INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — The Cleveland Ohio Temple in northeastern Ohio was dedicated Sunday, Aug. 16, by Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
The temple in the Cleveland suburb of Independence, Ohio, is about 25 miles southwest of historic Kirtland, Ohio, where early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints built the Church’s first temple — the Kirtland Temple. That temple is operated as a historic site and is open for public tours.
In Doctrine and Covenants 110:10, the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery are told in a vision by the Savior in the Kirtland Temple that “the fame of this house shall spread to foreign lands.”
Elder Bednar said, “Now it comes back home.”
It’s “quite remarkable” to “see the connection between what was said about the worldwide influence of the Kirtland Temple and how now we are dedicating a house of the Lord in Cleveland,” he said in an interview prior to the dedication.
The Cleveland Ohio Temple was dedicated in a single session Sunday morning that was broadcast to Church meetinghouses throughout the temple district, comprising four stakes in northeastern Ohio — the Cleveland, Akron, Hiram and Kirtland stakes. It was rebroadcast later in the afternoon.
The Cleveland temple is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ 221st operating house of the Lord. Also on Sunday, Aug. 16, the 220th, the Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple, was dedicated by Church President Dallin H. Oaks.
Elder Bednar was accompanied by his wife, Sister Susan Bednar; Elder K. Brett Nattress, General Authority Seventy and assistant executive director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Sister Shawna Nattress; Elder Mark D. Eddy, General Authority Seventy and assistant executive director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Sister Annette Eddy; Elder Alan T. Phillips, General Authority Seventy and member of the Church’s United States Northeast Area presidency, and his wife, Sister Lindsey Phillips; and Bishop Sean Douglas, second counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, and his wife, Sister Ann Douglas.
‘Intersection between heaven and earth’
It is in a dedicated house of the Lord where “we receive the sacred ordinances of the priesthood and can have access to the power of godliness in our lives,” Elder Bednar said, referring to Doctrine and Covenants 84:20.
“The opportunity to live closer to a house of the Lord, more frequently participate in the ordinances and be reminded of the covenants create a channel through which the power of godliness can come into our lives,” he said. “I cannot imagine a more important blessing than having greater access to the power of godliness through the ordinances of the temple.”
In many parts of the world and in the Church’s history, Latter-day Saints have had to make significant sacrifices to attend the temple — with some only able to attend once in their lifetimes. As temples continue to be built around the world, those sacred structures are closer to the Church members than ever before.
Now, once a temple is dedicated, “we have to be intentional and not let the ease of proximity become a barrier to receiving the blessings that we need in our lives,” he said.
Elder Bednar said each apostolic assignment to dedicate a temple is a rare and remarkable experience.
“A temple is a point of intersection between heaven and earth,” Elder Bednar said, adding, “I appreciate each opportunity to participate in these sacred dedications.”
‘A warm welcome’
Robin and Bryan Laubaugh, who served as the dedication and open house committee coordinators for the Cleveland Ohio Temple, have been involved with behind-the-scenes efforts for this temple for years. They also served as coordinators for the groundbreaking ceremony June 1, 2024.
“We had such a warm welcome from the community,” said Bryan Laubaugh. “The city of Independence, where the temple is located, has been very warm and welcoming.”
The Cleveland temple is located off a highway but has a quieter, neighborhood-type feel, surrounded by trees. The building size is 9,950 square feet and sits on an 11-acre site with an ancillary building.
During the open house, which ran from June 18 through July 3, “there was a constant flow of people from Independence, not just neighbors but city officials,” he said, adding that there was a feeling that people really wanted this temple in their community.
“I think by and large, everybody that came — those that weren’t members of our faith — were very open and interested and inquisitive as to what it was. They were all very impressed with the interior of the temple. There were a lot of comments about how beautiful it was, how they felt when they were sitting in the celestial room,” Laubaugh said.
He said volunteers were encouraged to “stick to the script” of brief explanations of what goes on inside the temple and “stay out of the way” to let the temple speak for itself. “And as the people came out, they were just really impressed with the spirit that they felt, with what they learned, and they were excited to have it in their neighborhood.”
As coordinators for the open house and dedication, the Laubaughs worked with 11 committees overseeing efforts such as ushering, music and technology. Approximately 800 volunteers from the four stakes in the temple district helped with the open house, including some 200 youth. Many volunteers served more than one shift during the open-house period.
Robin Laubaugh shared one of the many miracles that took place during the open house. The Saturday before the open house officially began, the temple was open for neighbors and contractors. “We were thrilled to host many neighbors and individuals that lived nearby, who had watched the construction occur over the many months. They were just very curious,” she said.
In casual conversation with two of the volunteers, one neighbor who has adjoining property with the temple mentioned she had told her father she was going to tour the new Latter-day Saint temple next door. Her father said something like, “Well, you know, you have an ancestor who had something to do with that book of theirs.” She didn’t know what “that book” meant.
The volunteers asked her ancestor’s name. “Peter Whitmer,” she said.
This brief conversation led to the volunteers giving her and her family a Book of Mormon and telling them more about Peter Whitmer, one of the Eight Witnesses, and historic Kirtland, which they also didn’t know about.
