The new Draper Temple of the LDS Church is unlike any other temple along the Wasatch Front.

That's because it is smaller, has its own design, features some

unique artwork, lacks a patron cafeteria and has no clothing rental

facilities.

A contingent of more than three dozen media took a 90-minute tour

of the new temple Friday. The general public can tour temples of The

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, until they are dedicated.

Public open houses of the Draper Temple begin Jan. 15 and go through March 14. The temple will be dedicated March 20-22.

Nestled in Corner Canyon in the southeast foothills of the Salt

Lake Valley at 14065 S. Canyon Vista Lane, this temple (and the Oquirrh

Temple now under construction in South Jordan's Daybreak community)

will ease pressure on the Jordan River Utah Temple. It will serve

approximately 60,000 church members in the Draper area.

This will be the 129th operating temple in the world, the 12th in Utah and the third in Salt Lake County.

"This is a great event for us as the dedication of any temple is,"

Elder M. Russell Ballard, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, said.

"This is a great time for the church to dedicate another house unto the

Lord."

Elder William R. Walker, executive director of the church's temple

department, described the Draper Temple as "medium-sized," among the

church's other temples. He said it is about one-fourth the size of the

Salt Lake Temple, at 58,300-square-feet. It is approximate in size to

the Rexburg, Idaho Temple and smaller than the Jordan River or

Bountiful temples.

The Draper Temple features some interior woodwork made from African wood and limestone on the floors from France.

It also includes some unique artwork, including panoramic Rocky

Mountain scenery in two of its ordinance rooms. Most historic is a 1922

oil painting that used to hang in the former Draper Tabernacle,

depicting the Angel Moroni's visit to church founder Joseph Smith to

deliver the Golden Plates.

Although there isn't a public cafeteria in the temple, there is a

workers' dining hall, where they can eat the home lunches they bring

in. There's also a small laundry to take care of the baptismal

clothing.

Latter-day Saint temples differ from the church's meetinghouses or

chapels where members meet for Sunday worship services. A temple is

considered a "house of the Lord" where Christ's teachings are

reaffirmed through marriage, baptism and other ordinances that unite

families for eternity. In the temple, church members learn more about

the purpose of life and strengthen their commitment to serve Jesus

Christ and their fellow men.

Some 900,000 people have already signed up to tour the temple and

the church is expecting a total of 1 million visitors during the open

house.

Visitors to the temple's open house will first meet at the adjacent

Draper South Mountain Stake Center, where they will have an opportunity

to see a new 10-minute video production on church temples. They will

then walk through a long canvas-covered canopy segment directly into

the temple's foyer.

However, Elder Walker said the church is only relying on plastic

carpet runners and some extra carpet overlays on the floor of the

temple to help hinder carpet wear and tear. Visitors will not wear any

special outside coverings over their shoes. That's because it wasn't

cost effective to do that for the high number of expected visitors.

Open house organizers request that advance reservations be made online at www.lds.org/reservations

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(maximum of 10 guests per reservation) or by calling 1-800-537-6181

(toll free) or 801-240-7932 (local). Reservations for larger groups can

also be accommodated by calling these numbers.


Email: lynn@desnews.com

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