SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the Ephraim Utah Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sunday, declaring the new structure sacred ground deeply rooted in local pioneer heritage.
“The community of Ephraim and those in this temple district will never be the same because of this holy house of God,” said Rasband, who was accompanied by his wife, Melanie. “In the temple we become more Christlike, more kind, forgiving, repentant, patient and holy.”
The temple carries significant ancestral history for the Church leader. Rasband’s great-great-grandparents settled in Ephraim in 1850 after leaving their farm in Denmark. His great-grandfather subsequently helped construct the historic Manti Utah Temple, located just seven miles south.
Rasband highlighted the temple’s spiritual importance for students attending nearby Snow College, noting it will provide young adults opportunities to serve in the facility, build families, and engage in missionary work.
“We gather Israel on both sides of the veil,” Rasband said, referencing the Old Testament covenant responsibility tied to the city’s namesake. “We gather them on the other side through the work we do in the temple. And we gather them on this side of the veil by missionary work.”
The edifice was originally announced on May 1, 2021, by the late Church President Russell M. Nelson, whose mother was born in Ephraim. Nelson later presided over the groundbreaking ceremony on Aug. 27, 2022. Utah currently accounts for 32 temples that are operating, under construction, announced, or undergoing renovation.
The Ephraim event coincided with another dedication in Central America, where Elder Gerrit W. Gong dedicated the Miraflores Guatemala City, Guatemala Temple on Sunday. The dual dedications brought the Church’s worldwide total to 224 operating dedicated temples.