Independence Temple
Encyclopedia
The Temple in Independence, Missouri, is a house of worship and education "dedicated to the pursuit of peace". It dominates the skyline of Independence, Missouri
, USA
, and has become the focal point of the headquarters of the Community of Christ
(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 presented to their 1984 World Conference
by then church prophet-president Wallace B. Smith
. This revelation culminated instructions shared over the course of more than 150 years by prior prophet-presidents recognized by the Community of Christ. Groundbreaking
for the temple took place Friday 6 April 1990, and the completed structure was dedicated on Sunday 17 April 1994.
The temple was designed by Gyo Obata
and evokes the spiral shell of the Nautilus
with a stainless steel
spire
that rises 300 feet (91.4 m). 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 a beautifully etched glass archway depicting the Sacred Grove where Joseph Smith, Jr. had his initial revelatory experience. This leads to the gently ascending worshiper's path of textured stone which spirals around its periphery. Along the path are artworks and a fountain symbolizing the "living water" of John
4:10 for meditative focus. 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. 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
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
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.
great-grandfather and founder of the Latter Day Saint movement
, Joseph Smith, visited Jackson County
in 1831 and prophesied that a temple to the Lord would be built there. The early Latter Day Saints purchased a 73 acres (29.5 ha) 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 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 Community of Christ's temple is built on the greater temple lot, as is the Auditorium
, the headquarters chapel of the Church of Christ (Temple Lot)
and a visitor center from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Community of Christ also owns the temple
in Kirtland, Ohio
, the first temple actually built (rather than merely planned) by the Latter Day Saint movement, and continues to be a place of worship and education. As part of its educational ministry that site is open as a National Historic Landmark
.
Independence, Missouri
Independence is the fourth largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri, and is contained within the counties of Jackson and Clay. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and has become the focal point of the headquarters of the Community of Christ
Community of Christ
The Community of Christ, known from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , is an American-based international Christian church established in April 1830 that claims as its mission "to proclaim Jesus Christ and promote communities of joy, hope, love, and peace"...
(formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints). The temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
was built by the Community of Christ
Community of Christ
The Community of Christ, known from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , is an American-based international Christian church established in April 1830 that claims as its mission "to proclaim Jesus Christ and promote communities of joy, hope, love, and peace"...
in response to a revelation presented to their 1984 World Conference
World Conference (Community of Christ)
World Conference is the highest legislative body in the Community of Christ and is empowered to act for the entire church. It operates according to a principle known as "common consent" and is presided over by the First Presidency...
by then church prophet-president Wallace B. Smith
Wallace B. Smith
Wallace Bunnell Anthony Smith was Prophet-President of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , from April 5, 1978 through April 15, 1996. Son of President W. Wallace Smith, he was designated as his father's successor in 1976, and ordained church president in 1978 when his...
. This revelation culminated instructions shared over the course of more than 150 years by prior prophet-presidents recognized by the Community of Christ. Groundbreaking
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 often attended by dignitaries such as politicians and...
for the temple took place Friday 6 April 1990, and the completed structure was dedicated on Sunday 17 April 1994.
Structure and building
Gyo Obata
Gyo Obata is a significant American architect, the son of renowned painter Chiura Obata and his wife, Haruko Obata, a floral designer. In 1955, he co-founded global architectural firm HOK . He lives in St. Louis, Missouri and still works in HOK's St. Louis office...
and evokes the spiral shell of the Nautilus
Chambered Nautilus
The Chambered Nautilus, Nautilus pompilius, is the best-known species of nautilus. The shell, when cut away reveals a lining of lustrous nacre and displays a nearly perfect equiangular spiral, although it is not a golden spiral. The shell exhibits countershading, being light on the bottom and dark...
with a stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
that rises 300 feet (91.4 m). 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 a beautifully etched glass archway depicting the Sacred Grove where Joseph Smith, Jr. had his initial revelatory experience. This leads to the gently ascending worshiper's path of textured stone which spirals around its periphery. Along the path are artworks and a fountain symbolizing the "living water" of John
Gospel of John
The Gospel According to John , commonly referred to as the Gospel of John or simply John, and often referred to in New Testament scholarship as the Fourth Gospel, is an account of the public ministry of Jesus...
