More than 500 gather for temple groundbreaking in Farmington, NM
May 1, 2022, 7:26 PM | Updated: 7:59 pm
Latter-day Saints participate in a groundbreaking ceremony for the Farmington New Mexico temple in Farmington, New Mexico, on Saturday, April 30, 2022. (Used by permission, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
(Used by permission, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
FARMINGTON, NM — More than 500 people attended a groundbreaking ceremony for a new temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Four Corners area of New Mexico.
“We are grateful Thy temple will be built in this city where three rivers come together and leave as one,” said Elder Anthony D. Perkins of the Quorum of the Seventy who presided at the groundbreaking event in Farmington Saturday afternoon.
“We pray that women, men, and youth of every race and ethnicity, every language, every political persuasion, and every walk of life will feel welcome to come up to worship in this holy place and depart in unity as covenant-keeping disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ,” Perkins said during the dedicatory prayer.
“We pray, Father, that this temple will be a blessing to this community, a beacon of hope shining in dark days that Thou art mindful of Thy children and that peace can be found in Christ,” said Perkins.
He and his wife, Christine grew up in the Farmington area.
A news release said they met there, attended high school together, and married there.
Perkins said, “To us, this region is home. We love the Ute Mountain, the La Plata Mountains, the Lukachukai Mountains, the Shiprock monolith, and the San Juan River.”
The Church is building the Farmington temple on a 6.62-acre site at the intersection of College Boulevard and Windsor Drive. It will be a 25,000-square-foot, single-story building with a meetinghouse also on site.
The release said the temple will serve Latter-day Saints from the Four Corners region of the Southwestern United States, including parts of New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and the Navajo Nation. Utah’s San Juan County is also considered part of the Four Corners.
President Russell M. Nelson announced the Farmington New Mexico temple during general conference in April 2021.
New Mexico has one other temple. The Albuquerque New Mexico temple was dedicated in March 2000.
Nearly 70,000 Latter-day Saints make New Mexico their home.
This will be New Mexico’s second temple, following the Albuquerque New Mexico temple, which was dedicated in March 2000. New Mexico is home to nearly 70,000 Latter-day Saints in 137 congregations.
About 500 Church leaders and invited guests gathered for the Farmington groundbreaking ceremonies Saturday.
Joining Elder Perkins and his wife were; Elder Larry J. Echo Hawk, an Emeritus General Authority Seventy, and his wife, Teresa; Elder Tommy D. Haws, an Area Seventy, and his wife Eileen; as well as temple and mission leaders in New Mexico.
