{"id":349742,"date":"2026-06-06T17:52:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T17:52:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/349742\/"},"modified":"2026-06-06T17:52:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T17:52:11","slug":"yorba-linda-california-temple-marks-a-significant-milestone-church-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/349742\/","title":{"rendered":"Yorba Linda California Temple marks a significant milestone \u2013 Church News"},"content":{"rendered":"

YORBA LINDA, California \u2014 Years before the Yorba Linda California Temple<\/a> of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was announced<\/a>, local members of the Church were preparing for a temple in their community \u2014 working to preserve the Church property where the future temple would be built. <\/p>\n

In 2020, word spread that the Bastanchury meetinghouse and ball field in Yorba Linda might be sold. Local Church leaders compiled a detailed presentation outlining the property\u2019s history, value and future potential for leaders to review. Instead of the property being sold, just a few months later, then-Church President Russell M. Nelson<\/a> announced a temple would be built in the area, and a few months after that, the site location was announced for that spot. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe thought we were saving a ball field, but we were really saving it for a temple,\u201d said John Dalton, who helped with the effort. <\/p>\n

Fulfillment of scriptural prophecy<\/p>\n

Youth in the area of southern California southeast of Los Angeles have also played a major role in preparing for this temple, including spiritual preparation for temple ordinances and covenants, and family history work for deceased ancestors.<\/p>\n

\"ElderElder Robert L. Davis, an Area Seventy, and his wife, Sister Tiffany Davis, pose for a photo outside the Yorba Linda Temple during the public open house in Yorba Linda, California, in May 2026. | Provided by Elder Robert L. Davis <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a fulfillment of scriptural prophecy,\u201d said Elder Robert L. Davis<\/a>, an Area Seventy, referencing Malachi 4:5-6<\/a>, where the Lord promises to send the spirit of Elijah to turn the hearts of the children to the fathers in the last days. <\/p>\n

Elder Davis said members in the area have felt a deeper commitment to family history since the temple was announced. And he said the youth in the area really \u201cget it\u201d when it comes to family history. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey seem to grasp it more than any generation I\u2019ve seen,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I think that\u2019s a beautiful miracle and a kind of counterinfluence to what a lot of young people are experiencing in this life right now, with social media and other things pulling young people away from gathering.\u201d <\/p>\n

Unlike the influence of the world, \u201cGod is literally gathering his children through involvement in family history and the temple,\u201d Elder Davis said. <\/p>\n

As part of the public open house in May, 1,100 youth participated in a special day at the temple that included tours led by teenagers for their peers. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Spirit was super strong,\u201d said Lauren Hall. \u201cIt just felt special to be with friends and other youth who want to feel the Spirit as well.\u201d <\/p>\n

John and Louise Dalton served with the youth, helping them plan and coordinate the \u201cTemple Time for Teens\u201d event on May 2. Louise Dalton said that as they planned, the youth grew excited and started to view the temple as a gathering place for themselves and their friends. <\/p>\n

\"YoungYoung men and young women who served on the youth coordinating council for the Yorba Linda California Temple open house pose for a photo outside the temple in Yorba Linda, California, on Saturday, May 2, 2026. | Chelsea Christensen <\/p>\n

\u201cThere are great groups of youth who gather and say, \u2018let\u2019s all go to the temple on Thursday night and do baptisms,\u2019\u201d Louise Dalton said. \u201cThat\u2019s what they do for their entertainment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many of the youth took time to attend other nearby temples. Aaron Waite attended at least once a month and said he was \u201cstriving to live a cleaner, more Christlike life.\u201d <\/p>\n

John Dalton said the young men and young women led the tours through the temple, with endowed members speaking in the celestial, endowment and sealing rooms. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey felt the importance of what they were doing, the spiritual importance of what they were doing,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\"TheThe celestial room of the Yorba Linda California Temple. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints <\/p>\n

Armando Velazquez was one of the attendees who was touched by the temple tour. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn the celestial room, everyone was just quiet,\u201d he said. \u201cI couldn\u2019t breathe. It was like you were there at heaven and you could just feel the peace on earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the land of gracious living <\/p>\n

After its June 7 dedication, the new temple will serve more than 21,500 Latter-day Saints in the Anaheim, Brea, Chino, Hacienda Heights, Orange, Santa Ana, Whittier and Yorba Linda areas.<\/p>\n

