Temple breaks ground: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ temple to open in 3 years

Before The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Portland Oregon Temple opened in Lake Oswego, Ore., in 1989, Clark County church members traveled 600 miles to receive spiritual guidance and participate in sacred ceremonies.

“The youth here in Vancouver would get on a bus and travel to Oakland, Calif.,” Dean Barrus, a member of the Ridgefield Washington Stake, said during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Vancouver Washington Temple on Saturday. “That was the closest temple to us. We would worship for a couple of hours, get back on that bus and start back home.”

In a few years, they’ll be able to visit a temple without having to leave Clark County.

Construction on the temple kicked off Monday. Although it has “Vancouver” in its name, the temple will rise on 15 acres at the northwest corner of Southeast 20th Street and Southeast Bybee Road within Camas city limits.

The 43,000-square-foot multistory facility is being built by Seattle-based JTM Construction and will take about three years to complete, according to Latter-day Saints General Authority Seventy Mark Bragg.

Church President Russell Nelson announced the selection of Clark County as a future temple location during the Latter-day Saints General Conference in October 2023.

“We were very, very excited,” Bragg said. “It’s a manifestation of the strength of the church in this area.”

Washington is home to 282,000 Latter-day Saints in 470 congregations, with temples in Richland, Moses Lake, Seattle and Spokane. Tacoma was announced as a future temple location in October 2022.

Ernie Suggs, a member of the Washougal River Ward, said that when he moved to Washougal in 1975, east Clark County was home to one Latter-day Saints ward. It now has 10.

“The growth has been phenomenal,” said Suggs, a Washougal City Council member. “The membership has grown, not only in Camas-Washougal, but also in the county. Where we used to have one stake, which encompasses about 10 congregations or wards, we now have five stakes in the same geographic area. The growth indicates that we are capable of handling the influx of a temple.”

“People live here for a long time. They don’t move around too much,” Bragg added. “The roots have been planted so deep and grown so deep that the strength of this church has weathered the decades. It’s a glorious time.”

A temple is different from other church buildings, Suggs said.

“It’s a place where we receive special instructions about God and Jesus Christ,” he said. “We make covenants with the Lord there. And marriages can be performed in the temple.”

During Saturday’s groundbreaking ceremony, Abigail Grant, a member of the Vancouver Washington West Stake, described the spiritual strength and personal revelation found in temples. She said she visited a temple to prepare for her upcoming mission in Peru.

“Temple attendance will only direct you in a positive direction. Never have I ever gone to the temple and felt as though I have wasted my time. I have always been blessed with inspiration and peace after temple attendance,” Grant said.

Only members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are permitted to go inside temples, but nonmembers are welcome to visit temple grounds, which are maintained with lush gardens, trees,and water features to create a peaceful and inviting atmosphere.

“It’s not a secret place. It’s a sacred place,” Suggs said. “It will inspire and bless and enhance the total community. It’ll be a beautiful temple in a beautiful setting.”