A shining golden angel trumpets into the sky high atop the gleaming marble walls of a new $22 million LDS Church temple erected in a suburban grove of Douglas firs.
The 13-foot statue of the Angel Moroni graces a 170-foot tower, the tallest of six atop the temple, built east of I-5 in Lake Oswego, south of Portland. The facility is the realization of a longstanding dream for Oregon members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.The temple opened last week for three weeks of public tours, with attendance expected to range between 100,000 and 350,000. After the tours and a dedication in mid-August, only Mormons in good standing will be able to enter the temple, the 42nd such building to be built worldwide.
The LDS Church, organized in 1830, now claims about 100,000 members in Oregon and is among the fastest-growing denominations in the state.
"This building is dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ," said L. Edward Perry, 74, a retired businessman and temple president. "It's a place for people who belong to the church to achieve the greatest spirituality they can achieve."
For James Bean, a Portland attorney and sixth-generation Mormon who chaired the local building committee, construction of the sacred building fulfills a prophecy made almost a century ago.
In 1893, Franklin D. Richards, a member of the church's highest governing body, visited eastern Oregon and said that someday he "would not be surprised to see a tabernacle built in Oregon."
The church announced plans to build the temple in 1984, but groundbreaking was delayed two years by a series of land-use challenges from neighbors who said the structure was incompatible with the affluent residential area.
The Lake Oswego City Council eventually upheld its original approval of the temple design and opponents declined to pursue the matter further.
Mayor Alice Schlenker said no significant opposition to the temple remains and the community is looking forward to the open house. But some nearby residents recently have expressed concern that Mormons who are offering high prices for homes near the temple will come to dominate the area.
The district served by the Portland Oregon Temple extends from northern California to southwestern Washington and from the Pacific Ocean into eastern Oregon.
About 4,300 volunteers are expected to assist in the open house, which will be a silent tour of the 65,000 square-foot building that has been acclaimed by construction workers for its superb materials and workmanship. Its 127 rooms include a cafeteria, nursery and baptistry.
The church plans to distribute 900,000 copies of a glossy eight-page "special invitation" through newspapers and other venues. Meanwhile, some evangelical Christians are gearing up to counter what they claim is the church's false portrayal of Mormonism as a Christian faith.