Announced: Sept. 3, 1998.
Location: Off State Highway 55 about 10 miles SW of Raleigh; 574 Bryan Dr., Apex, NC 27502; phone: (919) 362-4135; no clothing rental.
Site: 3.4 acres.
Exterior finish: Danby white marble with art glass windows.
Temple design: Traditional.
Architects: Dan Dills of Dills and Ainscuff.
Project manager: Bruce Catanzaro.
Contractor: Walbridge Aldinger.
Rooms: Celestial room, baptistry, two ordinance rooms, two sealing rooms.
Total floor area: 10,700 square feet.
Dimensions: 149 feet by 77 feet.
District: Eight stakes in North Carolina.
Groundbreaking, site dedication: Feb. 6, 1999, by Elder Loren C. Dunn of the Seventy, first counselor in the North America East Area.
Dedication: Dec. 18, 1999, by President Gordon B. Hinckley; 7 sessions.
Dedicatory Prayer
Done by President Gordon B. Hinckley
Our gracious Father, Thou Almighty Elohim, we approach Thee in solemn prayer. We are met to dedicate Thy Holy House. It has been constructed as an offering unto Thee and to Thy Beloved Son, for the accomplishment of Thy holy purposes.
We thank Thee for this day of dedication, for the opportunity to gather as Thy thankful sons and daughters. We are partakers of those wondrous blessings promised in words of revelation. Thou hast said: "For I deign to reveal unto my church things which have been kept hid from before the foundation of the world, things that pertain to the dispensation of the fulness of times,…even the fulness of the priesthood" (D&C 124:41, 28).
In the authority of this priesthood and in the name of Jesus Christ we dedicate unto Thee and to Thy beloved Son this the Raleigh North Carolina Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Wilt Thou accept it, Father, and accept our gratitude for having it in our midst. May Thy Holy Spirit constantly dwell herein and may it refresh and nourish the lives of all who enter Thy house.
We dedicate the grounds and the entire structure with all of its facilities and furnishings. We dedicate the Baptistry where a great work will be done in behalf of those beyond the veil of death. We dedicate each of the ordinance rooms wherein eternal covenants will be made with Thee, covenants binding upon both the living and the dead. We dedicate the sacred altars of this Thy house, where promises will be made concerning sanctified and eternal relationships within the human family. We dedicate the crowning figure of Moroni whose prophetic role was seen by John the Revelator, who declared: "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell upon the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people" (Revelations 14:6).
Dear Father, bless Thy work in all the earth. Bless all whose tithes have made possible this Holy house. Open the windows of heaven and shower blessings upon them. Bless them in their basket and in their store. Bless them in their faith and give strength to their testimonies. Nurture their children and their children's children with a love for the gospel of Thy divine Son.
Pour out Thy blessings upon those who will go from this house as messengers of eternal truth to the nations of the earth. Endow them with power in their proclamations and give voice to their witness of the living reality of Thee and Thy Son, our Redeemer.
We pray for all who enter Thy house that they may be pure and clean in heart and hand. May they here "feel thy power, and feel constrained to acknowledge that thou hast sanctified it, and that it is thy house, a place of thy holiness" (D&C 109:13).
May all who come as patrons to this temple know that they are dealing with the things of eternity, and that the relationships here entered into are everlasting. Bless all who are here sealed in the bonds of eternal marriage that they may live together with love and respect for one another. Bless the fathers and mothers that they may rear their children as Thy children, in a spirit of kindness and encouragement, that the encircling hand of love may bind together the relationships of the family.
We invoke Thy special blessings upon the temple presidency and the matron and her assistants, and upon all who give generously of their time and talents in consecrated effort as workers in this hallowed edifice. Now dear Father, as we dedicate Thy house we ask that Thou wilt protect it from the machinations of any evil hand. May it be looked upon as a place of holiness with respect and reverence. We pray that the elements may be kind to it, that it shall stand against the storms of nature.
Almighty God, we bow before Thee with love and with love for Thine Only Begotten Son. Forgive our sins. Give us strength to live above our weaknesses and to walk above our faults, we humbly pray as Thy thankful children in the name of the Redeemer of the world, even the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.
1,200 youth help prepare temple site for ceremony
Hundreds of youth from eight stakes in Raleigh North Carolina Temple District clear brush from wooded temple site prior to groundbreaking ceremony.
APEX, N.C. — Two weeks before ground was broken for the Raleigh North Carolina Temple, more than 1,200 youth from eight stakes worked to prepare the temple site for the ceremony.
Because only a limited number of people could attend the groundbreaking, local leaders in North Carolina began looking for a way they could provide the youth — many of whom would not be able to attend the ceremony — an opportunity to get excited about the state's first temple.
As a result, leaders asked the young men and young women in the district to clean brush from the site, located on wooded property in Apex, on Saturday, Jan. 23.
