Vancouver British Columbia Temple |
Floodlighting installed; finalizing interior; preparing for open house; to be dedicated Sunday, May 2, 2010 |
Site: 11.77 acres.
Exterior Finish: Granite.
Temple Design: Classic modern, single-spire design.
Number of Rooms: Two endowment rooms and two sealing.
Total Floor Area: 19,053 square feet.
Groundbreaking and Site Dedication: 4 August 2007 by Ronald A. Rasband
Public Open House: 9–24 April 2010
Dedication: 2 May 2010
| Hours: | Monday: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday–Saturday: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Sunday: Closed |
Dress: Modest dress is requested.
Parking: Parking attendants will guide you to an available parking space.
Tours: Guided 40-minute tours of the temple will be offered every 5 minutes or as needed during open hours. Your questions are welcomed in the reception area following the tour.
On Saturday, May 1, 2010, a youth cultural celebration of music and dance, entitled "A Beacon to the World," will be performed in the Langley Event Center at 7:00 p.m. Tickets will be made available at VancouverTYCTickets.com beginning March 15, 2010, at 9:00 a.m. After all of the 7:00 p.m. tickets have been reserved, tickets for the 3:00 p.m. dress rehearsal will be made available. The show will also be broadcast to all stake centers and satellite-capable meetinghouses in the temple district.
The Vancouver British Columbia Temple will be dedicated in three sessions (9:00 a.m., 12:00 noon, and 3:00 p.m.) on Sunday, May 2, 2010. Sessions will be broadcast to all satellite-capable meetinghouses in the temple district. Tickets for attending the dedication will be made available through local priesthood leaders. Those outside of the temple district who wish to attend the dedication may ask for an out-of-area ticket request from President Christiansen, president of the Abbotsford British Columbia Stake. The temple formally opens for ordinance work on Monday, May 3, 2010.
As of February 2010, the exterior of the temple is finished. Final touches and mural painting are underway on the interior. The adjacent two-ward meetinghouse, which will also house Distribution Services, will be ready for use shortly. On the south end of the site is a grassy and beautifully wooded retreat.
On March 10, 2009, to a crowd of about 200 onlookers, the single steeple of the Vancouver British Columbia Temple was installed followed by the placement of the traditional gold-leafed angel Moroni statue.
Elder Ronald S. Rasband of the presidency of the Seventy presided at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Vancouver British Columbia Temple on Saturday, August 4, 2007. Beautiful weather and heavenly music accompanied the event—the music being provided by a choir of members from the Lower Mainland. President Paul D. Christensen, president of the Abbotsford British Columbia Stake, addressed the congregation, telling the remarkable story of the temple site's selection and acquisition. Numerous priesthood and civic leaders participated in the ceremonial shoveling, marking the formal commencement of construction.1
Just 12 days before the groundbreaking on Monday, July 23, 2007, the fourth and final reading of the rezoning bylaw—necessary to clear the way for construction of the temple, new Langley meetinghouse, and temple president residence—passed the Langley Township Council in a 7-to-2 vote.2
A public hearing was held June 18, 2007, at Township Hall to get public feedback on the proposed temple, meetinghouse, and residence. Public concern focused on increased traffic, height of the spire, nightly floodlighting, and environmental impact. Other participants helped allay these concerns by explaining typical traffic patterns and special lighting used at temples. Patron visits are spread over the day, creating minimal impact on traffic. The soft directional floodlighting prevents overspill onto adjoining land. The temple grounds were described as a neighborhood asset, which will feature walkways among gorgeous landscaping—open to the public for daytime or evening strolls.3
On May 7, 2007, the Township of Langley posted a 30-page rezoning application to its Internet site, submitted by the Church in preparation for construction of the temple. The document, made available for the public hearing on the project, includes proposed renditions and floor plans of the temple, meetinghouse, and temple president's residence planned for the site.
During a visit to the Lower Mainland in 2006 to examine potential temple sites, President Gordon B. Hinckley declared of the Langley location, "Here is where we are going to build the temple." The site was not among the available properties, which had all been found wanting. Then, driving east on 82nd Avenue from the Langley meetinghouse, he had the car stopped at a large hedge and identified the land as the temple site. The 11-acre parcel, just east of 200 Street, was assembled from three smaller parcels—none of which were for sale and one which had recently sold—but the Church eventually acquired each one. The beautiful land is at the highest elevation in the Township.4
In a letter to British Columbian priesthood leaders dated May 25, 2006, the First Presidency announced the construction of the temple. The new edifice will be Canada's seventh operating temple and British Columbia's first. It will serve the many saints of British Columbia who currently attend temples in Alberta or cross the U.S.-Canada border to attend the Seattle Washington Temple.5
The maturation of the Church in Langley began with a small branch organized in the 1950s. Services were held on Norris Road in the home of the Mitchells, who arranged to obtain of an old pump organ, built benches from scrap lumber, and rearranged their living room every Sunday morning to accommodate the approximately 20 area members. After a year, membership had grown to 35 members, and the Mitchells received notice of a job transfer to Chilliwack—about 50 kilometers east of Langley. Before leaving, they secured a building location for the branch, and the congregation has continued to grow ever since.6
1. Anthony and Carol Middleton, "Vancouver Temple Ground Breaking!" Vancouver Star 7 Aug. 2007, 11 Aug. 2007 <http://www.vancouvermissionmemories.com/Star%2008-07-07.htm>.
2. Natasha Jones, "Temple concerns resolved," Langley Times 27 Jul. 2007, 29 Jul. 2007 <http://www.langleytimes.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=47&cat=23&id=1033959&more=0>.
3. Kristyl Clark, "Willoughby temple's lights cause concern," Langley Times 20 Jun. 2007, 25 Jun. 2007 <http://www.langleytimes.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=47&cat=23&id=1009260&more=0>.
4. Al Irwin, "Place of Peace," Langley Times 9 Aug. 2006, 9 Aug. 2006 <http://www.langleytimes.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=47&cat=23&id=704340&more=>.
5. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, "New Temple Will Be Built in Vancouver," 10 Jun. 2006.
6. Alberta Mitchell, "Vancouver temple ground breaking," Email to Rick Satterfield, 1 Aug. 2007.
