By Eric C. Shuster
As the rain subsided in Northwest Houston in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in 2017, the Houston Texas Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—the 97th dedicated in the Church’s history—was partially underwater.
A neighbor near the temple, not a member temple’s faith community, asked Al Haines—a temple sealer and the Stake President at the time the temple was constructed—“how is our temple doing?” Al Haines smiled and let them know the temple would be back in operation soon.
With the groundbreaking of the Austin Texas Temple scheduled for August 17th, 2024, one might ask, “how does a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints become our temple to those who are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?
Beyond the physical beauty temples add to local community landscapes, local citizens soon experience the unique spirit that accompanies these “houses of the Lord.” Such feelings inspire many, regardless of religious affiliation, to embrace temples as community landmarks and holy edifices that enrich their neighborhoods, each becoming their temple.
Just as the religious faithful flock to Muslim mosques, Jewish synagogues, and Hindu or Buddhist temples around the world, faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints enter temples across the globe regularly to learn more about the purpose of life and commit themselves to serving Jesus Christ.
While in the temple, members young and old perform sacred ordinances and make holy covenants that bind themselves spiritually to God. Such ordinances include the sealing of families, following the directive given by Jesus Christ to the Apostle Peter: “Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven” (Matt. 18:18).
When my wife and I became Latter-day Saints in 1989, we followed the counsel of then President Gordon B. Hinckley who said, “… bring with you all the good that you have and let us add to it.” We brought with us our Catholic roots and added to that the doctrines and practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including temple attendance. This led to a spiritual harvest for our family, inspiring me to author the book, “Catholic Roots, Mormon Harvest.”
Since entering the Dallas temple in 1990, temple attendance has become a staple of our spiritual lives. And regardless of the temple we have attended in the places we lived—Tokyo, Frankfurt, Dallas, Houston, and Denver to name a few—each became our temple.
There are more than 45,000 Christian denominations in the world today according to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity. These Christian denominations, along with scores of non-Christian religions, are part of the family of God; children of a supreme being. When a temple is built in a community, such as the one breaking ground on August 17 in Austin Texas, it acts not only as a special place of Christian worship for Latter-day Saints, but it becomes a symbol of family that helps unify communities in a unique and consecrated way—becoming their temple.
Our family lives in Temple Texas, a little less than one hour from Cedar Park where the Austin Texas Temple will be built. Our plan is to make this temple our temple, regularly attending with our children and grandchildren. We cannot imagine a more rewarding and edifying family activity. It will not be long before the citizens of Cedar Park will refer to the Austin Texas Temple as their temple.
As of the writing of this article, there are 350 temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in various phases, including 195 dedicated temples, 7 scheduled for dedication, 43 under construction, 3 scheduled for groundbreaking (including Austin Texas), and 102 others announced. The acceleration of temple building by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a sacred effort by Church leaders to ensure worldwide members are within hours of a temple regardless of where they live, while giving the citizens of temple communities the opportunity to enjoy the special spirit that comes with having a temple in the neighborhood.