Russell R. Wilford, second counselor in the Raleigh North Carolina Stake presidency, coordinated the project and was amazed with the response.
Pres. Wilford said the youth, who worked in their designated stake section for 90 minutes, knew the importance of the service they were giving. The hundreds of young men and young women converged on the scene like hundreds of worker ants, he said.
Most the stakes finished their jobs long before their 90-minute time slot was up and wanted to start on another stake's section, Pres. Wilford added. "It was so impressive to watch the youth," he said. "They are now looking forward to the open house."
Rachel Nay, a Mia Maid in the Apex Ward, Raleigh North Carolina Stake, said working at the site helped the youth get excited about the future temple. Clearing the ground was something that needed to be done, she said. "We were really helping."
Trevor Allen, a priest in the Colfax Ward, Greensboro North Carolina Stake, carried away logs and brush during the project. "It made me feel like I was a part of the building of the temple," he said, "because I was able to prepare the grounds.
His younger brother, Ryan, a teacher, echoed his remarks. "We had a good time. It wasn't really work. It was more of a privilege. Not many people get to do things like that and take part in such a special occasion. It was special for me and everyone else."
APEX, N.C. — The nearly 1,000 people who gathered here Feb. 6 not only participated in a memorable groundbreaking for the Raleigh North Carolina Temple, but also learned of the sacrifices and dedication of early missionaries and members in the area.
Elder Loren C. Dunn of the Seventy and first counselor in the North America East Area presidency presided at the ceremony, held on a cool morning in a clearing on the temple site, surrounded by towering pines. The temple will be constructed in Apex — a town close to Raleigh that is experiencing tremendous residential growth — next to a planned stake center.
"Latter-day Saints believe that whenever the gospel is on the earth, there is a divine command to build temples," Elder Dunn said, explaining the pattern of temple building from the time of Joseph Smith. "The blessings of attending the temple are at the heart of Latter-day Saint worship, and early sacrifices to build these sacred buildings were willingly made as a means of securing the blessings of the Lord.
"There will now be a temple near you. It is in the temple that links are formed that can unite families forever and where each individual receives the opportunity of eternal salvation. Work can also be done for others so these blessings can come to those who have passed away before receiving the gospel of Jesus Christ."
Ward and stake leaders — from the eight stakes in the temple district, made up of 27,600 members — brought their families to the groundbreaking ceremony. Music for the ceremony was provided by a 100-member Raleigh North Carolina Stake choir, directed by Kevin Hopkins and accompanied by Gary Adams.
During the service, Elder Dunn acknowledged and thanked members of the local government and chamber of commerce in attendance. These dignitaries later joined Elder Dunn; Elder David W. Ferrel, an Area Authority Seventy; Pres. Max Esplin of the North Carolina Raleigh Mission; and current and former stake presidents in breaking the ground with gold-painted shovels. Then others, including Primary children, took turns in breaking the ground.
Two weeks prior to the groundbreaking, more than 1,200 youth worked at the site, removing small trees and clearing underbrush for the ceremony. (Please see related story on page 11.) Members also built the stage, adorned with pine-needle swags.
During his remarks, Raleigh North Carolina Stake Pres. John Taggart said that neighbors around the site received temple plans in a friendly manner. "We have good neighbors here," he said, "and we will be good neighbors ourselves."
Pres. Taggart suggested, however, that for the members there was yet another temple construction. Quoting the Apostle Paul he said, " 'Know ye not that ye are the temple of God.' (1 Cor. 3:16.)
". . . As we watch the foundation [of the temple] laid, the walls and roof and spire constructed, the interior furnishings added, the landscaping work done, let us resolve that equivalent preparation will take place in our own lives, so that we are more fit, more ready, more worthy to enter this house," he said.
Elder Dunn asked those in attendance to sanctify their lives — in and out of the temple. "Only the home," he said, "could be compared to the temple in sacredness."
He reminded those in the congregation of the history of the Church in North Carolina, noting that the first missionary entered the area in 1838. From 1867 through 1895, 120 missionaries labored in the state. However, the first stake was not organized in North Carolina until Aug. 27, 1961. A second stake was organized a month later and by 1962, a third stake was organized.
Today, said Elder Dunn, emphasizing the growth of the Church in the area, there are 12 stakes in North Carolina (eight are part of the Raleigh North Carolina Temple District).
After the ceremony, Ralph Ingram, Raleigh North Carolina Stake patriarch and former stake president, remembered the many predecessors who helped build the Church in North Carolina. His family, like many early members, traveled to Salt Lake City for their first temple experiences. "This is the day we have dreamed about," he said.
Jean Carlett of the Wilmington North Carolina stake echoed his and other members' feelings. "We're making history today and I am thrilled to be a part of it," she said.
