Dedication of the Meridian Idaho Temple
At the groundbreaking ceremony for the Meridian Idaho Temple, Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “Nothing could be more important than to have a temple for these people in this area. For people in this community, this will be a beautiful place.”
Just over three years later, more than 200,000 people toured the interior and grounds of the completed Meridian Idaho Temple during a public open house held Oct. 21 through Nov. 11, 2017.
“We feel the Meridian temple open house was very successful,” said J. Craig Rowe, coordinator of the Meridian temple committee. “We opened the doors of the temple and allowed people from all walks of life here in the Treasure Valley and the western part of Idaho to feel the Spirit and see the beauty of the Meridian temple.”
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency, dedicated the temple on Nov. 19, 2017, in three sessions.
President Uchtdorf told some 6,000 youth within the temple district at a youth event, “Here in the wonderful Treasure Valley is a great treasure of young people of faith.”
The story goes that at the end of every rainbow is a pot of gold, he said. “You are a much greater treasure than any treasure at any rainbow. You are the future of this community, of this area. You are the treasure of all those who live here: your own families, your own generations who passed before and who will follow, and for those who live in this beautiful area.”
Hal Bunderson, a Meridian local who served as a temple sealer in the Boise Idaho Temple after he retired from his professional career, lost his wife before the Meridian temple was dedicated. He continued to serve as a sealer in the new house of the Lord in Meridian, and in reference to his service, he told Church News at the dedication, “For a little widower like me, it sustains me. It lifts me.”
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “Wilt Thou accept this, Thy holy house, as the gift of our hearts and hands. Wilt Thou honor it with Thy presence. May Thy Holy Spirit dwell here at all times and be felt by all who come within its portals. May a mantle of holiness come upon this sacred edifice. May it stand as a beacon of everlasting truth and light and as an invitation to come unto Thee. Wilt Thou protect this temple from any harm or defilement.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Meridian Idaho Temple here.
Timeline of the Meridian Idaho Temple
Church President Thomas S. Monson announced a temple for Meridian, Idaho, on April 2, 2011, during April general conference. A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the temple on Aug. 23, 2014.
More than 200,000 visitors toured the completed temple during its open house from Oct. 21 through Nov. 11, 2017, and approximately 6,000 youth from the temple district participated in a cultural celebration in honor of the temple on Nov. 18, 2017.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency, dedicated the Meridian Idaho Temple on Nov. 19, 2017.
Architecture and Design of the Meridian Idaho Temple
The 67,331-square-foot Meridian Idaho Temple exterior is decorated with scenic walkways, ponds, trees and shrubbery. The cupola cap atop the temple, made from titanium surfacing, changes colors from blue-gray to gold to bronze, depending on how the sun hits it.
This house of the Lord, along with the Cardston Alberta Temple and the Laie Hawaii Temple, was built in Prairie School or Prairie Style — a late 19th- and early 20th-century North American architectural style featuring horizontal lines, restraint in decoration, flat or hipped roofs, windows assembled in horizontal bands and a design integrated into surrounding landscapes.
Floral designs are displayed in the art glass and other decorations throughout the temple, portraying growing flowers and plants, including the camas flowers and the white syringa, Idaho’s state flower.
The interior of the temple features three instruction rooms and five sealing rooms.
Interior Photos of the Meridian Idaho Temple
