The Independence Temple is a house of worship and education dedicated to "the pursuit of peace, reconciliation, and healing of the spirit". It dominates the skyline of Independence, Missouri, USA, headquarters of the Community of Christ. The temple was built by Latter Day Saints of the Reorganization in response to a revelation presented to their 1984 World Conference by then church prophet-president Wallace B. Smith along with revelation given in prior years to prior prophet-presidents. The temple was dedicated on 17 April 1994.
Structure and building
The temple was designed by Gyo Obata and evokes the spiral shell of the Nautilus. The building cost $60 million to construct and has a $20 million endownment to pay for its perpetual upkeep and maintenance. The temple's main sanctuary has seating for approximately 1,600. It houses a Casavant pipe organ with 60 stops, 102 ranks, and 5685 pipes. The temple also contains the church archives, the Temple School, administrative offices of church headquarters, theaters used for visitors and also for meetings, presentations, and classes, a museum and gift shop. The building has become a tourist attraction and an approximately 60,000 people visit the temple each year.
Temple lot
Wallace B. Smith's great grandfather, Joseph Smith Jr., founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, originally prophesied in 1831 that a temple to the Lord would be built in Independence. The early Latter Day Saints purchased a 73 acre (295,000 m²) parcel of land known as the "greater temple lot." At that time a portion of the property was dedicated as the site for a temple, and corner stones were laid. However, the church members were driven from the county before any construction began. The original temple site proper is now owned by the Church of Christ (Temple Lot), another Latter Day Saint denomination.
The Community of Christ's temple is built on the greater temple lot, as is the Auditorium, and a visitor center of the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the largest Latter Day Saint denomination.
The Community of Christ also owns the temple in Kirtland, Ohio which continues to be a place of worship and education. As part of that education ministry it is operated in part as a historic site.
References
- Laurie Smith Monsees, The Temple: Dedicated to Peace, Herald House: 1993.
External links
Temple pipe organ
