TALLAHASSEE, Florida — The Hill City of Florida has a new light upon the hill: the state’s third house of the Lord. And central to this shining beacon is the Light of the World Himself.
“Our Savior can be found everywhere in the temple,” said Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “In every ordinance, in every covenant, in every promised blessing and particularly in the power and grace we receive as we shed the practices and priorities of the world in favor of pursuing our relationship with Jesus Christ.”
It was Christ who declared, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Elder Kearon added, “We are invited to assist Him in this work of seeking and saving those who are lost.”
The Apostle dedicated the Tallahassee Florida Temple on Sunday, Dec. 8, marking the 16th and last temple dedicated in 2024. This is also the first house of the Lord that Elder Kearon has dedicated, having been called and set apart as a member of the Twelve just last December.
For the dedication weekend, he was accompanied by his wife, Sister Jennifer Kearon; Elder Kevin R. Duncan, a General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Sister Nancy Duncan; Elder Massimo De Feo, a General Authority Seventy and second counselor in the North America Southeast Area presidency, and his wife, Sister Loredana De Feo; Elder Steven R. Bangerter, a General Authority Seventy, and his wife, Sister Susan Bangerter; and Bishop W. Christopher Waddell, first counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, and his wife, Sister Carol Waddell.
The Tallahassee temple district comprises eight stakes — five in northern Florida, two in southern Georgia and one in Alabama.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints now has 202 dedicated temples worldwide.
Seeking those who are lost
Elder Kearon recounted the story of an Area Seventy from Germany that he heard at the 2019 rededication of the Frankfurt Germany Temple. He, his wife and their young children had been enjoying the beauty of Paris, France, when they realized their 6-year-old son — whom Elder Kearon referred to as Matthias — wasn’t with them.
“Please, please, dear Father,” they pleaded in prayer, “keep Matthias safe. Help us find him; lead us to him.”
After the parents’ desperate searching, the father saw a woman holding a sign that read, “Matthias found. He lives near the temple in Friedrichsdorf.” The boy was waiting safely with French police.
“He did not know any identifying information,” said Elder Kearon of Matthias, “except that he lived near the temple. So that’s what was written on the sign held by the woman until his father returned.”
Elder Kearon added: “We can think of each of our ancestors as little Matthias, doing his best to find his way back to safety, back to his parents, but in serious need of being found through our searching work, now made so much easier through the technology the Lord has provided us.”
Those who come to the Lord’s house, he said, receive solace, peace and refuge at any time, but especially when they feel lost.
“In this sacred space, our true selves can be found, as we leave the distractions and pettiness of the world outside and receive an extra measure of the Spirit of the Lord to help us hear His still, small voice and meet the demands of life.
“We can be found here in the temple because here in the temple we find Jesus Christ.”
Connecting beliefs amid rich religious diversity
Florida’s state motto is the same as the national motto of the United States: “In God we trust.” This faith in God has only been strengthened as Florida residents of various religious backgrounds learn more about the restored Church.
Tallahassee Florida Stake President Benjamin Smith said, “The acceptance of the Tallahassee Florida Temple in the community is a miracle that has occurred because of the will of the Lord and the lives that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are living.”
Many miracles are yet to come, he said, recognizing that “these future miracles will occur both within and outside the walls of the temple.”
The temple will be a constant light to friends and neighbors, said President Smith.
Bishop Todd Wahlquist of the Tallahassee YSA 5th Ward said “the public reaction here has been one of tremendous interest” as the temple has opened conversation about the Church. “It’s been the talk of Tallahassee.”
He continued: “I think people still don’t quite understand that the Savior is the absolute center of everything that we do. And when they walk in [during the open house], and one of the first pictures they see is of the Savior, it’s been great for understanding and better communication with other people about the gospel and the Church.”
The bishop’s wife, Myla Wahlquist, invited friends from work to tour the temple with her. “I feel like they’ve left with a better understanding of who we are as a people,” she said.
One of the friends who attended the open house signed her birthday card as, “Your sister in Christ.”
Myla Wahlquist said: “She understood more that He is the central focus of our Church. And she’s of a different faith, but I know that He’s the central focus of her church too. So I think there’s a lot of connections made when people understand that.”
A ‘dear answer to prayers’ at the open house
About 25,000 guests were expected to tour the Tallahassee temple during its three-week open house last month. The event brought 40,976.
Dallas and Ronnell Watson, open house and dedication committee co-chairs, saw several miracles during the open house.
