The Kinshasa Democratic Republic of Congo Temple Dedication

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kinshasa Temple will be dedicated on Sunday, April 14. The dedication ceremony will be attended by members of the Church in DRC and neighboring countries. It will also be broadcasted to selected church buildings within the country.
Elder Dale E. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will dedicate the temple. Elder S. Mark Palmer, Elder Joseph W. Sitati, and Elder Joni L. Koch of the Area Presidency of the Africa South East Area of the Church which covers 34 Countries in East, Central and Southern Africa, accompanied by their wives, will participate in the dedication.

Prior to the temple dedication of the temple, on April 14, Elder Dale E. Renlund will conducted the symbolic cornerstone ceremony, which signifies the temple’s completion and readiness to be dedicated for sacred use. The ceremony is also symbolic of Christ as the chief cornerstone of the Church. During this ceremony, the presiding leaders and their spouses briefly exit the temple and placed mortar around the cornerstone on the side of the temple.
A youth devotional on Saturday, April 13, will be broadcast to selected church units that fall within the geographic area that will be served by the Democratic Republic of the Congo Kinshasa Temple. The youth devotional will focus on the fundamental principle that sacred ordinances performed in this holy temple are established to unite families for eternity and to bless individuals with renewed spiritual strength.

When the Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple was announced in October 2011, the news was met with great joy and thanksgiving by members of the Church in Africa and around the world. This will be the fourth operating temple in Africa. The three other temples currently operating are in Johannesburg, South Africa; Accra, Ghana; and Aba, Nigeria. The Durban South Africa Temple is under construction. Plans have been announced to build temples in Harare, Zimbabwe; Nairobi, Kenya; Lagos, Nigeria and in Abidjan, Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire).

The Church’s temples differ from churches where members meet for Sunday worship services. Temples are considered “houses of the Lord” where the teachings of Jesus Christ are reaffirmed through marriage, baptism and other ceremonies that unite families for eternity.
The temple dedication is the ultimate event prior to the opening of the temple to members of the Church. The temple will officially open on the 16 April 2019 following the dedication and members who have a temple recommend will then be free to attend and worship in the temple.

To learn more about temples, their purpose and importance in the lives of Latter-day Saints, please visit https://www.mormon-presse.cd.