A first look at the Memphis Tennessee Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

When Bishop Ivon Faulkner of the Memphis Second Ward joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he had to travel to Atlanta to visit a temple.

It wasn't until 2000 that members of the church had a temple in the Memphis area — and it shut its doors in 2017 for an extensive renovation. Due to issues with mold, the building had to be essentially razed and rebuilt.

Now, the temple at 4199 Kirby-Whitten Parkway has been rebuilt with limestone from Portugal and topped with a gold leaf-covered statue of the angel Moroni that catches the sun.

“When Solomon built his temple, he used the finest craftsmen and the finest materials," said area seventy Elder Michael Beheshti. "We’ve used the finest craftsmen and the finest materials as an offering to God for the Memphis Tennessee Temple.”

Although temples are normally only open to members of the church with temple privileges, members of the public are invited to visit the Memphis Tennessee Temple during scheduled open house tours from April 13 through April 20. The temple will be rededicated on May 5 by the Elder Jeffrey Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

“We are hopeful, very hopeful that individuals can come," Faulkner said. "We truly believe that is the house of God on earth. Going in there, you see the beauty, and it evokes the spirit inside you and also to realize this is God’s house. It makes you want to be more like him.”

The temple has been rebuilt with features common to other temples, but also with unique decorative elements: the pawpaw flower shows up in the stained glass and on the carpets, a homage to the area it serves. One of two instruction rooms is painted with a mural depicting a nature scene that could be from Tennessee with a river, herons and deer.

'The temple's not a secret...it's a sacred place'

Temples in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are not the same as their meetinghouses, where members gather for Sunday worship. Rather, temples are reserved for special ordinances such as marriage and baptism of deceased ancestors. The church teaches that these ceremonies unite families for eternity.

“It gives you hope," said Ann Faulkner, Faulkner's wife. "You have difficult times and difficult circumstances when relatives pass and you wonder what is happening. The temple gives you that extra comfort to know that your family can be together forever.”

Inside the temple, a baptistry includes a baptismal font supported by 12 oxen, which sometimes represent the 12 tribes of Israel in the Bible. The tile in the font shimmers as the light hits it. 

"We put the best we can in the house of the Lord, because of our love for him," said Elder Claudio Costa, a general authority seventy of the church, who traveled from Salt Lake City for the event. 

Costa said he has always seen a temple as an "oasis in the desert" that refreshes the soul.

"The people here are so anxious to bring their temple back," he said. “The temple’s not a secret place. It’s a sacred place.”

The sealing room is another in the temple where church leaders spoke of happy memories: of being sealed to their spouses in marriage or, if they converted to the church, being sealed to other family members. 

In that room, a simple altar is centered between rows of chairs. Two mirrors face each other on either wall, giving what some called a feeling of eternity.

In the celestial room, members are given a chance to sit and reflect. It's there that they most feel the love of God, several said. 

Elder Kevin Duncan, a general authority seventy of the church who traveled from Salt Lake City for the event, said the renovations were a "great opportunity" to add classic structures and do enhancements to a place so important for members of the church. 

“I know for me there is no other place where I can go and feel as close to my father and my savior my Lord Jesus Christ," Duncan said. 

Tour the Memphis Temple

Guests need to make a reservation at https://www.lds.org/temples/open-houses.

The open house is from April 13 through April 20 (excluding Sunday, April 14). 

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Katherine Burgess covers county government and the suburbs. She can be reached at katherine.burgess@commercialappeal.com or followed on Twitter @kathsburgess.