Groundbreaking of the Wichita Kansas Temple
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Wichita Kansas Temple, presided over by Elder Steven R. Bangerter, General Authority Seventy and first counselor in the North America Central Area presidency, commenced Sept. 7, 2024. Without the Wichita temple, the nearest temple site would be in Oklahoma City, nearly 150 miles south.
“Please bless us this day, as we turn this dirt as a symbol of a new beginning, that we may feel Thy Holy Spirit within our hearts as a manifestation of the divine mission of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that we may each feel a new beginning with renewed commitment to live our lives according to His teachings and filled with His love,” said Elder Bangerter in the dedicatory prayer on the site.
Timeline of the Wichita Kansas Temple
The Wichita Kansas Temple was announced by Church President Russell M. Nelson on April 3, 2022. On Sept. 7, 2024, ground was broken for the house of the Lord, with Elder Steven R. Bangerter, a General Authority Seventy and first counselor in the North America Central Area presidency, presiding.
Architecture and Design of the Wichita Kansas Temple
According to site plans released by the Church on June 20, 2023, the Wichita Kansas Temple will be a single-story building of approximately 9,950 square feet. The edifice will stand on a 6.42-acre site at Lot 1 Block 1 of The Moorings Plaza Fourth Addition in Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas.
An architectural rendering of the Wichita Kansas Temple released on July 22, 2024, shows rectangular windows surrounding an arched entrance. A central tower with rectangular windows stands above the center of the building. Trees, flower beds and bushes adorn the grounds.