\"YoungYoung women walk on the grounds of the Yorba Linda California Temple during the open house in Yorba Linda, California, on Saturday, May 2, 2026. | Chelsea Christensen <\/p>\n

The Yorba Linda temple is scheduled to be dedicated on the same day and at the same time<\/a> as the <\/a>Willamette Valley Oregon Temple<\/a>\u2019s dedication, with the two becoming the Church\u2019s 218th and 219th dedicated temples worldwide.<\/p>\n

These two houses of the Lord were announced<\/a> on the same day, April 4, 2021 \u2014 meaning they\u2019ll have the same timing of announcement and dedication, down to the hour.<\/p>\n

To start the construction phase of the Yorba Linda temple, a groundbreaking ceremony<\/a> was June 18, 2022. Elder Mark A. Bragg<\/a> \u2014 a General Authority Seventy and then the president of the Church\u2019s North America West Area \u2014 presided over the ceremony and offered the dedicatory prayer on the site.<\/p>\n

Referencing Yorba Linda\u2019s city motto \u2014 \u201cLand of gracious living\u201d \u2014 Elder Bragg said: \u201cThis house of the Lord will represent the highest in gracious living, and those who enter will leave with a higher commitment to gracious living. \u2026 We commit to being neighbors of gracious living.\u201d<\/p>\n

\""Holiness“Holiness to the Lord: The house of the Lord” is inscribed above the entrance to the Yorba Linda California Temple. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints <\/p>\n

Joe and Gail Ham, who served as coordinators of the Yorba Linda temple open house and dedication committee, said they were able to testify to friends and neighbors during the open house that the temple is truly the house of the Lord. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was able to tell our friends that even though you may never go inside this temple and do some of the things there, I hope you will feel the influence in our community of the goodness that comes from this temple,\u201d Gail Ham said.<\/p>\n

Joe Ham said it was awe-inspiring to see so many Latter-day Saints in the area willing to consecrate all they have to go help at the temple. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was so overwhelmed by the quality of the effort and of the people that were willing to give whatever it took to fulfill an assignment that lasted for days for some of them at the temple with no questions asked,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

The Church in California<\/p>\n

California currently has 12 houses of the Lord operating, under construction or renovation, and announced.<\/p>\n

Eight have already been dedicated: Los Angeles<\/a> (in 1956), Oakland<\/a> (1964), San Diego<\/a> (1993), Fresno<\/a> (2000), Redlands<\/a> (2003), Newport Beach<\/a> (2005), Sacramento<\/a> (2006) and Feather River<\/a> (2023).<\/p>\n

Of note, the San Diego temple was closed in July 2023 for extensive renovations<\/a> and will soon be rededicated<\/a>, on Aug. 23.<\/p>\n

The Modesto California Temple<\/a> is currently under construction, since its October 2023 groundbreaking.<\/a> Two houses of the Lord are in planning stages: the Sunnyvale<\/a> and Bakersfield<\/a> temples, both announced in April 2023.<\/p>\n

Today, California is home to more than 725,000 Church members in almost 1,100 wards and branches. This makes it the U.S. state with the second-most Latter-day Saints, after Utah.<\/p>\n

California has 16 missions. On July 1, three more missions will be created<\/a> in the state \u2014 headquartered in Oceanside, Ontario and Victorville. These three cities are within a 60-mile radius of Yorba Linda.<\/p>\n

Karen Kimball contributed to this article.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe recommend desk of the Yorba Linda California Temple. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Yorba Linda California Temple<\/p>\n

Address: 17130 Bastanchury Road, Yorba Linda, California 92886<\/p>\n

Announced: April 4, 2021, by President Russell M. Nelson<\/a><\/p>\n

Groundbreaking: June 18, 2022, presided over by Elder Mark A. Bragg<\/a>, a General Authority Seventy<\/p>\n

Public open house: April 30 through May 23, 2026, excluding Sundays<\/p>\n

Dedication: June 7, 2026, by President D. Todd Christofferson<\/a><\/p>\n

Property size: 5.46 acres<\/p>\n

Building size: 30,872 square feet<\/p>\n

Building height: 70 feet (including the spire)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"YORBA LINDA, California \u2014 Years before the Yorba Linda California Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":349743,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8,52607],"class_list":["post-349742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news","tag-temples"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349742","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=349742"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349742\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/349743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=349742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=349742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=349742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}