1983 Dedication of the Atlanta Georgia Temple
During the groundbreaking ceremony of the Atlanta Georgia Temple, Georgia Gov. George Busbee said, “As an outside observer, I feel that the high emphasis you place on early positive training within the family and Church has been one of the major contributing factors to your success.
“Frankly,” he continued, “I wish more Georgians placed such importance in the moral aspects of this life, for only through a common responsibility for our neighbor’s well-being can we insure that our state will be a better place for our children to live. And we are all taking a big step toward that goal on this beautiful hillside today as we break ground on what will soon be the first Mormon temple in the entire Southern United States.”
Just over two years later, on June 1, 1983, President Gordon B. Hinckley, second counselor in the First Presidency, said at the dedication, “Now the work of construction is complete. The result is an edifice of great beauty. The grounds bespeak the miracles of nature. The structure rising from these lawns will be admired not only by the Latter-day Saints, but by all who pass this way.”
He continued, “This is the day of which many thousands have dreamed. It is a day for which you have lived, for which you have prayed, for which many of you have sacrificed and for which we thank the Lord.”
Elder Thomas S. Monson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said at the dedication of the Atlanta temple: “A generation ago, the Southern states were known politically as the Solid South. Today, may this area spiritually be known as the Solid South.
“May the members be the Solid South in keeping the commandments of God; the Solid South in the payment of tithing; the Solid South in attendance at sacrament meetings; the Solid South in temple activity; the Solid South in adherence to all teachings contained in the gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said.
President Hinckley dedicated the house of the Lord in six of the 11 sessions and assigned President Ezra Taft Benson, president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, to dedicate five.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “Wilt Thou accept of it as the gift of Thy people. It has come of their consecration and love. Many have sacrificed to make its construction possible. Please smile with favor upon each one, we humbly pray, and open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings upon them, that there shall not be room enough to receive them. We pray that Thou wilt feel pleased to visit this, Thy sacred house, and that Thy Beloved Son will feel likewise. May Thy Holy Spirit ever sanctify it. May all who enter its portals realize that they are entering Thy house as Thy guest, and conduct themselves always with reverence and respect and love for Thee.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Atlanta Georgia Temple here.
1997 Rededication of the Atlanta Georgia Temple
During the 1983 dedication of the Atlanta Georgia Temple, President Gordon B. Hinckley, then second counselor in the First Presidency, had made a promise that one day the baptistry would be enlarged.
Accompanied by his wife, Marjorie, President Hinckley — who became President of the Church in 1995 — arrived in Atlanta, Georgia, on Nov. 14, 1997, to rededicate the renovated baptistry of the Atlanta temple; a fulfillment of his promise almost a decade and a half earlier.
Also in attendance at the rededication were local Church leaders, including 37 stake presidents and their respective wives from the various states in the temple’s district — Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and the panhandle of Florida.
An assistant temple recorder, Ted Hall, explained the importance that the temple’s baptistry has to the Southern Latter-day Saints. “Members traveling from New Orleans, which is the most western point in the district, travel for 10 hours,” he said. “On the day following the rededication, groups were here back to back all day to perform baptisms.”
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “Father, we pray that Thou wilt bless all who serve in this, Thy sacred house, whatever the ordinance may be. Watch over them, guide them, increase their faith, strengthen their testimonies and bless them to work with unselfishness in behalf of those who have gone beyond the veil of death.”
Read the 1997 rededication prayer of the Atlanta Georgia Temple here.
2011 Rededication of the Atlanta Georgia Temple
The week leading up to the 2011 rededication of the Atlanta Georgia Temple, more than 100 tornados — several as destructive as F3 and F4 on the Fujita Scale — were reported in the region. Members were worried about the effects of the storms, but on the day of the temple’s dedication, the skies were clear.
The record-breaking tornado season for the area appeared symbolic of the trials many Latter-day Saints faced in their personal lives. At the dedication, held May 1, 2011, Church President Thomas S. Monson showed many of the attendees through his kind and cheerful demeanor that “everything was going to be all right.”
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal and Georgia first lady Sandra Deal attended the open house prior to the dedication. “I was impressed with the beauty of the Atlanta temple,” said Gov. Deal. “It is understandable why it is regarded as a special place for meditation, weddings and other religious instruction.”
The Rev. Gerald L. Durley, Senior Pastor at Providence Missionary Baptist Church, told the Church News that the Atlanta Georgia Temple was the city’s best-kept secret. He had plans to tell his congregation about the Atlanta temple in a Sunday sermon.
Other noteworthy people also attended the open house, including Bernice King and Martin Luther King III, children of Martin Luther King Jr.; Dale Murphy, former Atlanta Braves outfielder and first baseman; Steve Young, NFL Pro Hall of Fame football quarterback; Dikembe Mutombo, former NBA basketball player; Dr. Louis W. Sullivan, former United States Secretary of Health and Human Services; and State Sen. Gail Davenport.
Church leaders who participated in the rededication with President Monson were Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder Walter F. Gonzalez of the presidency of the Seventy and Elder William R. Walker, executive director of the Temple Department.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “This beautiful temple has been a haven of peace. It has served well. Showing the effects of such service, it became necessary to improve and renovate it. We are grateful for this long-awaited day of rededication, when the renovations have been completed. ... O Holy Father, bless Thy children everywhere with the peace promised by Thy Son — even the peace which passeth understanding. Shield us, we pray, from selfishness or sin, and provide the power that we might rise above all that is sordid or below the dignity of Thy children.”
Read the 2011 rededication prayer of the Atlanta Georgia Temple here.
Timeline of the Atlanta Georgia Temple
The First Presidency announced plans for the Atlanta Georgia Temple on April 2, 1980, during a news conference. A groundbreaking ceremony was held a year later, on March 7, 1981. It was then dedicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley, then second counselor in the First Presidency, just over two years later, on June 1, 1983.
The Atlanta temple was closed in July 1997 to renovate the baptistry. President Hinckley, who had become President of the Church two and a half years earlier, rededicated the house of the Lord on Nov. 14, 1997.
On July 1, 2009, the temple was again closed, but for more extensive renovations that would take nearly two years to complete. An open house was held from April 9 to April 23, 2011, then a cultural celebration took place the evening prior to the rededication ceremony. On May 1, 2011, the rededication of the Atlanta Georgia Temple took place over two sessions, and President Thomas S. Monson presided.
Architecture and Design of the Atlanta Georgia Temple
Set at the top of a small hill, the Atlanta Georgia Temple stands on 13.33 acres, and, after its renovations, the structure comprises around 37,000 square feet in size. The exterior finish is precast stone with a light exterior.
The temple grounds include a large grass area in front of the temple. The grass is lined with walkways and stairs leading to the house of the Lord, and large trees and bushes surround the grounds.
The interior includes pieces of artwork, most of which depict Jesus Christ, and an elaborate mural in one of the instruction rooms. During the 2011 renovation, the celestial room’s roof was reconstructed to be 6 feet higher, allowing for windows to be added and more light to be let into the room. The temple includes a baptistry, four ordinance rooms and four sealing rooms.
Interior Photos of the Atlanta Georgia Temple
