Government, interfaith and community leaders gathered with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Saturday for a groundbreaking ceremony of the church’s first temple in Singapore.
This country is home to nearly 6 million people spread across 64 different islands, immediately south of Malaysia and north of Indonesia.
Honored guests at the ceremony included Desmond Lee, Minister for Education and Minister-in-Charge of Social Services Integration, who joined more than 500 attendees on site and other locations in commemorating this significant milestone.
Elder Kelly R. Johnson, a General Authority Seventy and a member of the Asia Area Presidency, offered a dedicatory prayer at the ceremony. “As we break ground,” he entreated, “please bless us with a greater determination to prepare now for the Second Coming of thy Son, Jesus Christ, and to make our discipleship of Jesus Christ our highest priority.”
“This preparation isn’t just about getting ready for a building — it’s about preparing our hearts to draw closer to the Savior,” shared young Latter-day Saint Jarel Foo in remarks at the ceremony. “Just like the construction workers will be carefully laying each foundation stone, we get to carefully build our own spiritual foundation, one choice at a time.”
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ worship the Savior in the temple and make promises that draw them closer to God and each other.
Rita Woo reflected on the church’s early days in the country, as a Latter-day Saint pioneers in Singapore since 1970. “Back then I had never even heard of temples since we didn’t even have a chapel.”
In prior years, church members in Singapore traveled to places like Hong Kong, Taipei and Manila to participate in temple ceremonies. Having a temple in their own country is something they “have prayed for, hoped for and looked forward to for many years,” Woo said.
The church in Singapore has grown to more than 3,000 members since its establishment in 1968. Four years ago, President Russell M. Nelson announced the temple during the April 2021 general conference.
While approximately a third of people in Singapore are Buddhist, another 20% don’t identify with any particular faith. In addition, 19% identify with some Christian denomination and nearly 16% as Muslim. Adherents of Taoism, Hinduism and Sikhism constitute another 14% of the population.
In his closing remarks, Elder Johnson said, “The work of the temple is a work of love. The temple here in Singapore will make a difference for the entire community. It will bring a light to the community that hasn’t been here before.”
Temples differ from the church’s meetinghouses or chapels. All are welcome to attend Sunday worship services and other weekday activities at local meetinghouses, of which there are three in Singapore.
The Singapore Temple will be constructed on a one-acre site located at 233 Pasir Panjang Road. Plans include a two-story temple of approximately 18,000 square feet, along with a meetinghouse and arrival center adjacent to the temple.
In addition to serving church members in Singapore, Latter-day Saints in Malaysia and Indonesia will now be able to travel there to worship.
The country’s first Latter-day Saint temple will join 31 temples in Asia as a whole - and 17 other temples in Southeast Asia. In addition to 14 temples operating or in various stages of construction in the Philippines, The Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple is under construction, the Jakarta Indonesia Temple is in planning stages, and the Bangkok Thailand Temple is currently in use.