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In an article published in the Arizona Republic, President Oaks invites all to visit the renovated Mesa Arizona Temple

The Mesa Arizona Temple has been an anchor in its community for decades.

Now as the public open house for the renovated temple begins, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wants people to see it, wrote President Dallin H. Oaks in an op-ed article published today in the Arizona Republic.

“Temples are dedicated as ‘Houses of the Lord’ to allow members of the Church to receive sacred religious instruction, to seek answers for their lives and to enter into eternal family relationships,” wrote President Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency. “For the communities where temples are built, they are a place of peace and a beacon of unity. …

“I extend a personal and sincere invitation to all Arizonans to come and see the temple that means so much to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and to others in this community.”

President Oaks wrote that sacred structures increase connectedness to one another, to spiritual matters and to God. “They provide visual reminders that there is more than the here and now. They are a reminder of those who have come before and pioneered the communities we live in today.”

President Oaks also referenced his recent general conference address on participating in the Church, in the op-ed, titled “The Mesa Arizona Temple has been an anchor for decades. Now, it’s entering a new era.”

Originally dedicated by President Heber J. Grant in 1927, the Mesa Arizona Temple has been closed since May 2018 for major renovation. This is its second major refurbishment in its 94-year history. The temple was rededicated in 1975 by President Spencer W. Kimball, who was raised in Arizona, following expansion and remodeling.

Senior Church leaders met with the media to discuss the renovation and take them on a tour of the temple on Monday, Oct. 12.

The temple’s public open house began Saturday, Oct. 16, and will end on Nov. 20, excluding Sundays.

“My current apostolic responsibilities include teaching of the goodness of God and of His plan for us,” wrote President Oaks in the op-ed. “Nowhere are these eternal truths better taught than in our temples.”

Read entire the article here.

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