Construction will begin soon on a church project in southeast Springfield.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints held a ceremonial groundbreaking Saturday for its Springfield Missouri Temple.
Folding chairs were set up in rows on land where the temple will be built. A children’s choir from the Branson Stake sang during the presentation, which featured a talk by Elder Aroldo Cavalcante, second council, U.S. Southeast Area.
Missouri State University President Richard “Biff” Williams and his wife Kristin were among those in the crowd.
“Well, personally it means a lot because, as you know, me and my family have a very strong faith,” he said, “and so, to be able to worship here – right now, we drive to Bentonville, so it’s about two hours away, and sometimes it’s hard to get there, so it’s really special to me and my family to be able have our place of worship right here in Springfield.”
Currently, church members in the Springfield area must travel to northwest Arkansas or St. Louis or Kansas City, Missouri, which already have Church of Jesus Christ temples.
Rabbi Sam Radwine with Temple Israel attended to support the Church of Jesus Christ as it gets ready to build its temple. Former Springfield Mayor Ken McClure was also a guest since much of the groundwork to get to this point was done under his leadership. The temple was announced in 2023.
Paul Essel with the Springfield Missouri Stake said having a local temple is significant for members of the church in southwest Missouri.
“As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a temple is very important,” he said, “for me, my wife and my family in the sense that we are able to go into the temple and perform ordinances that will help us return to our heavenly father who is God.”
Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are different from meetinghouses or chapels where Sunday worship services are held. Each temple is considered a house of the Lord, according to the organization’s First Presidency in Utah, “where Jesus Christ’s teachings are reaffirmed so that families can be united for eternity.” It said church members can “seek peace and guidance in the temples, learn more about the purpose of life and make covenants to follow Jesus Christ and serve their fellow men.”
“Throughout the history of the world, people have traveled to holy places and sacred buildings," said Devon Jarvis, president of the Springfield Stake. "Temples are sacred and holy places that members of our church travel to, to make commitments to follow Jesus Christ, and to unite us and strengthen our families."
The new temple will be approximately 29,000 square feet. It will sit on a 38-acre site at 2720 E. Farm Rd. 188 along with a meetinghouse and distribution center.
The general contractor is Zwick Construction in Utah.
McKay Johnson recently moved to Springfield with his family from Utah to work on the temple.
“It’s a pretty great privilege to be able to do something that I like to do but be able to do something that means a lot for other people,” he said.
The temple is expected to serve 20,000 church members across six stakes or groups of congregations in the Ozarks. Missouri is home to over 84,000 Church members in about 180 congregations.
