Open house for Star Valley Temple announced

STAR VALLEY, Wyoming – The public will soon get the chance to tour the first temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Wyoming. Church leaders announced the Star Valley Wyoming Temple will be open for a free public open house from Friday, September 23, to Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016, excluding Sundays. A few weeks before the open house the public can make reservations here.

The temple, located in Afton, will be formally dedicated on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2016. There will also be a cultural celebration featuring music and dance performance by local Mormon youth on Saturday, Oct. 29.

For more information about the open house for the Star Valley Wyoming Temple, click here.

Church President Thomas S. Monson announced the temple in October 2011 and ground was broken on April 25, 2015. The 17,000-square-foot building will serve Mormons in Wyoming and Idaho.

SVI Media was allowed to broadcast the groundbreaking ceremony, and it can be viewed here.

Latter-day Saint temples differ from churches where members meet for Sunday worship services. Temples are considered “houses of the Lord” where teachings of Jesus Christ are reaffirmed though marriage, baptism and other ceremonies that unite families for eternity, the church says. There are currently 150 operating temples of the church worldwide with 23 more announced or under construction, including the one in Afton.

This story was originally published in the Star Valley Independent. It is used here with permission.