Orem Utah Temple to host public open house tours until December
Oct 23, 2023, 4:55 PM | Updated: 6:28 pm
OREM — A time of celebration for Latter-day Saints is coming in Orem as their new temple is about to open its doors to the public for the very first time.
The Orem Utah Temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was announced by church president Russell M. Nelson back in October of 2019. The open house begins on Friday Oct. 27.
Monday morning, a press event was held where media got a chance to look inside.
The 70,000-square-foot, three-story temple that sits on nearly 16 acres is a sight you can’t miss. It resides close to Interstate 15 and University Avenue, across the street from Utah Valley University.
Some UVU students were able to get a chance to tour early, including their student body president, Zac Whitlock.
“Absolute excitement overjoyed!,” Whitlock said, after his tour. “We are studying and we get to look at it all day.”
The sixth temple in Utah County is filled with exquisite art work, furnishings, stain glass windows and other details. But for Latter-day Saints, they say it’s the promises and commitments they make inside the temple with God that really matter.
“One of the things that we learn in there is that we should love God and we should love our neighbor, so as we leave the temple and we practice that love towards everyone,” said Elder Adilson Parrella, a top church leader who gave the media tour. “We need the temple to bring ourselves closer to God and to Christ so we can learn their ways.”
For the Lewis family who live in Orem, this is a long awaited day.
“It brings me closer to our Savior Jesus Christ. It brings us as a couple closer to Jesus Christ,” Michelle Lewis said. “It’s so exciting to have a temple so close in our hometown.”
Her husband, Chad Lewis, grew up in the area and played football at BYU and went on to play in the NFL for nine years. They say those accomplishments are nothing compared to what this temple means to him and his family.
“Orem is ‘Family City, USA’ and here we have a temple that seals families for ever. For ever!,” he told KSL TV. “To walk in the temple I felt light and peace and exactly what I was hoping for.”
In July of 2022, someone set the temple on fire while under construction. Chad Lewis remembers that day very well. He said it was a devastating sight, but today you would never know it happened.
“It is come to life. It is so beautiful. Every part of it the art work in there is all reflective of this beautiful world,” he said.
The public open house which is free to anyone goes from Friday Oct. 27, to Saturday Dec. 16. Tour takes about 40 minutes and reservations are available in advance.