Robin Laubaugh said of this: “The neat thing is they had a family reunion later this summer and they said, ‘We’re going to take this book, and we’re going to show everybody.’”
Of the open house and the experiences of those who came, Robin Laubaugh added: “I think everybody left with a feeling that it was time well spent. They had a greater understanding of our faith and respect and appreciation for our faith.”
Robin Laubaugh, who has spent most of her life in northeast Ohio since age 4, is excited to see a house of the Lord in her hometown. For many years there weren’t a lot of Church members who lived in Kirtland and surrounding areas, she said. “I’ve been in different stakes and different wards, as wards have developed. It’s just really neat to see the area grow.”
The township of Independence was formed in 1814, reports a history of the area. The Kirtland Township was organized four years later, in 1818. Early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began moving to Kirtland in 1831, and the Kirtland Temple was dedicated in 1836. Today Ohio is home to nearly 66,000 Latter-day Saints who meet in almost 130 congregations.
Also in Ohio, there is a dedicated and operating house of the Lord in Columbus and one in planning for Cincinnati.
The cupola on the Cleveland Ohio Temple is reminiscent of the Kirtland Temple. One of the original paintings in the Cleveland house of the Lord features the historic pioneer-era temple.
A house of the Lord closer to home
Nicole Sender, a 15-year-old from the Hiram Ward, Hiram Ohio Stake, spoke during Sunday’s dedication. With the Cleveland Ohio Temple only 30 minutes from home, she is thrilled for the opportunity to be in the house of the Lord frequently. Members in this area were previously part of the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple district.
“I definitely feel closer to Heavenly Father when I go, and it’s just refreshing,” she said of attending the temple, in an interview before the dedication. “It’s almost like you don’t realize how drained you are until you exit and you just feel recharged. You just feel everything a little more, you’re more sensitive.”
Nicole said preparing for the temple dedication has given her a boost of spiritual momentum. “I’m actually reading my scriptures more diligently, and I feel like I’ve been praying a lot more. I’m not just going through the motions.”
Her biggest takeaway from watching a temple be announced, constructed and now dedicated close to home: “Never think that God forgets about you. I feel like the one thing I’ve really gotten from all my experiences in the temple is just how God’s love and His plan are really for us, and about us, and getting us back to Him.”
The skies were overcast and threatening rain prior to the dedication. Afterward, the sun had come out and there were white clouds.
Geraldine Squire, 97, raised her family in the Medina, Ohio, area and lives in the Medina Ward, Akron Ohio Stake. She went to the dedication with three of her children who live in the area.
“It’s marvelous,” she said of the house of the Lord after the dedication. She added, “I didn’t think I would ever live [long enough] to go to the temple in Cleveland.”
She served as a temple worker in the Columbus Ohio Temple after it was dedicated. She has been going with her family to the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple, and she is looking forward to going more often now that the house of the Lord is closer.
Karl Anderson, known as Mr. Kirtland for his research on the community, attended the dedication. “I was a stake president 50 years ago, and this is what we envisioned, and it’s finally come to pass,” he said, adding, “Now we’re looking at greater things” in the future.
David and Terri Klopp who live in Fairview Park, Ohio, were sealed in the Washington D.C. Temple 45 years ago, as that was the closest house of the Lord. They attend the Westlake Ward in the Cleveland Ohio Stake.
Having a house of the Lord move closer and closer to their home, now about 15 minutes away, has been exciting, said Terri Klopp.
“It gives us the opportunity to come to the temple more often because it’s a peaceful place, especially in today’s world,” she said.
For Brenda Murawski, who grew up in northeast Ohio, having a new temple in her area brings her a lot of joy and excitement. “I grew up as a little child with my parents who would take us to Kirtland and the John Johnson farm, and it’s just really cool to have a temple less than an hour away from my house,” she said.
Her family traveled great distances to attend the temple in her youth. “Salt Lake was our temple district when my family decided to go to the temple. When we showed up in Salt Lake for our family to be sealed, it was closed for cleaning. We had to go to Logan,” she recalled with a chuckle.
Linda Young, a member of the Hiram Ohio Stake who will be an office worker in the Cleveland temple, attended Sunday’s dedication with her son. “I enjoyed traveling distances to the temple because it felt consecrating,” she said. But now that it is close to home, “we get to come often and abundantly.”
She explained, “I think that we need that abundance in our lives right now, to be able to just feel the peaceful spirit of being in the house of the Lord, a dedicated space.”
Her son Winston Young said he is looking forward to serving as a temple worker. He described the feeling of belonging he finds inside the temple: “In the temple, everyone is in white. Everyone is equal, regardless of background. … We’re all one, and we all work together to bring souls back to Christ.”
Cleveland Ohio Temple
Address: 5997 Brecksville Road, Independence, Ohio 44131
Announced: April 3, 2022, by President Russell M. Nelson
Groundbreaking: June 1, 2024, presided over by Elder Vaiangina Sikahema, a General Authority Seventy
Public open house: June 18 through July 3, 2026, excluding Sundays
Dedicated: Aug. 16, 2026, by Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Property size: 11.04 acres
Building size: 9,950 square feet
Building height: 100 feet (including the spire)
Temple district: 4 stakes in northeastern Ohio
