Ephraim Utah Temple Dedicated After Five-Year Journey
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicated the Ephraim Utah Temple on Oct. 11, 2026, completing a project announced in 2021 and rooted in the ancestral history of Church President Russell M. Nelson.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicated the Ephraim Utah Temple on Oct. 11, 2026, in a ceremony presided over by Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The dedication followed a public open house held from Sept. 2 to Sept. 19, 2026, which allowed visitors to tour the new house of worship before it was formally consecrated.
The temple was announced on May 1, 2021, by Church President Russell M. Nelson. The groundbreaking and site dedication took place on Aug. 27, 2022, also presided over by President Nelson, whose personal ties to the area run deep. His mother was born in Ephraim, his father in Manti, three of his four grandparents were born in Ephraim, and all eight of his great-grandparents lived in the town. During his dedicatory prayer on the site, President Nelson spoke of the legacy left by earlier generations: «We are deeply grateful for our ancestors. They have laid a foundation of faith that undergirds our spiritual strength. May we learn who they are, find their qualifying information, and bless their lives with sacred rites offered vicariously in this holy house.»
The Ephraim temple stands on a 9.2-acre site and encompasses 41,680 square feet. It was constructed with a structural steel frame on a reinforced concrete foundation. Its design motifs honor the heritage of the valley, which was settled in the mid-1800s largely by Scandinavian pioneers. The forget-me-not and oxeye daisy, flowers long cherished in Scandinavia, are woven into the decorative scheme, while wheat motifs throughout the building recall the historic Ephraim Relief Society Granary.
Art-glass windows feature shades of white, orange, yellow, green, blue and pink. The stone used in the temple, mainly Botticino Classico and BS Beige, adds warm tones of beige, cream and gold, with green, blue and gold accents. Custom broadloom carpet brings a gold-beige tone to the interior, complemented by Scandinavian-style area rugs featuring predominant blues, greens and golds.
The dedication marks the completion of a project that began with its announcement in 2021 and moved through groundbreaking in 2022 and a public open house in 2026. For the Church and its members in central Utah, the Ephraim temple now serves as a permanent spiritual center, continuing a tradition of faith that President Nelson linked directly to the region's pioneer settlers.
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