4:10 for meditative focus. The temple's main sanctuary has seating for approximately 1,600. It houses a Casavant
Casavant Frères
Casavant Frères is a prominent Canadian company in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, which has been building fine pipe organs since 1879. As of 2008, they have produced over 3800 organs.- Company history :...
pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
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
Isaiah ; Greek: ', Ēsaïās ; "Yahu is salvation") was a prophet in the 8th-century BC Kingdom of Judah.Jews and Christians consider the Book of Isaiah a part of their Biblical canon; he is the first listed of the neviim akharonim, the later prophets. Many of the New Testament teachings of Jesus...
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
Daily Prayer for Peace
The Daily Prayer for Peace is a spiritual discipline unique to the 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 known as supplication.Each day of the year at 1...
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, or the peaceable Kingdom of God, first advocated as basileia tou theou by Jesus Christ. 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 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,"gives form to our commitment to Jesus Christ" and that it "is at the center of meaning and identity for members of the Community of Christ"Temple lot
Wallace B. Smith'sWallace B. Smith
Wallace Bunnell Anthony Smith was Prophet-President of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , from April 5, 1978 through April 15, 1996. Son of President W. Wallace Smith, he was designated as his father's successor in 1976, and ordained church president in 1978 when his...
great-grandfather and founder of the Latter Day Saint movement
Latter Day Saint movement
The Latter Day Saint movement is a group of independent churches tracing their origin to a Christian primitivist movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the late 1820s. Collectively, these churches have over 14 million members...
, Joseph Smith, visited Jackson County
Jackson County, Missouri
Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. With a population of 674,158 in the 2010 census, Jackson County is the second most populous of Missouri's counties, after St. Louis County. Kansas City, the state's most populous city and focus city of the Kansas City Metropolitan...
in 1831 and prophesied that a temple to the Lord would be built there. The early Latter Day Saints purchased a 73 acres (29.5 ha) parcel of land known as the "greater temple lot
Temple Lot
The Temple Lot, located in Independence, Jackson County, Missouri, is the first site to be dedicated for the construction of a temple in the Latter Day Saint movement...
." 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)
Church of Christ (Temple Lot)
The Church of Christ is a denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement headquartered in Independence, Missouri on what is known as the Temple Lot. Members of the church have been known colloquially as "Hedrickites", after Granville Hedrick, who was ordained as the church's first leader in July 1863...
.
The Community of Christ's temple is built on the greater temple lot, as is the Auditorium
Auditorium (Community of Christ)
The Auditorium is a house of worship and office building located on the greater Temple Lot in Independence, Missouri...
, the headquarters chapel of the Church of Christ (Temple Lot)
Church of Christ (Temple Lot)
The Church of Christ is a denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement headquartered in Independence, Missouri on what is known as the Temple Lot. Members of the church have been known colloquially as "Hedrickites", after Granville Hedrick, who was ordained as the church's first leader in July 1863...
and a visitor center from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Community of Christ also owns the temple
Kirtland Temple
The Kirtland Temple is a National Historic Landmark in Kirtland, Ohio, USA, on the eastern edge of the Cleveland metropolitan area. Owned and operated by the Community of Christ, formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , the house of worship was the first temple to be...
in Kirtland, Ohio
Kirtland, Ohio
Kirtland is a city in Lake County, Ohio, USA. The population was 6,670 at the 2000 census. Kirtland is famous for being the early headquarters of the Latter Day Saint movement.-Origins of Kirtland:...
, the first temple actually built (rather than merely planned) by the Latter Day Saint movement, and continues to be a place of worship and education. As part of its educational ministry that site is open as a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
.