click here.

To read about other everyday LDS Mormons click here

Other Utah Temples: Bountiful Temple, Brigham City Temple, Draper Temple, Jordan River Temple, Logan Temple, Manti Temple, Monticello Temple, Mount Timpanogos Temple, Oquirrh Mountain Temple, Provo Temple, Salt Lake Temple, St. George Temple, and Vernal Temple.