Conference Includes Notice of Five New Temples

President Thomas S. Monson opened the Church’s 179th Semiannual General Conference, held on Saturday and Sunday, October 3 and 4, 2009, by announcing the locations of five new temples planned for future construction in Brigham City, Utah, USA; Concepción, Chile; Fortaleza, Brazil; Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA; and Sapporo, Japan.

Members around the world participated in the conference in as many as 92 languages at the Conference Center and by television, satellite, Internet, and radio broadcasts. Recordings of the broadcast will be made available on DVD and CD and online.

The new temples bring to 21 the number of temples that are announced or under construction. Once completed, these 21 temples will bring the Church’s worldwide total to 151.

“We continue to build temples,” said President Monson. “We desire that as many members as possible have an opportunity to attend the temple without having to travel inordinate distances.”

The temple in Brigham City will be Utah’s 14th; two temples, the Draper Utah and Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temples, were dedicated in Utah earlier this year.

There are currently 14 temples in operation in South America. The temple in Concepción, Chile, will be the second in Chile.

The temple in Fortaleza, Brazil, will be the seventh in Brazil. A temple in Manaus was announced in May 2007, and there are five currently in operation.

Serving the needs of members in South Florida and the Bahamas, the temple in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, will be the second in Florida.

The Sapporo Japan Temple will be the third in that country, after the Tokyo and Fukuoka Japan Temples.

President Monson said that 83 percent of Church members live within 200 miles (320 km) of a temple. “That percentage will continue to increase as we construct new temples around the world,” he added.