Blessings from the Jordan River Temple

I encourage all of us to consider attending the temple more frequently and, if our schedule permits, serve as a temple worker.

Dear sisters and brothers,

Recently I attended a special meeting with the other eight stake presidents in the Taylorsville/Bennion area. These meetings, held quarterly, are times when we can counsel together and align our efforts related to the growth of the Lord’s kingdom in this area.

Each meeting is chaired by an Area Seventy who shares updates and guidance from the Area Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve, and the First Presidency of the Church. These meetings are also attended by a member of the Salt Lake City West Mission presidency (usually President Spencer) and a member of the Jordan River Temple presidency (usually President Burton) who also provide updates and instruction.

As you can imagine, these meetings are very special experiences and this recent meeting was no exception. Usually, I share my notes and information with other stake and ward leaders through the normal leadership communication channels, but in this meeting, I felt a strong desire to also share some of the important topics we covered, directly with each member of the stake. So over the next few weeks, in these emails, I will share with you some of the highlights from our discussion.

Jordan River Temple

President Burton covered several important points with us.

• Gratitude for you

President Burton shared his deep gratitude for the fifty-two wonderful members of our stake who are now serving as temple workers and all those who are attending as patrons. He told us that even with the current restrictions, more ordinance work is being completed now, than before the outbreak of the pandemic.

• Need for more Temple Workers and the new process for calling Temple Workers

As time goes on and conditions stabilize, more spaces are being opened in temple sessions. This means they need more Temple Workers. President Burton asked each Stake President to counsel with Bishops, Relief Society, and Elders Quorum Presidents to select and call more members from our stake who can serve in this special calling. We are hoping we can recommend twenty-five more individuals from the stake by the end of the year to bring our total number to 77. We will seek to increase that number to 102 in the coming year.

The process of calling temple workers is very straightforward and we have asked Bishops to begin immediately recommending members of the ward who would be eligible to serve. If you have a desire to serve in the temple, talk to your bishop and he can facilitate the recommendation to the temple presidency. Here are the key requirements for working in the temple

• Love for Jesus Christ

• Desire to help others in the work of Salvation and Exaltation

• Endowed and holding a current temple recommend

• Able to work at least one (four hour) shift per week (substitutes can help cover occasional absence due to schedule conflicts and illness.

With our focus on Temple and Family History Work in 2022, wouldn’t it be wonderful if we were able to dramatically increase the number of temple workers from our stake? Being a temple worker does not normally preclude holding other callings in the ward. Think of the increase in spirituality and faith that could come from serving in the temple!

And wouldn’t it be amazing to have over a hundred members of our stake trained and ready to staff the Taylorsville Temple when it opens?

With so much emphasis on more workers, let me conclude this message by expressing gratitude and blessings for the many members of the stake who are faithfully attending the temple whenever their schedule permits. Without your willingness, the work would not move forward. It is that simple.

The promise of the Lord is sure as expressed through His living prophet, Russell M. Nelson.

“Please make time for the Lord in His holy house. Nothing will strengthen your spiritual foundation like temple service and temple worship.”

I echo President Nelson’s plea. I encourage all of us to consider attending the temple more frequently and, if our schedule permits, serve as a temple worker.

I love you all! Have a great week!

President Gardner

P.S. The next time you go to the temple...don’t forget to snap a photo and send it to me…:)

jeffgardner10@gmail.com

801-783-6381

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