{"id":21408,"date":"2025-07-16T20:10:37","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T20:10:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/latter-day-saints-open-new-farmington-temple-to-special-guests-and-media\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T04:06:03","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:06:03","slug":"latter-day-saints-open-new-farmington-temple-to-special-guests-and-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/latter-day-saints-open-new-farmington-temple-to-special-guests-and-media\/","title":{"rendered":"Latter-day Saints open new Farmington temple to special guests and media"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"The
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Farmington New Mexico Temple, on Monday during a media day open house. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>Jerry McBride<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has historic ties to San Juan County, with many church families settling this region through trading posts, business and church leadership.<\/p>\n

The descendants of these individuals as well as many others are celebrating the completion of the 207th Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Temple, which opened Monday in Farmington and will be dedicated Aug. 17.<\/p>\n

Before the dedication, a public open house will run from July 17 to Aug. 2 at the temple, at 4400 College Blvd.<\/p>\n

\"Former
Former Farmington Mayor Tom Taylor speaks about his family\u2019s history with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the culture of the region during a briefing Monday before a media tour of the church\u2019s new temple in Farmington. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>Jerry McBride<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Former Farmington Mayor Tom Taylor spoke during a media event in the meeting house next to the temple. He said his great-great-grandfather Norman Taylor \u201ccame across the plains with Mormons into the Salt Lake Valley.\u201d<\/p>\n

Norman was a scout with one of the first groups.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe made the trip two more times and guided more people into this area,\u201d Taylor said.<\/p>\n

Norman\u2019s son Elmer watched the construction of the first temple in Salt Lake City and became a brick mason and a stonecutter. It was Elmer who brought the Taylor family to Farmington.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so great to have a temple here,\u201d Taylor said.<\/p>\n

Another family with deep ties to the church and the temple is the Webb family.<\/p>\n

Marlo Webb, who was 97 when he died two weeks before temple groundbreaking in April 2022, facilitated the purchase of the 6.63 acres of land where the temple stands.<\/p>\n

Webb had been appointed a church leader in the early 1980s, when Farmington had only one meeting place, on Knudsen Avenue.<\/p>\n

\"Perry
Perry and Cindi Webb with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints speak to a crowd on Monday before a media tour of the Farmington temple. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>Jerry McBride<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cHe came up here and all that was here was a building and two portables at San Juan College,\u201d Perry Webb said of his father\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

Marlo Webb spoke to the English family, who owned the land at the intersection of College Boulevard and Windsor Drive, and a sale was brokered.<\/p>\n

However, Perry Webb said Marlo \u201chad an impression it wasn\u2019t enough land,\u201d so he went back and negotiated the purchase of additional land.<\/p>\n

Marlo once again thought more land would be needed, but the church said there was enough, and a stake center was built on the site. That center stood there until the announcement was made that a temple would be constructed at that location.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s humbling, very humbling,\u201d Perry said when asked about his family\u2019s involvement in the location.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s for all these cultures and all these people, and now, it\u2019s part of us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The temple represents the three main cultures of the area, which were pointed out by Taylor, who said San Juan County is a \u201cunique place with the confluence of three rivers,\u201d and \u201cit\u2019s the confluence of three cultures being the Native American, Hispanic and the Anglo cultures.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those cultures can be found in all aspects of the temple \u2013 making it unique to this community \u2013 including the symbolism of feathers, Southwest colors and the pinon juniper cone.<\/p>\n

\"Elder
Elder Steven Bangerter, executive director of the Temple Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, stands in front of the Farmington temple on Monday during a media day open house. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>Jerry McBride<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

This is \u201ca nod to this wonderful vibrant community where this temple has been constructed,\u201d said Elder Steven R. Bangerter, executive director of the Temple Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe art selection, glass and stone\u201d show that \u201cyou\u2019re in New Mexico,\u201d said Elder Anthony D. Perkins, president of the Middle East\/Africa region for the church<\/p>\n

Perkins and his wife, Christine, are originally from Farmington, and they oversaw the construction of the temple.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor my wife and I having been raised here, we never imagined having a temple in our hometown,\u201d Perkins said. \u201cFifty years ago, we hoped there would be one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bangerter led a tour through the temple and started by explaining, \u201cOur goal is to help the world understand something deeply meaningful to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bangerter explained that \u201cthroughout history, God in his teaching has given (his people) physical ways to experience spiritual reality,\u201d and \u201cthe purpose of the temple\u201d is to allow for that \u201cexperience of a greater spiritual reality.\u201d<\/p>\n

This can be found throughout the 29,066-square-foot building in the many rooms, which focus on the church \u201cordinances,\u201d Bangerter said, adding an ordinance or sacrament is a sacred formal act such as baptism, confirmation and sealing of marriages.<\/p>\n

There also is an instruction room in which members learn more about God\u2019s plan and make \u201cfive covenants to God.\u201d<\/p>\n

The covenants are obedience, sacrifice of the cares and concerns of the world, to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ and his teaching, to live morally and consecration, which is to give oneself in the service of Christ, Bangerter said.<\/p>\n

At the center of the church is the baptismal font, which rests on the backs of 12 oxen, which are symbolic of the 12 tribes of Israel, according to a sign in the room.<\/p>\n

Bangerter added that three oxen face each of the four directions \u2013 North, South, East and West.<\/p>\n

In this room, beginning at the age of 12 members of the church can \u201center the water\u201d in the name of deceased ancestors, Perkins said, adding the room is \u201cfilled every morning and every night with young people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Baptisms of living members start at the age of 8 and those \u201ccan take place anywhere,\u201d including a meeting house or even in the river, Perkins said.<\/p>\n

A meeting house was constructed next to the temple and that will be for Sunday meetings, as the temple is closed on Sundays.<\/p>\n

The temple will be dedicated in one session on Sunday, Aug. 17, by Elder Neil L. Anderson, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The dedicatory service will be broadcast to all units in the temple district, according to a news release from the church.<\/p>\n

Once dedicated it will be the second dedicated temple in New Mexico, which is home to 69,000 Latter-day Saints in nearly 149 congregations.<\/p>\n

The temple hours are set by the community and it will be open at 6 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday, Bangerter said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

begin July 17<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21409,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[28,29,445],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-21408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-headlines","tag-newsletter","tag-newsletter-lead"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21408"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21408\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77296,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21408\/revisions\/77296"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21408"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=21408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}