Dallas Watson recounted that a person who is deaf planned to visit the open house on a particular day and requested someone who knows American Sign Language to accompany him on his tour.
The translation subcommittee chair and the Watsons tried to find someone to help, but although some people knew ASL, they weren’t able to use it for gospel terminology. Dallas and Ronnell Watson prayed to find someone.
On a training day, when sister missionaries were taught how to use the video equipment to start open-house tours, one sister mentioned she knew ASL. This missionary, a “dear answer to prayers,” has multiple deaf siblings and has used ASL all her life.
“There are no coincidences,” said Dallas Watson.
Ronnell Watson noticed that each day someone who signed up to volunteer didn’t show, at least one other person who hadn’t signed up would come.
“The Lord always sent us extra people,” she said. “I truly believe with all my heart that was a miracle and tender mercy from the Lord.”
‘A beacon ... to come unto Him’
Florida Tallahassee Mission President Terry Trusty and his wife, Sister Ellen Trusty, are thrilled to have this new house of the Lord just yards from the mission home, on the same street.
“This great edifice and the spirit of its presence draw others,” he said. “It draws others to the Savior. It is a beacon to come to His holy house and to come unto Him.”
Sister Trusty noted how members of the Church will be enriched by temple work, but nonmembers will also benefit from this house of the Lord. “The temple in Tallahassee is a beacon of light on the hill. All who come to Tallahassee will have the opportunity to partake of the light.”
She continued: “The Light of Christ will spread throughout generations in this area and beyond. We are so grateful to be a part of His great work.”
The Church has grown in the area because of families remaining faithful and experiencing the joys of their worship, said President Trusty. “The faith of those families has provided the foundation upon which others have anchored their testimony.”
The temple has “great interest from the community,” said President Trusty, and many open-house visitors felt more connected to loved ones beyond the veil. “The opening of the Tallahassee Florida Temple has helped the missionaries to realize that with faith and effort, the kingdom of God rolls forth.”
Noting the growing number of online referrals to learn more about the Church, he added: “We expect that the rate of growth in this area will increase exponentially. The foundation is in place, and the work is to be done.”
Community members have come to appreciate and respect beliefs of Latter-day Saints through the new temple. President Trusty said that “instead of scorn, our friends are sharing a dignified interest and respect for the work of the Lord through The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
Sister Trusty recounted, “One new friend I spoke to was brought to tears learning that she could be sealed for time and all eternity to her children. This news brought joy unimaginable to her heart.”
Sealed for time and all eternity
Young adults Bethany Morse and Spencer Gordon will be one of the first couples sealed in the Tallahassee temple, with a Dec. 14 marriage planned.
“Knowing that I can be with him forever and that I’ll always have him by my side is just the greatest blessing that I could ever have, because He means the world to me,” said Morse.
Added Gordon: “Typically it’s ‘till death do you part,’ but why would I want to believe in something like that when I could have the opportunity to be with her forever? And since I really do love her, it’s a no-brainer decision.”
The couple met while going to Tallahassee’s Florida State University in summer 2021, became friends and started dating in May 2022. After two years, Gordon and Morse got engaged June 29 of this year — only two days before the Tallahassee temple dedication date was released.
They decided to be married between college semesters and are thrilled that time will come just days after the temple’s Dec. 10 opening. The Florida natives are planning to live just 10 minutes from the temple.
This nearby house of the Lord will make it easier to remember temple covenants, said Morse, and make them more of day-to-day life. “Having one so close, it’ll be a lot easier to keep the temple a constant thing in my life and be reminded of those blessings and what I’ve promised Heavenly Father.”
She added, “This is something that I’ve seen people pray for my entire life.”
A new temple will allow those in and near Tallahassee to more consistently walk the covenant path, said Gordon. “It’s a way for people to link their families together, but it’s also a way for them to get closer to Christ.”
Tallahassee Florida Temple
Address: 2440 Papillion Way, Tallahassee, Florida
Announced: April 5, 2020, by President Russell M. Nelson
Groundbreaking: June 5, 2021, presided over by Elder James B. Martino, a General Authority Seventy and then president of the North America Southeast Area
Public open house: Nov. 4-23, 2024, excluding Sundays
Dedicated: Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, by Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Property size: 4.97 acres
Building size: 29,255 square feet
Building height: 125 feet, including the spire
Temple district: 8 stakes — 5 in northern Florida, 2 in southern Georgia and 1 in Alabama.
More photos of the Tallahassee Florida Temple dedication
