Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints took a nostalgic step back in time Saturday to witness rededication of the Salt Lake Tabernacle, one of the city's most venerable landmarks.
The Tabernacle, a community religious, cultural and arts center for more than 100 years, has undergone an extensive two-year seismic upgrade. Until dedication of the larger Conference Center north of Temple Square in 2000, the egg-shaped Tabernacle was the primary gathering spot for church members attending semiannual conferences.
In the early days of the church in Utah, most of the membership could be seated in the building. As demand increased, the balcony that circles a good share of the building was built to provide additional seating. It was first dedicated on Oct. 9, 1875, by President John Taylor.
Several thousand returned to the building to witness the rededication during the Saturday afternoon session of the 177th Annual General Conference of the church. They took seats on new benches that "are as hard as the old ones," President Gordon B. Hinckley quipped, exhibiting his trademark sense of humor.
President Hinckley pronounced the dedicatory prayer, asking that the Tabernacle remain "a place where thy people may gather for many reasons." He expressed gratitude for the faith of pioneering Latter-day Saints who suffered persecution in several areas of the Midwest before coming to the Salt Lake Valley in the mid-1800s. The work to which they were devoted has continued, he said, with the church now established throughout the world.
Prior to the dedicatory prayer, President Hinckley said the Tabernacle had historically been "a unique and wonderful place of assembly. ... This is a peculiar building, the only one of its kind in all the world. It was built in the day of the poverty of our people. It was literally a Tabernacle built in the wilderness."
Skeptics predicted that the walls of the building would collapse when the scaffolding was removed, he said. "This did not happen, and it has remained in place through sunshine and storm through all these many years."
With the refurbishment complete, the Tabernacle will again become the home to the Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square, he said. As it has historically, it also will host many productions and undertakings and will be used for stake and regional conferences, public lectures, musical concerts and other entertainment, President Hinckley said.
Each of the Saturday afternoon speakers commented either briefly or at length on the influence the Tabernacle has had in their lives. Bishop H. David Burton, who as presiding bishop of the church was assigned to oversee the building's retrofit, said it now is "revitalized and ready for another period of distinguished service."
More than 2,000 craftsmen were involved in the restoration project, he said, and they have "proudly returned the old original Tabernacle along with a 100-year-warranty," to the church.
"These old walls, if they could talk, would shout, 'We were here!"' he said. Many historic events occurred within its walls, Bishop Burton said, including countless talks by church authorities, the sharing of prophetic announcements and the sharing of new church programs and policies.
In October 1918, President Joseph F. Smith alluded to a revelation that church members later learned he had experienced shortly before he spoke. His account of that event was later incorporated as Section 138 in the Doctrine and Covenants, disclosing particulars of what church members refer to as "the redemption of the dead." President Heber J. Grant, during the Great Depression that afflicted the United States, announced creation of the church "Security Plan," which evolved into the the much-admired Church Welfare Plan.
Then-Elder Harold B. Lee reaffirmed a program that had been proposed years before, dubbed "Family Home Evening." Elder Bruce R. McConkie, very near to death at the time, bore strong testimony to the reality of continued existence beyond death.
Those and countless other profound components of the faith either buoyed or admonished members of the church through long years, Bishop Burton said. "I'm grateful for this extraordinary building. It stands as a sacred monument to our past and a magnificent ensign of hope for the future."
The Tabernacle has witnessed significant church events, said President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve, including the initial sustaining of every president except Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. The Pearl of Great Price was accepted there as one of the church's standard works; Sections 137 and 138 of the Doctrine and Covenants were presented to the church membership; the LDS version of the King James Bible, copiously cross-referenced and annotated, as well as new editions of the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price, were announced; and in the early 20th century, the Word of Wisdom was accepted as binding on church members after many years of being optional.
President Thomas S. Monson, first counselor in the First Presidency, delivered what he said was his 102nd conference address in the Tabernacle. Many of the significant events of his life, including his baptism and his call to be a general authority, were associated with the building, he said.
"I have had many spiritual experiences over the years as I have stood here.... The Tabernacle is a part of my life, a part which I cherish," he said. He called on church members to rededicate their lives to "the work of the Lord" to parallel the rededication of the Tabernacle.
President James E. Faust, second counselor in the First Presidency, who remained seated because of his declining health, also recalled fond memories of the historic building. The church has incorporated special buildings into its history almost from the first, he noted.
A canvas tabernacle planned by church founder Joseph Smith to be constructed in Nauvoo, Ill., could not be built because of persecution there in the mid-1840s, but "about 4,000 yards of canvas" went West with the Saints who migrated to the Salt Lake Valley, helping them build wagons and temporary shelters. The Salt Lake Tabernacle has dimensions comparable to those planned for that building, he said.
Elder Marlin K. Jensen of the Quorums of the Seventy stressed the importance of remembering, including remembering the history of the church.
"That remembering," he said, "enables us to see God's hand in our past, just as prophecy and faith assure us of God's hand in our future."
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