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The Temple in
Independence, Missouri Independence is the fifth-largest city in Missouri and the county seat of Jackson County. Independence is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the largest suburb on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metropolitan area. In 2020, ...
, is a house of worship and education "dedicated to the pursuit of peace". It dominates the skyline of Independence and has become the focal point of the headquarters of the
Community of Christ The Community of Christ, known from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS), is an American-based international church, and is the second-largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. The churc ...
(formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints). The temple was built by the Community of Christ in response to a
revelation In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities. Background Inspiration – such as that bestowed by God on ...
presented at their 1984 World Conference by church prophet-president Wallace B. Smith. The revelation was the culmination of instructions shared over the course of more than 150 years by prior prophet-presidents recognized by the Community of Christ.
Groundbreaking Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod, or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are o ...
for the temple took place on April 6, 1990, and the completed structure was dedicated on April 17, 1994.


Structure and building

The temple was designed by Gyo Obata and evokes the spiral shell of the
nautilus The nautilus (, ) is a pelagic marine mollusc of the cephalopod family Nautilidae. The nautilus is the sole extant family of the superfamily Nautilaceae and of its smaller but near equal suborder, Nautilina. It comprises six living species in ...
with a stainless steel
spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spires are ...
that rises . The facility displays art which comprises a collection of modern and traditional religious art from around the world. The entry to the sanctuary is through an etched glass archway depicting the
Sacred Grove Sacred groves or sacred woods are groves of trees and have special religious importance within a particular culture. Sacred groves feature in various cultures throughout the world. They were important features of the mythological landscape and ...
where
Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, he ...
had his initial revelatory experience. This leads to the gently ascending worshipper's path of textured stone which spirals around its periphery. Along the path are artworks and a fountain symbolizing the "living water" of
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...
4:10 for meditative focus. The temple's main sanctuary has seating for approximately 1,600. It houses a Casavant
pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ''ranks' ...
with 60 stops, 102 ranks, and 5685 pipes. At the exit foyer in the mouth of the spiral, "The Field is White, Already to Harvest" (see John: 4:35) is a large stained glass wall depicting rice and wheat, that earned an American Institute of Architects award for religious art. Adjacent are the massive bronze exit doors which carry the church seal depicting the peaceful lion, lamb, and child from
Isaiah Isaiah ( or ; he, , ''Yəšaʿyāhū'', "God is Salvation"), also known as Isaias, was the 8th-century BC Israelite prophet after whom the Book of Isaiah is named. Within the text of the Book of Isaiah, Isaiah himself is referred to as "the ...
11:6 and the word "PEACE". The wide steps open up onto a world plaza with global map of inlaid brick. The public is welcomed to the temple, where there is a
Daily Prayer for Peace The Daily Prayer for Peace is a spiritual discipline unique to Community of Christ and practiced at the Independence Temple in the church's headquarters campus in Independence, Missouri. It falls within the most common category of Christian prayer ...
at 1:00 p.m. Central Time on behalf of a selected nation of the world. A meditation chapel with paintings by Jack Garnier of the Sacraments being performed around the world opens onto a Japanese style meditation garden and serves the needs of individuals or small groups of visitors. 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 popular attraction with guided tours available. Approximately 60,000 people visit the temple each year.


Temple ministries

The temple is regarded as a symbol of the church's mission and has long been closely associated with the denomination's developing theology of
Zion Zion ( he, צִיּוֹן ''Ṣīyyōn'', LXX , also variously transliterated ''Sion'', ''Tzion'', ''Tsion'', ''Tsiyyon'') is a placename in the Hebrew Bible used as a synonym for Jerusalem as well as for the Land of Israel as a whole (see ...
, or the peaceable Kingdom of God, first advocated as '' basileia tou theou'' by
Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
. The first major event held at the temple prior to its dedication was the International Women's Conference in June 1993. The temple has no private ceremonies and is open to everyone. The sacraments performed there are communion, administration to the sick (laying on of hands), and priesthood ordination. Initially, six temple ministries centers were created in response to the building of the temple. The temple according to Ken Robinson, former member of the
First Presidency Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...
, "gives form to our commitment to Jesus Christ" and that it "is at the center of meaning and identity for members of...Community of Christ"


Temple lot

Wallace B. Smith's great-grandfather and founder of the
Latter Day Saint movement The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by J ...
,
Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, he ...
, visited Jackson County in 1831 and prophesied that a temple to the Lord would be built there.
Doctrine and Covenants The Doctrine and Covenants (sometimes abbreviated and cited as D&C or D. and C.) is a part of the open scriptural canon of several denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. Originally published in 1835 as Doctrine and Covenants of the Chur ...
(Community of Christ), Section 57:1d
The early Latter Day Saints purchased a parcel of land known as the "greater
temple lot The Temple Lot, located in Independence, Missouri, is the first site to be dedicated for the construction of a temple in the Latter Day Saint movement. The area was dedicated on August 3, 1831, by the movement's founder, Joseph Smith Jr., and p ...
." At that time a portion of the property was dedicated as the site for a temple, and cornerstones 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) The Church of Christ, informally called Hedrickites and the Church of Christ (Temple Lot), is a denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement headquartered in Independence, Missouri, on what is known as the Temple Lot. The nickname for members of ...
. The Community of Christ's temple is built on the greater temple lot, as is the
Auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theatres, the number of auditoria (or auditoriums) is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoria can be found in entertainment venues, community ...
, the headquarters chapel of the Church of Christ (Temple Lot) and a
visitor center A visitor center or centre (see American and British English spelling differences), visitor information center, tourist information center, is a physical location that provides tourist information to visitors. Types of visitor center A visit ...
of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ...
. The Community of Christ also owns the
temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
in
Kirtland, Ohio Kirtland is a city in Lake County, Ohio, United States. The population was 6,937 at the 2020 census. Kirtland is known for being the early headquarters of the Latter Day Saint movement from 1831 to 1837 and is the site of the movement's first t ...
, the first temple built by Latter Day Saints, which continues to be a place of worship and education. As part of its educational ministry that site is open as a
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
.


Notes


References

*Laurie Smith Monsees, ''The Temple: Dedicated to Peace'', Herald House: 1993. *Marilyn Chiat, ''North American Churches'', Publications International, Ltd.: 2004, p. 72. *Michael J. Crosbie, ''Architecture for the Gods.'' (Watson-Guptill Publications: 2000), pp. 66–72.


External links

*
Temple pipe organ
{{Coord, 39, 05, 27, N, 94, 25, 35, W, display=title, region:US_type:landmark 20th-century Latter Day Saint temples Churches in Independence, Missouri Religious buildings and structures of the Community of Christ Latter Day Saint movement in Missouri Peace symbols Religious buildings and structures in Missouri Religious buildings and structures completed in 1994 Temple Lot 1994 establishments in Missouri Museums in Jackson County, Missouri Religious museums in Missouri Mormon museums in the United States Gyo Obata buildings